Essenes – The Ancient Healers

The word “Essene” is not used in the Dead Sea Scrolls but most scholars accept that the Qumran community was either identical or closely related to the Essenes. Their data is supported by modern historians Robert Eisenman, PhD (born in 1937 in South Orange, USA) and Dr. Edmund Bordeaux Szekeley (born in March of 1905 in Máramarossziget, Romania). Robert H. Eisenman is Professor of Middle East Religions and Archaeology and Islamic Law and the Director of the Institute for the Study of Judeo-Christian Origins at California State University Long Beach and Visiting Senior Member of Linacre College, Oxford. He was a Senior Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Postgraduate Hebrew Studies and an American Endowment for the Humanities Fellow-in-Residence at the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were first examined. Although the accounts of these are not entirely in accord, scholars have put some pieces together.Edmond Bordeaux Szekely claimed that in 1923 he was able to discover Essene documents in the secret archives of the Vatican, which the Vatican denied. Dr. Bordeaux earned his Ph.D. degree from the University of Paris and other degrees from the Universities of Vienna and Leipzig. In 1928, he co-founded the International Biogenic Society with French Nobel-Prize winning author Romain Rolland. His most important translations are selected texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Essene Gospel of Peace.

Dr. Edmond Bordeaux about the Essenes:
“The several chapters of this book are compiled from material antedating the findings of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. During the twenty preceding years, 1927 to 1947, I wrote and published a number of books on the Essenes based on certain historical sources such as the works of Josephus Flavius, Philo and Plinius, and on manuscripts in the Library of the Vatican, the Library of the Habsburgs in Vienna and the Library of the British Museum. The origin of the brotherhood is said to be unknown, and the derivation of the name is uncertain. Some believe it comes from Esnoch, or Enoch, and claim him to be their founder, their Communion with the angelic world having first been given to him. But whatever their origin, it is certain the Essenes existed for a very long time as a brotherhood, perhaps under other names in other lands. The teaching appears in the Zend Avesta of Zoroaster, who translated it into a way of life that was followed for thousands of years. It contains the fundamental concepts of Brahmanism, the Vedas and the Upanishads; and the Yoga systems of India sprang from the same source. Buddha later gave forth essentially the same basic ideas and his sacred Bodhi tree is correlated with the Essene Tree of Life. In Tibet the teaching once more found expression in the Tibetan Wheel of Life. The Pythagoreans and Stoics in ancient Greece also followed the Essene principles and much of their way of life.

They spent much time in study both of ancient writings and special branches of learning, such as education, healing and astronomy. They were said to be the heirs of Chaldean and Persian astronomy and Egyptian arts of healing. They were adept in prophecy for which they prepared by prolonged fasting. In the use of plants and herbs for healing man and beast they were likewise proficient. They sent out healers and teachers from the brotherhoods, amongst whom were Elijah, John the Baptist, John the Beloved and the great Essene Master, Jesus. Pliny, the Roman naturalist, Philo the Alexandrian philosopher, Josephus the Jewish historian and soldier, Solanius and others spoke of them variously as “a race by themselves, more remarkable than any other in the world.” From its antiquity, its persistence through the ages, it is evident the teaching could not have been the concept of any individual or any people, but is the interpretation, by a succession of great Teachers, of the Law of the universe, the basic Law, eternal and unchanging as the stars in their courses, the same now as two or ten thousand years ago, and as applicable today as then. Evening was the beginning of their day and their holy day began on Friday evening, the first day of their week. This day was given to study, discussion, the entertaining of visitors and playing certain musical instruments, replicas of which have been found. Their way of life enabled them to live to advanced ages of 120 years or more and they were said to have marvelous strength and endurance. In all their activities they expressed creative love. The concept of the Essenes differed from other world pictures in that it recognized only the positive and constructive forces in the universe.”

Josephus about the Essenes
“They are very careful not to exhibit their anger, carefully controlling such outbursts. They are very loyal and are peacemakers. They refuse to swear oaths, believing every word they speak to be stronger than an oath. They are scrupulous students of the ancient literature. They are ardent students in the healing of diseases, of the roots offering protection, and of the properties of stones.”

