The Essenes = Part I

The Essenes

Jesus and Essenes image courtsey: essenespirit.com

The recent interest in this group, even though they existed a century or so before Christ, ignited, because of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the 1940's. These scrolls were found in a place, where there was known to be a strong presence of this group, and the scrolls, the work of these ascetics. They had copied the Old testament in its purest form and these documents are considered some of the most authentic copies of the same. There was also some of their own works, interpretations of the scriptures etc. They were known to be teachers and healers.

Even though they were a sect that originated from Judaisim some of their practices and way of life indicate that they had some form of contact or intimate knowledge of Jainism, Buddisim or Hinduism. The writing of historians like Pliney and Josephus have thrown more light into their life styles. The exercises that they mention, the essenes practiced, could have been Yoga. They were vegetarians. Does the fact that Kashmiri pundits consider fish vegetarian, ring a bell?

Essenes image courtsey: harmonikireland.com

Many of Christ’s teachings sound very similar to their teachings and the silence that he maintains about them, while being very critical about the other sects, Pharasies and Scribes have led people to theorise that Christ was an Essenes. Among the Gospels, gospel according to John stands out as one that is focussing more on the Spirit than any other. This is the gospel that says for the first time in the Bible that God is spirit. Some people say that he was an essene and so was John the Baptist. John is described in the Bible as the "Beloved Desciple" and maybe it is so because Jesus and John belonged to the same essenes brotherhood? Only Jesus can aswer these questions, in the mean time we humble mortals can presume, to be dissecting the infinite source of wisdom to circumscribe within the limited scope of our brains.

Essenes hypopapy image courtsey: essenes.net

It is not essential that that Jesus was an Essene, because his life and teachings were different in some salient aspects from that of the Essenes described by the aforesaid historians. Even if he was, he must have taken some of the good aspects of the Essenes teaching and given his own touch to it and that must have caught fire.

The Essenes were members of an ascetic Jewish sect of the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD. Most of them lived on the western shore of the Dead Sea. They are identified by many scholars with the Qumran community that wrote the documents popularly called the Dead Sea Scrolls. They numbered about 4,000 members. Admission required two to three years of preparation, and new candidates took an oath of piety, justice, and truthfulness.

Essenes image courtsey: thenazareneway.com

According to Philo of Alexandria and other writers of the 1st century AD,the Essenes shared their possessions, lived by agriculture and handicrafts, rejected slavery, and believed in the immortality of the soul. Their meals were solemn community affairs. The main group of Essenes opposed marriage. They had regular prayer and study sessions, especially on the Sabbath. Transgressors were excluded from the sect.

The similarity between a number of Essene and Christian concepts and practices (kingdom of God, baptism, sacred meals, the position of a central teacher, titles of officeholders, and community organization) has led some people to assume that there was a close kinship between the Essenes and the groups around John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. It is possible that after the dissolution of the Essene community some members followed John the Baptist or joined one of the early Christian communities, but any other direct connection seems unlikely.

Related Reading

• Historical Facts on Essene Culture

That divisive thing called Religion

That divisive thing called Religion

The word religion evokes different emotions in different human beings. For some it brings to mind the images of worship and devotion. For some it is all about unwavering faith in the almighty. For some it is a part of their identity. Unfortunately there also those for whom it is a reason for terror.

All major religions in the world propagate the message of love and fellowship towards others. They teach us and define the moral boundaries of what is right and wrong. They inculcates in us the dire fate that will befall us if we were to stray from the right path. Mostly their canons follow a carrot and stick approach where good deeds are rewarded and evil ones punished. Some believe this judgment is given in the after life while others believe that it is given out during their lifetime hear on earth. Some religions provide an opportunity to make penance and start again with a fresh slate. The bottom line to all this comes down to a single thing – belief! And beliefs vary from person to person and from religion to religion. Some of these beliefs and customs have been in existence for centuries. What we need to realize is that the existence of all religions depends on the people’s beliefs.

The modern religions have shown adaptability in embracing the ways of the old by keeping some of the old pagan customs from which they were trying to convert people. For example during catholic marriage ceremonies in most parts of South India we have the custom of the groom tying a thali/minnu (a kind of locket) around the neck of the bride. This is a custom that is being followed in Hindu marriages even today. The point I am trying to put across here is that even though we feel that all religions are rigid in their interpretation of canons, they have been dynamic and ever changing according to the time and the social environment.

I would like to quote the immortal lines by the Malayalam poet Vyalar Rama Varma

manushyan mathangale srishtichu
mathangal daivangale srishtichu
manushyarum mathangalum daivangalum koodi
mannu pankuvachu... avar manassu panku vachu

Translated it would mean

Man created religion
Religion created Gods
Men, Religion and Gods divided earth
They divided hearts.

Is there a more universal truth than that? Even if I believe that God exists and that everything was created by him it is tough to believe that he created the plethora of religions that exists in the world. What we need to realize is that religions were created for our convenience by us. Please don’t think that I am an atheist because I do believe that there is an almighty some where that takes care of me. This is more comforting than believing that I am on my own facing all that life throws at me. Men are inherently weak beings and they need hope and faith at times when darkness engulfs them. But do we really need the structures, the rules and the divisions that religions inherently bring in. Do we really need religion to do good for others? From time immemorial to the present day there has been nothing but bloodshed in the name of religion. Don’t you think we have got it wrong somewhere?

The day people start questioning the canons of a religion it stops to exist. The problem is that nobody does this and they start questioning the existence of God if at all they do question something. The problem is not because people believe in God, divisions occur because people believe that their way of worshiping God is the correct one. Maybe someday we will have a world without the boundaries of religion.