Endnote 31 – Was It an Essene Settlement?

Philo, Quod omnis probus liber sit 76: “Some Essenes work in the fields, others practice various crafts contributing to peace.” Philo, Apologia pro Judaeis 8: “There are farmers among them, experts in the art of sowing and cultivating plants, shepherds leading every sort of flock, and beekeepers. Others are craftsmen in diverse trades”; Josephus, Antiquities 18.19: “They are excellent men and wholly given up to agricultural labor.”