Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Jew-Buddhists, Essenes, orig. Christians


Were the Essenes the original Christians? Dr. Richard Carrier
(MythVision Podcast) This video was edited by Mark Casale (vimeo.com/showcase/4922525). The Essenes (Modern Hebrew אִסִּיִים‎, Isiyim, Greek Ἐσσηνοί, Ἐσσαῖοι, or Ὀσσαῖοι, Essenoi, Essaioi, Ossaioi) were a mystic Jewish sect during the Second Temple period that flourished from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE. #MythVision #RichardCarrier #Essenes

The ancient JewBu Therapeutae
Were they the original Jewish-Buddhist (JuBu) syncretists?

The Therapeutae: The Ancient Mystics that Inspired Christian Monasticism (Buddhists?)
Coptic cenobitic monasticism: St Pakhom (wiki)
(ESOTERICA) Philo of Alexandria held that the Essenes were the exemplar of the Active Philosophical Life among ancient Jews. And with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls we now know much more about that ancient sect.  However, Philo held there was a mystical group superior to even them in their piety and rigor. The Egyptian Therapeutae were held up as paragons of the Contemplative Life, even giving mystical teachings while dreaming.  What do we know about the Therapeutae? Let's explore how these ancient Jewish mystics not only led lives of exceptional purity and mystical contemplation but also inspired the rise of Monasticism in early Christianity. Also....they might have been Buddhists.

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Recommended readings
The Jewish historian Josephus [possibly a Pharisee] records that Essenes existed in large numbers, and thousands lived throughout Roman Judaea, but they were fewer in number than the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the other two major sects at the time.

The Essenes lived in various cities but congregated in communal life dedicated to voluntary poverty, daily [baptismal] immersion, and asceticism (with their priestly class practicing celibacy). Most scholars claim they seceded from the Zadokite priests.

Dr. Richard Carrier's work: richardcarrier.info. This has links to follow his Twitter, Facebook, Patreon, and so on. He survives on patronage by his blogging at Patreon and welcomes all the help there he can get at drrichardcarrier. His books are available in print, digital, and audio at richardcarrier.info/Books.... He also teaches affordable online courses in history and philosophy at secularactivism.org. Other ways to help and support his work are listed at richardcarrier.info/support. Also, check out his publicity page: richardcarrier.info/publi...
  • Derek Lambert, MythVision, Oct. 15, 2021; Esoterica, Jan. 19, 2024; Sheldon S., CC Liu, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
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