Jesus the Nazarene
To this day, the significance of Jesus being known as 'the Nazarene' may still not be fully understood by most. There is a curious prophecy, that Jesus would be known by this appellation 'the Nazarene', mentioned only in the gospel of Matthew 2:23, which reports Jesus being brought up in the town of Nazareth in order was in order to fulfill these ancient words. However it seems likely there is a greater meaning behind this title than only Jesus being associated with Nazareth, for the name went on to be taken by his followers who were also knows as Nazarenes, though they most certainly did not all originate from Nazareth themselves. Interestingly, most of the current Bible translations replace many of the occurrences of this title “the Nazarene” being used in the gospels with “of Nazareth,” almost as if the interpreters of the Bible went out of their way to erase evidence of the wide use of this title for Jesus from the scriptures, and by doing so diminish any greater significance this title might hold. To make the matter even more interesting, the prophecy itself is nowhere to be found in all of the Hebrew scriptures as we currently have them, at least not as quoted in Matthew.
And yet we know it was important enough for at least one gospel to mention, we know Jesus was indeed known as and commonly called the Nazarene, and we know that the early Christians were also called Nazarenes from the beginning, as reported by early church leaders; while the book of Acts confirms that the early followers of Jesus were known as “the sect of the Nazarenes” [lit. 'Nazoraeans'] (Acts 24:5). The only problem with this is that the contemporary Jewish historian Josephus only describes three main philosophical Jewish sects, and the Nazarenes are not one of them, making the matter even more confusing.
This same book of Acts has James, the brother of Jesus who succeeded him as leader of the movement, remarking that “myriads” (tens of thousands) of Jews have “believed” and are all “zealous for the law,” shortly before they were described as the Nazarene sect (Acts 20:20). Now Josephus lived in Jerusalem during this very time period, and writing several decades later mentions only three major Jewish sects – the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes – two of which are repeatedly referenced in the gospels as being the opponents of Jesus, but the third sect is strangely absent from all gospel accounts.
If what we are told in Acts is correct, and there were thousands upon thousands of converts to this rapidly growing opposition Jewish sect during the times of Josephus, surely he would have mentioned it! For he goes into great detail about the third and smallest sect of the Essenes, but the Nazarenes are entirely overlooked. That is unless they were essentially one and the same group; or so similar to, or were but an offshoot of or a sub-sect of the order of the Essenes, that Josephus made no distinction between the greater Essenes or former Essenes and the Nazarenes.
This seems likely in my point of view, as the Essenes seem to have dissolved by the end of the first century, possibly with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. and scattering of the Jews abroad; at about the same time that several Jewish Christian sects named by the early church leaders would have had their beginnings, which then existed as unique Jewish Christian sects into the 4th Century. At any rate, following Josephus, the Essenes as such seem to just vanish into history, either disappearing entirely or being absorbed into the early Jesus movement sometime during the first century.
Indeed, the connection between the Essenes which preceding Jesus and the Nazarenes which followed after, may not just be philosophically similar, but direct.
According to the modern day Essene Church of Christ:
The Essenes were one of the three main religious sects in first century Palestine and Jesus is believed to have been a member of the northern group, centered around Mount Carmel. The Essenes were also known as Nazarenes, and Nazareth was one of their strongholds, although it should be noted that the term predated the place name. Members of the sect wore white and followed a vegetarian diet, as do the Carmelite order of Christian monastics, also known as White Friars due to their white overmantle, and it is interesting to note that current members of that order based at Mount Carmel openly claim that Jesus was an Essene and was raised on Mount Carmel, even though the Essene scriptures are excluded from the Bible as generally promulgated by the Church.
This would explain the greater importance of the title 'Nazarene' and yet also link it to Nazareth just as Matthew does. It would also make much more sense out of the mysterious prophesy in question, which in this context would be an obvious reference to or prophecy of Jesus being a northern Essene (Essene trained at Mount Caramel) otherwise known as a Nazarene; and would likely also be an indication that he was a vegetarian, as the Essenes do indeed appear to have been a vegetarian sect. This possibility also makes sense of the gospels portraying the Pharisees and Sadduccees as the philosophical opponents to Jesus, while entirely omitting any mention of Essenes. This would make sense if Jesus was an Essene or supported by the Essenes due to philosophical similarities in teachings and practices.
