The Essenes - by Kersey Graves and his Sixteen Crucified Saviours

[Hermes]

From his Quacker upbringing, Kersey Graves was conditioned to the philosophy of the Inner light, whereby all clergy, creeds, and set liturgy in worship were irrelevant, and a hindrance to God's work.
He wrote;

"A PARALLEL EXHIBITION OF THE PRECEPTS AND PRACTICAL LIVES OR CHRIST AND THE ESSENES

We will condense from Philo, Josephus, and other authors.


1. Philo says, "It is our first duty to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness;" so the Essenes believed and taught.


Scripture parallel. "Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all else shall be added (Matt. vi 33; Luke xii. 31.)


2. Philo says, "They abjured all amusements, all elegances, and all pleasures of the senses.


Scripture parallel. "Forsake the world and the things thereof."


3. The Essenes say, "Lay up nothing on earth, but fix your mind solely on heaven."


Scripture parallel. "Lay not up treasures on earth," &c.


4. "The Essenes, having laid aside all the anxieties of life," says Philo, "and leaving society, they make their residence in solitary wilds and in gardens."


Scripture parallel. "They wander in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens, and in caves of the earth." (Heb. xi. 38.)


5. Josephus says, "They neither buy nor sell among themselves, but give of what they have to him that wanteth."


Scripture parallel. "And parted them (their goods) to all men as every man had need." (Acts ii. 45.)


6. Eusebius says, "Even as it is related in the Acts of the Apostles, all (the Essenes) were wont to sell their possessions and their substance, and divide among all according as any one had need so that there was not one among them in want."


Scripture parallel. "Neither was their any among them that lacked, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the price of the things that were sold, &c. (Acts iv. 34.)


7. Eusebius says, "For whoever, of Christ's disciples, were owners of estates or houses, sold them, and brought the price thereof, and laid them at the apostles’ feet, and distribution was made as every one had need. So Philo relates things exactly similar of the Essenes."


Scripture parallel. (The text above quoted.)


8. "Philo tells us (says Eusebius) that the Essenes forsook father, mother, brothers and sisters, houses and lands, for their religion."


Scripture parallel. "Whosoever forsaketh not father and mother, houses and lands, &c. cannot be my disciples."


9. "Their being sometimes called monks was owing to their abstraction from the world," says Eusebius.


Scripture parallel. "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." (John xvii. 16.)


10. "And the name Ascetics was applied to them on account of their rigid discipline, their prayers, fasting, self-mortification, &c., as they made themselves eunuchs."


Scripture parallel. "There be eunuchs which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake."


11. "They maintained a perfect community of goods, and an equality of external rank." (Mich. vol. iv. p. 83.)


Scripture parallel. "Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant." (Matt. xx. 27.)


12. "The Essenes had all things in common, and appointed one of their number to manage the common bag." (Dr. Ginsburg.)


Scripture parallel. "And had all things in common." (Acts ii. 44; see also Acts iv. 32.)


13. "All ornamental dress they (Essenes) detested." (Mich. vol. iv. p. 83.)


Scripture parallel. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, and putting on of apparel." (1 Peter iii. 3.)


14. "They would call no man master." (Mich.)


Scripture parallel. "Be not called Rabbi, for one is your Master." (Matt. xxiii. 8.)


15. "They said the Creator made all mankind equal." (Mich.)


Scripture parallel. "God hath made of one blood all them that dwell upon the earth."


16. "They renounced oaths, saying, He who cannot be believed with out swearing is condemned already." (Mich.)


Scripture parallel. "Swear not at all."


17. "They would not eat anything which had blood in it, or meat which had been offered to idols. Their food was hyssop, and bread, and salt; and water their only drink." (Mich.)


Scripture parallel. "That ye abstain from meat offered to idols, and from blood." (Acts xv. 29.)


18. "Take nothing with them, neither meat or drink, nor anything necessary for the wants of the body."


Scripture parallel. "Take nothing for your journey;neither staves nor script; neither bread, neither money, neither have two coats apiece."


19. "They expounded the literal sense of the Holy Scriptures by allegory."


Scripture parallel. "Which things are an allegory." (Gal. iv. 24.)


20. "They abjured the pleasures of the body, not desiring mortal offspring, and they renounced marriage, believing it to be detrimental to a holy life." (Mich.)


Scripture parallel. It will be recollected that neither Jesus nor Paul ever married, and that they discouraged the marriage relation. Christ says, "They that shall be counted worthy of that world and the resurrection neither marry nor are given in marriage." And Paul says, "The unmarried careth for the things of the Lord." (1 Cor. vii. 32.)


21. "They strove to disengage their minds entirely from the world."


Scripture parallel. "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."


22. "Devoting themselves to the Lord, they provide not for future subsistence."


