[es-een, e-seen] 
| a member of a Palestinian sect, characterized by asceticism, celibacy, and joint holding of property, that flourished from the 2nd century b.c. to the 2nd century a.d. |
[e-see-nee-uh
n] , Es⋅sen⋅ic [e-sen-ik] , adjective | Es·sene (ěs'ēn', ĭ-sēn') n. A member of an ascetic Jewish sect that existed in ancient Palestine from the second century B.C. to the second century A.D. Es·se'ni·an (ě-sē'nē-ən), Es·sen'ic (ě-sěn'ĭk) adj., Es·se'nism n. |
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, 12, Col. 2:8, 18, 23.