Mount Carmel is a coastal mountain range, twenty-four miles long, in northern Israel in the hills of Galilee and the Golan Heights, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. There are many caves in this mountain range as well as lush vegetation, making it a historically ideal place for those seeking refuge from the authorities or the general population. In the Book of Amos, a prophetic book of the Hebrew Bible, Mount Carmel was a place of refuge for Elijah and Elisha. (Amos 9:3) The biblical Book of Kings states that an altar to God was built on this mount in ancient times and Elijah rebuilt that altar during his time. (II Kings 2:25) And it was at this altar that Elijah challenged four hundred and fifty priests of Baal to a contest to prove whose god was the one true God. (I Kings 18:19-46) In the story, the Baal priests could not get their god to respond to their pleas, but Elijah’s prayers brought fire down upon the altar and much needed rain to the mount. Even as far back as the 1400s BCE, Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III considered the mount to be a holy site in the Canaanite territories! (Cheyne and Black, Encyclopedia Biblica) Pythagoras actually visited the mountain and considered it to be one of the most holy of all mountains. According to Roman historian Tacitus, there was an oracle on Mount Carmel that Emperor Vespasian consulted during his reign. Tacitus also confirmed that there was an altar there—an altar that had no images and did not have a temple around it. (Jewish Encyclopedia: “Carmel, Mount”)
According to Edgar Cayce (254-109), the Essenes were the continuation of the legendary “School of the Prophets” begun by the High Priest Melchizedek, who broke bread and drank wine with Abraham (Genesis 14:18). The school was further developed by the prophet Samuel around 1020 BCE in Ramah, a town about four miles northwest of Jerusalem. (I Samuel 19:18-24) And this school was revived by Elijah on Mount Carmel around 860 BCE.
In the Bible there are over twenty mentions of the School of the Prophets and groups of prophets working together. Here are a few key ones: In 1 Samuel 19:19-24 we have, “Then Saul sent messengers to take David, but when they [the messengers] saw the company of the prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing and presiding over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul; and they also prophesied. When it was told to Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. So Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.” Later in chapter 10:5-6 we find this, “Samuel said to Saul, ‘Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God. [Samuel then said] You will come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is; and it shall be as soon as you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and a lyre before them, and they will be prophesying. Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man.’” In Ezra 5:2 we have this, “Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them supporting them.” 2 Kings 2:3 has this passage, “Then the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Lord will take away your master [Elijah] from over you today?’ And he said, ‘Yes, I know; be still.’” And in verse 15, “Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him, they said, ‘The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.’ And they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him.” In 1 Kings 18:4 we gain some idea of just how many prophets there were, “When Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water.”
The name Essene is Greek, and though it is and continues to be attributed to the communities at Qumran and Mount Carmel, none of the scrolls contain this name and there is no evidence that the communities ever used the name Essene!
The origin of the name is difficult to trace, but we do have some information that leads us to the term “Essene.” Philo used Essaioi, and according to his etymology it signifies “holiness.” (Quod Omnis Probus Liber, XII. 75-87.) And the Essenes were considered to be a most holy community. In Pliny the Elder’s Latin text it is Esseni. (Natural History, 5:73) And even though the scrolls never used any singular name to identify their community, they did refer to themselves by various descriptive terms, such as “the Keepers of the Covenant” and “Doers of the Law.” Interestingly, “Doers of the Law” in Hebrew is Osei ha-Torah, and Osei (meaning “to do”) is a form of Osim (meaning “doers”) and is pronounced oseem. Thus the “Doers of the Law” may have been called “the Oseem” (phonetically), leading us possibly to “Ossenes”—and in fact, Epiphanius wrote about a Judaic sect called “Ossenes.” (Panarion, 1:19.) This may have been the Hebrew source for the Greek name Essenes.
Even so, there is much confusion and misinformation about these people, and much of it appears to come from the classical historians.
Baigent and Leigh gave many examples of the misunderstanding and confusion over the Essenes. (The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception, p. 170) Here are some obvious misunderstandings:
•According to the classical historians, the Essenes were celibate; yet researchers of the Qumran area found the graves of women and children and a scroll titled “Community Rule” which contained regulations governing marriage and the raising of children.
•Strangely, the classical writers that I listed above never mentioned the solar calendar used by the Essenes, yet it was profoundly different than the established lunar calendar used by the Jews of that time. How could they miss this striking detail?
•Philo wrote that the Essenes did not have animal sacrifice, which was practiced by orthodox Jews at the Temple in those times; yet the Qumran caves contained a scroll called the “Temple Scroll” containing precise instructions for conducting animal sacrifice.
•Josephus declares that Herod the Great honored the Essenes, yet the scrolls indicate otherwise, identifying Herod and his dynasty among their enemies.
•Classical writers identified the Essenes as pacifists, yet among the scrolls at Qumran is a “War Scroll,” clearly indicating otherwise. And Qumran was a fortified site and the community had a forge for making weapons.
Why these differences? Modern researchers believe it is due to various divisions within the greater Essene community, and Edgar Cayce agrees. Even Josephus acknowledges that some Essenes did indeed marry and have children, while others were celibate. (The Wars of the Jews, Book II, Chapter 8) Some Essenes may have been pacifists and some zealot warriors. The Scriptures themselves acknowledge the presence of zealots among the population, even among the followers of Jesus.
But the best reason may be that the classical writers never had access to the inner community because anyone who wanted to become a member had to endure a three-year qualifying period!
There is some indication that segments of the greater Essenes community may have actually maintained relationships with the orthodox Jews at the main temple in Jerusalem and some with the non-Jewish authorities, including Herod the Great. The Essenes may have infiltrated these potentially dangerous groups in order to keep tabs on them and their plans, avoiding any surprising changes that might endanger their community.
Another reason for confusion among the classical historians is that there were many religious communities living in Roman Judea at that time, and despite their differences many were called Essenes (meaning something akin to “holy ones”). The Qumran and Mount Carmel communities were placed in the same collective pool with all the others who were ascetic, mystical, and messianic. Josephus numbered the Essenes in the thousands, possibly because of this broad use the term Essene, and considered them to be the third major sect of Judaism at that time—the other two being Pharisees and Sadducees: “For there are three philosophical sects among the Jews. The followers of the first of which are the Pharisees; of the second, the Sadducees; and the third sect, which pretends to a severer discipline, are called Essenes. These last are Jews by birth, and seem to have a greater affection for each other than other sects have.” (The Wars