This is indeed a highly likely historical scenario, which we will be able to confirm by comparing the historical description of the Essenes (mainly found in the writings of Jewish historian Josephus and his contemporary the Jewish mystic Philo) with the teachings of Jesus and description of his followers in the Bible along with the historical description of James his brother; and we will thereby be able to see just how closely they align. Further, if this is the case that Jesus was an Essene or was even just influenced by their philosophy, and the Essenes were vegetarians, then it naturally follows that Jesus too was a vegetarian as well; and we will thus have even more evidence indicating the likelihood that Jesus was in fact a vegetarian.
Furthermore, if we can link the Jewish Christian sects which claim to have inherited the authentic spiritual tradition of Jesus back to the original followers of Jesus and his own family, and these groups were also vegetarians and closely aligned with the Essenes on many other issues, then we have about as close as we can get to actual proof that Jesus was a vegetarian. So first we'll take a brief look at these Jewish Christian sects, see how their roots appear to trace back to the original Jesus movement; and then we'll dive into the beliefs and lifestyle of the Essenes, and see how closely they align with the teachings of Jesus and the early Jewish Christians as well as the Pythagoreans.
Brief Intro to the Vegetarian Jewish Christian Sects
There are several Jewish Christian sects described by early church leaders (mainly Epiphaneus), which existed into the 4th and 5th centuries before disappearing completely, having been labeled as heretics both within Judaism and by the Catholic Church backed backed by the Roman Empire. These sects, though they surely disagreed on some small points of doctrine, seem to have adhered to a common school of thought which probably at one point originated from the same source(s): These different sects were all vegetarians which rejected animal sacrifices while at the same time accepting some form or interpretation of the law of Moses.
Two of these sects are said to have existed before the time of Jesus, one called the Ossaeans and the other Nazareaeans, and cannot therefore be considered uniquely Christian, though they held such similar beliefs to the Jewish Christian sects which formed later that it would be hard to deny some sort of connection. The former name is eerily similar to that of the Essenes, and these two may well have been one and the same; while the latter is eerily similar to the title given Jesus in the gospels, 'Nazarene', and may have indeed been the northern Essenes described above called the Nazarenes.
This would certainly seem to make sense, considering Josephus only describes three Jewish sects at that time, and because of the distinct similarity in beliefs. After the time of Jesus, the Ossaeans began to follow the prophet Elxai who taught that “Christ is King,” and whose book of prophecy was used by the other Jewish Christian sects who accepted Jesus as the Christ and True Prophet; and in this regard can be considered to have morphed into a Jewish Christian sect shortly after the advent of Christ on earth.
Of the explicitly 'Christian' Jewish sects which formed later, that is those who acknowledged Jesus as Messiah and James his brother as their leader after his death; there were the Elchasaites, a sect formed by the prophet Elxai, and the Ebionites which are the most widely referenced Jewish Christian sect, and a group called the Nazoraeans. Of these, we have the most information about the Ebionites, which appear to have been the most important and largest of these sects, and derive their name from the Hebrew word ebionim which means 'poor', for they rejected wealth and lived in poverty.
The Nazoreans mentioned by Epiphaneus appear to be the very 'sect of the Nazarenes' mentioned in Acts, for though translated 'Nazarene' in most texts, the original text of Acts actually refers to the early followers of Jesus here as “the sect of the Nazoraeans” (Acts 24:5) and likewise has Jesus himself being called “the Nazoraean" (Acts 2:22 ), as does the gospel of John twice (John 18:5, 7) (https://biblehub.com/greek/nazo_raion_3480.htm). This is quite illuminating, regarding the true connection of Jesus to the 'Nazoraeans' later described by Epiphaneus as so-called heretics!
According to Jerome who was well acquainted with and less hostile towards these Jewish Christians, the Nazoraeans and Ebionites are in fact the same group using different names. If this is indeed the case, then it would certainly appear based on the specific use of the word 'Nazoraean' several times in the Bible that the Ebionites are but a later manifestation of the very group which formed around first Jesus and then his brother James as its leader! All three clearly have a close relationship with one another and the Ossaeans, and all four of these likely originated out of one single tradition, all claiming this tradition came from Jesus, though it had been preserved in some form before that time by the Ossaeans and Nazaraeans, and as we will see the Essenes (if they are in fact even distinct from these two sects at all).
