ders "jdri, the high-23riest's breastplate, for which the Sept. has Xoytiov, by taai'^v, or directly from y^U^ in the sense oiXoytiov or \6yiov, endowed with the gift of prophecy. S. Epiphanius (Hmr. xix) takes it to be the Hebrew 'ppH^OTi/jopov y'tvoc,, the stout race. 4. Suidas (s. v.) and Hilgenfeld (Diejud. Apohal. p. 278) make it out to be the Aramaic form "pTn =^tojprjTiKol, seers, and the latter maintains that this name was giv- en to the sect because they pretended to see visions and to prophesj'. 5. Josippon ben-Gorion (lib. iv, § 6, 7, p. 274 and 278, ed. Breithaupt) takes it for tlie H^b. T^On, the pious, the puritans. 6. De Eossi (Meor En- aim, c. iii), Gfrorer (Philo, ii, 341), Diihne (Ersch und Gruber's Encyklop. s. v.), Nork (Peal-Wdrterbuch, s. v.), Herzfeld (Geschichte de V. Israel, ii, 31)5), and oth- ers, insist that it is the Aramaic H^'0^=^(pa7r(vrf/g, physician, and that this name was given to them be- cause of the spiritual or physical cures they performed. 7. Aboth E. Nathan (c. xxxvi), and a writer in Jost's Annalen (i, 145), derive it from ITI,"', to do, to picrfurm ; the latter says that it is the Aramaic from N^'^'J,"^", and that they were so called because of their endeavors to perform the law. 8. Eappaport (Erech Millin, p. 41) says that it is the Greek JrroQ, an associate, a fellow of the fraternity. 9. Frankel (Zeitschrift, 1846, p. 449 sq.) and others think that it is the Hebrew expression D"""^;;!, the retired. 10. Ewald (Geschichte d.]'. Israel, iv, 420) is sure that it is tlie Eabbinic '"ll, servant (of God), and that the name was given to them because it was their only desire to be ^(paTZEvrai 3-fOi~. 11. Griitz (Geschichte d. Juden. iii, 525) will have it that it is from the Aramaic NHD, to bathe, with Aleph prosthetic, and that it is the shorter form for "iIlD X"iS!2 = n^"in'^ ib^iu, inupoftaTZTicsTai, hemerobap- tists, a name given to this sect because they baptized themselves earlj' in the morning. 12. Dr. Low (Ben Chananja, i,352) never doubts but thattliey were called Essenes after their founder, whose name he tells us was ^'^'', or Jesse, the disciple of Joshua b. Perachja. 13. Others, again, say that it alludes to Jesse, the father of David. 14. Others, again, submit that it is derived from the town Essa, or the place Vadi Ossis (compare Ewald, Geschichte d. V. I. iv, 420). 15. Dr. Adler ( Valks- lehrer, vi, 50), again, derives it from the Hebrew "nON, to hind together, to associate, and says that they were called t3'i"&X, because they united together to keep the law. 16. Dr. Cohn suggests the Chaldee root ' wS", to be strong, and that they were called '^3"''—". because of their strength of mind to endure sufferings and to subdue their passions (Frankel's Monatsch. vii, 272).
17. Oppenheim thinks that it may be the form "p wi", and stands for dnpn T^'^T}'^ "pbir or n'^fi:: y'-^rj r^XIsri, observers of (he lairs of purity and holiness (ib.).
18. Jellinek (Ben Chananja, iv, 374), again, derives it from the Hebrew '^H, sinus, Tvipi'ioji.ia, alluding to the D'S*3 mentioned in the Talmud (Bechoroth, 30, a), i. e. the apron which the Essenes wore. 19. Others, again, derive it from a supposed form N'l'OH, in the sense of pious, because it connects the Essenes with the Chasi- dim, from which they are thought to have originated. See AssiD.EANS.
n. Tenets and Practices. — The cardinal doctrine of this sect was the sacredness of the inspired law of God. To this thej-^ adhered with such tenacity thafc they were led thereby to pay tlie greatest homage to Moses the lawgiver, and to consider blasphemy of his name a capital offence. They believed that to obey diligentl}' the commandments of the Lord, to lead a pure and holy life, to mortify the flesh and the lusts thereof, and to be meek and lowly in spirit, would
ESSENES
302
ESSENES
brinsj; tlieni in closer communion with their Creator, and make them the temples of the Holy Ghost, when the\- woulil he iilile to prophesy and perform miracles, and, like Elias, he ultimately the forerunners of the Messiah. This last stage of perfection, however, could only be attained hy gradual growth in holiness, and by advancement from one degree to another. Thus, ■when one was admitted a member of this order, and had outlined the T''"lT = 7rfp(s(o/Lt«, apron, which, from its being used to drj' one's self with after the baptisms, was the symbol of purity, he attained, 1. To the state of outward or bodily purity hy baptisms (nX^H^ ri1T'i"lT mips il^b). From bodily purity he progressed to that stage which imposed abstinence from connubial intercourse (nvri^a ^Tib nsfa^ ni"ip3). 3. From this stage, again, he attained to that of inward or $2iir- itual purity (n"l!TJ iT^b l-Iw^i^-a nVailS). 4. From this stage, again, he advanced to that which required the banishing of all anger and malice, and the cultiva- tion of a meek and lowly spirit (iT^S nx'in'S riin:: m3"). 5. Thence he advanced to the stage of holi- ness (niliDn iTib nj<i2-a ms:;)- 6. Thence, again, he advanced to that wherein he was fit to be the temple of the Holy Spirit, and to prophesy (niT^On p m '>'\'0 nXin^S). 7. Thence, again, he advanced to that state when he could perform miraculous cures and raise the dead (nnnn il^b fipn ITl"!); and, 8. Attained finallj' to the position of Elias, the forerunner of the Messiah (inibx "^^^h r'hnr). Comp. Jeru- salem Talmud, Sabbath, c. i ; ShekaUm, e. iii ; Bably, Aboda Zara, xx, 6; Jlidrash Rabba, Shir Hiishiiim, init. ; and Ben Chananja, iv, 374.