Was Jesus An Essene???
Although we cannot be certain that Jesus was an Essene, we can reasonably come to this conclusion because he held certain opinions that were common with Essene teaching and he presumably had friends among them.
The commonness between the Dead Sea Scrolls and Christian literature and practice that connect Jesus with the Essenes indicate a relationship not only between early Christians and the Essenes, but also a relationship between the Essenes and Jesus himself. It is also reasonable to assume that the early church based in Jerusalem – the Nazoreans who were the followers of James – was the equivalent of the Qumran community (1).
Were the Essenes involved in the risky venture of drugging Jesus to simulate death and then revive him and relocate him in Ephesus together with Mary Magdalene and Juda? If they were involved, was their involvement because Jesus was one of them – their Righteous Teacher perhaps?
It is reasonable to conclude based on the many similarities between the teachings of the two that Jesus was a leader of sorts even if that recognition came only from the Ebionites. However after the crucifixion of Jesus, James who was the leader of the Essenes accepted Jesus as someone special – a messiah and perhaps even the son of God.
Some say that it was because of Jesus’ connection with the Essenes that James his brother also became associated with the community and it is because of this that the early Christians were from this community.
References:
(1) Baigent, Michael. (2000). The Essenes and the Dead Sea Scrolls, The Cornerstone Society. Retrieved 2011, from www.cornerstonesociety.com
Please read my blogs:
The Essenes And Christianity
Did Early Christians Copy The Essenes?
Family Tomb of Jesus 