Does anyone know about the (Essene Jews) that prepared the way for Jesus and his coming???

Question

Can anyone tell me about them...I read they were hated ones they worked underground????Can anyone tell me more about them???

Answer 1

The religious and political (Judaea under the control of Rome) milieu into which Jesus was born motivated his thinking and philosophy. He offered a new interpretation and wholistic approach to the disparate positions of the Jewish sects of the time; the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and a fourth smaller group the Zealots.

The Pharisees believed that certain events are the work of God/Fate, but not ALL, while the Essenes - who were not only desert celebates in Qumran but also in Jerusalem and other cities throughout Judaea) believed that God controlled EVERYTHING. The Sadducees, however, held that all things lie within our OWN power, and individually we suffer misfortune through our own lack of awareness and reason. The fourth branch of Jewish philosophy, the Zealots agreed with the Pharisaic beliefs, but had a stronger attachment to liberty - God being their only Ruler, they refused to bow to politcal coercion and were fierce nationalists; their militancy often pointed to as the cause of the Roman reactiveness and destruction of the Temple (70 AD).

While Jesus teachings seem to incorporate Essene and Sudducean approaches, and his focus on mind/body purification could have been a product of studying with the desert ascetic/comtemplative Essenes (accounting for his missing years), we cannot know this for certain. They were a monastic‑type community with communal property, rare instances of marriage, use of the solar calendar, a belief in predestination, etc.

The spelling of his name has been associated by some with the word Essenes - Jews from Essa, and the plural of Essenes in Josephus' historical writings has been pointed to also in this regard. His name in the Gospel of Thomas "Judas the Twin" adds another mystery to the mix. Was this a derivitive of Judah/Judaea(i.e. son of) or was this in some way connecting his identity to Judas the Galilean, the messianic leader of the Zealots.

There are many mysteries still to unravel. All we can know for certain is that his esoteric teachings offer a similar - though distinctive - approach ("way") to psychological transformation as do the core teachings of all the world's great religious traditions.

Answer 2

They fled from the temple of Jerusalem and lived in caves, The Dead Sea Scrolls were probably written by Essenes and John the Baptist was probably an Essene. The were the complete opposite of the Pharisee and lived a life in the desert away from most people. The had water rituals of cleansing from which baptism evolved. They were celibate and believed the end was here, and in a way they were right, the end was here because the messiah came, some of them converted into Christians, others stayed Essenes. In the Gospels it says the followers of John the baptist eventually followed Christ. Some believe Jesus was an Essene but Essenes said all sinners were damned while Jesus said he came to save sinners and not the righteous.

Answer 3

I don't think Essenes "prepared the way" for Jesus, I think (have read) that Jesus probably was an Essene (as was his cousin John the Baptist). They were a mystical, Gnostic-type spiritual group. The ideas Christ espoused in his ministry were influenced by this group and more of the "mysticism" about it was retained in later Gnostic or mystical forms of Christianity which went underground or were lost when Christianity became standardized in about the 3rd century AD. There may have been Magdalinean and Pauline lineages of Christianity. The Magdalinean lineage--more gnostic and mystical in content, has mostly been lost and picked up again in fringe occult and esoteric forms of Christianity.

Answer 4

Scholars do not connect the Essenes with Christianity. They were a Jewish sect that believed the end of times were upon them and withdrew from society to await the end. They were celibate and obviously didn't last long. So in one way they were right -- the end of days were indeed upon them. They brought it on themselves.

You can read about them and see the Scrolls they protected at this site:
http://www.sdnhm.org/scrolls/index.html
.

Answer 5

Essene's were the compilers of the dead sea scrolls.

It is interesting to note that many of the biblical texts from the OT were found to be different in the older Dead Sea Scoll versions than in newer versions collected by the church.

In other words, even the OT has been changed and interpreted differently through time.

Answer 6

I don't know about "hated" but they were a sect of Jews that lived alone in the deserts, sort of like old Christian monks in later centuries. Some historians say that John the Baptist was one of them because he stayed out of the city and ate locusts.

Answer 7

Antiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus contains a lot of info on them.

Answer 8

they were a sect from the Jews, they were driven out of their homes. nearly all killed .i am sorry but i do not know much more.i think they viewed Jesus differently.and was condemned for it.

Answer 9

No, I am sorry I do not know.