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Re: orion the first toll?
"Essenes" in Greek has two forms, Essaioi and Esshnoi [h=eta]. Also Ossaioi
and Osshnoi in Epiphanius (and cf. Slavonic Josephus). And osios in Philo.
Essaioi (or related Latin) is used by Philo, Fl. Josephus,
Hegesippus, Apostolic Constitutions, Porphyry, Epiphanius, Jerome [Esseos],
Nilus, Isidor, the Suda, and others.
Esshnoi (or related Latin) is used by Fl. Josephus, Pliny [Esseni],
Synesius (Dio), Hippolytus, Epiphanius, Filaster, Isidor, Michael of
Antioch, Solinus, Joseph (c. 380?), and others.
There are about sixty proposed etymologies, involving Greek,
Hebrew, Aramaic and/or Syriac, Persian Avestan, Sanskrit, Akkadian, and
others.
The etymology I find persuasive is from the Hebrew root 'asah, used
in self-descriptions in Qumran texts (e.g., 'osey hatorah in 1QpHab 8.1).
For further information: "Essenes" in Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in
the Near East (1997) 2:268-9.
Stephen Goranson goranson@duke.edu
>Is the name Essene Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, or Roman in origin? Where was it
>first used, AND what does the word mean?
>Now that we have the benefits of modern schlolarship does the name and thesect
>appear in the HB or the Jewish Post Temple period among the Rabbis?
>Steve Abramowitz
>NYU, JD.