Of course the Christians labeled them all heretics, but these same Christians trace the origins of these 'heretics' right back to the first followers of Jesus and his own family, unwittingly drawing a clear line of succession from Jesus right to this heretical faction of Jews which claimed to have inherited the true teachings of Jesus directly from his relatives and original disciples. The Christian tradition related by Eusebius and Epiphaneus has the original followers of Jesus flee Jerusalem right before the temple's destruction in 70 C.E., and settle on the east side of the Jordan river in the area of Pella. Epiphaneus then describes that the region of Pella is right where the Ebionites and Nazoraeans just so happen to have been founded. Eusebius also informs us that some of the relatives of Jesus settled in Cochaba specificially, a city in this region on the east side of the Jordan, while others stayed in Nazareth. And once again, we are informed by Epiphaneus that this is indeed the very town where the Ebionites were founded, and that both Ebionites and Nazoraeans (possibly one and the same group) lived there! (For more details on this phenomenon, see The Lost Religion of Jesus by Kieth Akkers, chapter 12.)
What are the chances that the very Jewish Christian group(s) which claim to have inherited the true spiritual tradition from Jesus (which they claimed prohibited animal sacrifice and consumption of meat), as handed down by his own family and original disciples (who we must remember were all vegetarians, by the admission of the orthodox Christians themselves no less), just so happened to have been founded in the very same region where Jesus' family and the original Jewish Christian movement formed by his original disciples eventually settled, and are yet somehow not the true successors and inheritors of that original tradition as they claim? I would say the chances are pretty slim, and that the evidence points overwhelmingly to these groups having inherited an authentic tradition from the original Jesus movement, based on the original teachings of Jesus, relayed to them by those relatives and members of the original Jerusalem church who settled in Pella; teachings which, as we will soon see, have their roots in even more ancient traditions which can be traced even further back to the Essenes which preceded him, and even further to the Greek sage Pythagoras and 'father of vegetarianism in the west'.
The Pythagorean and Essene Link to Jesus
While the versions of Josephus we have today do not explicitly describe the Essenes as a vegetarian sect, the Christian bishop Jerome of the 4th and 5th centuries informs us that the version of Josephus he had in front of him did, and Porphyry also describes the Essenes as vegetarians (De Abstinentia 4.3).
“Josephus...describes three sects of the Jews, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. On the last of these he bestows wondrous praise, for they practice perpetual abstinance from wives, wine and flesh, and a made a second nature of their daily fast.” (Jerome, Against Jovinianus 2.14)
Here we see once again the abstinence of both wine and flesh mentioned together as part of one spiritual practice, as with James the brother of Jesus and many of the early Christians, as well as with Pythagoras and his followers later known as the Pythagoreans. And while the versions of Josephus that have come down to us don't directly state that the Essenes abstained from flesh, we know there were multiple versions of his works, so it is quite possible that in one version he did in fact explicitly state this; and he did at the very least imply it, saying that: “These men live the same kind of life as do those whom the Greeks call Pythagoreans.” (Antiquities, 15.10.4)
The Pythagoreans were most well known for living a vegetarian lifestyle free from any alcohol, and indeed until recent years vegetarians in the west were simply referred to as Pythagoreans. This requirement was a part of the strict moral code of nonviolence enjoined on the disciples of Pythagoras, who taught that: “As long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other.”
In a previous post on the philosophy of the ancient Greek Sage Pythagoras and the history of vegetarianism, I made a strong case for the Pythagorean argument that there is indeed a direct connection between the massive massacre of animals for food and the mass murder of humans in war; and this correlation is also present in the Hebrew prophets, who prophesied that in the coming kingdom of God on earth there would be no more war, with peace both for humanity and for the entire animal kingdom, as shown in a previous post in this series. There are indeed many similarities between the teachings of Jesus and Pythagoras, as well as their disciples, almost all of which are also shared by the Essenes.
Believing that it was among the greatest of evils to kill an innocent being for food when eating animals is entirely unnecessary for human survival, Pythagoras prohibited the consumption of animal flesh and wine upon his inner circle of disciples.
