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One of the most significant groups that had an impact on early Christianity was . The Essenes were a Jewish sect that was organized on a strict communal basis. They practiced a strict ascetic lifestyle and considered themselves "the sons of Zaddi and the elect of ....

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.... of martyrdom and separation from pagan society, which dominated so much of the Church's thought in the first three centuries A.D. Qumran, the home of the Essenes, was a settlement in Palestine on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea. The Essenes lived in caves within the cliffs bordering the sea. "After….Qumran was carefully excavated, archaeologists were able to identify some rooms that had been used for study and worship, others apparently used for communal meals, a spacious chamber with inkpots (perhaps the scriptorium where scrolls were copied), and pools for bathing. The bathing pools that were discovered were most likely used in the require ....