The Therapeutae - The Ancient Mystics that Inspired Christian Monasticism (& were maybe Buddhists?)

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6 ай бұрын

Philo of Alexandria held that the Essenes were the exemplar of the Active Philosophical Life among ancient Jews. And with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls we now know much more about that ancient sect. However, Philo held there was a mystical group superior to even them in their piety and rigor. The Egyptian Therapeutae were held up as paragons of the Contemplative Life, even giving mystical teachings while dreaming. What do we know about the Therapeutae? Let's explore how these ancient Jewish mystics not only led lives of exceptional purity and mystical contemplation but also inspired the rise of Monasticism in early Christianity. Also....they might have been Buddhists, so....
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Recommended readings:
The Contemplative Life, Giants and Selections - 978-0809123339
Daniélou - Philo of Alexandria - 978-1625644299
Kleinhempel - Traces of Buddhist Presence in Alexandria: Philo and the "Therapeutae" - www.academia.edu/39841429/Tra...
On the Contemplative Life - www.earlychristianwritings.co...
The Testament of Job - wesley.nnu.edu/sermons-essays-...
Eusebius on the Therapeutae - www.newadvent.org/fathers/250...

Пікірлер: 223

@TheEsotericaChannel 6 ай бұрын

Consider Supporting Esoterica! Patreon - www.patreon.com/esotericachannel Paypal Donation - www.paypal.me/esotericachannel Merch - kzfaq.info/love/oydhtfFSk1fZXNRnkGnneQstore

@SecretCircusAgents 6 ай бұрын

A book, "Parallels Between Platonism and Mahayana Buddhism" by Oscar Ichazo has just been published. Ichazo makes a comparison of the corresponding similarities between the two historical and classic teachings of Plato and Nagarjuna. Not only does he present how Buddhism influenced Greek philosophy but how Platonism influenced the development of the Mahayana philosophy of "Mind-only." Thank you, Dr. Sledge for an excellent exposition on the Therapeutae.

@reimer0015 6 ай бұрын

They’ve found ancient swastikas in the city of Troy so there’s definitely a connection there, Proto-Indo-European origins.

@Rynewulf 3 ай бұрын

@@reimer0015 for the Greek-Buddhism connection we already know it was contemporary, not deep-ancient stone age leftovers. One of the early key Buddhist texts Questions of King Malinda features known Greco-Bactrian king Menander, and Buddhism had stupas and statues right through the Hellenistic far east out of north India right through to modern Afghanistan- right in the autonomous and later breakaway far eastern parts of the Greek Seleucid Empire based in Syria and Iraq. Lots of Greek writers referenced India as well, so we have literary and art/physical evidence of extensive contact on both aides

@illegalwiretransfer1457 6 ай бұрын

Damn dude I was in rehab the last month (I needed it!) and how is it I read about book about the Magi, and met an Egyptian from Alexandria in there who helped me with my Arabic, then I come home and see these videos!?!? I cannot tell you how happy I am you keep this channel focused on positive books and scrolls!!!! Best channel on KZfaq! ❤ 💜 🖤 🎉 💯

@ahobimo732 6 ай бұрын

I had never heard the term "Jew-Bu" before watching this video, and I must confess, I wasn't ready for it. 😅

@Sicarnus 3 күн бұрын

@ahobimo732 I'm listening to this at work and that term, apt as it may be, caught me so off guard!

@johnathonlangley5699 6 ай бұрын

“If he says it is… well, we should take that pretty seriously.” I love this. What an excellent acknowledgement of expertise while allowing space that the expert might just be wrong anyway-despite being the expert!

@user-bf7xu3pz5h 6 ай бұрын

Dude, you're on another level entirely! Nobody puts things together with such clarity. Thanks so much for sharing your scholarship and insight! Bob the Dread Pirate

@Protogonas 6 ай бұрын

This channel is my therapy.

@shmataboro8634 6 ай бұрын

Wow, this was a sweet bit of history unknown to me. I'm a Buddhist (raised in a Mormon/ Christian family but it didn't stand up to scrutiny) My early interest in Buddhism came from the writings of modern JewBus. The teachings of Jesus ( as opposed to the teachings of Paul) strike me as owing a lot to Buddhism. Thanks for more interesting teaching.❤

@danielhopkins296 6 ай бұрын

Schopenhauer intuitively thought Christianity was dependent on Buddhism. Since then scholars have learned that the Christian legends of Saint Josaphat, Christopher and Eustace are based off of Buddhist jatakas and the Lalitavistara.

@_thisismeisthatyou9277 6 ай бұрын

I just read in The Many Faces of Christ by Philip Jenkins that some of the Tibetan Buddhist tours of hell by Buddha were inspired by the Gospel of Nicodemus.

