Essenes & Scrolls

Before we think about the life and teachings of Jesus, let’s consider the Jews’ relationship with the Hebraic Law, the Tanakh. The Sadducees and Pharisees were viewed as the custodians of that faith. While their exact duties are unclear, it is generally agreed that the Sadducees were associated with the priestly line and temple services, and the Pharisees were the keepers, or readers, of the holy writings. It would seem logical to turn to these two sects for answers to any questions regarding the Law. However, at the beginning of the first century, both sects comprised splintered groups whose divided loyalties crossed party lines. Instead of two dedicated parties loyal to their offices and the Law, there were numerous sects intermixed with the Herodians. With the regulation of the temple placed in the hands of Gentiles, many devout Jews considered the temple defiled and the Law mocked. To find a true dedication to the Law, we must look to the Essenes, that zealous bunch of religious hermits secluded in the wilderness.

The Essenes aren’t mentioned in the New Testament writings—a very strange fact when we consider that they have a major role in the story. In The Wars of the Jews, Book II, chapter 8, Josephus mentioned them as one of the three religious philosophies of his time and gave us a detailed description of their beliefs and lifestyle. Even so, there was some doubt regarding their actual existence until the Dead Sea Scrolls, or Qumran Scrolls, were discovered. Those writings comprise over 870 manuscripts, including parts of every book in the Hebrew Bible except Esther.¹ This discovery confirmed Josephus’ writings and revealed much more information concerning the Essenes. It is only through an understanding of this obscure sect that we can come to a more accurate understanding of Christianity.

The Essenes' influence upon Christianity cannot be overemphasized. Whether their beliefs and scriptural interpretations were divine and correct does not enter into the scope of this study. What matters is that their beliefs and teachings were sealed away in the Qumran caves—pure and undefiled—until 1947. Unlike the New Testament and early Church writings, there were neither oral traditions nor a succession of writers and copyists to corrupt them. What they provide is the link between Judaism and Christianity.

The historian Philo stated that they received their name because of their holiness and that they served God by prayer rather than by sacrifice. The Community Rule, a book of community regulations, seems to imply that the leaders, twelve laymen and three priests who had obtained a state of perfection, became the 'holy of holies' for God's spirit. God accepted their righteousness, right living, in lieu of sacrifice;similar to the Christian doctrine of the indwelling spirit.² According to Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, Book II, Chapter 8, they were a solitary, close-knit brotherhood that separated themselves into small communities to escape the defiling wickedness of their fellow Jews. They were known by many names, including the Righteous, the Elect, the Poor, the Holy or the Saints, the Keepers of the Covenant, the New Covenanters, the Remnant of Israel, the Perfect of the Way, and the Sons of Light.

Every facet of their lives was dedicated to attaining perfection. As an ongoing endeavor, it was an expectation of the future. They renounced riches, kept no servants, ministered to one another, and ate only the simplest of food. They dressed in white. They wore their clothes and shoes to shreds, and held all goods in common. Their daily lives were so directed that they were left with only two things to do of their own free will: assist those in need and show mercy.

Their teachings and those of Christianity have a number of amazing similarities. Like Christians, they believed in repentance to gain membership in a new covenant. Both sects believed they lived in an era in which Satan (Belial) ruled the world. Both referred to their mission as "the Way," and believed in secret knowledge hidden within the Scriptures. Both anticipated an 'end time' parousia with God's vengeance upon mankind. Both believed in the immortality of the soul, as well as continuing revelations of Gods will, and, most interestingly, the concept of the community as the temple of God. Compare the following excerpt from their Community Rule to Jesus' teachings:

For only through the spirit pervading God's true society can there be atonement for a man's ways, all of his iniquities; thus only can he gaze upon the light of life and so be joined to His truth by His holy spirit, purified from all iniquity. Through an upright and humble attitude his sin may be covered, and by humbling himself before all God's laws his flesh can be made clean. Only thus can he really receive the purifying waters and be purged by the cleansing flow. Let him order his steps to walk faultless in all the ways of God, just as He commanded for the times appointed to him. Let him turn aside neither to the right nor the left, nor yet deviate in the smallest detail from all of His words. Then indeed will he be accepted by God, offering the sweet savor of atoning sacrifice, and then only shall he be a party to the Covenant of the eternal Yahad (Community Rule, 1Qs, 4Q255-264a & 5Q11, Col. 3, lines 7-12).

