They were adherents of a Jewish sect that existed in Palestine, in the Middle East, between the 2nd century BC and 1st century AD. books of the Old Testament -, fasting, praying and performing purification rituals, in a kind of primitive communism, in which all goods were collectively owned. In their societies, which generally excluded women, they strictly observed the commandments of Moses and obeyed a strict rule of discipline, codified in manuscripts, which regulated every detail of daily life.
The emergence of the sect occurred at a time when the upper class of Jerusalem, Palestine, was under the strong influence of Greek culture – rational and pagan. One of the consequences of this influence was the separation between the local Jewish government and some religious groups, which defended the more traditional customs of this people.
“After 142 BC, the trend of separation among the Jews grew. The Essenes then withdrew to the desert or areas where they could strictly observe the commandments of Moses”, says theologian Rafael Rodrigues da Silva, from PUC-SP. The similarities between certain Essene rituals and early Christian rituals, such as baptism and communion, have long been the subject of considerable debate among historians. Some believe that John the Baptist was an Essene and there are even those who assume that Jesus Christ had contact with the group.
Those who defend these theories remember that the words essenoi, in Greek, and esseni, in Latin, are translated as “those who heal”, which would be a reference to activities similar to the miracles attributed to Jesus. In the late 1940s, the discovery of hundreds of manuscripts attributed to the Essenes, in caves in the Dead Sea region, raised hopes that the material could finally confirm the connection between the sect and the first Christians.
After decades of work and controversy, the complete translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls was completed in 2002, but there were no direct references to Jesus, John the Baptist or the early Christians. The Essenes were likely exterminated by the Romans, or forced to leave their communities and flee for their lives, around AD 68.
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