@danielhopkins296 6 ай бұрын

@@_thisismeisthatyou9277 nice try, not! The Buddha's descent into hell to save the hell-dwellers appears in many pre-Christian Buddhist works. It also appears assigned to Bodhisattvas like Avolakitsvsra, Samanthabhadra and has parallels with the earliest Buddha's vow to not enter nirvana untill he has ferried everyone out of samsara. There are many other tell-tale signs the Gospel of Nicodemus is a Buddhist pirate-copy. in the Gospel of Nicodemus, or the Acts of Pilate, Jesus is said to enter hell as a man shining light that heals the afflicted. Also in this gospel is found the idols bowing down to Jesus, which is found in the Lalitavistara, among other Buddhist texts, and Pilate wishing that Jesus would walk on his bandana just as Sumedha hoped to have his jacket walked on by Dipankara Buddha. Though the Bodhisattva is said to go to all destinations in order to save people, the particular Buddhist texts which precisely parallel Jesus’s descent into hell are in the Lotus sutra and the Karandavyuha sutra where the “blinding light” which illumes hell is without question more at home than is the blinding light in the Christian version. In the Gospel of Nicodemus, Jesus is located at mount Mamilch and in the Karandavyuha sutra the Mleccha kings are placed in a copper cave. Like the NT appearance of the Devil, the descent of Jesus into hell appears out of place and was introduced, according to most textual critics, as a later addition. This Gospel states that the compassionate lord was up in heaven and was “looking down” which, besides being a verb often related with compassion in the Pali texts, is the most popular etymology given to Avalokitesvara who is said to look down on those in hell with compassion. Avalokitesvara is also said to change into innumerable forms when he is in hell, while the Christian version has Jesus in multiple forms. In the Buddhist version Yama, the escort and king of hell, is upset that the Bodhisattva was emptying hell. This parallels how Sakra gets upset when a Buddha arises. In the Christian versions, Satan, who takes the place of Yama, tells Hades that Jesus, who anoints with the oil from the “tree of mercy,” where Avalokitesvara heals with his rivers of life-giving water, is rescuing those who were subject under his domain. Hades tells his generals to hold secure the iron bars and the Buddhist hell is said to have the same bars. There are some other Buddhist originals to be found in the Gospel of Nicodemus which cannot be covered here, except to take notice of Jesus’s perfect signs (or bodily marks), the disciples taking “a knee,” the two Saints who vow to not die (i.e. enter nirvana) until the defeat of the “evil one,” and of the casual dialogue between Hades and Satan, all of which are distinctly Buddhist.

@Tinkering4Time 6 ай бұрын

Another ExMo here in the Esoterica corner! I am really looking forward to Dr. Sledge’s work on Mormonism. Personally I have found myself exploring process theology as a parallel to my interest in Guattari and Deleuze, since apparently both were influenced by Alfred North Whitehead and his Process Metaphysics. I can’t and won’t go back to Christianity, especially that cult, but current atheist philosophy feels lacking and has a lot of toxic baggage. Agnosticism felt too much like sitting on my hands. So I am going to look at Process Theology and see what I can do about the perennialist and Christian-centric problems I have seen in it. Maybe I will find something of worth. Maybe I will just find more reasons to distance myself from Christianity, even a heterodox branch like Process Theology.

@donwilson1625 6 ай бұрын

For me your approach to a better understanding of the question of why we think the way we do as groups and individuals is remarkably clear and concise. Over the years I have adopted a two step process of seeing the world : a) information does not equal knowledge and b) intelligence does not equal understanding. This has led me to realization that the more I understand the less I know. You certainly promote within me the idea of how little I know. Thank You

@user-zt6gi2vj2u 5 ай бұрын

now yer thinkin' with Socrates (wisest man in the agora for understanding that he knew nothing)

@robinrobinson6714 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for this video Dr. Sledge! Bless you! I confess that I was unaware of the existence of the Therapeutae, even though I believe Philo of Alexandria was one of the most important Philosophers in history, and have (apparently only partially) studied him. I have no excuse since I have Philo’s complete works as an ebook. You induced me to actually read “On the Contemplative Life”, which is a compelling read! Again, thank you!😊

@CrazyPablo44 6 ай бұрын

This video is a tour de force! Got me down a rabbit hole with Spittler. He also thought the “Testament of Job” was re-worked by the Montanists!

@TheEsotericaChannel 6 ай бұрын

Yep, they're their own rabbit hole

@davieboy3814 6 ай бұрын

I love the rabbit holes I find on this channel.

@ApocalypseofMichael 6 ай бұрын

Thanks good man. I appreciate you and your channel much, the learnings you share are gifts to the mind and soul.