While man will be cleansed by the Holy Spirit, he is still required to obey God’s Law. The righteous would be raised up (with incorruptible bodies) in the kingdom of God on the third day, in accordance with Hosea 6:2. Here can be seen the root of the Christian belief of Jesus’ resurrection on the third day and the spiritual resurrection of the soul in heaven; and it is here the most notable difference in their beliefs is manifested. For the Essenes, salvation came through obedience to the Law, while Christianity looks to a personal salvation through belief in Jesus’ resurrection.

It is imperative that the reader understand the Essenes’ dedication to the Law. In that regard, the word zeal is repeated again and again in the Dead Sea Scrolls. From scroll to scroll, there is no contradiction of values; all speak of piety, righteousness, and perfection that demand total obedience. The fact that the Essenes separated from orthodox Judaism in order to better observe the Law gives evidence of their dedication. Numerous passages in the scrolls extol proper observance and obedience that goes far beyond subjects such as circumcision and personal cleanliness, which are also found in the New Testament. In one letter, which appears to be written to a ruler, or leader, objections are made to slaughtering the sacrificial cow outside the camp rather than on the altar. Grain that had been touched by a Gentile was unclean. The deaf and blind were not allowed in the temple because they might, unknowingly, be unclean. Women were forbidden to marry men whose genitals had been crushed or mutilated. They believed themselves to be the last line of defense between man and God. Anything less than perfect holiness meant they were unworthy to assist in the establishment of the kingdom of God; this entailed a personal loss of paradise. When it came to obedience to the Law, the word compromise was not in their vocabulary. It was this zeal for the Law that linked them with the Zealots, a similar sect that shared the same dedication. Although Josephus hated the Zealots and blamed them for the destruction of his country, he couldn’t help but convey respect when he wrote of the Essenes’ willingness to laugh and to taunt their torturers as they suffered martyrdom³. This dedication and willingness to suffer the most horrible of deaths rather than yield one jot or tittle of their teachings should be remembered later when we use those teachings to evaluate New Testament writings.

Josephus wrote that the Essenes were all Jews by birth and propagated the sect by adoption because they did not marry. However, they weren’t against marriage in principle. Theirs was a complex order. Among the scrolls found at Qumran were four books of regulations: the Community Rule, the War Scroll, the Damascus Rule, and the Rule of the Congregation. The Damascus Rule referred to children, marriage, and other associated communities in Palestine, which shows that the Qumran Community wasn’t the only settlement. They lived in both isolated and strictly regulated "camps," or in the villages. The Damascus Document provides contingence regulations for both lifestyles.⁴ All Israelites outside the communities were referred to as the “simple of Ephraim". They were believed to have been led astray by the smooth-talking Pharisees and the lure of the wealthy—the Sadducees.

According to the Community Rule, members were sworn to hate the Sons of Darkness (all those who polluted God's Law) for all eternity. The rich were considered deceitful and wicked. The Essenes were to remain apart from such ungodly and wicked men, and they were obliged to hate them with an "eternal hatred".

These are the precepts of the Way for the Instructor in these times, as to his loving and hating: eternal hatred and a concealing spirit for the Men of the Pit! He shall leave them their wealth and profit like a slave does his master—presently humble before his oppressor, but a zealot for God's law whose time will come: even the Day of Vengeance (Community Rule, 1QS, 4Q255-264a, 5Q11, Col. 9, lines 21-23).

The language is very much the language of Jesus, but Christians overlook one major point. The Essenes were expected to love their brothers, but a brother to them was not just any man. In fact, most other men they hated for being wicked. According to their beliefs, the pit was one of the three snares of Belial (wickedness, ungodliness) and represented riches. The other two snares, or nets, were fornication and pollution of the Temple. The "sons of the pit" were the wealthy, mainly the Sadducees. The "poor" was a name for themselves, while the "poor of His people" were the poor of the children of Israel, or the common people. Here is the obvious root of Jesus’ disdain for the Sadducees and Pharisees.

