[Sidenote: Jos. Ant. XVIII, 1:5a, b]
The doctrine of the Essenes is that all things are best left to God. They
teach the immortality of souls and think that the rewards of righteousness
are to be earnestly striven for; and when they send what they have
dedicated to God to the temple, they offer their sacrifices in accordance
with the special law of purity which they observe. On this account they
are excluded from the common court of the temple but themselves offer
their sacrifices. Yet their course of life is far better than that of
other men and they devote themselves wholly to agriculture.

[Sidenote: Jos. Jew. War, II, 8:2, 13a]
The Essenes seem to have a greater affection for each other than do the
other sects. They reject pleasure as an evil, but regard self-restraint
and the conquest of passions as a virtue. They despise marriage and choose
out other people's children, while they are impressionable and teachable,
and they regard them as their own kindred, and conform them to their own
customs. They do not absolutely repudiate marriage. There is also another
order of Essenes, who agree with the rest in regard to their way of
living, customs and laws, but differ from them in regard to marriage, for
they think that by not marrying they will cut off the most important
element in human life, which is the succession of mankind.

[Sidenote: Jos. Jew. War, II, 8:3, 4]
These men are despisers of riches and are wonderfully communistic among
themselves. No one is to be found among them who has more than the others,
for it is a law among them that those who join their sect must share with
them what they have, so that among them all there is no evidence of
poverty or excess of riches, but everyone's possessions are shared in
common, so there is, as it were, but one property among all the brothers.
They also have directors appointed by vote to manage their common affairs.