Jesus and the Essenes

Product Information

As Christianity became more distant from its Jewish roots, different groups of Christians competed vigorously to establish their set of scriptures, their creed, and their practices, as those of the single, true, Christian church. Philo's usage is Essaioi, although he admits this Greek form of the original name, that according to his etymology signifies "holiness", to be inexact. [23] Pliny's Latin text has Esseni. [5] [24] Edmond Bordeaux Szekely, The Essene Gospel of Peace, Book One, (International Biogenic Society,1981)

Other similarities include high devotion to the faith even to the point of martyrdom, communal prayer, self denial and a belief in a captivity in a sinful world. [71]Pliny locates them "on the west side of the Dead Sea, away from the coast... [above] the town of Engeda". [24]

Schiffman, Lawrence H. (1991). From text to tradition: a history of Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism. New York City: Ktav Pub. House. pp.113–116. ISBN 0-88125-372-3. OCLC 23733614. Service, Robert (2007). Comrades: A History of World Communism. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. pp.14–15. ISBN 978-0674046993. Much early Christian doctrine was formulated precisely to combat ideas that were already well-developed, but were perceived to be theologically troubling. Thus groups which had no intention of deviating from the church, but had seen themselves as the true church, found themselves marginalised as heretics. At the conclusion of his book, Joseph determines that the Essenes are “a missing link in the study of early Christian origins” (169). The idiom suggests an “A” and a “C” that are known to us, with the Essenes providing the “B” that explains how history developed from point A to C. The parallels can be understood this way, but I am not persuaded that they should be. Rather than a link in a chain, I find it more useful to borrow an imagery that would resonate with the Essenes: that of shedding light. We know for a fact that Jesus was a Second Temple Jew, and that his ideas were forged and shaped by the circumstances of this tumultuous period. The scrolls help us illuminate the stage when this transpired, but these movements may have existed as independent scenes rather than partners in a direct dialogue.Gnosticism' is a vague term which encompasses sects closely associated with Christianity and much larger movements contemporary with, but unrelated to, Christianity. Josephus ( c. 75). The Wars of the Jews. 2.137–138. Josephus' mention of the three-year duration of the Essene probation may be compared with the phased character of the entrance procedure in the Qumran Rule of the Community [1QS; at least two years plus an indeterminate initial catechetical phase, 1QS VI]. The provisional surrender of property required at the beginning of the last year of the novitiate derives from actual social experience of the difficulties of sharing property in a fully communitarian setting, cf. Brian J. Capper, 'The Interpretation of Acts 5.4', Journal for the Study of the New Testament 19 (1983) pp. 117–131; idem, '"In der Hand des Ananias." Erwägungen zu 1QS VI,20 und der urchristlichen Gütergemeinschaft', Revue de Qumran 12(1986) 223–236; Eyal Regev, "Comparing Sectarian Practice and Organization: The Qumran Sect in Light of the Regulations of the Shakers, Hutterites, Mennonites and Amish", Numen 51 (2004), pp. 146–181. In the parable about the shrewed manager, Jesus states afterwards that the children of the world are more cunning than the children of light. Well, the Essenes called themselves the children of light and all others children of darkness. In 2020, Meru University offered an exciting course on the relationship between Jesus and a little-known Jewish community called the Essenes. For many Meru University students who had never heard of the Essenes, the course proved to be an eye-opening education.

The sharing of the communion cup, a remembrance of the life blood that we all share, and the ritual of baptism for the cleansing of sins John the Baptist performed in the Jordan River are two of these practices. They pre-date the advent of Jesus, and were adopted by Jesus and his cousin John to afford the early followers meaningful spiritual experiences as well as symbols to which they could relate. Rudolph, Kurt (1977). "Mandaeism". In Moore, Albert C. (ed.). Iconography of Religions: An Introduction. Vol.21. Chris Robertson. ISBN 9780800604882. The introduction ( “Rediscovering the Essenes in the Study of Christian Origins”) and the epilogue ( “Beyond the Essenes”) each emphatically argue in favor of an influence of the Essenes on the early Christian movement. Chapter 1 highlights some of the prominent similarities between the two, such as the significance of Isaiah 40:3 in the Essene text known as the Community Rule and in all four gospels (14), a text reminiscent of the Beatitudes (4Q525, on 17), and the mention of a Son of God (17-18). Joseph supplements these similarities with a caution against “parallelomania” (16), offering reservations concerning how one should proceed to interpret these similarities while keeping in mind the paucity of evidence (23). The epilogue, however, unequivocally proclaims that these claims have been established: Jesus was influenced by the Essenes, as was his movement, which was in ideological proximity to the Essenes, but cannot be defined as Essenic (164). Another issue is the relationship between the Essaioi and Philo's Therapeutae and Therapeutrides. He regarded the Therapeutae as a contemplative branch of the Essaioi who, he said, pursued an active life. [64] It has been popular among some scholars to claim that John the Baptist was an Essene. There are some similarities between John and the Essenes: 1. John was in the desert (Luke 1:80). The Essenes were in the desert. 2. Both John and the Essenes used Isaiah 40:3 to describe themselves as the voice in the wilderness. 3. The baptism (or washing) practiced by John and the Essenes required a change of heart. At the same time, there are significant differences between John the Baptist and the Essenes: 1. The Essenes hid themselves away from society in the wilderness. John was a very public figure. 2. John had a much stricter diet (Luke 7:33) than did the Essenes. 3. John preached Jesus as the Messiah. The Essenes did not recognize Jesus as Messiah, but they thought that the Teacher of Righteousness would himself be an Essene. 4. There was a strong organization among the Essenes that was missing among John the Baptist’s disciples. So, was John the Baptist an Essene? While it is possible, it cannot be explicitly proven either biblically or historically.

About the Author

The Essenes and early Christians also shared apocalyptic beliefs, that is a belief in the imminent end of the world, which influenced the way in which they chose to live. A rich diversity of ancient traditions contributing to a cohesive system formed from many cultures. For instance, he had to be very careful to show that his idea of 'original sin' did not derive from the pessimistic Manichee conviction that flesh and matter were evil. 'Original sin' entailed the biological transmission to all mankind of the guilt from Adam’s disobedient consumption of the apple in Eden.