Alas, what wickedness to swallow flesh into our own flesh, to fatten our greedy bodies by cramming in other bodies, to have one living creature fed by the death of another! ...You cannot appease the hungry cravings of your wicked, gluttonous stomachs except by destroying some other life. (attributed by Ovid)
James the brother of Jesus was himself raised and lived his entire life abstaining from wine and flesh, as we can see in the description of him below, and also died a virgin as reported elsewhere in Christian church history, reflecting the description by Jerome seen above, of the trifold abstinence by the Essenes from wives, wine and flesh.
“After the apostles, James the brother of the Lord surnamed 'the Just' was made head of the Church at Jerusalem. Many indeed are called James. This one was holy from his mother's womb. He drank neither wine nor strong drink, ate no flesh, never shaved or anointed himself with ointment or made use of the [public] baths. He alone had the privilege of entering the Holy of Holies, since indeed he did not use woolen vestments but linen and went alone into the Temple and prayed on behalf of the people.” (Heggesipus, quoted by Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.23)
In the ancient Syriac manuscripts of the gospels, Jesus himself also warns his disciples against the drinking of wine or eating of flesh.
“Now beware in yourselves that your hearts do not become heavy with the eating of flesh and with the intoxication of wine and with the anxiety of the world, and that day come upon you suddenly; for as a snare it will come upon all them that sit on the surface of the earth.” - Luke 21:34, Evangelion Da-Mepharreshe
Pythagoras rejected all forms of violence, both war and sacrifice to the gods, another similarity shared by the anti-establishment Hebrew prophets, Essene brotherhood, early Jewish Christians, and reflected in the teachings of Jesus. Philo informs us that: “Essenes...derive their name from their piety...because they are above all men devoted to the service of God, not sacrificing living animals, but studying rather to preserve their own minds in a state of holiness and purity.” (Every Good Man is Free, 12.75)
Josephus likewise relates that the Essenes “do not offer sacrifices, because they have more pure lustrations of their own” (Antiquities, 18.1.5). And as I have already shown, sacrificing and meat-eating go hand in hand, with the sacrificial ritual originally arising as an invention by men as the pretext to eat meat; so this rejection of animal sacrifice by the Essenes is another big indication they would have also been vegetarians. This rejection of the sacrifices paired with a prohibition on meat appears to have been shared by all the early Jewish Christian sects as well.
According to the gospel which the Ebionites used, Jesus himself openly rejected the sacrifices, saying: “I have come to abolish the sacrifices, and if ye cease not from sacrifice, wrath will not cease from you.” (Epiphaneus, Panarion, 30.16.4) In a similar biblical statement found in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus declares to them: “If you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent" (Matthew 12:7).
The Clementine Homilies & Recognitions, two parallel works recognized by scholars as a distinctly Jewish Christian composition of the 3rd century - almost certainly copies of or at least derived from a document called 'The Travels of Peter' used by the Ebionites - repeatedly reject the sacrifices as contrary to the will of God, and also explains that Jesus had both come to put away the sacrifices and forbade the eating of animal flesh by his followers.
"He then who at the first was displeased with the slaughtering of animals, not wishing them to be slain, did not ordain sacrifices as desiring them; nor from the beginning did He require them." (Homily 3.45)
Likewise, it is related that the Nasaraeans who pre-existed Christ and who could well have been counted among the Essenes by Josephus (who strangely never mentions them), “would not offer sacrifice or eat meat; in their eyes it was unlawful to eat meat or make sacrifices with it.” (Panarion, 18.1.4) Similarly, the prophet Elxai who was affiliated in some form with all four of the Jewish Christian sects we know of, “bans burnt offerings as something foreign to God […] rejects the Jewish custom of eating meat and the rest, and the alter and the fire as something foreign to God!” (Panarion 19.3.6)
As to the Essene practice which took the place of sacrifices, scholars typically acknowledge that the Essenes practiced water baptism; and if the descriptions of the early Jewish Christian sects are any indication, then these “more pure lustrations” were certainly such water baptisms. The Jewish Encyclopedia explicitly states that, "Baptism was practised in ancient (Ḥasidic or Essene) Judaism, first as a means of penitence, as is learned from the story of Adam and Eve, who, in order to atone for their sin, stood up to the neck in the water, fasting and doing penance..." This description of Baptism describes it as a religious ritual directly related to the atonement of sin, the exact religious purpose of the later sacrifices offered in the temple.
