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The Essene Fruitarian Diet

Jun 13, 2011 | By Rebecca Bragg
The Essene Fruitarian Diet
Photo Credit Karl Weatherly/Photodisc/Getty Images

Some experts believe that an ascetic Jewish sect living in the Holy Land around the time of Christ, the Essenes, wrote and preserved the Dead Sea Scrolls, documents of great religious and historical importance hidden in caves on the West Bank. Even before the scrolls were discovered in 1947, this mysterious group had fired the imaginations of some Westerners. Little was known about them, allowing much to be assumed, including the unverifiable claim that Jesus had been a member of the sect and both advocated and followed a "fruitarian" diet consisting only of raw foods that could be harvested without killing plants.

The Historical Essenes

According to the "Jewish Encyclopedia," the Essenes were a fundamentalist branch of the Pharisees, one of the dominant Jewish philosophical schools in Palestine around the time of Christ. Most accounts agree that they isolated themselves in remote settlements, living communally, studying scripture and awaiting the arrival of the Messiah as foretold in Hebrew prophecy. They were believed to hold rigid views on dietary and bodily purity, shunning sexual intercourse except for purposes of procreation. Archaeological evidence suggests that some groups might have been vegetarian but that others definitely included meat in their diets.

Modern Essenes

Several groups claim philosophical kinship with the Essenes, but only one espouses the fruitarian "Jesus Diet" -- the Oregon-based Essene Church of Christ and Order of the Blue Rose, headed by Rev. Abba Nazariah. The church's theology is subject to change whenever new scriptures come to light, but in a 2005 interview, Nazariah admitted that in most respects, it tallies with the perspective in the 2003 bestseller "The Da Vinci Code." Mary Magdalene and Jesus were both husband and wife and spiritual equals, Lord and Lady Christ, he says. At the time of the interview, Nazariah, formerly David Owen, was helping translate two new scrolls he claimed had been authored by Mary Magdalene. One of them, "The Book of Sex," concerned tantric yoga.

Essene Gospels

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Theosophical movement popularized the notion of Tibet as a mythical paradise where vast reserves of secret knowledge and arcane wisdom were preserved and protected by Buddhist monks. The Essene Church of Christ alleges that its own New Testament, "The Gospel of the Holy Twelve," was brought to Tibet by Essenes and hidden by monks soon after the crucifixion -- even though six more centuries would pass before Buddhism made significant inroads in Tibet. Somehow, Scottish minister Gideon Ouseley acquired the text. Originally, Ouseley claimed that he'd translated it from Aramaic, but later said that it was "channeled" to him by spirits.

Essene Fruitarian Diet

In Ouseley's "Gospel" and other writings allegedly smuggled out of the Vatican Library and the Royal Library of the Hapsburgs in Vienna, Jesus is portrayed as a fruitarian who insists that all his disciples attempt to follow suit. Essene fruitarians may only eat foods that plants can spare without dying, such as tree fruits and vegetables that grow above the ground. Leafy vegetables are permitted only when outer leaves can be harvested without killing the plant. Dairy products are allowed if no harm comes to the animals that provide the milk or the grass they graze on, and, ideally, all foods should be eaten raw.

References

Article reviewed by CarmenN Last updated on: Jun 13, 2011

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