Did the Essenes affect Jesus teaching?
We do not know. The Essenes were a fairly extreme sect who fought the conquerors to the last ditch. There is a strong tradition that Jesus spent some of his early life with the Essenes and that Paul spent time with them after the Damascus experience before he began his evangelistic ministry. 184 How should one read the Bible? There’s no one way. Read short pieces, read whole books, try to read systematically. Many people find commentaries useful, others take Bible reading notes, others like to look up complementary passages. The important thing is to plan your Bible reading and talk it over with others. 185 Should a Christian be addicted to anything? To God and God’s ways only. However, be kind to those addicted to other things. It is difficult to withdraw from the addiction and one should not rush the person too quickly. 186 Is suicide ever permissible? No. It is not right to take ones own life but it is reasonable to refuse all medication other than that which reduces pain. 187 What
