Early Christianity was every bit, if not more, diverse than Christianity today. One of the very early sects was named the Ebionites. We have unfortunately nothing left of their own writings apart from a few quotes from what Epiphanius believed was their recension of Matthew. Tertullian mentions Ebion the founder:
...This view of the matter could have suited
Ebion, who determines that Jesus is a bare man, merely of the
seed of David, and therefore not also the Son of God-...Now let us put our case less figuratively. It was not feasible for the Son of God to be born of human seed, lest, if he were wholly the son of man, he should not also be the Son of God, and should be in no sense greater than Solomon or than Jonah, as in Ebion's view we should have to regard him.
Pseudo-Tertullian in Against all Heresies says Ebion was a successor to Cerithus:
His successor was Ebion, who did not agree with Cerinthus in every respect, claiming that the world was made by God, not by angels, and because it is written, No disciple is above his master, nor servant above his lord, he also proposes the law, namely to exclude the gospel and vindicate Judaism.
Epiphanius' ' Panarion' describes in rather insulting fashion the founder and leader of the sect Ebion.
Following these and holding views like theirs, Ebion, the founder of
the Ebionites, arose in the world in his turn as a monstrosity with many
forms, and practically represented in himself the snake-like form of the
mythical many-headed hydra. He was of the Nazoraeans’ school, but
preached and taught other things than they...... Ebion, in reverse, took any and every doctrine
which was dreadful, lethal, disgusting, ugly and unconvincing, thoroughly
contentious, from every sect, and patterned himself after them all...... For although
he is Samaritan, he rejects the name because of its objectionability. And
while professing himself a Jew, he is the opposite of the Jews.....In the first place, he said that Christ was conceived by sexual intercourse and the seed of a man,
Joseph —I have already said that he agreed with the others in everything,
with this one difference, his adherence to Judaism’s Law of the Sabbath,
circumcision, and all the other Jewish and Samaritan observances. But
like the Samaritans he goes still further than the Jews. He added the rule
about taking care not to touch a gentile; and that every day, if a man has
been with a woman6
and has left her, he must immerse himself in water—
any water he can find, the sea or any other. Moreover, if he should meet
anyone while returning from his immersion and bath in the water, he runs
back again for another immersion, often even with his clothes on!... he first
lived in a village called Cocabe in the district of Qarnaim—also called
Ashtaroth—in Bashanitis. There he began his evil teaching....Ebion too preached in Asia and Rome,...
Epiphanius adds a narrative involving the Apostle John and Ebion:
...St. John himself was preaching in Asia, it is
reported that he did an extraordinary thing as an example of the truth.
Although his way of life was most admirable and appropriate to his apostolic
rank and he never bathed, he was compelled to approach the bath by the Holy Spirit who said, “Look what is at the bath!” To his companions’
surprise he actually went to the bathing-room, approached the attendant
who took the bathers’ clothes, and asked who was inside in the bathing-room. And the attendant stationed there to watch the clothes—some
people do this for a living in the gymnasia—said to St. John, “Ebion is
inside.” Becoming disturbed at once and crying
out John said in an aside audible to all—as a testimony in evidence of
undefiled doctrine—“Let’s get out of here in a hurry, brothers, or the bath
may fall and bury us along with the person who is inside in the bathing room, Ebion, because of his impiety.”
So here find the Church Fathers have detailed a biography for Ebion including his mentor, his hometown, mentions his parents giving a prophetic name to their son, his preaching travels and his teaching. He caps it off with an account of John's personally meeting the man.
Problem is there was no man named Ebion, his is a phantom of the later writers, a purely assumed personage. The name Ebionites meaning 'poor' was adopted by the group as they shared an strict asceticism involving renouncing material things. They did not have a founder named Ebion.