@markdpricemusic1574 6 ай бұрын

Many many thanks for all your work Dr Sledge. Much appreciated! M.

@Bildgesmythe 6 ай бұрын

Thank you! I love learning something new with every episode.

@SobekLOTFC 6 ай бұрын

Keep up the amazing work, Dr Sledge 👏⚒️

@joshmorris1238 6 ай бұрын

Yet another metal album name explained by Esoterica, "War of the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness," thanks! :)

@pttpforever Ай бұрын

I have to say I think this presentation is one of your best, Dr. Sledge. I'm grateful.

@GnosticInformant 6 ай бұрын

really enjoyed this!

@mcnallyaar 6 ай бұрын

I suspect that I will learn more about these folks! I love that idea of worship and contemplation. Invigorating!

@Benni777 6 ай бұрын

Another well-done video! This is why I just love your channel so much; that you don’t just bring light to certain unknown or esoteric topics that I would have otherwise had no interest in them, but you compel us to dive even deeper outside of your research and videos so that we can have a better understanding of the material. You don’t just spoon feed info, which I highly appreciate! 🙏🏼

@karsu 6 ай бұрын

Been a practicing Buddhist pretty much most of my adult life. I always held in my head canon that the Therapeutae were Buddhist. It might not be true. But it’s fun to conjecture or ponder.

@joshuam4993 6 ай бұрын

Consider that deep core truths are universal. And that pollination among mystics was not uncommon. There are core principles in gnosticism, sufí, Egypt, daoism and even Buddhism because they all hone in on the same truth. A truth NOT dependent on religion, but the inner cultivation of consciousness.

@MrSomethingElse 6 ай бұрын

Yep, me too, I love the idea of "jewbu's" though, i imagine gautama would find it amusing too! Love this community!

@karsu 6 ай бұрын

@@MrSomethingElse yeah, he’d get a kick out of that one, in my head canon if he heard it he would laugh riotously like watching a Carlin, Hicks, or Mooney standup.

@carioca713 6 ай бұрын

Ah! Awesome topic! Thank you! I've been looking for more information on the Therapeutae!

@fraserbuilds 6 ай бұрын

Such a phenomenal video! Syncretism played such a fascinating role in this period.

@flowerblush4171 6 ай бұрын

amazing as always thank you esoterica

@ADEpoch 6 ай бұрын

It's very odd that just yesterday I listened to a MythVision episode talking about the buddhist statue found in Egypt. Great timing! Thanks Dr Sledge.

@light1908 6 ай бұрын

Finally, the Therapeutae!! I was wondering when you were going to do a video on them. It’s about time!!

@J_Z913 6 ай бұрын

Got my copy of Philo on my bedside table. Thanks Dr. Sledge for this awesome episode.

@Sisco213 6 ай бұрын

Thank you justin for these videos that you bring with all the work you put to making them. Im always watching your videos. 💯💯

@theeccentrictripper3863 6 ай бұрын

Considering what we do have on Buddhists and Buddhism from a Western perspective is mostly coming from Hellenistic-era sources in the Far East can we assume that these missionaries to the West were fairly unsuccessful or even entirely misinterpreted? I'd be curious to know what, if any, reasoning there'd be for associating the Buddha with Isis but that's probably long lost to time. As always a great video Doc, I can already feel 2024's gonna be a wild year here on Esoterica

@Rynewulf 3 ай бұрын

Maybe there was a perceived overlap or similarity of their powers and aspects? They were both literal parental figures associated with temples, mysticism, magic and healing. Perhaps the long distance descriptions or translations of Buddhism had an accidental parallel to the temple hierarchy of Isis or the mystery religion of Isis

@mattstefon4878 Ай бұрын

This was a great vid lecture. I’m also skeptical about Buddhist influence on the Essenes, but I hadn’t read that article. Plan to soon, so thanks for the link. I have a religious studies background but am getting back to research after a few years away, so channels like yours are keys that are unlocking stuff I learned and also some stuff I’d heard about but hadn’t really focused on. Thanks so much.

@breakablehandlewithcare 6 ай бұрын

Thank You 🙏 and for all your hard work in preparing this video presentation.🎉.

@lukeeastwood 6 ай бұрын

Another excellent video, thanks for your hard work!

@dianereneemacdonell1046 6 ай бұрын

Thank 😊 you 🙏

@jamiegallier2106 6 ай бұрын

Appreciate all you share, thanks. ❤

@StoneHerne 6 ай бұрын

😃 Woao, this is amazing! Thank you for sharing, Dr. Sledge! 😃

@traviswadezinn 6 ай бұрын

Another good episode, more to think about!

@wallyworld817 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for posting and all the hard work that this entails!!! Alot of questions answered and a flexible explanation of the earlier Christ followers

@troyhussey4463 6 ай бұрын

Always refreshing to listen to truths.