Just as there were daily sacrifices in the temple, the Essenes likewise purified themselves daily with water, beginning each day by bathing in cold water following their morning prayers (Josephus, War 2.8.5). Jesus' forerunner and initiator, John the Baptist, widely acknowledged by many scholars to have most likely been an Essene, “came preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Luke 3:3, Mark 1:4); this in stark contrast to the temple priests who taught rather, regarding sacrifice, that 'without the shedding of blood, there can be no remission of sins' (see Leviticus 17:11).
John the Baptist may well have also been a vegetarian, who we know did not consume animal flesh or wine, though our Bible translations do state that he ate Locusts. Many argue that this has been mistranslated from what should have been the locust bean, in which case John would have consisted on the fruit of the locust tree and honey, rather than bugs and honey. The vegetarian tradition found in the gospel used by the Ebionites has John eating "honey cakes cooked in oil" (Panarion 30.13.4-5).
Further evidence that Baptism was used in place of sacrifice by the Essenes, and by John, is found in the Clementine Recognitions, where Peter explains that baptism was instituted as a replacement for sacrifices (Recognition 1.39). Elxai taught the same when he “claims that water is fortunate while water is hostile,” using the following words: “Children, go not into the sight of fire […] but rather go unto the sound of water” (Panarion 19.3.7). In a teaching on baptism in the Homilies, we read very similar words: “Wherefore flee to the waters, for this alone can quench the violence of fires.” (Homily 11.26)
As for Pythagoras, not only did his inner circle of disciples abstain from wine and flesh, but they lived together as a brotherhood, renouncing personal possessions and properties, sharing all their goods in common, laying them at the feet of their master to be distributed equally amongst them all – described in terms which match almost word for word the description of the early followers of Jesus in the book of Acts, and as we will soon see is yet another unique similarity shared by Pythagoreans, Essenes and the early disciples of Jesus.
“He [Pythagoras] first taught,” says Diogenes, “that the property of friends is to be held for the common good; that friendship is equality; and his disciples laid down their money and goods at his feet, and had all things common.”
Josephus describes the Essenes living in this exact same manner, saying that: “These men are despisers of riches [...] Nor is there any one to be found among them who hath more than another; for it is a law among them, that those who come to them must let what they have be common to the whole order,” so that there is “no appearance of poverty” among them, nor excess of riches (Josephus, War, 2.8.3). Philo says much the same thing: “In the first place, then, there is no one who has a house so absolutely his own private property, that it does not in some sense also belong to every one” (Every Good Man is Free 12.85). Elsewhere in the same chapter, Philo adds that "there is not a slave among them." Neither did the Pythagoreans practice slavery in any manor, for to do so would strongly violate the equality of men taught by their master, who himself also explicitly forbade the practice of slavery by his disciples.
The book of Acts describes the early disciples of Jesus quite similarly, saying that following the departure of their master from the earth, they “were together, and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all […] and lay them at the apostles' feet for distribution to anyone as he had need” (Acts 2:44-45, 4:35).
The Ebionites traced their heritage as 'the poor ones' back to this original group of disciples, "saying that they were poor because in the time of the apostles they sold their possessions and laid them at the feet of the apostles." (Panarion, 30.17.12)
Jesus himself taught the equality and brotherhood of all mankind when he instructed his disciples not to call themselves masters, “for you are all brothers” (Matthew 23:8). Elsewhere, he teaches that the kings and nations of the earth exercise authority over one another, “but it must not be so among you,” he warns his disciples (Matthew 20:25-26). These teachings on the equality and brotherhood of man are obviously entirely incompatible with the practice of slavery.
