What we now will lay before the reader
is written by himself and ought to be suf-
ficient to show that he always harbored a
high degree of esteem and admiration for
the Brotherhood.
170 The Crucifixion

**The doctrine of the Essees/' says he,
*' tends to learn all men that they confi-
dently may trust their fate in the hands
of God, as nothing happens without his
will. They say that the soul is immortal,
,and they aspire to lead a righteous and
honest life.
Indeed, they send their offerings to the
temple, but this they do, not because they
consider it in any way meritable, but be-
cause they consider it their duty to give
their share of the offerings, that the other
people shall not for their sake be oppressed
and encumbered.
* * They are the most honest people in the
world, and always as good as their word,
very industrious and enterprising, and
show great skill and concern in agriculture.
**But most of all are those venerated,
esteemed and admired who live in the wil-
derness, on account of the sense of justice
that they ever show and the courage and
intrepidity that they manifest in ever de-
fending truth and innocence. And this



Order of Essees 171

trait is not found in such a high degree
neither with the Grecian nor any other peo-
ple, but it has always characterized the
Essees from time immemorial.
**They exercise justice and equality in
their dealings with all people, have all their
property common, so that the rich does not
consume more of his riches than the poor
of his small means. In this way four thou-
sand people pass their life.
