[Megillot] Essenes

[philip davies]

Title: Essenes

OK. Here's the thinking. We don't know what Josephus means by 'Essenes' - whether a generic term or a specific sect. His definition does not agree totally with Philo or Pliny. So let's talk about 'Josephus's Essenes' for a start, whoever or whatever they are. And let's infer that since Joesphus says there are four haireses then the community described in D will fall into one of those four.

        The only one of the four that the description in D matches is Essenes. Indeed, it tallies rather well on several major matters  - entry requirements, separate sacrifice, extremely cautious attitude to women and marriage for procreation only, including a married and an unmarried order,living in settlements throughout Judah. It is reasonable, I think, therefore, to say that if Josephus were asked to fit the 'Damascus' movement into one of his four boxes. This would be it.

        The objections to this logic are;

1. Another of the four fits better. I doubt this can be sustained

2. Josephus knows of other groups he does not mention. But as Cross said (on of the few things I agree with him on), the likelihood that there are two major groups with such similar features is improbable. If so, Josephus would probably have had to say, 'well, I can see how you might confuse these people with Essenes but actually they are something slightly different that I omitted to mention. Possible yes. Likely?

I was trying to restrict the question about Essene=D identity to the simpler question: are the matches between Josephus and D texts so close that we think Josephus would have said D belonged in the Essene box. Not that they necessarily were Essene (I am not sure Josephus ever had direct contact as he claims; he seems to be using sources about them and not necessarily personal experience). We can do the same exercise with Pliny and with Philo, and I would say that Pliny does not match D (it fits S much better) , while Philo does, to an extent. We can also see how far Josephus's description of individual Essenes fits his profile (did they consort with Herod?) That, I think, is the limit of reasonable inference. We can speculate form there on what underlies the three accounts. But speculation it is, however reasonable, and it involves rationalization of the evidence.

I hope that unpacks my assertion. I hope it does not seem either too sceptical or too credulous.

Philip Davies

Philip Davies wrote,
 
> The one historical conclusions that might be permitted is that if
> Josephus has been asked wither the group(s) described in D were what
> he would dub 'Essenes' he would almost certainly say (he'd have to!),
> 'yes'.

Could you explain the reasoning behind this assertion? It doesn't seem
self-evident to me.

Ken Penner
McMaster/Hebrew

-- 

Professor Philip R Davies
University of Sheffield