Essenes Gospel and its falsification Dez 18

would find a worthy place, and that they would no longer
die, even when they died.
On the other hand, they should not try to evade the earthly
authorities, for heavenly ideals could only be attained when
people are capable of shaking off earthly dependence and
regain true virginity, which is not associated with sexual desires.
And he guided them with words and deeds; he illuminated
their paths, like a lantern in the darkness.
However, the wealthy class and the rulers of Palestine
viewed the development of the Essene Brotherhood from a
different perspective, because the autonomy of the Essenes,
who cultivated the earth themselves, practiced vegetarianism,
and had abolished monetary currency, implying they
would no longer work in the service of others. The possibility
arose that the foreign Roman rulers could gradually lose
power in Palestine and they feared that, if the brotherhood
grew, the Essene Leader could seize the sceptre of power:
their monetary riches would become useless and they could
anticipate that the mighty and the wealthy of the era would
eventually become no different and no better than those who
they despised: specifically the “little people” that they exploited
and enslaved.
Therefore, this doctrine was forbidden and the brotherhood,
that identified itself as Christian, was dispersed. Many were
killed because they refused to deny their adherence to the
Essene Brotherhood and its faith. When the wealthy and
those in power realized that the prohibition, the persecution,
and even the murder of Christians could not stop the expansion
of the brotherhood beyond Palestine, adopted the strategy
of falsifying the doctrine of the Holy Man. Some way
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