hallq

It's been said that Jesus' teachings have precursors elsewhere. I'm interested to know where to start reading to learn about this in detail. I've heard there were both Jewish and pagan schools of thought that taught similar things, I'd like to learn about them both.

mountainman

Essenic Philosophy and its Parallels ...
http://www.mountainman.com.au/essene...philosophy.htm

The above tabulation has been taken from the work of Kersey Graves
"The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors", Chapter 31: Christianity Derived
from Heathen and Oriental Systems, a parallel exhibition of the precepts
and practical lives of Christ and the Essenes.

The author presents the Essene philosophical writings
as being "condensed from Philo, Josephus, and other authors"
which were extant prior to the time period set aside by the
Eusebian history purporting the existence of Jesus.

Here are the first four (of about 40) examples:

1) Philo says,
"It is our first duty to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness;"
so the Essenes believed and taught.

"Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness,
and all else shall be added (Matt. vi 33; Luke xii. 31.)

2) Philo says,
"They abjured all amusements, all elegances,
and all pleasures of the senses.

"Forsake the world and the things thereof."

3) The Essenes say,
"Lay up nothing on earth, but fix your mind solely on heaven."

"Lay not up treasures on earth," &c.

4) "The Essenes, having laid aside all the anxieties of life,"
says Philo, "and leaving society, they make their residence
in solitary wilds and in gardens."

"They wander in deserts, and in mountains,
and in dens, and in caves of the earth." (Heb. xi. 38.)



Pete Brown
http://www.mountainman.com.au/namaste_2006.htm
NAMASTE: “The spirit in me honours the spirit in you”

Amaleq13

Burton Mack finds similarity with the teachings of the Cynics in Who Wrote The New Testament?.

Vorkosigan

See also Downing's work

Downing, F. Gerald. 2001. The Jewish Cynic Jesus. In Labahn, Michael, and Schmidt, Andreas, eds. 2001. Jesus, Mark, and Q. Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series 214. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press. pp184-215.

Downing, Gerald F. 1998. Cynics, Paul, and the Pauline Churches. London: Routledge.

Downing, F. Gerald. 1988. Christ and the Cynics: Jesus and other Radical Preachers in First-Century Tradition. Sheffield UK: JSOT Press

Thompson's The Messiah Myth also has some good stuff.

hallq

Ah, the Essenses. I knew there was some major Jewish group I had forgotten about. Now, where does one begin reading about them? Is it all Philo and Josephus?

Julian

Natural History by Pliny the Elder, as far as I recall, has some info.

Julian

Chris Weimer

Josephus mostly.

Julian

Well, yes. I meant my post merely for supplemental information. There is stuff about the Essenes there, right? I am asking because I have never personally read it.

Julian

Chris Weimer

A little bit, yes.

rlogan

See Antiquities of the Jews Book XVIII Ch 1:

http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/ant-18.htm

he discusses a total of four sects when you include Judas the Galilean.

In Jewish Wars Book II Ch 8 he spends a great deal of time on the Essenes:

http://www.interhack.net/projects/li...jews/b2c8.html

He speaks of more than one kind of Essene.

So go for it.


At any rate, there's no mention of Christians. That can be explained away with various mirrors and smoke; a couple bong hits and a tab of blotter.