James Tibbetts about the Essenes
In his book Biblical Nutrition of Jesus and Mary, Jim Tibbetts states: “The name of the Essenes has been related to the Greek word, “holiness” but the Aramaic equivalent is “pious ones” which is more probable. An Aramaic connection could imply “healers” which fits with Josephus’s statement that the Essenes sought out medicinal roots and stones for healing diseases or Philo’s statement that the Essenes are especially devout in the therapeutai (healers or in service) of God. The Essenes are not mentioned in the Bible or in Talmudic literature but are mentioned in classical sources and are identified as being the Qumran community. The writers who mentioned the Essenes are: Philo, Pliny, Dio Chrysostom, Josephus, Hippolytus and Epiphanius. Josephus claims to have spent time with the Essenes at age 16 (ca. 53-54 AD). Both Philo and Josephus agree that the total number of Essenes was over four thousand and that they lived in many cities in Palestine and in some villages and near the Dead Sea, another writer said there were around 10,000 of them. The Essenes were excluded from the common court of the Temple because of a difference in their purification rites, they didn’t believe in animal sacrifices. Since most of the food that Jesus and Mary ate was raw fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, they were primarily raw vegans. This 80/20 raw vegan diet has been carried on throughout the centuries mostly by monastic groups, vegetarian communities and individuals.”

Dr. Gabriel Cousens about the Essenes
In his book Create Peace by Being Pace, The Essene Sevenfold Path, Dr. Gabriel Cousens (born in May of 1943 in Chicago, USA) writes that certain oral traditions suggest that the Sufis and the Essenes, who both suggest their mystical tradition of liberation goes back to Adam, may indeed have been one and the same group at one time. The Sufis became the Islamic mystical expression. Dr. Cousen’s writes that the Essene consciousness is that of the Awakened Ones. Oral traditions say that Enoch, the seventh generation from Adam, who walked with “Yah and became whole”, was the first Essene. Dr. Cousens claims that the term Essene comes from the Northern Aramaic word chasya, which means saint in Greek, which was the way they were perceived by the general population. Many of the early followers of Jesus (Yehoshua) were also Essene; it is also strongly suggested historically that Mary’s parents (Joachim and Anna), Jesus’ parents (Mary and Joseph), his brother James, and John the Baptist were also Essenes. Gabriel quotes Josephus: “They study with perseverance and interest ancient writings. They have profound knowledge of the art of healing, and study it arduously. They examine and are acquainted with medical plants; which they prepare as medicine for man and beasts.”

Olivier Manitara about the Essenes
Olivier Manitara (born in July of 1964 in Vire, France) states that everybody knew Essenes as the Brothers and Sisters in white. The Hebrews called them “The School of Prophets”; and to the Egyptians they were “The Healers, The Doctors”. He refers to three former Essene Masters: Rudolf Steiner (born in February of 1861 in Donji Kraljevac, Croatia), Peter Deunov or Master Beinsa Douno (born in July of 1864 near Varna, Bulgaria) and Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov (born in January of 1900 in Srpci, Macedonia). He states that almost all of the principal founders of what would later be called Christianity were Essenes- Anna, Joseph and Mary, John the Baptist, Jesus and John the Evangelist. According to Manitara, Essenes were not limited to a single religion, but studied all of them in order to extract the great scientific principles. They considered each religion to be a different stage of a single revelation. They accorded great importance to the teachings of the ancient Chaldeans, of Zoroaster, of Hermes Trismegiste, to the secret instructions of Moses and of one of the founding Masters of their order who had transmitted techniques similar to those of Buddhism, as well as to the revelation of Enoch. The Essenes considered themselves the guardians of the Divine Teaching. They had in their possession a great number of very ancient manuscripts, some of them going back to the dawn of time. A large portion of the school’s members spent their time decoding them, translating them into several languages, and reproducing them, in order to perpetuate and preserve this advanced knowledge. They considered this work to be a sacred task. In his book the Path of Enlightenment, Olivier states: “Enoch has given birth to all great Masters: to the Pharaohs, Zarathushtra, Moses, Buddha, Lao Tse, Jesus, Mani, Mohammed. . . These sons of Enoch are the only ones capable of bringing a new filiation and balance.” He states that the Egyptian symbol of the cross of life, the unseated cross, is known under the name of “Ankh,” which is simply the writing of the Egyptian pronunciation of the name of Enoch, which means “Life”.

Manly Palmer Hall about the Essenes
In The Secret Teachings of All Ages, Manly P. Hall (born in March of 1901 in Peterborough, Canada) writes that the name Essenes is supposed to be derived from an ancient Syrian word meaning “physician,” and these kindly folk are believed to have held as their purpose of existence the healing of the sick in mind, soul, and body. Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel were all part of this ancient area that is often distinguished by the label ancient “Greater Syria”. Hall states that Josephus speaks of the Essenes in the highest terms. “They teach the immortality of the soul,” he says, “and esteem that the rewards of righteousness are to be earnestly striven for.” According to Edouard Schuré, they had two principal communities, one in Egypt on the banks of Lake Maoris, the other in Palestine at Engaddi, near the Dead Sea. One of their chief objects was the interpretation of the Mosaic Law according to certain secret spiritual keys preserved by them from the time of the founding of their order. It would thus follow that the Essenes were Kabbalists and, like several other communities flourishing in Syria, were awaiting the advent of the Messiah promised in the early Biblical writings. Joseph and Mary, the parents of Jesus, are believed to have been members of the Essene Order. Jesus was reared and educated by the Essenes and later initiated into the most profound of their mysteries. Hall was referred to as to a 33° Mason, together with many well known banking, political and religious leaders.

