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Click on title of any pericope numbered in red to access the original language text.
| 76. | Essenes are Rural Poor |
| 75 | Then too, Syrian Palestine is not unproductive in moral excellence. There the major portion of the Jewish people are distributed. It is said that among them there are more than 4000 persons with the name of Essenes. In my judgment---(though) it is not exact in the Greek dialect---they are , indeed, they have become servants (therapeutae) of God, not by sacrificing animals, but by praying to render their thoughts fit for the holy. |
| 76 | Now in the first place, they dwell in villages, keeping away from the cities because of lawlessness practiced by city-dwellers. They know that the pestilence bred from this company, as from polluted air, would render their souls incurable. There are some who till the soil, while others pursue crafts which work for peace. And so they benefit themselves and their neighbors. They do not treasure silver and gold or acquire great sections of land because of a desire for the proceeds. Instead, they provide the necessities for the basic requirements of life. |
| 77 | For they are unique among all the race of men, having become penniless and landless by choice rather than lack of good luck. But they count themselves very wealthy, judging ready satisfaction and contentment with little (to be) abundance, as it is. |
| --- Philo, Every Good Man is Free 12.75-77 |
| 77. | Dead Sea Settlement of Essenes |
| 73 | On the west bank (of the Dead Sea) the Essenes take refuge, to the point where they are harmful. This is a solitary people and remarkable in comparison with others in the whole world. They live as partners of the palms, without any women---having renounced all desire---and without money. From day to day this throng of refugees is renewed by crowds weary with life, whom fortune drives in waves from afar to adopt their customs. Thus, through thousands of ages---incredible to say---a people in which no one is born is eternal, so fruitful for them is others' repenting of life! |
| -- Pliny, Natural History 5.15.73 |
| 78. | Some Essenes Marry |
| 160 | There is also another order of Essenes which, though agreeing with the others in life-style, customs and rules, is distinct in its doctrine regarding marriage. That is they think that those who do not marry cut off the greatest goal of life---the line of succession. Moreover, (they claim), if all were of this mind the race would very shortly die out. |
| --- Josephus, Jewish War 2.160 |
| 79. | Essene Monastic Rules |
| 120 | Although (the Essenes) are Jews by birth, they love one another even more than the others. They avoid pleasures as a vice and hold that virtue is to overcome one's passions and not be subject to them. Marriage is disdained by them. But they adopt the children of others while still young, leading them like kin through their studies and impressing them with their customs. |
| 121 | While they do not reject marriage even from their teaching, they guard themselves against the wantonness of women and have been persuaded that none (of them) keeps faithful to one (man). |
| 122 | They frown on wealth. And their common life is wonderful! No one can be found superior to others in property. For their law is for those entering the party to make their substance public for the order. So nowhere is either extreme poverty or exceptional wealth evident. Rather, each man's possessions are mixed into one property which is for all the brothers. |
| 123 | Oil they regard as pollution. And if anyone in the assembly is anointed he scrubs his body. For they count dryness as good and wear white everywhere. Those who administer the community are elected and their appropriate duties determined by vote of the whole. |
| 124 | They have no city, but many settle in each town. And all that they own lies open to those who have come from elsewhere, just as if they belonged with them. And they entertain those whom they have never seen before as their closest associates. |
| 125 | And so they make their journeys carrying nothing at all except weapons on account of the bandits. In each town an attendant is chosen by the order to serve strangers, and he provides clothing and whatever they need. |
| 126 | Like children, they are trained to be scrupulous about dress and bodily appearance. And they change neither garments nor sandals until they are tattered or worn out by time... |
| 135 | They master an even temper and control their anger. They advocate trust and assist peace. And all that is spoken by them has more force than an oath. But they avoid swearing, regarding it worse than perjury. For they say that he who cannot be believed unless God is against him is already condemned... |
| 143 | Now they expel from the order those who wander into substantial sins. And he who has been condemned often winds up with a miserable fate. For he who is bound by their vows and customs cannot partake of a meal with others... |
| 144 | Therefore, they take back many who are at their last breath out of pity, deeming the near fatal torture as satisfaction for their sins... |
| 146 | Now they obey their elders and hold that the majority is right. For example, when ten sit together, no one speaks if nine are unwilling. |
| 147 | They also avoid spitting in their midst or to the right side. And they are the most distinct of all Jews in abstaining from work on the Sabbath. For not only do they prepare their meals one day ahead so as not to light a fire on that day, they do not dare to move a dish or even relieve themselves. |
| --- Josephus, Jewish War 2.120-126, 135-147 |
| 80. | Communal Property at Qumran |
| 11 | ...And all who volunteer for his Truth shall bring all their knowledge and powers |
| 12 | and possessions
into the Unity of God: --to purify their knowledge by the truth of God's precepts, and --to measure their powers |
| 13 | according to the perfection of
his ways and all their possessions according to his righteous counsel. |
| --- Dead Sea Scrolls, Community Rule (1QS) 1.11-13 |
| 81. | Deviants from Torah Excommunicated |
| 21 | All who enter in the council of
Holiness are those who walk in perfection of way,
as he commanded. Every man from this (group) |
| 22 | who with a lax or high hand
bypasses a word from the Torah
of Moses shall be driven out of the council of the Unity |
| 23 | and shall return no more.
