A third sect was known as the Essenes, the group that produced the famous Dead Sea Scrolls. From these scrolls, much has been learned concerning the history of the period that preceded the writings that constitute the New Testament. The Essenes were a group of Jews who were seriously disturbed by the way things were going in and around the city of Jerusalem. To them, the religion proclaimed by priests and prophets of old ceased to have any meaningful relation to the lives of the people. They saw so much wickedness in the society around them that they felt impelled to live in a secluded colony where they would be sheltered from such evil. In this respect, their attitude was similar to that of the medieval monks of later generations who withdrew from a worldly society in order to live a holier type of life. Initially, the Essenes, like the later monks, advocated celibacy, hoping to maintain their numbers by adding new converts to their order. Later, marriages were permitted, but both sexes were required to conform to a very rigid set of disciplinary rules. They were a communal society, sharing their goods with one another and making spiritual preparations for the end of the world and the establishment of the messianic kingdom that they expected in the near future. Much of their time was spent in study and in copying the manuscripts of the Old Testament writings. In addition to these copied works, the Essenes produced a considerable amount of literature of their own, some of which describes their manner of living and the rites and ceremonies that they observed.
In addition to the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes, other smaller and less influential groups existed. One of these was known as the Zealots, revolutionary messianists who believed in the use of violent methods in order to gain freedom from their oppressors. They were feared by the Romans because of their tendency to stir up rebellion against the recognized government. We read in the New Testament that one of the twelve disciples whom Jesus chose was Simon the Zealot. Another sect was the Zadokites, reformed priests who resented the way in which the Sadducees made political offices out of the priesthood. The Zadokites believed in the religious ideals advocated by the great prophets of the Old Testament, and they tried as best they could to make these ideals effective. They produced some of the apocalyptic literature to which Paul makes reference in one of his letters to the Thessalonians. The comparatively large number of people who belonged to the poorer classes were known as the Am'ha'aretz, or people of the land, manual laborers who performed menial tasks. They were, to some extent, held in contempt by the Pharisees and Sadducees, who considered themselves morally superior to these persons whose hard lot they believed was precisely what they deserved because of their laxity in the observance of ritualistic requirements of the Law. From this class of discouraged and oppressed persons, Jesus drew many of his followers. They are referred to in the Gospels as "the common people [who] heard him gladly."
