1a) "But our lawgiver (Moses)
trained an innumerable body of his pupils to partake of those
things, called Essenes, being honored with the name because of their
holiness" (Philo in 'Hypothetica")
1b) At the dedication of the
temple Solomon prays for the people, The Hasidim (Essenes in Greek).
1c) As the Community Rule
Scroll makes reference to Zadoc as the High Priest, the original
document must have been written prior to 171 BCE when the last of
the Zadoc line, Onias, was killed. It states that all Israeli males,
aged 20 years or older, were members of the Community of God, a name
synonymous with the Israeli nation and the name of its members, the
sons of light, synonymous with the Hasidim (Hebrew), Essenes
(Greek).
The above evidence points to
the conclusion that prior to the emergence of the Sadducees and
Pharisees, all Israelis were Essenes.
2) Philo states in
"Hypothetica" that the Essenes, "dwell in many cities in Judea, and
in many villages and in great societies of many numbers" and "in the
sect of them (note this refers only to a particular sect of Essenes,
not to all) there is no heredity...etc" and goes on to describe the
lifestyle of this sect of about 4000 according to his estimate in
"Every Good Man is Free."
The members live communally in
villages but work at a trade or as laborers outside the commune for
wages which they deposit in the common treasury.
3) Josephus states that the
Essenes "occupied no on city, but settled in large numbers in every
town." The 'Gate of the Essenes' in Jerusalem attest to the the
numbers living there.
In addition, some 4000 lived in
communes in which, unlike those described by Philo, the members
lived and worked on a communally owned farm. The produce was turned
over to an agent to sell and the proceeds deposited in the common
treasury. This description fits the live of the monks in some of the
monasteries today.
4) In the Whiston Translation
of Josephus, there is a sentence: "They (the Pharisees) are greatly
able to persuade the body of the people and whatsoever they
do...inasmuch that the cities give great attestation to them".
The phrase "the body of the
people" seemed to imply the majority of Israelis were Pharisees,
which was contrary to all the other evidence, however, the Loeb
Classical Library Edition translates it: "they were extremely
influential among the townsfolk" and a Professor of Classical Greek
as "they are very persuasive among the city folks."
As the Sect of the Sadducees
attracted "only the rich" and the Sect of the Pharisees attracted
largely "city folk" then, as Israel's economy was largely
agricultural, except for those relatively small groups, the rest of
the population must have been Essenes.
5) In 66 BCE the dispute over
the right to be king between Hyrcanus, supported by the Pharisees,
and Aristobolus, by the Sadducees was referred to Pompey for
arbitration. He heard delegates from both parties, plus one "from
the nation against them both" who did not want a "kingly"
government, but a "priestly" one like their forefathers.
I believe this third delegation
represented the highest civil authorities in Israel--the tribal and
clan chiefs. Their opposition to the other two indicates they were
Essene adherents. Further evidence of this is contained in the
Community Rule Scroll, which includes them as members of the
Community of God, that is, Essenes.
Members of the Sect itself
could not attend because of their oath "not to dispute with those in
authority."
In 63BCE Pompey installed
Hyrcanus as chief priest not as king as requested by the Sadducees
and Pharisees.
6) The Sadducees and Pharisees
were both opposed to the 65CE uprising; therefore it was the Essenes
who instigated, led, and participated in it.
It has always been treated as
simply an attempt to overthrow Roman authority but to the
participants it was far more than that. They believed that it was
the final battle between good and evil and that victory would seen
the kingdom of God established on earth.
Anticipation of this had been
fuelled with the prophecies in the "Commentary on Habakkuk" (35BCE
approx) that the expulsion of the Parthians signaled the last
invasion before time would come to an end. But he did not reveal
when that would be, other than it would not be as soon as the
prophets had foretold.
He also told Habakkuk to write
down "that which would happen to the final generation". The War
Scroll contains this prophecy of how the battle would be fought and
won.
About 31 CE Jesus, an Essene
rabbi and prophet, revealed his was the "final generation" and that
his disciples would live to see the kingdom of God established on
Earth.
In 65CE something convinced the
Essene prophets that God had given a sign that the time for the
final battle had arrived and the forces of good, the Essenes, rose
up and did battle with the forces of evil, the Romans.
7) When Jesus was conducting
his ministry, it is noted that in one instance he preached in a
Pharisee synagogue, all those others "throughout the land" must have
been Essene synagogues where some of the Essenes mentioned above
would have come to worship.
8) All the early writers,
Josephus, Philo and Hippolytus, devote far more space to the beliefs
and practices of the Essenes than they do tho the other sects, which
is an indication of the relative size and importance of the Sects.
9) Fragments of the Scrolls
have been found at Masada and in Egypt (Zadokite fragments).
Philo states that Essenes lived
in Syria.
In the New Testament Paul
writes letters to Saints abroad in Rome, Corinth, Phillipi, Ephesia,
Galatia, Colossia and Thesalonica. James writes to the "twelve
tribes in the dispersion" and Peter to those in "Pontus, Galatia,
Cappadocia, Asia and Bythnia.
All the inhabitants of these
Jewish enclaves would be Essenes, except for the relative few
converted to Christianity.
1) The Myth of the 4000 Essenes
Invariably
the number of Essenes is put at "about 4000" with the source cited as
Josephus's "The Antiquity of the Jews", Book 18, Chapter 1, Paragraph 1. That
paragraph begins by extolling the virtues of all the Essenes, "They
exceed all other men that addict themselves to virtue and thus in
righteousness....This is demonstrated in THAT INSTITUTE OF THEIRS which
will not suffer anything to hinder them from having common ownership..." Note he is not referring to all Essenes but only to a particular
institution within the Essene organization. Just as if the Roman
Catholic Church was being discussed, monasticism would be referred to as
"that institution of theirs 'which will not allow...'".
