Note 89 — THE ESSENES.
Reading edition
1846.—A new epoch began in the history of the Essenes with the investigation of Frankel on this subject, which appeared in his Zeitschrift für die religiözen Interesse des Judenthums, 1846. Taking up the idea of Rappaport, that the Essenes must be looked for in the body of the Jews and not as a separate sect, Frankel refers to the fact that, whilst the Assideans = Chassidim are referred to in 1 Macc. ii. 24 ; 2 Macc. xiv. 6 , &c., the Perushim = Pharisees are never mentioned, to show that no such marked and denominational divisions existed at first in the community, and rightly remarks, that it “is only after a longer development that sects appear in their separation, and sharply defined features, when that which originally formed a united whole is now divided and parted into various branches. And even this partition and separation only shew themselves to the analysing mind, and especially when the analysis is conducted after a foreign fashion, as Josephus has done it, who reduced the Jewish sects into Greek schools, and made the Essenes correspond to the Pythagoreans. But in reality even these divisions flow one into another, and do not stand in opposition to one another, but are simply to be distinguished by their different shades of colour, and by the greater stringency or laxity with which the same rules are regarded, so that they do not form separate sects, but some individuals keep to these rules with greater anxiety, whilst others, though considering them as binding, do not regard them as having such a wide application. Now in early times there were only Essenes = Chassidim (חסדים), the name of Perush = Pharisee (פרוש) was not as yet known; it was only afterwards when in succeeding periods some became more rigid in their manner of life and views of religion, that the name Pharisees (פרושים) appears to denote the less strict Jews, whilst the others were in a special degree denominated by the old, respectable appellation Chassidim = Essenes (חסדים).” This, Frankel corroborates by showing most clearly that many of the vital principles which Josephus describes as peculiar to Essenism, are at the very basis of Pharisaism, and that the Essenes are frequently mentioned in the Mishna, Talmud, and Midrashim by the names חסדים הראשונים the original Assideans = Chassidim, חברים the associates, ותיקין those who have enfeebled their bodies through much study; דבירושלים the retired ones; צנועין קהלא קדישא the holy congregation in Jerusalem; טובלי שחרית hemerobaptists. Frankel concluded his essay with the promise to return to this subject on some future occasion.89