Scripture parallel. "Take no thought for the morrow, what ye shall eat and drink," &c.


23. "Regarding the body as a prison, they were ashamed to give it sustenance." (c. ii. 71.)


Scripture parallel. "Who shall change our vile bodies?" (Phil. iii. 21.)


24. "They spent nearly all their time in silent meditation and inward prayer." (c. ii. 71.)


Scripture parallel. "Men ought always to pray." (Luke xviii. 1.) "Pray without ceasing." (1 Thess. v. 17.)


25. "Believing the poor were the Lord's favorites, they vowed perpetual chastity and poverty." (c. ii. 7.)


Scripture parallel. "Blessed be ye poor." (Luke vi. 20.) "Hath not God chosen the poor?" (James ii. 5.)


26. "They devoted themselves entirely to contemplation in divine things." (c. ii. 71.)


Scripture parallel. "Mediate upon these (divine) things; give thyself wholly to them." (1 Tim. iv. 15.)


27. "They fasted often, sometimes tasting food but once in three or even six days."


Scripture parallel. Christ's disciples were "in fastings often." (2 Cor. xi. 27; see also v. 34.)


28. "They offered no sacrifices, believing that a serious and devout soul was most acceptable." (c. ii. 71.)


Scripture parallel. "There is no more offering for sin." (Heb. x. 18.)


29. "They believed in and practiced baptizing the dead."(C. ii. 71.)


Scripture parallel. "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead." (1 Cor. XV. 29.)


30. "They gave a mystical sense to the Scriptures, disregarding the letter."


Scripture parallel. "The letter killeth, but the spirit maketh alive." (1 Cor. iii. 6.)


31. "They taught by metaphors, symbols, and parables."


Scripture parallel. "Without a parable spake he not unto them." (Matt. xiii. 34.)​

 

[Hermes]

and I continue...

32. "They had many mysteries in their religion which they were sworn to keep secret."


Scripture parallel. "To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom; to them it is not given." (Matt. xiii. 11.) "Great is the mystery of godliness."


33. "They had in their churches, bishops, elders, deacons, and priests."


Scripture parallel. "Ordain elders in every church." (Acts xiv. 23.) For "deacons," see 1 Tim. iii. 1.


34. "When assembled together they would often sing psalms."


Scripture parallel. "Teaching and admonishing one another in psalms." (Col. iii. 16.)


35. "They healed and cured the minds and bodies of those who joined them."


Scripture parallel. "Healing all manner of sickness," &c. (Matt. iv. 23.)


36. "They practiced certain ceremonial purifications by water."


Scripture parallel. "The accomplishment of the days of purification." (Acts xxi. 26.)


37. "They assembled at the Sabbath festivals clothed in white garments."


Scripture parallel. "Shall be clothed in white garments." (Rev. iii. 4.)


38. "They disbelieved in the resurrection of the external body."


Scripture parallel. "It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body." (1 Cor. xv. 44.)


39. Pliny says, "They were the only sort of men who lived without money and without women."


Scripture parallel. "The love of money is the root of all evil." (1 Tim. vi. 10.) Christ's disciples travelled without money and without scrip, and "eschew the lusts of the flesh."


40. "They practiced the extremist charity to the poor." (C. ii. 71.)


Scripture parallel. "Bestow all thy goods to feed the poor." (1 Cor. xiii. 3.)


41. "They were skillful in interpreting dreams, and in foretelling future events."


Scripture parallel. "Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your old men shall dream dreams." (Acts ii. 17.)


42. "They believed in a paradise, and in a place of never-ending lamentations."


Scripture parallel. "Life everlasting." (Gal. viii. 8.) "Weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. xiii. 42.)


43. "They affirmed," says Josephus, "that God foreordained all the events of human life."


Scripture parallel. "Foreordained before the foundation of the world." (1 Peter.)


44. "They believed in Mediators between God and the souls of men."


Scripture parallel. "One Mediator between God and men." (1 Tim. ii. 5.)


45. "They practiced the pantomimic representation of the death, burial, and resurrection of God"—Christ the Spirit.


Scripture parallel. With respect to the death, burial, resurrection of Christ, see 1 Cor. xv. 4.


46. "They inculcated the forgiveness of injuries."


Scripture parallel. "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke xxiii. 34.)


47. "They totally disapproved of all war."


Scripture parallel. "If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight." (John xviii. 36.)


48. "They inculcated obedience to magistrates, and to the civil authorities."


Scripture parallel. "Obey them which have the rule over you." (Heb. xiii. 17; xxvi. 65.)


49. "They retired within themselves to receive interior revelations of divine truth." (C. ii. 71.)


Scripture parallel. "Every one of you hath a revelation." (1 Cor. xiv. 26.)


50. "They were scrupulous in speaking the truth."


Scripture parallel. "Speaking all things in truth." (2 Cor. vii. 14.)


