researchers believe it is due to various divisions within the greater Essene community, and Edgar Cayce agrees. Even Josephus acknowledges that some Essenes did indeed marry and have children, while others were celibate. (The Wars of the Jews, Book II, Chapter 8) Some Essenes may have been pacifists and some zealot warriors. The Scriptures themselves acknowledge the presence of zealots among the population, even among the followers of Jesus.
But the best reason may be that the classical writers never had access to the inner community because anyone who wanted to become a member had to endure a three-year qualifying period!
There is some indication that segments of the greater Essenes community may have actually maintained relationships with the orthodox Jews at the main temple in Jerusalem and some with the non-Jewish authorities, including Herod the Great. The Essenes may have infiltrated these potentially dangerous groups in order to keep tabs on them and their plans, avoiding any surprising changes that might endanger their community.
Another reason for confusion among the classical historians is that there were many religious communities living in Roman Judea at that time, and despite their differences many were called Essenes (meaning something akin to “holy ones”). The Qumran and Mount Carmel communities were placed in the same collective pool with all the others who were ascetic, mystical, and messianic. Josephus numbered the Essenes in the thousands, possibly because of this broad use the term Essene, and considered them to be the third major sect of Judaism at that time—the other two being Pharisees and Sadducees: “For there are three philosophical sects among the Jews. The followers of the first of which are the Pharisees; of the second, the Sadducees; and the third sect, which pretends to a severer discipline, are called Essenes. These last are Jews by birth, and seem to have a greater affection for each other than other sects have.” (The Wars of the Jews, 2:124)
According to Josephus, the Essenes had settled “in large numbers in every town” in Judea. Philo speaks of “more than four thousand” Essaioi living in “Palestine and Syria,” (Quod Omnis Probus Liber. XII.75) and “in many cities of Judaea and in many villages and grouped in great societies of many members.” (Hypothetica. 11:1, in Eusebius. Praeparatio Evangelica, VIII) [Note: Palestine was the Roman name for the region, biblically it was Canaan.]
In Edgar Cayce’s discourse numbered 254-109, he translated the name Essene to mean something akin to “expectancy” in English. And since the Essenes were considered by almost every classical record to be a “messianic” community, Cayce’s word choice would seem appropriate. “Expectancy” clearly indicates that they believed in the prophecy of a messiah that was given to Daniel by the archangel Gabriel in chapter 9 of the biblical Book of Daniel (9:25-26). But Cayce explained that there was a bigger vision among these souls. He went on to explain that those who are seekers and “students of spirituality” and the “phases of spiritual evolution” have an “expectancy of a new order, of a fulfilling of or a return to those activities that may bring about the time for redemption of the world.” This worldview fits as well, because the Essenes had satellite communities as far away as India. (Manimekalai, by Merchant Prince Shattan, verse (gatha) 27)
Cayce continued explaining that the Essenes felt that the basis of human instruction and direction needed to be not so materialistic and commercial but more spiritual because ultimately human souls are eternal spiritual beings. And as such, we are destined to be celestial beings who are only temporarily incarnating terrestrially. We temporarily live in this physical world as terrestrial beings, and though it is intentional and purposeful, our true nature and destiny is as spirit-souls with higher celestial minds.
This Cayce reading goes on to indicate that it is important to enable individuals and groups to prepare themselves to be channels through which the more perfect way may be seen and understood. Thus, the need for the “School of the Prophets” as was begun by the high priest Melchizedek, the “King of Salem,” who broke bread and drank wine with Abraham (Genesis 14:18), and later by the prophet Samuel (I Samuel 10 and 19) and developed further by the prophet Elijah, ultimately leading to the establishment of the sect of the Essenes and their temple at Mount Carmel. (I Kings 18) Some believe that this temple was initially near the cave in which Elijah heard God’s “still, small voice.” (I Kings 19:12)
According to Cayce, the initial purpose of the Essenes was individual preparation for spiritual birth. Jesus gave this same teaching to Nicodemus when he stated the importance of being born again—physical birth was only half of the whole human journey, one also had to be born of the Spirit. (John 3) This was true because all humans are eternal spirit beings and only temporarily physical ones. A secondary purpose was to prepare enlightened people to go out into the world as light bearers to counterbalance the soul-crushing darkness of selfishness, materialism, and worldliness.
However, Cayce alerts us that the Essenes were not a homogenous group but, like the Christian Protestant faith, had many denominations, many branches of varying beliefs, rules, rituals, and lifestyles. At various times and places these differing branches were called Nazarites, School of the Prophets, Hasidees, Therapeutae, Nazarenes, and even the Great White Brotherhood (though the name may imply males only, Cayce revealed that sisters were members of this brother-sisterhood as well). Some of these denominations even had Gentiles among their membership! You recall how the apostle Peter was shocked when the Holy Spirit descended upon uncircumcised, pork-eating, partying Gentiles! (Acts 10:45) Cayce also taught that the Essenes considered women to be equals with men, and even allowed them to serve in temple ceremonies: “This was the beginning of the period where women were considered as equals with the men in their activities, in their abilities to formulate, to live, to be channels.”(254-109) Interestingly, there is confirmation of this in the scriptures when the baby Jesus is shown to a female prophet at the temple. (Luke 2:36-38) There is only one temple that would have allowed such a thing to occur, and it had to be the Essene temple on Mount Carmel.
This same discourse of Cayce’s states that they “joined [the community] by dedication—usually by their parents. It was a free will thing all the way through, but they were restricted only in the matter of certain foods and certain associations in various periods—which referred to the sex, as well as to the food or drink.”
The readings explained that Jesus did not just suddenly appear but was the result of nearly three-hundred years of Essene efforts to prepare the way for the coming of the promised Messiah Spirit and the Messiah Consciousness into the earth! The Essenes had read the scriptures carefully. They knew that God had promised a maiden would conceive and birth a sacred boy that would be known as “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14, Emmanuel). And the archangel Gabriel had prophesied the coming of an “Anointed One” to challenge the world in Daniel 9:25-26. Therefore, the Essenes where looking for a special young woman who would be the channel of a light teacher from God.
Cayce was asked to describe the process of selection and the training of those set aside as holy girls and possible mothers for the “Anointed One” (Messiah in Hebrew and Christ in Greek). He explained that all candidates were first “dedicated” by their parents; then later the individuals needed to make a commitment “through growths as to whether they would be merely channels for general services . . . or special services.” At various times the leadership of the Essenes would put out a call for special services. In the case of the birth of the Messiah, twelve young girls were chosen from many who had been dedicated by their parents and then personally committed themselves to a special service. Cayce’s readings describe how they were restricted from activities and associations that normal young women enjoyed, especially as relate to the prevailing concepts of what an ideal women was: attractive beauty, sensual, and sexually learned. Such ideas were not a part of the daily training and experiences for these girls. They did not beautify themselves to appeal to men. Rather, they spent their time in spiritually uplifting activities, such as lessons in the true origin and destiny of humanity
