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Great kings, admiring the men, are astonished, and by their reception and honors make their dignity even more dignified.” 8.11.19 Let these things be set down from the aforementioned writing; but from the *That Every Virtuous Man is Free* I will quote what follows:

8.12.1 12. MORE CONCERNING THE SAME “And Palestine Syria is not barren of virtue and excellence, which 8.12.2 a not small portion of the most populous nation of the Jews inhabits. Some among them are called Essenes by name, more than four thousand in number, in my opinion, though not with strict etymological accuracy in Greek, named after holiness, since they have become preeminently servants of God, not by sacrificing animals, but by deeming it right to prepare their own minds to be holy.8.12.3 These men, first of all, live in villages, avoiding the cities because of the habitual lawlessness of the city-dwellers, knowing that from association with them an incurable affliction arises for their souls, like a disease from a pestilential atmosphere.8.12.4 Of these, some are husbandmen, others pursue arts that are companions of peace, and they benefit both themselves and their neighbors, not treasuring up silver and gold, nor acquiring large tracts of land out of a desire for revenues, but providing whatever is necessary for the needs of life.8.12.5 For they alone of almost all men have become moneyless and landless, by choice rather than by lack of fortune, and are considered very wealthy, judging fewness of wants and contentment to be, as it is, abundance.8.12.6 You would not find among them any maker of arrows, or javelins, or daggers, or of helmet, or breastplate, or shield, nor any maker of arms at all, nor of engines, nor anyone engaged in any business of war, nor even any of those things in peace that easily slip into vice; for of commerce, or retail, or seafaring they know not even in a dream, since they send away the occasions for covetousness.8.12.7 And there is not a single slave among them, but all are free, ministering to one another; and they condemn masters not only as unjust for corrupting equality, but also as impious for annulling the ordinance of nature, which, having borne and nurtured all alike in the manner of a mother, has made them genuine brothers, not so-called, but really being so. 8.12.8 But this kinship, treacherous covetousness, having grown strong, has dissolved, working estrangement in place of intimacy and enmity in place of friendship.8.12.9 And of philosophy, the logical part, as not necessary for the acquisition of virtue, they leave to word-hunters, and the physical part, as being too great for human nature, they leave to speculators on the heavens, except for what is philosophized about the existence of God and the creation of the universe, they labor very diligently on the ethical part, using as their trainers the ancestral laws, which it is impossible for a human soul to have devised without divine inspiration.8.12.10 These they are taught at other times as well, but especially on the seventh days. For the seventh day is considered sacred, on which, abstaining from other works, they come to sacred places, which are called synagogues, where they sit in order according to age, the young under the elders, listening with fitting decorum. Then one takes the books and reads, and another of the most experienced comes forward and explains what is not familiar; for most things are philosophized by them through symbols with an ancient zeal.8.12.11 And they are taught piety, holiness, justice, household management, statesmanship, the knowledge of what is truly good, evil, and indifferent, what must be chosen and what must be avoided, by three laws and rules

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μεγάλοι βασιλεῖς ἀγάμενοι τοὺς ἄνδρας τεθήπασι καὶ τὸ σεμνὸν αὐτῶν ἀποδοχαῖς καὶ τιμαῖς ἔτι μᾶλλον σεμνοποιοῦσι.» 8.11.19 Ταῦτα μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ εἰρημένου κείσθω συγγράμματος· ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Περὶ τοῦ πάντα σπουδαῖον ἐλεύθερον εἶναι τὰ οὕτως ἔχοντα παραθήσομαι·