He then
goes on to describe the lifestyle within this institution and states
that "about 4000 men live in this way."
JOSEPHUS DOES NOT SAY
THERE WERE ABOUT 4000 ESSENES. HE SAYS THERE WERE ABOUT 4000 ESSENES
LIVING IN COMMUNES.
At the end of the paragraph he says that
aside from living communally "They, none of them differ from others of
the Essenes in their way of living".
How many "others of the Essenes"
are there other than the 4000 living in communes? Josephus says "they
lived in cities and settled in large numbers in every town"
Similarly Philo states "The
Essenes dwell in many cities in Judea and in many villages and in
great societies of many numbers" and "a sect of them" with some 4000
live communally in villages in Judea and Syria.
Clearly the number of Essenes
is much larger than the 4000 enshrined in the current theory.
2) Qumran could only
accommodate a few hundred therefore the Sect was very small.
Rejoinder
It was some of the Essene
Rabbis who lived in Qumran; Members of the Council of Holiness.
These men were so holy that there was no need for an altar because
they 'could obtain loving kindness for the land without the flesh of
holocausts and the fat of sacrifice." (Scrolls)
3) The lifestyle of Essenes,
outside the communes, was so restrictive it could only be followed
by a few.
Rejoinder
This lifestyle was only
followed by the Essene scribes, the members of the Council of the
Community.
4) In recounting the political
upheavals in Israel, Josephus never mentions the Sect of the
Essenes, therefore it must have been insignificant.
Rejoinder
In these accounts Josephus
always refers to the Sect of the Pharisees and the Sect of the
Sadducees. Remember for Josephus the sect consists only of the
officials; it does not include the adherents.
On joining the Sect of the
Essenes members had to swear tremendous oaths 'that they would do no
harm to anyone' and 'show fidelity to all men, especially those in
authority.'
The Maccabees broke both of
these vows and were expelled from the Sect.
In the power struggle between
Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, the Essene prophet Onias would pray for
neither side and when they appeared before Pompey to press their
claims, 'the representatives of the nation' which, I believe, were
Essenes, did not want either because, 'both intended to enslave the
people.'
To Josephus the Sect members
'were ministers of peace.'
The reason he does not mention
the Sect when recounting political events is not that it was
insignificant, but that it did not participate.
5) Josephus states that 'the
Sadducees are able to persuade none but the rich but the Pharisees
have the multitudes on their side' and when the Sadducees became
magistrates 'they addict themselves to the notions of the Pharisees
because the multitudes could not bear them.
Because the Sect of the Essenes
is not mentioned it has been taken as an indication that it was
insignificant.
Rejoinder
While the members of the Sect
of the Essenes could not oppose those in authority, its adherents
were under no such restriction.
And while they disliked the
Pharisees they hated the Sadducees, and would join with the
Pharisees to exert pressure on them.
I believe 'the multitudes'
includes adherents of both the Sect of the Pharisees and the Sect of
the Essenes.
6) Josephus does not mention
the Essenes prior to the emergence of the Sadducees and Pharisees,
therefore there were none.
Rejoinder
As he does not mention any
sects prior, this argument leads to the untenable conclusion that
there was no religious group in Israel prior, however, I maintain
the Essenes did exist earlier, only under different names: the
Hasidim in the Old Testament, and 'the sons of light' in the
Scrolls.
7) Essenes are not mentioned in
the New Testament therefore they must have been of little
importance.
Rejoinder
I have argued earlier that the
Essenes are mentioned in the New Testament, but are referred to as
'saints.'
The New Testament was written
by those considering themselves to be the true Essenes, 'the Essenes
who believe in Jesus Christ.' It was certainly not written be
Pharisees or Sadducees.
When a Roman Catholic, for
example, is writing about that organization, it is unnecessary to
define the denomination of its churches, priests, etc unless they
are non-Catholic.
Thus when the Essenes are
writing about their synagogues, scribes, rabbis, etc, they do not
define their Sect unless it is other than Essene. When Jesus'
enemies were 'the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the scribes, "the
scribes" refer to the Essene scribes.
8) It has been claimed that
some of the evidence cannot be relied on.
A) Two examples:
1) "When the Scrolls
refer to 1000's, 100's, 50's, and 10's, these amounts are
nothing more than a figure of speech.
2) "The number of
Essenes cannot be established with the certitude that Philo
and Josephus attest."
Rejoinder
I know of no other
resource against which these numbers can be compared. It
would appear the only reason the cannot be accepted is that
they don't fit the current theory.
B) Josephus gives far more
prominence to the Essenes beliefs and practices because 'he
thought his readers would be fascinated by a group of exhibiting
such a curious and exotic behavior.
Rejoinder
Without knowing the
lifestyles of the other two sects it is impossible to say
whether that of the Essenes was any more exotic than that of the
other two sects.
It is not just Josephus who
gives far greater prominence to the Sect of the Essenes. Philo and
Hippolytus both do; in fact Hippolytus devotes 9.5 chapters to the
Essenes and makes no mention of any 'exotic behavior'.
Once again, I think that the
normal way of interpreting the evidence did not fit into the current
theory, so some other explanation had to be devised and 'exotic
behavior' was hit upon.
Conclusion
Far from being a small
insignificant Sect, I believe the evidence points to the Sect not
only being very large, as the early writers claim, but also by far
the largest in the country.