Comments on: The Essenes: A Historical Hoax? http://www.nickscrusade.org/the-essenes-a-historical-hoax/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" -- MLK Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:31:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: NickDupree http://www.nickscrusade.org/the-essenes-a-historical-hoax/comment-page-1/#comment-218 NickDupree Sun, 29 Mar 2009 00:38:34 +0000 http://www.nickscrusade.org/?p=263#comment-218 Except Pliny the Elder describes the Essenes as "choosing the company of date palms' beside the Dead Sea." Palms beside the Dead Sea? O RLY??<br>There are no plants on the Dead Sea. Except Pliny the Elder describes the Essenes as “choosing the company of date palms' beside the Dead Sea.” Palms beside the Dead Sea? O RLY??
There are no plants on the Dead Sea.

]]> By: Michael Lee Foley http://www.nickscrusade.org/the-essenes-a-historical-hoax/comment-page-1/#comment-212 Michael Lee Foley Sat, 28 Mar 2009 01:30:26 +0000 http://www.nickscrusade.org/?p=263#comment-212 True, about the Jewish culture and marriages. However, things may have been quite different under the tyranny of Rome. While Christian sources are obviously not reliable when it comes to gauging Judaism as a whole in that era, the early Jewish Christians seemed to believe very strong that the end of the world was near. It would not necessarily surprise me that there were a group of extreme ascetic Pharisees that truly believed the end was very, very close and that marrying would be pointless. Why create children if the world was going to end?<br><br>While Talmudic sources may lack references to Essenes, it is possible that since they were a pretty marginal "cult" with Judaism, they were not really important to the compilers of the Talmud, as it had long since died out. Josephus, Pliny the Elder and Philo are all reputable sources (especially the first and the last) on Jewish history in the late BCE - early CE era, and they both refer to the Essenes, but their references make it clear that it was pretty much a fringe group. True, about the Jewish culture and marriages. However, things may have been quite different under the tyranny of Rome. While Christian sources are obviously not reliable when it comes to gauging Judaism as a whole in that era, the early Jewish Christians seemed to believe very strong that the end of the world was near. It would not necessarily surprise me that there were a group of extreme ascetic Pharisees that truly believed the end was very, very close and that marrying would be pointless. Why create children if the world was going to end?

While Talmudic sources may lack references to Essenes, it is possible that since they were a pretty marginal “cult” with Judaism, they were not really important to the compilers of the Talmud, as it had long since died out. Josephus, Pliny the Elder and Philo are all reputable sources (especially the first and the last) on Jewish history in the late BCE – early CE era, and they both refer to the Essenes, but their references make it clear that it was pretty much a fringe group.

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