Bible Dictionary · E
Essenes
A Jewish mystical sect somewhat resembling the Pharisees. They affected great purity. They originated about B.C. 100, and disappeared from history after the destruction of Jerusalem. They are not directly mentioned in Scripture, although they may be referred to in Matt 19:11, Matt 19:12, Col 2:8, Col 2:18, Col 2:23.
From Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897), by Matthew George Easton.