Although they were to hate the wicked and ungodly, they were forbidden to mete out punishment. The Community Rule taught:

To no man shall I return evil for evil, I shall pursue a man only for good; for with God resides the judgment of all the living, and He shall pay each man his recompense (Community Rule, 1QS, 4Q255-264a, 5Q11, Col. 10, lines 18-19).

This required more than just turning the other cheek. Although hatred of the ungodly was required, no one could judge another with a view to handing out punishment. One had to pursue the other with goodness until the day of vengeance, as the Community Rule makes clear. When God begins purging the world, the perfect (the Essenes) will become agents of God’s vengeance.⁵ In any case, it's a rule that applies only to the Jews, not to Gentiles who had to be driven from the land without regard for personal merit.

Admittance to the Essene order was strict. A new convert had to live in their manner for a year to show his sincerity. Then, after baptism, he still had two more years in which to learn the Law and prove his worthiness. Afterward, he took a solemn oath and could participate in the sacred meal (the forerunner of the Eucharist). According to Josephus, (Wars of the Jews, 2.8.5-7) the convert vowed:

5. to extend trust to all, especially those in power. For no one’s rule can prevail against God:

6. if he should rule, he would never flaunt his authority, neither by dress nor by any outward ornament to outshine those in lower ranks.

9. neither to hide anything from party members, nor to disclose anything of theirs to others, even if tortured to death.

10. to transmit their teachings in no way different from that in which he received them.

Evidence from the writings of Hippolytus of Rome (c. 170-c. 236), saint, martyr, antipope, and early Church writer—and the Dead Sea Scrolls—reveal that the Essenes were a secret society⁶. A member's oath was so binding that if he was found guilty of sin and was shunned, he could eat only grass, since he could accept food from no one without the permission of the guardian. He would die of starvation, rather than break his oath.

Here is another clue to understanding the Gospels. The secrecy of the Essenes was so binding, so sacred, that it wasn’t even divulged to any member under the age of twenty. No one was allowed to take part in legal disputes until the age of thirty.⁷ They studied prophecies, times and dates, and believed doing so would enable them to foresee the coming kingdom and assist in bringing it about. At that time, they were to call all other Jews to repent, be baptized, and join the fight against the Gentiles. They were to march against Jerusalem, where they would be joined by God and his holy angels, to punish the wicked and save the righteous.⁸

They believed God’s prophets had written down the signs of the end time, and as the possessors of the Holy Spirit, they believed they had the power to understand those writings. These were the secrets they guarded so fiercely. And within those secrets were plans for the overthrow of the Roman interlopers! For this reason, their writings and speeches were cloaked in innuendo, punning, and allegories. By way of explanation, let’s look at some of those esoteric and highly definitive words and phrases.

In the Essene communities, the members were called the “Men of Holiness,” or the “Perfect of the Way,” and the “Sons of Zaddik” (Zodok).⁹ These names imply more than identification; these are the ones who will be saved and will save others by making them righteous. When speaking of the last days, or in an eschatological manner, these are the ones who will “stand".¹⁰ The word “stand” opens another list of esoteric words, such as “wall,” “tower,” or “fortress,” which carry their own meanings within the communities. Earlier, we noted other names for the members: the Elect, the Poor, the Holy or the Saints, the Keepers of the Covenant, the New Covenanters, the Remnant of Israel, the Perfect of the Way, and the Sons of Light. All of these names conveyed different aspects of their character, purpose, history, and ideologies. This is only a small glimpse into the mystery of their organization, but it should leave little doubt as to its complexity.

