Some of the ancient writers and historians who spoke about the Essenes were Josephus, Philo, Pliny, Dio Chrysostom, and Hippolytus of Rome.
Josephus mainly discussed the Ossaeans of Qumran, who were the southern branch of the Essenes.
In Philo�s first account of the Essenes, instead of offering animal sacrifice, the Essenes found it better to submit their minds to holiness.
According to Philo, the Essenes abandoned the cities and lived in the villages for the �clean air� and the �clean social life.� Away from the cities, the Essenes worked the fields, growing crops, and employing themselves in trades, crafts, and making goods which would benefit them all as a community. They held no properties or monies as individuals,
and instead held all properties and monies in common. They procured only what was necessary for sustaining their lives as a community.
The Essenes, according to Philo, lived by an �internal rule�, which they all learned together, along with such rules as �piety, holiness, justice, and the knowledge of good and bad�. They instituted these rules into their daily lives in the commune. Virtue, they held in
the highest esteem.
Philo states the Essenes treated the elderly with �great respect�, generosity, and lavished them with much attention.
With Josephus� first account of the Essenes, he compared theirs to another ancient lifestyle, that of the Pythagorean Greeks.
In Josephus� first account, he stated that the Essenes give all their money and possessions to a common fund when they first enter the Essene group, thus, this common fund is then available for everyone�s use in the group.
He also told us in his first account that the Essenes do not change their clothing or shoes until they are �completely worn out.� The Essenes did not sell nor buy anything amongest themselves, they simply gave to one another.
Josephus stated that the Essenes, before
sunrise, said �certain ancestral prayers to the sun,� as if asking it to rise in earnest. He said the Essenes worked in the mornings till 11 A.M., when they donned �ritual loincloths� and bathed to purify themselves before they went into the communal dining area to eat their meal together. No outsiders were permitted to enter this dining area.
They ate only one bowl of food and some bread, being that drink and food were �so measured out� that they were only satisfied and no more. They ate this meal in total silence.
Josephus told us that there were two things that Essenes were allowed to do on their own: "to help thoses �worthy of help" and "to offer
food to the needy.�Josephus stated that the Essenes studied ancient literature, the
pathophysiology of diseases, the treatments for healing the diseases, which included the �roots offering protection� and the �properties of the stones�; meaning they learned about the medicinal properties of herbals, and semi-precious stones in the treatment of diseases.
The waiting period to become a full member of the Essene society was a total of 3 years. During the first year, the initiate was to prove his �continence� to their way of life, thus showing self-restraint in his life, and participating on a higher level in the purification bathing rituals. Then for 2 more years afterwards, the person was tested and observed by the elders. If his �character� was worthy in the ways of the Essenes, he was admitted into the group permanently.
According to Josephus , the Essenes were not to keep secrets from one another in their group, but were not allowed to disclose anything about their group to outsiders.
Information about the group and their beliefs and practices were to be kept confidential within the group, especially �the names of the angels;� and they were not to alter any texts of their books.
Josephus told us the Essenes believed the body to be �corruptible�--having the ability to become impure; and they believed the soul to be immortal/eternal. However, they believed the soul to be trapped within the body and only �freed with death.� They considered it necessary to �struggle� in their life endeavors, in order to reap the�reward of righteousness"
In Josephus� second account, he says the Essenes sent offereings to the main Jewish
temple, but did not offer animal sacrifices because the �purifications� they were use to were �different� from the other Jewish sects, meaning the Essenes did not believe in the killing of animals for sacrifice or for eatting. The Essenes refrained from entering into the �common enclosure� of the temple, but did �offer sacrifice among themselves� instead, meaning that they perhaps made offers of deeds that they could do for another, or goods they had to give away to another.
In Josephus� second account, the Essenes, he said, were �holy men� and were �completely given up to agricultural labor;� meaning that they were dilligent in the growing, harvesting, and improvement of their
crops; and in thus found peace and satisfaction in their attunement with the Earthly Mother�s forces.
In Eusebius� account, the Essenes have �abandoned the vulgar herd� to dedicate themselves to contemplate the truths of nature and the cosmos; living their lives in accord with these truths. He further said that the Essenes hoped to reform the rest of society, but would not allow themselves to be caught up in �the force of the current� of negativity. Thus, they retreated from society and isolated themselves in order to more perfectly pusue their goal of maintaining attunement with these truths.
Eusebius gives us advice if we are interested in �self-improvewment�: to seek out the Essenes, implore them to show us where we have gone wrong in our violent and merciless
society; and to teach us to live by their ways, their Gospel of Peace, �and Freedom�, procuring all the blessings of love and goodness.
I admire that the Essenes lived their lives,�procuring for themselves only what is necessary for life.� �They honor virtue by foregoing all riches, glory, and pleasure,� as Philo
stated. This was a very selfless practice and abolished selfishness and possessiveness, which is a big deterrent to the progress of a decent society.
Desiring possessionss and riches leaves one want and unsatisfied with life, and has caused many �ills� in our present day society.
Another thing I admire about the Essenes was their true love of their fellow man and how they revered the elderly, treating them not only with �great respect�, but lavishing them with a �thousand attentions� and generosities, as Philo also stated. Our present day society could learn something from this Essene practice, as our treatment of the aged in this society sometimes leaves much to be desired, and could well be improved by adopting an Essene model of the treatment of the elderly.
The ancient Essene, as portrayed by the ancient historians and writers, gives me the impression of theirs being a very pious, virtuous, peace-loving, just, humanitarian society. They told us the Essenes emulated the good in things, and vanquished the bad. Their society, as viewed by these ancient writers, demonstrated clear-cut examples of solutions to fix the �ills� of society of mankind in their
day. These writers painted a picture of a very strict and disciplined, but yet loving and caring people who knew what their life goals should be and went about pursuing these goals
for the betterment of their community, and even mankind and the world.
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