The Essenes

Jews and Christians of the twenty-first century have reason to thank the first century Essenes. They have bequeathed us a priceless legacy, evidence that the Bible has arrived in our hands virtually unchanged from its original form.

The Essenes were a sect of Judaism composed of many separate but related religious groups, existing in Israel from the second century B.C., to the first century A.D. Although there were groups in most cities, the most well-known was the community which settled at Qumran, a plateau in the Judaen Desert along the Red Sea.

The Essene community consisted of adult males who followed a rigorous schedule of self-discipline. They lived a monastic lifestyle, refusing to eat meat or offer animal sacrifices. They held no slaves, but believed in serving each other. They swore no oaths and owned everything in common. Tempers were strictly controlled, and each Essene sought to be a channel of peace in all his dealings. To join the community, a man had to, first, spend three years as a novice. Total obedience to a series of authorities in the group was expected, but members of the community could be assured of being looked after as long as they lived.

Flavius Josephus, (37-c.100A.D.) a Jewish historian, described the Essenes as being charitable, devout, totally honest and trustworthy. They were non-violent, and carried weapons only as a defense against robbers.

These peace-loving Jewish vegetarians believed that they were the only true followers of God. They no longer worshiped at the temple in Jerusalem because they believed it had been defiled by the animal sacrifices that were offered there. They believed that all life was sacred and they had great respect for the earth. They had no use for the Pharisees, the Sadducees or other Jewish sects, and viewed society in general as having become so corrupt that they wished to separate themselves from it. The Essenes were isolationists who believed they were living in the end times.

They expected the world to end in a final battle of cosmic proportions. The Sons of Light, themselves, with the help of angels who would hasten to fight with them, would do battle with the Sons of Darkness, aided by the forces of evil. Of course, they would be victorious.

They expected not one Messiah, but two. The Messiah of David would come to lead their number in the final war. The Messiah of Aaron would a priestly figure who would restore the sanctity of the temple in Jerusalem. Since the Essenes could not recognize Jesus in either of these roles, they probably faded into obscurity as Christianity gained more followers among the Jews and other peoples in the Middle East and later, the Western World.

The scholarly interests of the Essenes have had a profound impact on the faith of present-day Jews and Christians. In caves near their community in Qumran, these first century men stored multiple copies of the Old Testament in the original Hebrew language, along with other ancient manuscripts.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, as they are known, discovered in 1946, confirm the accuracy of the Bible as it has been handed down over a period of two thousand years. While they followed their dedicated, self-sacrificing lifestyle, the Essenes have bequeathed to us an invaluable legacy which has served to bolster the faith of many, thousands of years later. We owe them a heartfelt vote of thanks.