Another term closely related to the “tower” or “fortress” is “pillar,” which relates to “the Zaddik” in the Kabbalah of Jewish mystical tradition, a work the Essenes apparently revered.¹¹ The term Pillar, referred to a righteous person empowered by God to stand as a bulwark for the people. The role relates back to the priesthood of Zadok, during the reign of David, and speaks of a righteous interpreter of the Law. An exact understanding of this person or office is still uncertain, because the etymological links between the two words are derived from the Hebrew root Z-D-K, and can be interpreted as either a proper name or an office.¹² The first Zaddik was Noah, a righteous man who found grace in the eyes of God.¹³ Some others, in Jewish tradition, were Abraham, Moses, and David. Later, Christianity appropriated the concept by using the term, endowed with the power of God from the womb, to identify New Testament characters, such as Jesus and John the Baptist, as Righteous, or Holy Ones.¹⁴

In the Damascus Document the writer reiterates God's promise to the captives in Babylon, and symbolically identifies the Essenes as the recipients of that promise.

…In the time of destruction of the land the Boundary-Shifters appeared and led Israel astray and the land was devastated, for they had spoken rebellion against the commandments of God through Moses and also through the anointed of the spirit; and they prophesied falsehood to turn Israel from following God. But God called to mind the covenant of the forefathers; and He raised up from Aaron insightful men and from Israel wise men and He taught them and they dug the well of knowledge: "the well the princes dug, the nobility of the people dug it with a rod" (Num. 21:18).

The Well is the Law, and its "diggers" are the captives of Israel who went out of the land of Judah and dwelt in the land of Damascus; because God had called them all princes, for they sought Him and their honor was not denied by a singe mouth. And the "rod" is the Interpreter of the Law of whom Isaiah said, "he brings out a tool for his work" (Isa. 54:16). The "nobility of the people" are those who come to "dig the well" by following rules that the Rod made to live by during the whole era of wickedness, and without these rules they shall obtain nothing until the appearance of one who teaches righteousness in the Last Days. (Damascus Document, 4Q267, Col. 5, line 20 – Col. 6, line 11)

In the Qumran Community, the title "Zaddik" was applied to both their Teacher of Righteousness (Righteous Teacher), and a Messianic Leader—the Nasi.¹⁵ The relationship of these two offices appears to overlap. The Righteous Teacher obviously fulfilled the role of teacher and father figure, as the community members were referred to as Sons of Righteousness and Sons of Zaddik. The Messianic Leader is nowhere declared to be a “messiah”—only a messianic leader—but there are abundant messianic expectations throughout the writings, especially the latter entries of the Essene War Scroll. The passage quoted above refers to both offices. The "rod" or "interpreter of the Law," would be the Righteous One, the Zaddik, the Essenes' leader. The one who was to appear in the "Last Days" would be the expected Messiah. We’ll have more to say on this subject later, when we compare Jewish and Christian messianic expectations.

The complexity of the Essenes and their writings might best be understood by the fact that archeologists, paleographers, and scholars have been translating and puzzling over the Dead Sea Scrolls for more than fifty years, and are still struggling to fill blank, confusing areas. One would think the job would be much simpler, since the works contain so much of the Tanakh and other Hebrew writings, which may be used for reference. However, this isn’t the case; those manuscripts comprise over 15,000 tiny pieces of skin and must be assembled like a jig-saw puzzle.¹⁶ In their search for revelations, the Essenes rewrote many of the older works—such as Genesis, Psalms, or the Prophets—into commentaries called peshers. Basically, they took well-known passages that they felt applied to their social environment and rewrote them as distinctive interpretations pertinent to the history or ideology of their group. Another type of rabbinic biblical interpretation, which we will encounter later, is known as midrash, and employed a principle called gezerah shawah, meaning "similar category". This method allowed that when similar or identical words occurred in different parts of the Law, no matter how different the context, they were identical in application.¹⁷

At this point, let’s consider the association of the Zealots and Sicarii with the Essenes. What role did these groups play in those tumultuous events in Jewish history? Here, as with the Essenes, the absence of any New Testament references to Zealots or Sicarii (other than Luke’s "Simon called Zelotes"—Luke 6:15 & Acts 1:13) is suspicious, because these sects were the major opposing forces against Rome.¹⁸ But how were they associated with the Essenes? Were they members of the same communities? What of the Nazarenes (Nazoraeans) and Galileans, who were also considered insurrectionist by Rome and the Herodians?

