avoided, to swear truly," ch. 7:3; which abundantly explain to us
the nature of the measures of this general injunction.

(5) This mention of the "names of angels," so particularly
preserved by the Essens, (if it means more than those
"messengers" which were employed to bring, them the peculiar
books of their Sect,) looks like a prelude to that "worshipping
of angels," blamed by St. Paul, as superstitious and unlawful, in
some such sort of people as these Essens were, Colossians 2:8; as
is the prayer to or towards the sun for his rising every morning,
mentioned before, sect. 5, very like those not much later
observances made mention of in the preaching of Peter, Authent.
Rec. Part II. p. 669, and regarding a kind of worship of angels,
of the month, and of the moon, and not celebrating the new moons,
or other festivals, unless the moon appeared. Which, indeed,
seems to me the earliest mention of any regard to the phases in
fixing the Jewish calendar, of which the Talmud and later Rabbins
talk so much, and upon so very little ancient foundation.

(6) Of these Jewish or Essene (and indeed Christian) doctrines
concerning souls, both good and bad, in Hades, see that excellent
discourse, or homily, of our Josephus concerning Hades, at the
end of the volume.

(7) Dean Aldrich reckons up three examples of this gift of
prophecy in several of these Essens out of Josephus himself, viz.
in the History of the War, B. I. ch. 3. sect. 5, Judas foretold
the death of Antigonus at Strato's Tower; B. II. ch. 7. sect. 3,
Simon foretold that Archelaus should reign but nine or ten years;
and Antiq. B. XV. ch. 10. sect. 4, 5, Menuhem foretold that Herod