127

they intensified a wholly virtuous poverty and righteousness and temperance and austerity, just as Josephus also says about them that the Essenes are Jews by race, but they love one another and are more reverent than others, who turn away from pleasure as a vice, and consider temperance and self-control and not succumbing to passions a virtue. And marriage is disdained among them, but taking in other men's children while they are still young 1.349 and teaching them, they consider them as their own kin and impress their own customs upon them. And they accept lawful and temperate marriage and the succession from it, but they completely turn away from and cast off wicked and god-hated unions and licentiousness. Wealth and the possession of many things are despised by them, and they embrace poverty as free from distraction and virtuous. And before the sun rises they utter nothing profane, but from the middle of the night until dawn they offer up prayers and psalms to God with reverence and solemnity. And so each is sent out by the one who presides to the craft which he has. And until the sixth hour with sobriety and theology, thus they gather at the dining-hall with reverence and great quiet. And the baker sets out loaves in order, and the cook always brings one dish of one kind of food. And the priest prays beforehand over the food, it being holy and pure; for they consider it unlawful to taste anything before the prayer. And again when they have lunched the priest prays over them. And simply, both beginning and ending, they honor God unceasingly. And again, having persevered at their tasks until evening, and having dined with their customary silence and solemn composure, they come together again to the same place for prayers, having shaken off the briefest and lightest slumbers. The reason for this is their continual sobriety and the fact that 1.350 their food and drink is measured among them, being plain and simple and sparse; for there is no surfeit or satiation of the belly among them, but much want and neediness. They do not immediately receive one who comes to emulate their life, untested and untrained, but for a year he remains outside, and they subject him to the same regimen and state, and giving him a small axe and a loincloth and a poor garment, they train him in the best works and words. Then after this display of endurance, for another two years his character and his obedience in all things is tested, and having appeared worthy and approved, he is thus admitted into the sacred company. Before all things, then, they require dreadful oaths, first, to be pious and to serve the divine with a whole and pure soul and body, then, to keep all things just and impartial towards men, and not to harm anyone by one's own will, nor indeed to associate with the unjust, but according to one's ability to care for and strive for justice in all things, and to turn away from a life of pleasure, excess, and indulgence until death. And in addition to these things they swear again that they will by no means impart any of the doctrines and these holy practices to anyone otherwise than exactly as he himself received them, and that they will abstain from every contrary opinion and worship, and to hold fast to this divine religion and rule alone, even unto blood. And from their great discipline and purity, many even foreknow future things from 1.351 divine inspiration and grace, being trained by unceasing study of the prophets and other sacred oracles and by prayer. Josephus, therefore, having practiced this philosophy to the highest degree, hastened to advance to a greater one. For having heard of a certain man named Abbas practicing in a preeminent way in the desert, covered with clothing from trees and using food that grew of its own accord, and emulating his extreme discipline, he went to him, and having spent three years with him, he returned to the city and lived according to the righteousness of the Pharisees. But Philo, as has been said, concerning those from