Josephus and Philo viewed the Essenes as peace-loving monks, but Hippolytus associated them with the assassins.¹⁹ His writings, along with the Dead Sea Scrolls, especially the War Scroll, makes it obvious that the Essenes’ expectation and goal was the destruction of their Roman conquerors. However, the Dead Sea Scrolls also make it clear that they were awaiting a leader, a messiah, while the Zealots and Sicarii were carrying the battle to their oppressors.

Josephus, in his Antiquities of the Jews²⁰ and Wars of the Jews,²¹ provided us with the greatest insight into this aspect of Jewish culture until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. His admiration for the Essenes didn't extend to the militant groups he labeled Zealots or robbers. According to his works, the introduction of the Zealots began with Judas of Galilee, who led an uprising after the death of Herod in 4 BC. Their order continued for years after the destruction of Masada in AD 73. Josephus described the Sicarii as a group of assassins and credited them with leading the uprising at Jerusalem in 66 AD and the resistance at Masada. He seems to have had trouble distinguishing between the two groups, referring to them alternately as insurrectionists or robbers.

…there sprang up another sort of robbers in Jerusalem, which were called Sicarii, who slew men in the day time, and in the midst of the city; this they did chiefly at the festivals, when they mingled themselves among the multitude, and concealed daggers under their garments, with which they stabbed those that were their enemies; and when any fell down dead, the murderers became a part of those that had indignation against them; by which means they appeared persons of such reputation, that they could by no means be discovered. The first man who was slain by them was Jonathan the high priest, after whose death many were slain every day, while the fear men were in of being so served was more afflicting than the calamity itself; and while every body expected death every hour, as men do in war, so men were obliged to look before them, and to take notice of their enemies at a great distance; nor, if their friends were coming to them, durst they trust them any longer; but, in the midst of their suspicions and guarding of themselves, they were slain. Such was the celerity of the plotters against them, and so cunning was their contrivance (Wars of the Jews, 2.13.3).

These assassins became so powerful and numerous they began raiding villages. They abducted the son of Ananias, the high priest, and ransomed him for their own members who were held prisoner. Once the ransom was paid, the Sicarii made a habit of abducting Ananias' servants and kin. When the uprising occurred in Jerusalem in 66 AD, they were powerful enough to lead the charge in driving the Romans from the city. Although Josephus condemns them as indiscriminate robbers and murderers, their actions throughout the Jewish War (66-73 AD) leave no doubt their main cause was freedom from foreign enslavement and the re-establishment of Jewish theocracy.

We have already mentioned the segregation of Jewish and Gentile areas throughout Palestine. Jesus' homeland, Galilee, was a Gentile area surrounded on three sides by mountains. Whether Jesus was referred to as a Galilean because he came from that area, or because his philosophy was that of the known rebel, Judas the Galilean, can be debated. However, either conclusion gives strong evidence of his being an insurrectionist.

The other word associated with rebels and Zealots is Nazarenes. Although the New Testament associates Nazarenes with Jesus’ supposed hometown, there are no references to such a town until the third century, neither is there any archeological evidence suggesting there was a city there during the first century. Josephus, who was commander of the Galilean area during the Jewish War, kept meticulous records and never mentioned such a city.²²

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Nazareth remained exclusively a Jewish town up to the time of Constantine. St. Epiphaenius (ca. 310 – 403), bishop of Salamis and Church Father, relates that in 339 AD, Joseph, the Count of Tiberias, told him that, by a special order of the emperor, “he built churches to Christ in the towns of the Jews, in which there were none, for the reason that neither Greeks, Samaritans, nor Christians were allowed to settle there, viz., at Tiberias, at Diocaesarea, or Sepphoris, at Nazareth, and at Capharnaum.”²³ This indicates the extent to which the Nazarenes resisted not only Rome, but also Christians. Romans knew the Nazarenes as Palestinian rebels. By their own Gospels, Christians identify Jesus as a Nazarene.

