'''Notzri''' plural '''Notzrim''' (נוצרים), is the [[modern Hebrew]] standard term for "Christian" and "Christians".<ref>"Christian adj. n. נוצרי " (''Notzri'') ''The Oxford English-Hebrew Dictionary'' (9780198601722) 1999 p.69; ''The New Bantam-Megiddo Hebrew & English Dictionary'', Dr. Sivan Reuven, Dr. Edward A. Levenston, 2009 p.50; [[Ben Yehuda]]'s Hebrew Dictionary, 1940 reprint, p.450</ref> An alternative term, used to translate the [[Greek (language)|Greek]] ''Christianoi'' in many [[Bible translations into Hebrew|translations of the New Testament into Hebrew]], and by some churches, is distinguished from '''Meshiykhiyyim''' "Messianics" ({{lang-he|משיחיים}}).<ref>United Bible Societies Hebrew New Testament, 1997 printing, based on the [[BFBS]] New Testament of [[Franz Delitzsch]]: Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, 1 Peter 4:16.</ref>
The first confirmed use of "Nazarenes" (in Greek ''[[Nazarene (sect)|Nazoraioi]]'') occurs from [[Tertullus]] before [[Antonius Felix]].<ref>Marvin R. Wilson ''Our father Abraham: Jewish roots of the Christian faith'' 1989 p41 "The Greek Nazoraioi (Acts 24:5), "Nazarenes," was likely used as a designation for Jewish Christians from a very early date. It was apparently retained in Hebrew conversation (and later in Hebrew literature) by the term Notzrim,"</ref> One such as Tertullus who did not acknowledge ''Iesous ho Nazoraios'' ("Jesus of Nazareth") as ''Iesous ho Christos'' ("Jesus the Messiah") would not call Paul's sect ''Christianoi'' ("followers of the Messiah").<ref>Eckhard J. Schnabel ''Paul the missionary: realities, strategies and methods'' p73 2008 "... that is “Nazarenes” 64 Jews who did not acknowledge Jesus as Messiah would hardly have called the believers in Jesus “followers of the Messiah” (Christeioi or Christianoi). It is quite possible that the term Christianoi was an official designation coined by the Roman authorities in Antioch."</ref> The terms "Nazarenes" and "of Nazareth" are both ''nasraya'' (ܕܢܨܪܝܐ) in Syrian Aramaic, while ''Nasrat'' (ܢܨܪܬ ) is used for Nazareth.<ref>Bruce Manning Metzger The early versions of the New Testament p86 - 1977 "Peshitta Matt, and Luke ... nasraya, 'of Nazareth'."</ref><ref>[[William Jennings]] ''Lexicon to the Syriac New Testament'' 1926 p143</ref><ref>[[Robert Payne Smith]] ''Compendious Syriac Dictionary'' 1903 p349</ref>
