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Essenes
Essenes , members of a small Jewish religious order, originating in the 2d cent. BC The chief sources of information about the Essenes are Pliny the Elder, Philo's Quod omnius probus liber, Josephus' Jewish War and Antiquities of the Jews, and (possibly) the Dead Sea Scrolls . The sect consisted of adult males and celibacy was encouraged. The Essenes lived as a highly organized community that held possessions in common. Ceremonial purity entailed scrupulous cleanliness, the wearing of only white garments, and the most strict observance of the Sabbath. The Essenes believed in the immortality of the soul. Their practice, common among many Jewish groups, of purification through ritual immersion may have been a significant influence on the development of the rite of baptism in the early Christian church. They condemned slavery and prohibited trading because it led to covetousness and cheating; they avoided luxury, abhorred untruthfulness and forbade oaths, with the one exception of the oath a new member took after two years of probation. In this oath, the member pledged piety toward God, justice to men, honesty with fellow Essenes, preservation of the sect's secrets, and proper transmission of its teachings. The Essenes subsisted by pastoral and agricultural activities and handicrafts; they avoided the manufacture of weapons. There is evidence of Persian and Hellenistic influences in the sect's thought. The Essenes' belief in several Messiahs is thought by some to have been a major influence in the development of Christianity. The sect ceased to exist sometime in the 2d cent. AD
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"Essenes." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Essenes." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Essenes.html "Essenes." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Essenes.html |
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Essenes
Essenes A group within Palestinian Judaism, existing from the 2nd cent. BCE until 70 CE and mentioned by Josephus and Philo, though not in the NT. Many of the Essenes lived in villages, according to Philo, but most scholars believe that the community at Qumran comprised Essenes or a breakaway Essene group and that the Teacher of Righteousness in the scrolls was a priest who led the community out of Jerusalem when Jonathan Maccabaeus, who was not of the hereditary priestly family, became high priest in 152 BCE.
The Essenes were ascetics and observed the Law scrupulously; but in worship they faced the sun rather than the Temple in Jerusalem, for which they felt contempt. Their communities were controlled by priestly leadership and individual freedom was restricted. They held themselves to be ‘sons of light’ separate from the ‘sons of darkness’ outside the order. |
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Essenes." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "Essenes." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Essenes.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "Essenes." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Essenes.html |
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Essenes
Essenes. Jewish sect, of a communal kind, active during the later part of the period of the second Temple. The name was taken by Philo (Hypothetica 11. 1–18, Every Good Man is Free 12. 75–13. 91) to mean ‘holy ones’, but others have suggested ‘silent ones’, ‘healers’, or ‘pious ones’. In addition to Philo, the sect is known about from Josephus (War 2. 119–61, Antiquities 18. 18–22, Life 2. 9–11), Pliny (Natural History 5. 73), and Eusebius. Its beliefs and practices bear some resemblance to those described in the sectarian documents found at Qumran (see DEAD SEA SCROLLS), but it is too simple to identify the two: a more probable relationship is that they are variations on a theme, not least because of transient membership between the two.
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JOHN BOWKER. "Essenes." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Essenes." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Essenes.html JOHN BOWKER. "Essenes." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Essenes.html |
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Essenes
Essenes. A Jewish ascetic sect apparently existing from the 2nd cent. BC to the 2nd cent. AD. Their manner of life was highly organized and communistic. Suggestions that figures in the early Church, including Christ Himself, had Essene connections, are unsubstantiated. Many scholars identify the Essenes with the community of the Dead Sea Scrolls (q.v.).
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Essenes." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Essenes." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Essenes.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Essenes." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Essenes.html |
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Essenes
Essenes Jewish religious sect that existed in Palestine from the 2nd century bc to the end of the 2nd century ad. Members of the sect, adult men, lived in communal groups isolated from society. A secrecy developed about the sect, and they shunned public life and temple worship. The Dead Sea Scrolls are said to contain their sacred books.
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"Essenes." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Essenes." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Essenes.html "Essenes." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Essenes.html |
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