The word Nazarene might have come from the word nazir, which means a branch, and can also be translated Nazarite. This is surely what was meant by the Prophets when we read in Matthew 2:23: "and came and dwelt in a city named Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene." This reference in Matthew to the Prophets has puzzled scholars, because there is no explicit mention of a Nazarene by the prophets. The reference, recognizable to messianic Jews, is to Isaiah’s netser, the branch of the stem of Jesse, which gives us both Nazarenes and Jessaeans.

Both Nazarenes and Jessaeans are associated with the Essenes through the name they chose for themselves, Ebionites – from the Hebrew Ebionim, meaning “the Poor". After the destruction of Jerusalem and the rise of Christianity, the name was lost to history; but Epiphanius, in his Panarion (Adversus Haereses) traces them through the Ebionites, Ossaeans and Elchasaites to the Mandaeans in southern Iraq today. In his struggle to transform them into Christians, he comes to this conclusion:²⁴

All Christians were once called Nazoraeans. For a short time they were also given the name Jessaeans, before the Disciples in Antioch began to be called Christians.

Of course, Jessaeans is synonymous with Essenes. For the purpose of this work, I will refer to them as Nazarenes—with the implied meaning that they are descended from the Essenes. My rationale for doing so is based upon the similarity of their religious doctrines, their ideologies, and the associations mentioned above.

Hebrew was first spoken without vowels, so a number of variants of the word nazir appear—nazar, nazer, netser, natsar—whose meanings intertwine and describe the Essenes and their beliefs. A cross-reference from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance yields: "to hold aloof, abstain from drink, impurity, to separate, set apart, unshorn, consecration, hair, crown, an unpruned vine, a shoot, a branch, descendant, guard, protect, obey, to conceal, keep hidden things, observe, preserve, and watcher." Such weaving of words and meanings was typical of the Essenes’ secretiveness. One other word that might be found in that list referred to their messianic leader, Nasi, meaning exalted one, king, captain, cloud, rising mist, prince, ruler, and vapor. A strange word association—a king and mist or vapor—but perhaps fitting for a supernatural ruler, is it not?

Another connection is found in Numbers 6:1-21. Here, the Nazarite is described as abstaining from products of the grape, allowing his hair to grow, and avoiding the ritual pollution of a dead body. Long hair was symbolic of the Nazarite’s consecration to God. We know from Luke that John the Baptist was a Nazarite. Also Jesus’ brother James, who became leader after the crucifixion, was a Nazarite. It is almost certain that Jesus was, too. It seems Nazarenes were Nazarites.

Hippolytus identifies Jesus’ second brother, Simon, with Simon the Zealot, mentioned in Luke and Acts. If true, this would place Jesus at the head of a band of insurrectionists. The New Advent Encyclopedia claims the Hebrew word qana, rendered zealous when referring to Peter (Matthew 10:4; Mark 3:18), did not mean he belonged to the Zealots party, but simply one who “had zeal for the Jewish Law” (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11744a.htm). That is a good argument, except that it is also the exact definition of a first-century, Judean Zealot. And we must not forget that Peter could wield a pretty mean sword. On the other hand, one can’t help wondering why Jesus’ Apostles would be zealous of the Jewish Law, if Jesus was promoting an agenda that would negate those Laws. Then again, perhaps he wasn’t; perhaps that came about through another’s efforts.

One of Jesus’ titles was unique and not credited to any other New Testament character—Son of God. This is very important, because it is one of Christianity’s justifications for the belief in his divinity. Jesus never rebuked those who addressed him as such. Was his silence a sign of acknowledgement? If not, why didn't he correct the error? By all accounts, he was a humble and unassuming man. How could he condone such elevated praise?

Throughout the Old Testament, God referred to special or chosen persons as his son, or son of God, with no indication of actual kinship. (Psalms 2:6-7; 89:26-27; and II Samuel 7:13-14) Even today, many Christians refer to themselves as a “child of God". So, if Jesus wasn’t encouraging the people to believe he was the son of God, what was the significance of the phrase?