And no one from the men of Holiness shall mix his property with his for any |
| 24 | reason. |
| --- Dead Sea Scrolls, Community Rule (1QS) 8.21-24 |
| 82. | Directions for the Instructor |
| 12 | These are the precepts for the
instructor to walk in with all who live according to the rule for each occasion and the value of every man: |
| 13 | --to go along with the
will
of God, according to all that has been revealed for each occasion; and to measure with all the understanding he has attained according to the times |
| 14 | along with the precept for each
occasion; --to separate and weigh the sons of Zadok according to their spirits and to uphold those chosen at the time |
| 15 | by his favorable decision; --to judge each as to his spirit and to bring near each as his hands are clean and to advance him according to his understanding. |
| 16 | --Thus his love is like his
hatred. He is not to argue or dispute with the men of corruption |
| 17 | but to conceal the counsel of the Torah among the men of error. |
| --- Dead Sea Scrolls, Community Rule (1QS) 9.12-17 |
| 83. | Essene Worship & Communal Meal |
| 128 | Moreover, their way of worshipping God is their own. For they utter nothing mundane before sunrise, but with some of their fathers' prayers they beg him to arise. |
| 129 | After this they are dismissed by those in charge, each to his own craft. And they work strenuously until the fifth hour [= 11 a.m.], when they again gather together in one spot. Girding themselves with linen cloths, they wash their bodies with cold water. And after this purification, they assemble in a private room, where no one with other beliefs is allowed to come. Having purified themselves, they enter the dining hall as if it were some shrine. |
| 130 | When they are seated in silence, the baker passes out the loaves according to rank and the cook passes each one a portion from a single dish. |
| 131 | The priest prays before the meal; and one is not allowed to eat before this prayer. When they have breakfasted, he gives thanks again. So, they begin and finish (eating) by honoring God as the author of life... |
| 132 | ...No shouting or confusion ever pollutes the house, but they speak in turn to one another. |
| 133 | Now, to those outside, the silence of those within seems like some awesome mystery. But it is really because they are allotted just enough food and drink and, so, are always sober. |
| --- Josephus, Jewish War 2.128-133 |
| 84. | Communal Order at Qumran |
| 2 | They shall walk in these ways in
all dealings with each other, wherever they dwell: --regarding work and wealth [mammon]: the lesser shall heed the greater. --but united they shall eat |
| 3 | and united they shall
pray; and united they shall take counsel. --and in every locale where there are ten men from the common council, |
| 4 | --a priest
shall not be lacking among them. and they shall sit before him each according to his rank; and thus they shall be asked for their counsel in every case. --and when they prepare the table for eating or the new wine |
| 5 | for drinking, the priest shall be the first to stretch out his hand for the blessing on the first portion of bread or new wine. |
| --- Dead Sea Scrolls, Community Rule (1QS) 6.2-5 |
| 85. | Council of Twelve |
| 1 | In the council of the community there shall be twelve men and three priests perfected in all that has been revealed from the whole |
| 2 | Torah: --for practicing truth and righteousness, justice and loving kindness and walking humbly with each other; |
| 3 | --for keeping faithfulness in
the land with firm intention and contrite spirit; --for overcoming iniquity by deeds of justice and endurance of fiery trials; |
| 4 | --and for walking in all things
by the standard of truth and the regulation for the occasion. |
| --- Dead Sea Scrolls, Community Rule (1QS) 8.1-4 |
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