Rosicrucian Records about the Essenes
According to the Rosicrucian records, the word “Essene” comes from the Egyptian word kashai, which means “secret.” And there is a Jewish word of similar sound, chsahi, meaning “secret” or “silent”; and this word would naturally be translated into essaios or “Essene,” denoting “secret” or “mystic.” Even Josephus found that the Egyptian symbols of light and truth are represented by the word choshen, which transliterates into the Greek as essen. Historical references have been found also wherein the priests of the ancient temples of Ephesus bore the name of Essene. A branch of the organization established by the Greeks translated the word Essene as being derived from the Syrian word asaya, meaning “physician,” into the Greek word therapeutes, having the same meaning. The Rosicrucian records state that while most of the Essenes became physicians and healers, the organization was devoted to many other humanitarian practices besides the art of healing. Before they moved from their small buildings and sacred enclosure at Engaddi, to the ancient buildings on Mount Carmel, their principal activity seemed to be the translation of ancient manuscripts and the preservation of such traditions and records as constituted the foundation of their teachings. The original Mount Carmel is part of a mountain range along the Mediterranean Coast of present-day northwest Israel, west of the Sea of Galilee, approximately 23 km (14miles) long and reaching an elevation of 546 m (1,791 feet). Every member of the Essenes in Egypt or Palestine, or of the Therapeutae, as they were called in other lands was taught about the principles of a healthy body and a powerful mind. Hospices were established by the Essenes in various communities for the care of the sick and the poor, especially during epidemics of famine or disease. These places were called Bethsaida. They were well trained in the use of the voice and in making incantations, and knew the value of vowel sounds to such a degree that by training they became very soft spoken, even in ordinary conversation. Because of this they were often known as the soft-spoken ones. They often performed the greatest cures by the simple laying on of hands or by instructing the patient to retire to the silence of his home and sleep while the cure was conducted in a psychic manner.Throughout history a number of persons in the fields of science and the arts have been associated with the Rosicrucian movement, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Paracelsus, Theresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Francis Bacon, Jacob Boehme, Isaac Newton and Edith Piaf to name a few. The Rosicrucian Order perpetuated its heritage of ancient symbolism and principles. It is believed, that the founder known as Christian Rosenkreuz studied in the Middle East under various masters, possibly those adhering to Sufism and Zoroastrianism.

Anne Catherine Emmerich Visions of the Essenes
Anne Catherine Emmerich (born in September of 1774 in Ceosfeld, Germany) described her visions of St. Anna, Jesus’ grandmother, as part of the Essene’s community of holy people, who healed with hands in person and remotely. Anne Catherine saw in her visions that, in general, Essenes employed themselves in healing. She saw, that the Essenes healed the sick by the laying on of hands, or by stretching themselves on them with arms extended. She saw them also healing at a distance in a wonderful way, for the sick who could not come themselves sent a representative to whom everything was done as it would have been to the sick person. The time was noted, and the distant sick person was cured at that very hour. They gathered herbs and prepared potions. She saw also that those holy people whom she had seen some time before laying sick folk down on a bed of healing plants were Essenes. Based on her, Essenes wore long white robes. The Essenes were very austere and frugal in their way of living. They generally ate only fruit, which they often cultivated in their gardens. They lived around Mount Horeb and Mount Carmel. Mount Horeb was full of gardens and fruit trees. Their prophet leaders had knowledge of the secret mysteries and the Arc of Covenant. They didn’t make animal sacrifices. They kept bones of prophets wrapped in cotton and silk. They were engaged in agriculture, especially gardening.

Edgar Cayce Visions of the Essenes
Though there were different communities of Essenes, the Edgar Cayce (born in March of 1877 in Beverly, USA) readings focused on a particular group established by Elijah called the School of the Prophets situated on Mt. Carmel. Their studies included astrology, numerology, reincarnation and phrenology. They emphasized purity of body and mind, certain diets and communing with universal forces as expressed in nature. The use of intuition and the development of psychic ability were encouraged. A woman named Judy was chosen as head of the St. Carmel Brotherhood at the time just preceding the birth of Jesus. A woman named Eloise, who had been trained at the School of the Prophets, was in charge of the Qumran community. Jesus was taught by Mary in the home, and by Judy, head of the Essenes, at Carmel. He was trained in the tenets of the Brotherhood as well as in Mosaic laws and in ancient teachings of the east from Persia, India and Egypt. The Master came when the cycle changed to the Piscean age.