In the Qumran writings, especially the Book of Wisdom, truth and righteousness are extolled. And in a world of wickedness, the Essenes reckoned themselves as the Righteous and assumed the name, Sons of God. One of their prophecies, commonly referred to as the Star Prophecy, predicted a Leader of Righteousness, a messianic figure who would usher in the kingdom of God promised in Daniel 2:44.²⁵ This Teacher of Righteousness would go out among the children of Israel and proclaim the coming kingdom, teaching the errant the ways of the Righteous—the ways of the Essenes.

Jesus came among the people proclaiming the coming kingdom of God and was recognized as that messiah by many of the people—but not the son of God. The Dead Sea Scrolls only make reference to a Son of God once. When the interpretation was first declared, its usage was unclear, but Christians seized upon the phrase as a prophecy of Jesus. However, further study revealed the passage referred to an invading king, probably the son of Alexander's general, Ptolemy, who seized control of Egypt after Alexander's death. It speaks of a father and son:

[Also his son] will be called The Great, and be designated by his name. He will be called the Son of God, they will call him the son of the Most High. But like the meteors that you saw in your vision, so will be their kingdom (Dead Sea Scrolls, 4Q246, Col. 1, line 9 & Col. 2, lines 1-2).

In light of this prophecy, plus the Jews' aversion to calling any man God, it should be obvious that referring to Jesus as the son of God was introduced by the Christians. Later we'll see just how that occurred.

When Jesus came preaching, he didn’t bring a new message; his was the same as John the Baptist’s:

Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel (Mark. 1:14-15).

When he said, “The time is fulfilled,” he was implying that whoever was judging time had reason to believe that something important was about to happen. The Essenes were the ones studying time, watching current events and trying to foresee God’s intentions. What was Jesus’ message? The kingdom is coming. The “kingdom of God is at hand,” doesn’t sound very imperative to Christians today. After all, they have been waiting two thousand years for that promise. But to the Jews who were living for and expecting God’s retribution upon the Gentiles, such a declaration was equivalent to Paul Revere's cry, “The British are coming.” This was Jesus’ message. This is what he taught, not some form of spiritual escapism! Jesus was preaching the coming kingdom in a way that set him apart from the other insurrectionists who had marched against Jerusalem in armed rebellion. According to the Essenes, an army without the backing of a repentant Israel could not oust the Romans, but a repentant Israel would bring God’s holy army, and God would overthrow the wicked. That was Jesus’ message, “Repent…the kingdom of God is at hand.”

But if this is so, how can we reconcile such violent intentions with Jesus’ teachings of keeping the Law and loving your fellowman? It really isn’t so difficult to understand if you remember the Essenes’ Community Rule quoted earlier.

The Gentiles’ reward was going to come with God and his holy army. In that day, God would recompense them for their deeds. With this in mind, it should be seen that no hypocrisy was involved in Jesus’ teachings. The Commandments of God were there, offering salvation to all, Jew and Gentile alike. Look at the parable of the “good Samaritan” in Luke 10:25-37:

And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? How readest thou?

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked upon him, and passed on the other side. But a certain Samaritan as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

First, notice that although the lawyer was tempting Jesus, the question was the requirement for eternal life, showing that this parable was about more than “being a good Samaritan". Next, notice that even the heckler knew he had to “do” something. Finally, look at the selection of players: a Pharisee, a Levite, and a Samaritan. Here the subtlety of the Essenes and Jesus shines. The Pharisee and Levite represent the two “status quo” religious factions of the day, factions Jesus regarded as reprobates who polluted God’s word and the temple. In the parable they are depicted as being caught up in the world of rituals, manmade laws and their own interests. And the Samaritan, hated by the Jews, represented the most despised of mankind, the Gentiles. Jesus’ choice of such a character shows he understood the lawyer’s intent and recognized the trap laid for him. The hatred for the Romans at that time was already fueling riots and rebellion, yet here was Jesus teaching that the Jews should love everyone.