8.12.1 ιβʹ. ΕΤΙ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΩΝ ΑΥΤΩΝ «Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἡ ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ Συρία καλοκαγαθίας οὐκ ἄγονος, ἣν 8.12.2 πολυανθρωποτάτου ἔθνους τῶν Ἰουδαίων οὐκ ὀλίγη μοῖρα νέμεται. λέγονται δέ τινες παρ' αὐτοῖς ὄνομα Ἐσσαῖοι, πλῆθος ὑπὲρ τετρακισχιλίους, κατ' ἐμὴν δόξαν οὐκ ἀκριβεῖ τύπῳ διαλέκτου Ἑλληνικῆς παρώνυμοι ὁσιότητος, ἐπειδὴ κἀν τοῖς μάλιστα θεραπευταὶ θεοῦ γεγόνασιν, οὐ ζῷα καταθύοντες, ἀλλ' ἱερο8.12.3 πρεπεῖς τὰς ἑαυτῶν διανοίας κατασκευάζειν ἀξιοῦντες. οὗτοι τὸ μὲν πρῶτον κωμηδὸν οἰκοῦσι, τὰς πόλεις ἐκτρεπόμενοι διὰ τὰς τῶν πολιτευομένων χειροήθεις ἀνομίας, εἰδότες ἐκ τῶν συνόντων, ὡς ἀπὸ ἀέρος φθοροποιοῦ νόσον, ἐγγι8.12.4 γνομένην προσβολὴν ψυχαῖς ἀνίατον. ὧν οἱ μὲν γεηπονοῦντες, οἱ δὲ τέχνας μετιόντες, ὅσαι συνεργάτιδες εἰρήνης, ἑαυτούς τε καὶ τοὺς πλησιάζοντας ὠφελοῦσιν, οὐκ ἄργυρον καὶ χρυσὸν θησαυροφυλακοῦντες οὐδ' ἀποτομὰς γῆς μεγάλας κτώμενοι δι' ἐπιθυμίαν προσόδων, ἀλλ' ὅσα πρὸς τὰς ἀναγκαίας τοῦ βίου χρείας 8.12.5 ἐκπορίζοντες. μόνοι γὰρ ἐξ ἁπάντων σχεδὸν ἀνθρώπων ἀχρήματοι καὶ ἀκτήματοι γεγονότες, ἐπιτηδεύσει τὸ πλέον ἢ ἐνδείᾳ εὐτυχίας, πλουσιώτατοι νομίζονται, τὴν ὀλιγοδέειαν καὶ εὐκολίαν, ὅπερ ἐστί, κρίνοντες 8.12.6 περιουσίαν. βελῶν ἢ ἀκόντων ἢ ξιφιδίων ἢ κράνους ἢ θώρακος ἢ ἀσπίδος οὐδένα παρ' αὐτοῖς ἂν εὕροις δημιουργὸν οὐδὲ συνόλως ὁπλοποιὸν ἢ μηχανοποιὸν ἤ τι τῶν κατὰ πόλεμον ἐπιτηδεύοντα, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ὅσα κατ' εἰρήνην εὐόλισθα εἰς κακίαν· ἐμπορίας γὰρ ἢ καπηλείας ἢ ναυκληρίας οὐδ' ὄναρ ἴσασι, τὰς εἰς 8.12.7 πλεονεξίαν ἀφορμὰς ἀποδιοπομπούμενοι. δοῦλός τε παρ' αὐτοῖς οὐδὲ εἷς ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ἐλεύθεροι πάντες, ἀνθυπουργοῦντες ἀλλήλοις· καταγινώσκουσί τε τῶν δεσποτῶν οὐ μόνον ὡς ἀδίκων ἰσότητα λυμαινομένων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς ἀσεβῶν, θεσμὸν φύσεως ἀναιρούντων, ἣ πάντας ὁμοίως γεννήσασα καὶ θρέψασα μητρὸς τρόπον ἀδελφοὺς γνησίους, οὐ λεγομένους, ἀλλ' ὄντας ὄντως ἀπειργάσατο. 8.12.8 ὧν τὴν συγγένειαν ἡ ἐπίβουλος πλεονεξία παρευημερήσασα διέσεισεν, ἀντ' 8.12.9 οἰκειότητος ἀλλοτριότητα καὶ ἀντὶ φιλίας ἔχθραν ἐργασαμένη. φιλοσοφίας τε τὸ μὲν λογικόν, ὡς οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον εἰς κτῆσιν ἀρετῆς, λογοθήραις, τὸ δὲ φυσικόν, ὡς μεῖζον ἢ κατὰ ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν, μετεωρολέσχαις ἀπολιπόντες, πλὴν ὅσον αὐτοῦ περὶ ὑπάρξεως θεοῦ καὶ τῆς τοῦ παντὸς γενέσεως φιλοσοφεῖται, τὸ ἠθικὸν εὖ μάλα διαπονοῦσιν, ἀλείπταις χρώμενοι τοῖς πατρῴοις νόμοις, οὓς 8.12.10 ἀμήχανον ἀνθρωπίνην ἐπινοῆσαι ψυχὴν ἄνευ κατακωχῆς ἐνθέου. τούτους ἀναδιδάσκονται μὲν καὶ παρὰ τὸν ἄλλον χρόνον, ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἑβδόμαις διαφερόντως. ἱερὰ γὰρ ἡ ἑβδόμη νενόμισται, καθ' ἣν τῶν ἄλλων ἀνέχοντες ἔργων, εἰς ἱεροὺς ἀφικνούμενοι τόπους, οἳ καλοῦνται συναγωγαί, καθ' ἡλικίας ἐν τάξεσιν ὑπὸ πρεσβυτέροις νέοι καθέζονται, μετὰ κόσμου τοῦ προσήκοντος ἔχοντες ἀκροατι κῶς. εἷς μέν τις τὰς βίβλους ἀναγινώσκει λαβών, ἕτερος δὲ τῶν ἐμπειροτάτων ὅσα μὴ γνώριμα παρελθὼν ἀναδιδάσκει· τὰ γὰρ πλεῖστα διὰ συμβόλων ἀρχαιο8.12.11 τρόπῳ ζηλώσει παρ' αὐτοῖς φιλοσοφεῖται. παιδεύονται δὲ εὐσέβειαν, ὁσιότητα, δικαιοσύνην, οἰκονομίαν, πολιτείαν, ἐπιστήμην τῶν πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ἀγαθῶν καὶ κακῶν καὶ ἀδιαφόρων, αἱρέσεις ὧν χρὴ καὶ φυγὰς τῶν ἐναντίων, νόμοις καὶ κανόσι τριττοῖς