The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-09-20


r the sphere OF rabbinio Judaism. Nor can tn
e circumstance DO otherwise explained than u
r acertain general familiarity with Greek tina
n In tho Mishun the names OF Greek letters ar
y often used for tho explanation OF certain
r figures. 1t should also be accepted MS prove'
= that from the commencement OF iheRoman su
= premacy the Latin was added to tho Greek lou
guage and culture. But Latin. AS In all the east
ern provinces. so also in Palestine. attained u
wide diffusion till the later imperial period. II
the first centuries the Roman officials employed
exclusively the Greek Language. Twas only II
, official documents. inscriptions. and the lik,
that Latin was from tho time of Cesar also
adopted Thus Jnus Cesar commanded the
Sidonians to set UPON n brazen tablet ono o.
his DEGREES in the Greek and Roman Ian.
guages. Mark Ano ny ordered the Tyrians
to set up In public place n decree in Greek
and Latin. Finally the surerscrintion over the
cross OF Christ was trilinGuai. being written
in tho Hebrew, Greek. and Latin tongues.
What was the relation OF the Essences to
Christianity? 1t vol known that De Quin-
cey In ono OF his most effective essays sus-
tanned the tn. sis that tho E.senes wore
Christians in disguise. But De Quincy was
rather q lover OF paradox than sound and
cogent thinker. He was an inEe NOUS rather
, than deep and serious scholar. At all events
J he had not mt his dspos al the dRtn which Frol.
| / churer has collected in tho Thrift 9th section
@, this book. The community Of the Essenes
is I:cnernlly nftor the precedent sol by jose
nh,u., placed beside tho Sadduceee US the
| third Jewish sect. 1t IS obvio,as. how
ever. that we have here te deal
with phenomenon OF an entir " Dill
ferent kind. whlo the pharisees airl Sad
ducees werc largo political and religitn par
ties, the Gsee ues might be ter be- compa red to
monastic or,ler. 1t is al ntted by the q nthor
OF this work that there Is much that is enig-
NAUTICAL in them as to particulars. Even their
name Ia obscure. The origin OF the Essen es Is
n, Obscure a. the name Josephus first en-
tions them in the, time OF Jonathan the SlaA ca
bean. According to this the origin OF the Or
der would Eav" to TO placed In the second q n
fury before Christ Prof Schnrer deems ~
questionable whether the Essenes procee I ell
simply from Judaism, or whether ioreign. a. io
especially Hsllenistic elements, had ot
also an influence in thor Organization. 20
.he endeavor to solve the problem the antht z
d votes n coed denl Of space. First rs to-
th, facts Philo and Jose phus aGreo in EST
mn ling the number CT the Essenes III their
time at about four thousand. AS far as Is
known they lived only in Palost!ne: ut least, -,
there are no certain traces OF their occurrence
out of PALESTINE. According to Phtlo they lived |
the in, m prality OF their Inhabitants. For the !
sake Of ltsing rs community they had special !
houses OF tho order In which they dwell to-
cether Their whole community was most ,
strictly orGaniz,sd as a sins!o body. AT tho
head we're presidents. whom the members
were bound urcon ditonaly TO obey Whoever
desired to enter the order received throe /
b2dges-a pickaxe. an apron. and I" white
gown He had then to undergo II probation
no mi.
ted to the lustration. then followed a further
probation o. two yoars; not till this was ended
was he allowed to participate in the common
meals and to become q full member atter flrst
taking n fearful oath. Only adults were ad-
mtted as members. although children wete
received for the purpos OF training in the
principles o, Essenism. -rhe strongest tie by
which tho members were united was absolute
Of goods. Tho community among
them" says Josephus. lis wonderful You
do not find that ono possess as more than an
other For it is the law that those who enter
deliver up their property to the Order. SO that
there is nowhere to DO sesE either tho
OF poverty or the superilnity
of wealth. but. on the contrary. one prop.
srty for all us brethren formed by the
collection OF the possessions OF individ-
uals" Josephus goes on to say that they
neither buy nor sell among each other.
|
he receives in return what is useful to himself
and without Offering anything in OK change they
obtain freely Whatever they want. To the same
effect Gays Philo: There is but one purse for
all. and common expenses. common clothes.
and comm on food in common meals For COM
naunity of dwelling. OF life. ard OF meals is no.
whore 30 firmly established and so developed
as with them. This is ineligible. Because
what they receive daily as wages for their
labor they do not keep for themselves. but put
It together. and thus make the profits Of their
work common for those who desire to mako |
use OF them. 1t follows that tho sick are with
out anxiety on account OF their inability to
earn. because the Common purse Is in roGdi-
moss for the care OF them.
The Essences arc described by both Philo
an d Josephus as connoisseurs in morality
Jos,,phus calls them the best OF men in morals.
Thei.- life was abstemious. simple. and unpre-
teudiny. They condemned sensual desires as
sinful, And esteemed moderation and freedom
from pas zion as OF the nature Of virtue They
only took food and drink till thsy had had
enough 1hey did not east away clothes aud
shoes until t1ey were utterly useless. Besides
these general features Of simplicity. there was
In their moral principles series OF specal
points enumerated In this work. For instance.
there was not . slave amouG them. but all
wore free. mutually working for each other.
Again. all that they affirmed WAS more certain
than an oath: they !,orbads swearing on the
ground that It was vorso than perjury. Accord
ing to Phlo til y entirely condemned marriage.
although Jossphus know OF a branch OF them
which permitted the conJuRal relation. They | {
sent gifts Of incense to the temple, but offered
no animal sacrifices. Their chief popularity
was their common meals. which bore the
OF sscriGcial ieasts The food. it | '
seems. was prepared by priests with the 4
observance apparently OF certain rites OF puri- I
fcation. All Essens was not permitted 10 t
partake OF any other food than this. As to t
their theology and philosophy. the view of tho
world hold by the EsseneS was according to I
the authorities. fundamentally jewish. When
oss plus ascrlbes to than belief in an unalter-
D BILE late by which human freedom was abso- i
utely abolished. this. according to Prof I
Schuror. must be understood only in the sense C
Of On absolute belief In Providence. Wi On G
be says that tho Essences make everything '
and tho Sadducees nothing, dependeut | l.