51. "They perform many wonderful miracles."


Scripture parallel. Many texts teach us that Christ and his apostles did the same.


52. Essenism put all its members upon the same level, forbidding the exercise of authority of one over another." (Dr. Ginsburg.)


Scripture parallel. Christ did the same. For proof, see Matt. xx. 25; Mark ix. 35.


53. "Essenism laid the greatest stress on being meek and lowly in spirit." (Dr. Ginsburg.)


Scripture parallel. See Matt. v. 5; ix. 28.


54. "The Essenes commended the poor in spirit, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, and the merciful, and the pure in heart." (Dr Ginsburg.)


Scripture parallel. For proof that Christ did the same, see Matt.


55. "The Essenes commended the peacemakers." (Dr. Ginsburg.)


Scripture parallel. "Blessed are the peacemakers."


56. "The Essenes declared their disciples must cast out evil spirits, and perform miraculous cures, as signs and proof of their faith." (Dr. Ginsburg.)


Scripture parallel. Christ's disciples were to cast out devils, heal the sick, and raise the dead, &c., as signs and proof of their faith. (Mark xvi. 17.)


57. "They sacrificed the lusts of the flesh to gain spiritual happiness."


Scripture parallel. "You abstain from fleshly lusts." (1 Peter ii. 11.)


58. "The breaking of bread was a veritable ordinance among the Essenes."


Scripture parallel. "He (Jesus) took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it." (Luke xxii. 19.)


59. "The Essenes enjoined the loving of enemies." (Philo.)


Scripture parallel. So did Christ say, "Love your enemies," &c.


60. The Essenes enjoined, "Doing unto others as you would have them do unto you."


Scripture parallel. The Confucian golden rule, as taught by Christ.​

 

[arthra]

Graves' Quaker background conditioned him to the philosophy of the Inner light, whereby all clergy, creeds, and set liturgy in worship were irrelevant, and a hindrance to God's work. This was intensified by Hicks's brand of Quakerism - Quietism - where an individual's spiritual life was most important and all outward manifestations were invalid. The Congregational Friends were to the left of the Hicksites, and withdrew further from even Christianity and eventually a belief in God.

Kersey Graves - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eventually he apparently left his earlier Quaker beliefs..

He is an interesting figure but I think there are more up to date materials available especially since the Nag Hammadi scrolls were discovered..and of course the Qumran texts.

 

[Thomas]

Christ's conduct would have horrified the Essenes — He consorted with the sick, the sinner, all manner of life — whereas the Essene rule was super-strict.

Many have imagined the image of the Essene as some post New-Age, right-on, cool dude, whereas archaeology and scholarship creates a much different picture, of a sect that was isolationist, fundamentalist and militant, living under a very strict rule — I think your average Essene makes a Pharisee look lightweight?

God bless,

Thomas

 

[Ahanu]

Christ's conduct would have horrified the Essenes — He consorted with the sick, the sinner, all manner of life — whereas the Essene rule was super-strict.

Many have imagined the image of the Essene as some post New-Age, right-on, cool dude, whereas archaeology and scholarship creates a much different picture, of a sect that was isolationist, fundamentalist and militant, living under a very strict rule — I think your average Essene makes a Pharisee look lightweight?

God bless,

Thomas

Key phrase: average Essene.

This is assuming all Essenes are the same or average. However, there are contradictory accounts of Essene beliefs, so it could be possible the Essene sect had different factions that featured a more Jesus-like stance on how they treat the other. I don't know if Christ's conduct would have horrified all Essenes.

 

[Thomas]

Hi Ahanu —

Do we know enough about them to start differentiating within the tradition? I wouldn't have thought so, from the paucity of materials available on the subject ... but then ...

I would have thought we could say that, as the Essenes were an isolationist monastic cult who kept themselves apart for reasons of ritual and racial purity, even your average Essene would be considered something of a hardliner by his neighbours ...

As someone else has said, to the Essene, Christianity was 'Pharisee-Lite', and very lite at that!

From what I understand, both the Essene and the Christian community looked back to the wanderings in the desert as a sort of 'Golden Age', both had little or no faith in the thoroughly corrupt Temple institution at Jerusalem, and after the fall of Jerusalem (70AD) both would be shaping themselves up towards a theology of the 'new diaspora' ... the motif of the Desert figures strongly in both, whereas the motif of the Temple/Mountain is being played down.

Having said that, it does seem likely that the Christian community borrowed the Essene ecclesial model in designating the tripartite deacon/presbyter/bishop as the administrative structure.

Some believe that the Letter to the Hebrews was written to an audience of Essene converts in an attempt to prevent 'back-sliding' into old ways, and other scholars suggest Ebionism might well have been an early Essene/Christian hybrid ...

