The
Essenes (in
Modern Hebrew:
אִסִּיִים,
Isiyim;
Greek: Εσσήνοι, Εσσαίοι, or Οσσαίοι,
Essḗnoi, Essaíoi, Ossaíoi) were a sect of
Second Temple Judaism that flourished from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE which some scholars claim seceded from the
Zadokite priests.
[1] Being much fewer in number than the
Pharisees and the
Sadducees (the other two major sects at the time), the Essenes lived in various cities but congregated in communal life dedicated to
asceticism (some groups practiced celibacy),
voluntary poverty, and
daily immersion. Many separate but related religious groups of that era shared similar
mystic,
eschatological,
messianic, and
ascetic beliefs. These groups are collectively referred to by various scholars as the "Essenes."
Josephus records that Essenes existed in large numbers, and thousands lived throughout
Roman Judaea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essenes
