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Re: Essene name
>4Q Therapeia which reports of the rounds of the Qayyepha/Kefa (leader)
>among the sick and the applications of medicines. Josephus mentions their
>use of roots and stones to cure distempers (Wars II.viii.6). Knowledge and the
>Healing arts seem to be associated with the Essenes. Since Asayya would be
>transliterated to "Therapeutae" for the Egyptian group, I can see the etymology
>from Asayya to Essenoi.
Sorry to interrupt your reverie, Jack, but I truly don't think
"transliterated" is what you mean. Perhaps "asayya" is a transliteration
from some arcane script. How 'bout the less highfalootin' "translated".
Oh, and where do I find a reference to "asayya": I couldn't find it in Josephus.
It is clear from Josephus that he sees nothing particularly significant
about the roots and stones bit, attributing to it only passing
acknowledgement in a rather long piece about the Essenes. So, if you are
right, the linguistic connection between asayya and essene wasn't known to
Josephus, who had a better knowledge of the two languages than we do.
Yours,
Ian Hutchesson