(April 2, 2016 at 6:09 pm)pocaracas Wrote: I wonder... athrock...
Actually, I've wondered this for a long time and the conclusion only seems damning for catholicism....
Why are the Essenes not mentioned in the bible?
They came into existence AFTER the last of the Old Testament Prophets, so they got no mention in the OT.
They were relatively few in number, were unmarried celibates, and often lived in separate communities, so they got no explicit mention in the NT.
However, some verses in the NT seem to refer directly to Essene doctrines:
Quote:But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. (Matthew 19:11-12)
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (Colossians 2:8)
Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind (Colossians 2:18)
Seriously, your ongoing fascination with this group, and the Teacher of Righteousness, are way out of proportion to their historical significance.