In her book, Jesus and the Essenes, Dolores Cannon (born in April of 1931 in St. Louis, USA) shares information resulting from the past life regression therapy sessions: Jesus and John the Baptist studied with the Essene community in Qumran. Jesus also studied in Egypt, India and Britain. The Essenes dedicated their lives to protection and preservation of knowledge: universal principles, engineering, mathematics, astronomy, agriculture, acoustics etc. They had incredible amount of knowledge collected from everywhere in ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, Greek, Egyptian and other languages. The Essene also preserved knowledge from the former civilization. In the ancient times, they had advanced scientific tools, like telescope and light production.The Essenes were protecting and keeping knowledge alive and helping bring light and peace to the world. One of their purpose was to pass the knowledge. The Essene means the Holy One. They lived in various communities. In Qumran they had a large library, in which they copied ancient scrolls and distributed them around the world for preservation.In the courtyard located near the eating areas there were fruit trees: the figs, dates, pomegranate, orange and lemon.The natural laws that they taught differed from mainstream belief systems and were perceived as threatening. They did not sacrifice animals. Women and men were equal teachers. The Essene accepted students who were not the Essenes after the examination. Certain knowledge was reserved only for their inner circles, as it could have been harmful if used improperly. They used crystals for working with energy. Not all the Essenes had the same energy capabilities, and only the senior master teachers knew the mysteries of energy. Jesus had beautiful eyes, which changed colors from grey to green and to blue. His eyes were very piercing. They stared out of his face like something alive. His hair color was a lightshade of red, a very sandy or yellow red. He was slightly taller than the average man of that time, very slender, ‘of a fine mould’. He was wearing a light blue robe and the prayer robe. He was peaceful and knew his destiny. His main teachings were about love, natural laws, how to think for yourself and reincarnation. The Essene elders were instrumental in helping Jesus from his birth to resurrection. Dolores researched further about Jesus’ travels to Britain with his uncle Joseph and their relationships with the ancient inhabitants of the land with red hair and blue eyes, Druids and the early church in Glastonbury.

In 2007, the Pope Benedict XVI said Jesus “celebrated Easter with his disciples probably according to the Qumran calendar, and thus at least the day before” mainstream observances at the time. Jesus celebrated the Last Supper Passover “without a lamb, as did the Essene community”, which did not sacrifice animals. “Instead of the lamb he offered himself, he offered his life,” Benedict added.

In summary, the Essenes:
– used energy healing with the hands, in person or remote
– used hydrotherapy, massage, sun therapy for healing
– used herbs, fasting and gardening for healing
– used precious and semi-precious stones for healing
– were very spiritual
– taught about self-realization
– taught about natural laws
– taught about reincarnation
– studied many scriptures
– promoted peace and non-violence towards all beings
– liked music & dance
– wore white robes
– engaged in agriculture, craftsmanship & some were scholars
– were vegetarians (some ovo-lacto), while leaders were raw vegans
– drank only rainwater or the juice of fruits
– lived in harmony with nature
– were mystics

To call oneself an Essene requires that one is aligned with the core-essence lineage of the Essene Way as it has been lived from the beginning of time, yet make it appropriate for our civilization. It’s about inspiration to live in peace and harmony with ourselves, others, animals, plants, the planetary ecology, and the universal principles. It’s difficult to prove what happened 2,200 years ago. In the Bible, we see many descriptions of Jesus’ healing with the hands, as well as his twelve disciples. The scriptures about the Essenes describe spiritual / energy healing with the hands before Jesus’ birth. Reiki is in effect a spiritual / energy therapy, which can be administered by the hands in person or remotely. The first Reiki school and clinique was founded by Mikao Usui in 1922. Mikao (born in August of 1865 in Japan) was inspired by ancient shamans, as well as Taoist, Buddhist and Christian scriptures. DivineYu Reiki contains what is known today as Usui’s Reiki, in addition to the ancient Enochian. It’s very interesting that the Essene’s way of life has many parallels to the DivineYu Holistic Center and Academy. Our holistic lifestyle teachings include energy therapy, organic whole-food plant-based nutrition, alignment with the universal principles, ancient scriptures, retreats in nature, spiritual teachings, balance and harmony. Click here to read more about info@divineyu.com or phone (514) 999-4018 for more information on programs and events.

Ancient Authorities- Too Many to List
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http://essene.com/History/AncientHistoriansAndEssenes.html
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http://www.essene.org/
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http://roberteisenman.com/#about
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