... but this is, to a greater or lesser degree, speculation.

God bless,

Thomas

 

[radarmark]

Everyone should be quite aware that Thomas is correct here. There is very little data on the Essene-Way (Early Christianity) connection.

On top of which, one must understand that Graves was writing in a very cloistered environment. As a radical abolitionist, spiritualist, and Congregational Quaker (he did remain a Quaker throughout his life), he was writing to those who stood with him.

While powerful in his arguments and logic. I am afraid he was a little short on facts and made great leaps of faith (some of which we knnw now are not likely). He was no scholar, so take his words with more than a grain of salt.

Congregational, non-theist friends at that time were an insular lot. For us at the time, his writing probably would be taken as conjecture or notion, not fact or science.

We know now that the notion of Essenes gleaned from Philo (one of the ancient sources) was not correct (see http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5867-essenes ). In the biblical archeological-qumran scrolls academic community (see Vermes) the issue is still up in the air.

One must go beyond Graves and (since his sources are, shall we say, light) and look to the academy (especially Israeli sources).

 

[Hermes]

Many people criticize Graves for his "lack of scholarly approach"; the fact is that he based his book almost exclusively on Sir Geoffrey Higgins Anacalypsis, of which very few people criticize.

Everyone should be quite aware that Thomas is correct here. There is very little data on the Essene-Way (Early Christianity) connection.

On top of which, one must understand that Graves was writing in a very cloistered environment. As a radical abolitionist, spiritualist, and Congregational Quaker (he did remain a Quaker throughout his life), he was writing to those who stood with him.

While powerful in his arguments and logic. I am afraid he was a little short on facts and made great leaps of faith (some of which we knnw now are not likely). He was no scholar, so take his words with more than a grain of salt.

Congregational, non-theist friends at that time were an insular lot. For us at the time, his writing probably would be taken as conjecture or notion, not fact or science.

We know now that the notion of Essenes gleaned from Philo (one of the ancient sources) was not correct (see ESSENES - JewishEncyclopedia.com ). In the biblical archeological-qumran scrolls academic community (see Vermes) the issue is still up in the air.

One must go beyond Graves and (since his sources are, shall we say, light) and look to the academy (especially Israeli sources).

 

[radarmark]

Well, academia does not agree with Graves or Higgins, I am afraid. Higgins, when searched for with Essenes yields one reference on scholar, Kersey Graves and Essenes, 31.

Sorry. Neither is someone you would reference in a high school bible class.

 

[taijasi]

Of note, I don't suggest that Philo didn't make errors ... just that he is one of the wisest beings on the planet today. Esotericists know of him under a different moniker, and history will eventually come to reconsider his writings as Philo Judaeus in a different Light.

Besides this, we might consider the words of the Galilean Adept who alone has the final authority to speak on His relationship to the Essenes and their writings. These latter now called the `Dead Sea Scrolls,' and the following excerpt is from a book first printed in 1933 [N.B.]:



AHEM!

 

[Ahanu]

Hi Ahanu —

Do we know enough about them to start differentiating within the tradition?

Maybe.

I wouldn't have thought so, from the paucity of materials available on the subject ...

You came to a conclusion quickly. Knowing that, I assume you know a lot about scholarship on Christian origins.

Here's my answer to your question: Enochic Judaism. This is assuming that Enochic Judaism even existed. Gabriele Boccaccini accepts that the community of Qumran and the community of the Dead Sea Scrolls are the same community. However, for Boccaccini, what remains unclear is the relationship between Qumran and the overall Essene movement (described by Philo and Josephus). This pretty much scratches the surface of my previous questions: Do Qumran Essenes represent an offshoot of a larger movement or do they represent the center of the Essene movement? Boccaccini believes Qumran Essenes represent an offshoot of Enochic Judaism, which is also the origins of the Baptist movement. For Boccaccini "the Enochic literature provides additional and solid evidence of the schism between Qumran and the mainstream Essene Judaism." This idea is not entirely knew. That is, the idea that the Qumran Essenes represent an offshoot of a larger movement. That idea has been expressed in the Groningen hypothesis.

I discovered the Enoch seminar regularly juggles ideas like this.

Implications: Christianity emerged from Enochic Judaism.

 

[taijasi]

The problem with the list of so-called experts on Biblical history, or the pre-Gospel period is that they are exactly that, and when it comes to the long list of qualifications that might actually make someone a true authority of the subject the modern mind, and heart, and Spirit is about as out of touch as it's ever been ... so we no longer recognize the Truth when we read it, or, often enough, even know in which direction to look for clarification and sound guidance.

Naturally, we think we know who all the proper authorities are, yet these are our cherished opinions and in most cases such notions are totally unfounded, while the Truth - if it is shown to us at all - will remain as unsuspected yet *no less present* as it was 2000, or 25,000 years ago.