He further instructed his disciples concerning wealth, to sell all that they have, give to the poor, and follow him, saying that “Whoever does not renounce his possessions cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). Apparently a despiser of riches just like the Essenes, the great Teacher elsewhere pronounces blessings on the poor and woes against the rich (Luke 6:20, 24), and in the Sermon on the Mount declares that, “Ye cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24); and later gives the familiar maxim that “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Though seemingly long-forgotten or ignored by modern Christianity, these words were taken literally by the first Christians in Jerusalem, who sold all their possessions to be shared in common with the whole community who lived together, as described in Acts and practiced by the later 'heretical' sects.
Furthermore, the biblical book of James, thought to have been written by James the brother of Jesus, or at the least carrying an authentic tradition of his teachings, also on numerous occasions harshly condemns the rich and praises those who are poor in this world as being rich in spiritual things.
Josephus describes the Essenes as “the third sect, which pretends to a severer discipline,” clearly excelling in their goodness above all other Jews. (Wars 2.8.2)
“It also deserves our admiration, how much [Essenes] exceed all other men that addict themselves to virtue, and this in righteousness; and indeed to such a degree that it has never been seen among any other men.” (Antiquities 18.1.5)
Compare this to the statement made by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: “If your righteous does not exceed that of the Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:20) The Pharisees were of course one of the two other Jewish sects described by Josephus.
Josephus says the Essenes “seem to have a greater affection for one another than the other sects have” (Wars, 2.8.2). Jesus repeatedly admonishes his disciples to love one another, particularly in the gospel of John: “And this is how the world will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)
Of the Essenes, Josephus confirms “they neglect wedlock” (Wars 2.8.2), though elsewhere he does inform us of another order of Essenes, which, although agreeing with the others on the rest, did take wives to themselves to perpetuate the order of humanity on earth (War, 2.8.13).
This is the abstention from wives related by Jerome, and seen in the case of James the brother of Jesus. This idea also seems to have found its way into the teachings of Jesus as well, where he praises those who become celibate “for the kingdom of heaven's sake,” urging those who are able to accept this practice. (Matthew 19:12)
“These Essenes reject pleasures as an evil,” Josephus writes (War, 2.8.2). “Woe to those who laugh now,” Jesus tells a crowd during the 'Sermon on the Plain' in the gospel of Luke (chapter 6). “And never be ye joyful, save when ye behold your brother with love," he says according to the Hebrew Gospel of Matthew (Jerome, Commentary on Ephesians 3 [on Ephesians 5:4]).
Josephus writes that the Essenes think it good to be “clothed in white garments” (War, 2.8.3). According to Hippolytus, their “garments are linen” (Refutation of all Heresies 9.16). Pythagoreans also wore linen; and James the brother of Jesus is described as rejecting wool, also clothed only in linen. Furthermore, references to Jesus and the saints being clothed in white are scattered throughout the Bible in the four gospels and in Revelation.
Another similarity shared by the Pythagoreans, Essenes and the teachings of Jesus was a prohibition against swearing oaths. Pythagoras taught his disciples to avoid oaths, and "that their language should be such as to render them worthy of belief even without oaths" (Iamblichus, On the Pythagorean Way of Life, 47, 144, 150). Of the Essenes, Josephus relates that, "whatsoever they say is firmer than an oath; but swearing is avoided by them, and they esteem it worse than perjury, for they say that he who can not be believed [without swearing an oath] is condemned already." (War, 2.8.6).
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus also strictly prohibited the swearing of oaths for these very same reasons:
But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. (Matthew 5:34-37)
On the issue of nonviolence, Josephus says the Essenes were "the ministers of peace" (War 2.8.6), and that to be admitted among the brotherhood they took "tremendous oaths," among which "that he will not do harm to any one, either of his own accord or by the command of others..." (War 2.8.7). Hippolytus similarly describes these vows including, "that he will not hate a person who injures him, or is hostile to him, but will pray for him.” (Refutation of All Heresies 9.18)
Pythagoras likewise counseled his disciples to love their enemies; and Jesus, in the very same spirit of peace in the Sermon on the Mount, commands his own followers to "love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). In the opening words of this very sermon he also pronounced blessings on "the peacemakers".
Josephus describes the Essene vows taken to become a member of the order to be "that, in the first place he will practice piety towards God, and then that he will observe justice towards men" (War 2.8.7); while Hippolytus similarly states that this oath includes, "First, that he will worship the divinity; next, that he will observe just dealings with men..." (Refutation of All Heresies 9.18)
These two precepts together forming the basis and foundation of the entire Essene philosophy is perfectly mirrored in the teaching of Jesus on the two greatest commandments of the law.
Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
The parallels between Jesus and the Essenes are so great that even the travel customs of the Essenes appear almost identical to the travel instructions given by Jesus to his disciples.
The Essenes "carry nothing at all with them when they travel,” nor will they accept a new or second pair of shoes “until the first be torn to pieces or worn out by time,” Joseph relates to us. “Accordingly there is, in every city where they live, one appointed to taking in strangers.” (Wars, 2.8.4) “And they do not own two cloaks, or a double set of shoes; and when those that are in present use become antiquated, then they adopt others. And they neither buy nor sell anything at all; but whatever any one has, he gives to him that has not, and that one which has not receives.” (Hippolytus, Refutation of all Heresies, 9.15)
When sending out his disciples to travel, he commanded them thus: "Do not carry any gold or silver or copper in your belts. Take no bag for the road, or second tunic, or sandals, or staff; for the worker is worthy of his provisions. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy there and stay at his house until you move on." (Matthew 10:9-11)
The parallels are undeniable, and the reference by Jesus to seek a single house that is worthy and stay therein could easily be seen as him telling them to look for the one 'Essene' house in the village designated for the purpose of caring for fellow traveling Essenes. Hippolytus' reference to Essenes neither buying nor selling is similar to the alternate ending to the parable of the wedding banquet found in the Gospel of Thomas, where Jesus says, "Buyers and merchants will not enter the places of my Father"(Thomas, 64). This also bears an uncanny resemblance to the passage in Revelation regarding those followers of Jesus who refuse the "mark of the Beast" and are then not able to "buy or sell". Could the meaning of the 'mark of the beast' in this light according to the Essene teachings simply be the monetary systems of the world, which as we know the original disciples abandoned, in order to live in small self-sufficient communities? It is interesting to think about.
As to the reference to the Essenes giving to them that have not, a saying of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount commands his disciples to do that very thing: "Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn away from the one seeking to borrow from you" Matthew 5:42).
Hippolytus and Jerome also both mention that the Essenes make a daily practice of praying first thing in the morning before the sun rises (Josephus, War 2.8.5; Hippolytus, Refutation of all Heresies 9.16). And once again, we find the Bible describing that Jesus would wake up early in the morning before sunrise in order to pray (Mark 1:35, Luke 4:42 & 5:16). The similarities are astounding! The Essenes "teach the immortality of the souls," Josephus writes (Antiquities 18.1.5), as did Pythagoras; while Jesus frequently spoke of "eternal life," and on one occasion stated explicitly that men have no power to "destroy the soul" but can only kill the body (Matthew 10:28), clearly teaching the immortality of the soul.
There are even more parallels between these that could be mentioned, but this is enough to see that the Essenes and teachings of Jesus are strikingly similar on very many points of doctrine and practice; far too many in my opinion to concede that this is but a mere coincidence! The teachings of Jesus and practice of his disciples as described in the gospels and book of Acts appear to have been heavily influenced by the teachings and practices of the Essenes and Pythagoreans which preceded them, and shared by the later vegetarian Jewish Christian sects.
It would certainly appear based on what we know about James, that he was an Essene, whose description matches the Essenes on every point, including his rejection of the practice of being anointed with oil, the last similarity shared with the Essenes not mentioned above. That he is described as being raised in this manor would certainly seem to indicate that he was raised as an Essene, in an Essene family. And if this is the case for James the brother of Jesus, the same would obviously be the case for his brother.
If Jesus wasn't an Essene himself, he does appear to have at the least been heavily influenced by them on most issues, or managed to just coincidentally share their very unique spiritual philosophy. That he did at the very least share such a similar philosophy to the Essenes, who were most likely vegetarians and "lived the life of the Pythagoreans;" and to the Pythagoreans who were most certainly vegetarians; and that later vegetarian Jewish Christians also shared the same general philosophy as these groups; seems to me to be very strong evidences that the relation of Jesus to these groups and the philosophical similarities between them is a good indication Jesus was indeed a vegetarian who rejected the Jewish practice of animal sacrifice as not being originally commanded by God.