127

πανάρεστον ἀκτημοσύνην καὶ δικαιοσύ νην καὶ σωφροσύνην καὶ σκληραγωγίαν ἐπέτειναν, καθώς φησι καὶ Ἰώσηπος περὶ αὐτῶν ὅτι Ἐσσαῖοι Ἰουδαῖοι μέν εἰσι τὸ γένος, φιλάλληλοι δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων εὐλαβεῖς πλέον, οἳ τὴν μὲν ἡδονὴν ὡς κακίαν ἀποστρέφονται, τὴν δὲ σωφροσύνην καὶ ἐγκράτειαν καὶ τὸ μὴ τοῖς πάθεσιν ὑποπίπτειν ἀρετὴν ὑπολαμβάνουσι. καὶ γάμος μὲν παρ' αὐτοῖς ὑπερορᾶται, τοὺς δὲ ἀλλοτρίους παῖδας νέους ἔτι 1.349 προσλαμβανόμενοι καὶ διδάσκοντες ὡς συγγενεῖς ἡγοῦνται καὶ τοῖς ἤθεσιν ἑαυτῶν ἐντυποῦσι. καὶ τὸν μὲν ἔννομον καὶ σώφρονα γάμον καὶ τὴν ἐξ αὐτοῦ διαδοχὴν ἀποδέχονται, τὰς δὲ πονηρὰς καὶ θεοστυγεῖς μίξεις καὶ ἀσελγείας τέλεον ἀποστρέφονται καὶ ἀποβάλλονται. καταφρονεῖται δὲ παρ' αὐτοῖς πλοῦτος καὶ πολυ κτησία, τὴν δὲ ἀκτημοσύνην ὡς ἀπερίσπαστον καὶ ἐνάρετον ἀσπά ζονται. καὶ πρὶν μὲν ἀνίσχειν τὸν ἥλιον οὐδὲν ἀργὸν φθέγγονται, προσευχὰς δὲ καὶ ψαλμῳδίας ἐκ μέσης νυκτὸς μέχρις αὐγῆς πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἀναφέρουσι μετ' εὐλαβείας καὶ σεμνότητος. καὶ οὕτω πρὸς ἣν ἕκαστος ἔχει τέχνην, ὑπὸ τοῦ προεστῶτος ἀποστέλλεται. καὶ μέχρις ὥρας ἕκτης μετὰ νήψεως καὶ θεολογίας, οὕτως ἐπὶ τὸ δειπνητήριον συναθροίζονται μετ' εὐλαβείας καὶ ἡσυχίας πολλῆς. καὶ ὁ μὲν σιτοποιὸς ἐν τάξει παρατίθησιν ἄρτους, ὁ δὲ μάγειρος ἓν ἀγγεῖον ἐξ ἑνὸς ἐδέσματος πάντοτε προσάγει. καὶ προκατεύχε ται δὲ τῆς τροφῆς ἁγνῆς οὔσης καὶ καθαρᾶς ὁ ἱερεύς· ἀθέμιτον γὰρ πρὸ τῆς εὐχῆς ἡγοῦνται γεύσασθαί τι. καὶ πάλιν ἀριστησάν των ὁ ἱερεὺς ἐπεύχεται. καὶ ἁπλῶς ἀρχόμενοί τε καὶ παυόμενοι γεραίρουσι τὸν θεὸν ἀδιαλείπτως. καὶ αὖθις ἐπ' ἔργα μέχρις ἑσπέρας διακαρτερήσαντες, καὶ δειπνήσαντες μετὰ τῆς συνήθους σιωπῆς καὶ σεμνοπρεποῦς καταστάσεως, ἐπ' εὐχὰς πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ συνέρχονται, τοὺς βραχυτάτους ὕπνους καὶ κουφοτάτους ἐκτιναξάμενοι. οὗπερ ἐστὶν αἴτιον ἡ διηνεκὴς νῆψις καὶ τὸ με 1.350 τρεῖσθαι παρ' αὐτοῖς τροφὴν καὶ πόσιν λιτὴν καὶ ἀπερίεργον καὶ σπανίζουσαν· οὐδεὶς γὰρ παρ' αὐτοῖς κόρος καὶ χορτασία κοιλίας, ἀλλ' ἔνδεια πολλὴ καὶ ὀλιγοδεΐα. τὸν δὲ προσερχόμενον ζηλῶσαι τὸν βίον οὐκ εὐθὺς ἀδοκιμάστως καὶ ἀγυμνάστως παραδέχονται, ἀλλ' ἐνιαυτὸν ἔξω μένοντι τὴν αὐτὴν ὑποτίθενται δίαιταν καὶ κατά στασιν, ἀξινάριόν τε καὶ περίζωμα δόντες καὶ πενιχρὸν ἱμάτιον γυμνάζουσιν ἐπ' ἔργοις ἀρίστοις καὶ λόγοις. εἶτα μετὰ τὴν τῆς καρτερίας ἐπίδειξιν δυσὶν ἄλλοις ἔτεσιν τὸ ἦθος καὶ τὸ ἐν πᾶσιν ὑπήκοον δοκιμάζεται, καὶ φανεὶς ἄξιος καὶ δόκιμος οὕτως εἰς τὸν ἱερὸν ὅμιλον ἐγκρίνεται. πρό γε οὖν πάντων ὅρκους φρικώδεις ἀπαιτοῦσι, πρῶτον μὲν εὐσεβεῖν καὶ θεραπεύειν ἐξ ὅλης καὶ κα θαρᾶς ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος τὸ θεῖον, ἔπειτα δὲ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους δίκαια φυλάττειν ἅπαντα καὶ ἀπροσωπόληπτα, καὶ μὴ κατὰ γνώ μην βλάψαι τινά, μήγε μὴν συγκοινωνεῖν ἀδίκοις, ἀλλὰ κατὰ δύναμιν τοῦ δικαίου καὶ φροντίζειν καὶ βιάζεσθαι πάντως καὶ τὸν ἐνήδονον καὶ περιττὸν καὶ ὑγρὸν ἀποστρέφεσθαι βίον μέχρι θανά του. πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ὀμνύουσι πάλιν μηδενὶ μὲν τὸ παράπαν μεταδοῦναι τῶν δογμάτων καὶ τῶν ἁγιοπρεπῶν τούτων ἐπιτηδευ μάτων ἢ ὡς ἀκριβῶς αὐτὸς παρέλαβεν, ἀφέξεσθαι δὲ πάσης ἐναν τίας δόξης καὶ λατρείας, καὶ ταύτῃ μόνῃ προσανέχειν τῇ θείᾳ μέχρις αἵματος θρησκείᾳ καὶ καταστάσει. ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς δὲ ἀσκή σεως καὶ καθαρότητος πολλοὶ καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα προγινώσκουσιν ἐκ 1.351 θείας ἐπιπνοίας καὶ χάριτος, ἀκαταπαύστῳ μελέτῃ προφητῶν καὶ λοιπῶν ἱερῶν λογίων καὶ προσευχῇ ἐμπαιδοτριβούμενοι. Ταύτην οὖν ὁ Ἰώσηπος ἄκρως ἀσκήσας τὴν φιλοσοφίαν ἐπὶ μείζονι προκόπτειν ἔσπευσεν. ἀκούσας γάρ τινα διαφερόντως ἀσκοῦντα κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον Ἀββᾶν ὀνομαζόμενον, ἐσθῆτι μὲν ἀπὸ δένδρων καλυπτόμενον τροφῇ δὲ αὐτομάτως φυομένῃ χρώμενον, καὶ τὴν ἄκραν ἄσκησιν αὐτοῦ ζηλώσας πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀφίκετο, καὶ τρεῖς παρ' αὐτῷ ποιήσας ἐνιαυτοὺς εἰς τὴν πόλιν ὑπέστρεψε καὶ τῇ τῶν Φαρισαίων ἐπολιτεύετο δικαιοσύνῃ. Ὁ δέ γε Φίλων, ὡς εἴρηται, περὶ τῶν ἐξ