Christian and Pagan beliefs often appear to be miles apart and navigating between these paths may seem impossible. That’s how I felt when I first started to explore Wicca and other nature based paths. Then I stumbled upon a collection of ancient texts that offered a beautiful bridge between these conflicting beliefs.
The amazing manuscripts I refer to, along with many others, were left off a 4th century list of ‘approved’ books that ultimately became the Christian Bible. Writings that were not included in the Bible became scarce. Thankfully copies of these early manuscripts were stored away in the Vatican archives. But, they were destined to remain ‘hidden’ there for the next 17 centuries. Then in the early 20th century these writings were rediscovered and translated by Edmund Bordeaux Szekely and today, this collection is known as The Essene Gospel of Peace.
What fascinated me about these particular writings (especially book 4) was that they record Jesus teaching his disciples and other initiates about our Earthly Mother and her messengers of Earth, Air, Sun (Fire) and Water. This ‘hidden’ Christian wisdom runs parallel to teachings found in many other belief systems, including most Wicca, Witch and Pagan traditions. I found it comforting to think that this knowledge was initially taught to early followers of Jesus, but I also found it very sad that most Christians today are either unaware that these books exist, or they simply refuse to accept what these books teach because they were not included in the original Bible.
If anything can help bridge the gaps between the modern day Christian beliefs and those of the ancient earth religions, it’s knowledge of the community once known as the Essenes. Who were they? The Essenes were a mystic Jewish sect that flourished from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE. Historical descriptions of the Essenes and their practices, are virtually identical to the descriptions of the early Church in the Bible. .. This has led many to conclude that the biblical group we refer to today as the first Christians, were originally known as the Essenes, and yes, that means Jesus himself would have been an Essene.
this is good news for Christians who love the earth and want to embrace her wisdom, because many of the Essene teachings also parallel those from various nature-based spiritual paths. This is likely one of the main reasons many have attempted to ‘prove’ there was no real connection between the Essenes and the early Christians!
To help clear up the confusion regarding this subject, I am providing you with a list of comparisons drawn from the records of a well-known first century historian and writings from the Bible. I encourage you to read them, and decide for yourself who you think the Essenes were.
The links below will take you to this information. It’s my sincere hope, that as more Christians discover what I believe are the true teachings of the early Church, that the fear and misunderstanding that surrounds other nature-based paths will slowly become a thing of the past.
7 Eye-Opening Links Between the Essenes and Early Christians