Most likely, the lawyer was aware of the Essenes’ hatred of the Romans and was trying to expose Jesus as a rebel with the question, “Who is my neighbor?” The heckler probably had his next question already framed, “What about the Romans?” In such a case, had Jesus replied negatively he would have been seen as a rebel. A positive answer would have earned him the disdain of the common citizens. By choosing a Samaritan as the Gentile character in his story, he is adhering to Essenes’ teachings of nonviolence and effectively removing the Romans from the equation. As it was, Jesus foresaw the trap and disarmed it ahead of time.

Another point to remember here is that if the Essenes' expectations became reality, then they would be involved in an attempt to overthrow Roman rule. Their teachings were building toward that goal, and had the Roman authorities become aware of their intent, they would have been rounded up and crucified.

I know it’s hard for most Christians to even consider that Jesus might have been an insurrectionist, but later we’ll look at New Testament evidence that proves he was definitely guilty of rebellion against the Roman Empire. We’ll also present more evidence that he was an Essene. Meanwhile, consider this: if Jesus was a pacifist, as Christianity would have us believe, isn’t it puzzling that there are no references to his life until the second century, and that all secular records of him appear to have been erased—along with records of the Zealots, Essenes, and Nazarenes? Isn’t it strange that he was referred to by two names associated with insurrectionists? Not when one looks at the evidence without Christian blinders. Remember, outwardly, in every visible facet of their lives, the Essenes were peaceful and nonviolent.

1 – Michael Wise, Martin Abegg, Jr. & Edward Cook, Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation, Reading a Dead Sea Scroll, p.38

2 – Michael Wise, Martin Abegg, Jr. & Edward Cook, Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation. There were numerous copies of this work, commonly known as the Community Rule, found in different caves. 1Qs, 4Q255-264a & 5Q11; pp.137-139, Col. 8, lines 1-10; Col. 9, lines 3-7.

4 – Michael Wise, Martin Abegg, Jr. & Edward Cook, Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation, Damascus Document, 4Q266, 4Q270, 4Q271, & 4Q272; pp. 61-74. The laws outline regulations for "city" dwellers & camp members.

5 – Michael Wise, Martin Abegg, Jr. & Edward Cook, Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation; War Scroll, 1QM, 4Q491-496; p. 152, Col. 1, lines 10-15.

6 – Hippolytus, The Refutation of All Heresies; 9.21; and the War Scroll, 1Qm; pp.151-167. The War Scroll describes an end time war waged between the forces of good and evil, light against dark, or Israel (the Essenes) against the Romans. The fact that both Josephus and Philo viewed the Essenes as peaceful communes rather than insurrectionists illustrates the secrecy of their operations.

7 – Michael Wise, Martin Abegg, Jr. & Edward Cook, Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation; Charter for Israel in the Last Days, 1QSa, 1Q28a; p.145, Col. 1, lines 9-13.

8 – Michael Wise, Martin Abegg, Jr. & Edward Cook, Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translations, War of the Messiah, 4Q285, Frag. 1&2, 4-6, & 10; pp.292-294

15 – Robert Eisenman & Michael Wise, Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered, 1.24. ( Note: The title Nasi wasn't an exclusive Essene term. The leader, or chief, of the Sanhedrin Court was known as the Nasi until the execution of Gamaliel VI in 425 CE by the emperor Theodosius II. (http://tripatlas.com/Sanhedrin)

16 – Michael Wise, Martin Abegg, Jr. & Edward Cook, Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translations; Reading a Dead Sea Scroll; p.38

17 – Michael Wise, Martin Abegg, Jr. & Edward Cook, Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation, The Last Days: A Commentary on Selected Verses; pp.225-226

18 – Strong's Exhaustive Concordance translates Zelotes as: "a Zealot, i.e. (spec.) partisan for Jewish political independence: - Zelotes". Luke, the author of both the Gospel of Luke and Acts, was simply trying to hide the militant aspects of Jesus' ministry. Matthew (10:4) & Mark (3:18) use the term "Simon the Canaanite" when referring to the same disciple—an appellation or nickname derived from the Hebrew Kanna'im, also intended to conceal the true implications (See James the Brother of Jesus, chap. 3, p. 34). And Hippolytus, Refutation of All Heresies, identifies this Simon as Jesus' brother.

The Essenes and the Dead Sea Scrolls