The Way of Elohim
The way of righteousness
The early followers of Yeshua were described as followers of "the Way." The term "Christian" came later. The following article is largely a collection of scriptures speaking of "the Way."
Nazarenes: The Name of the 1st Century Believers
Tracking the names of the first-century believers
The first-century church, better termed 'Yeshua-movement,' was known as a sect within Judaism, not outside of it. All of Yeshua's follower's were known as "the sect of the Nazarenes" (Acts 24:5), just as we see "the sect of the Pharisees" (Acts 15:5), and the "sect of the Sadducees" (Acts 5:17).
It is important to note that the name Nazarenes was at first applied to all Jewish followers of Jesus. Until the name Christian became attached to the Antiochian non-Jews, this meant that the name signified the entire Church, not just a sect. So also in Acts 24:5 the reference is not to a sect of Christianity but rather to the entire primitive Church as a sect of Judaism. Ray A. Pritz, Nazarene Jewish Christianity, pg. 15
What does Messianic mean?
A non-denominational movement restoring our Hebraic roots
The label "Messianic" that we use today is simply a term describing those who are seeking to understand our faith in its historic, Hebraic setting. Messianic's are not seeking to be denomination-alized, nor do we have any organizational hierarchy. Messianic believers, historically called "followers of the Way" and "Nazarenes," were understood as a sect/denomination within Judaism (Acts 6:7; 15:5; 24:5; 28:22). It is with this understanding that the Scriptures breathe new life after 1800 years of western theology.