[continued from previous message]   
      
   Fourth, the Messianic pattern depicted in the New Testament, best described by   
   Luke, conforms exactly to the Essene predictions about the Messiah as revealed   
   in the Dead Sea Scrolls. According to the Essenes, there would be a Messianic   
   pair – a priestly    
   Messiah from the House of Aaron and a royal Messiah from the House of David.   
   Both would be entitled to the honorific of Mashiah as both priest and king are   
   anointed with oil according to Jewish tradition. Moreover, it is noteworthy   
   that the Essene    
   conception of these Messiahs was not that they would be supernatural beings,   
   as per later Christian dogma, but rather that they would be ideal leaders   
   presiding over a righteous and just socio-religious society in Israel. As was   
   pointed out earlier, John    
   the Baptist was clearly stated to be descended from the house of Aaron, and   
   Jesus was just as clearly declared to be from the house of David. Thus the two   
   men conformed, not only in role, but also in lineage to the Essene prediction.   
   If we substitute a    
   leader of the Essene sect for the angel Gabriel in Luke's story, then   
   everything falls neatly into place.   
      
   Fifth, when John the Baptist was arrested and killed by Herod, this act was   
   clearly an unexpected shock for Jesus. Matthew and Mark both record that,   
   immediately after John's death, John's disciples went to Jesus with the news,   
   and Jesus promptly    
   retreated to the desert. [162] Where else would he have gone but to the   
   sanctuary of his Essene sponsors, for clearly he found it necessary not only   
   to take refuge, but also to consult with the Essenes and revise their   
   strategy. The first stratagem had    
   been based on two Messiahs; and, presumably, it had been finalized just prior   
   to the start of Jesus' mission, when he was recorded to have been fasting for   
   forty days in the “wilderness”. [163] After John's death, it became necessary   
   that Jesus play both    
   messianic roles – not just the political but also the religious role – and   
   hence the need for conference, and restructuring of the plans.   
      
   Sixth, there were four prominent philosophical schools among the Jews at the   
   time of Jesus – the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Zealots and the Essenes.   
   [164] There were also some additional, socially elite groups such as the   
   Scribes and the Herodians.    
   The link between Jesus and the Zealots has already been suggested. Note here   
   that both the Essenes and the Zealots had at least one thing in common, which   
   was of small concern to the Sadducees and the Pharisees – they both wanted to   
   see the early    
   establishment of a Jewish theocracy in Israel under the rule of the promised   
   Messiah. What better place to organize a conspiracy of that sort than in the   
   desert strongholds of the Essene monasteries, so very close to the Zealot   
   guerrilla camps. [165]   
      
   Seventh, throughout the Gospels we read the scathing condemnation by Jesus of   
   the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the Herodians and the Scribes. [166] But we   
   find not a single remark directed against the Essenes or the Zealots. It is   
   hard to believe that    
   the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians and Scribes were all “vipers” whereas the   
   Essenes and Zealots were all “angels”. This incredible silence of Jesus   
   regarding corruption among the Zealots and the Essenes leads one to conclude   
   that either these two    
   groups were already supporting Jesus, or else he was actively seeking their   
   support. Jesus never rebuked anyone who spoke favorably of him, as witnessed   
   in the incident where he told the apostle John not to stop the unknown man who   
   was “casting out    
   devils” in the name of Jesus, because “there is no man which shall do a   
   miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me”. [167] These words and   
   this silence both expose the logic of a political candidate, not the thoughts   
   of a spiritual teacher.    
   Everyone knows that the devil also can quote scriptures and perform miracles,   
   but generally the political opportunist tends to disregard this fact in order   
   to encourage sycophancy. The complete silence of Jesus with regard to the   
   Essenes is sure    
   indication of a secret and significant alliance between the two.   
      
   Eighth, all of the theories regarding the derivation of the word “Essene” have   
   a close connection with the life and activities of Jesus as well. Some   
   scholars have suggested that the name came from the Hebrew word “Hasidim”,   
   meaning the “righteous ones”.    
   This name applies because the Essenes were known to spend their entire lives   
   in study of the Bible in all its minutest details – something which Jesus also   
   had obviously done – and because the Essenes, like Jesus, stressed the need to   
   be more righteous    
   than the Pharisees and Sadducees. [168] Another possibility is that the word   
   “Essene” was derived from the Aramaic word “Assiyin”, meaning “healers”. Both   
   the Essenes and Jesus placed much importance on healing. [169] One last   
   possibility is that the    
   name came from the Hebrew word “Hassene”, meaning the “silent ones” and   
   referring to the Essene secrecy about their teachings and activities. Perhaps   
   this last-mentioned possibility comprehends the most salient aspect of Essene   
   doctrine and conduct and,    
   similarly, a most critical aspect of Jesus' ministry as well. Not only did   
   Jesus teach his followers to give alms secretly, but he also cautioned those   
   whom he had healed not to reveal who had done the healing. Jesus even enjoined   
   his disciples to keep    
   secret his messianic mission. [170] Though Jesus, of course, knew these   
   secrets would (could) never be kept, his stress on secrecy may have been a   
   good form of “child psychology” – in other words, ask a child to keep a   
   secret, and that child will be sure    
   to tell everyone. But Jesus himself did keep some very important secrets   
   concerning his strategy, allies and his ambition, which secrets one can now   
   realize by a careful analysis of the hidden implications of Jesus' words and   
   actions   
      
   Ninth, the teachings of James and the early Church were very much in harmony   
   with Essene doctrine. One notes most particularly the practice of communal   
   living, the ban on private property and, once again, the ban on swearing   
   oaths. [171]   
      
   Tenth and last, the Essenes first appeared around 200 B.C., and they   
   disappeared around 200 A.D. Their close proximity to the life and time of   
   Jesus is obvious, but the link is finally confirmed when one notes that the   
   Essene Sect dissolved mostly by    
   merging into the Christian community. In this respect they were the only   
   Jewish group which really accepted Jesus – not even the Zealots remembered   
   Jesus when they became convinced that he was not going to succeed in his bid   
   for political power.    
   Therefore, the Essenes must have had a closer touch and a more firm commitment   
   than the Zealots to the movement founded by Jesus and John the Baptist. This   
   point is supported by the fact mentioned earlier that the Essenes went to   
   great pains to preserve    
   their own records about the life of Jesus – records which they no doubt   
   expected, or at least hoped, would further the interests of their own select   
   group.   
      
   Strategy and Tactics   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)