@leeshiflett1863 6 ай бұрын

Interesting stuff as always!

@Gates9 6 ай бұрын

Nice video Doc!

@memofromessex 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for your fantastic video! :)

@Libsarw 6 ай бұрын

The first time I ever heard of this group. Thank you Dr. Sledge.

@jabr0nicus 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for the knowledge! These videos are always bangin. When I become un-laid-off ill make sure I send in some support :)

@illegalwiretransfer1457 6 ай бұрын

And thank you Bahaa! For helping me add a bit of Egyptian flavor to my script!

@theslightlychippedmoon 6 ай бұрын

I enjoyed this as usual, thank you!

@heruka369 6 ай бұрын

This was incredibly interesting and so historically important.

@GalenRagna 6 ай бұрын

incredible as always

@Life_with_Lissett 6 ай бұрын

Great work, the history feels intuitively true by way of this presentation.

@rebmedina2835 6 ай бұрын

I love your clear explanations and understandings of the old times

@TheMysticPete 6 ай бұрын

Another great one!

@samuelsmith5828 6 ай бұрын

Great as always

@lepke_3114 6 ай бұрын

thank you for this

@femalenoahthestreetoracle871 6 ай бұрын

I love your studies…

@shaneyaw4542 6 ай бұрын

Awesome video.

@marasmiusgoldcrow6746 6 ай бұрын

Top notch as usual.!.

@illegalwiretransfer1457 6 ай бұрын

Also I love the new intro video!

@identityfor 6 ай бұрын

you rule dr sledge. right up my alley. fascinating stuff.

@longcastle4863 3 ай бұрын

12:17.. Job’s daughter had the first Babel fish.. Makes kind of a biblical sense ; _)_

@williammartinactor 6 ай бұрын

Fascinating!!! Thankyou

@julilla1 6 ай бұрын

I've never heard of this group, how fascinating. I especially love that it was a community of men and women, which is so rare. I hope further research unveils more on this sect.

@TwelveTwelveEightTwo 6 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@lessismore4470 6 ай бұрын

Thanks. Greetings from Poland.

@changer1285 6 ай бұрын

This one is JUICY

@welcometonebalia 6 ай бұрын

Thank you.

@user-ed4tq3vu3f 6 ай бұрын

Really interesting subject,those ancient Buddhists are so....quiet.thanks again good sir✌

@bensirach3586 6 ай бұрын

What a fascinating group! The way they conduct themselves in worship and ethics does remind me strongly of rules laid out in some Theravada Vinaya texts.

@aminrodriguez4707 6 ай бұрын

Oooh Dr Sledge to the rescue, i am oh sick leave from work, friday, and a new esoterica video to study, awesomness, thanks Doc.

@anja0449 6 ай бұрын

Never heard of Hyssop. Thank you!

@trancepriest 6 ай бұрын

Thank you

@timmolloyart 6 ай бұрын

Fantastic!

@BarbWiest 6 ай бұрын

Hi,,just started watching,,I believe yes on curing ones own soul and yes on the combo faith as far as I feel,,great topics,now to your video thank you.

@BobbieMercer-vb4pp 6 ай бұрын

From your description , of eating habits , they must have been a malnourished bunch . interesting

@KTempestBradford 6 ай бұрын

DUDE. This is all such cool info! I had no idea there were Buddhist missionaries in Egypt. And I had never heard of the Theraputae at all before. Do you happen to know if they were connected (more deeply than just being co-religionists) to the community that had the temple on Elaphantine island? I just saw a video about an ostracon found there that shows they had priestesses as well as priests that gave a bit of history on how they worshipped. Fascinating stuff. Thank you for being amazing and sharing this.

@108grog 6 ай бұрын

thANKHyou!! 🙏🏾💜

@alimanski7941 6 ай бұрын

Any chance you'd consider releasing the audio of these videos as a podcast? Personally I think the content of this channel is a great fit for a podcast, and I don't think it would require any additional editing. It could also generate further revenue to support the channel.

@Ed-ym4tu 6 ай бұрын

Do you know you can pay for KZfaq premium and listen to any video as a podcast?

@user-gr7wd4kg3e 6 ай бұрын

The Buddhist connection is fascinating... The other side of the Lost Sutras of Jesus, I guess, when Nestorian monks influenced probably by Philo traveled to northwestern China and produced the Jingjiao Documents...

@user-yq8mq9fm6w 6 ай бұрын

This confirms much of what I've read in books published by the Rosicrucian order.

@liamredmill9134 6 ай бұрын

Fascinating connections and disconnections,,and architecture in peace times when people were free

@oldstudent2587 6 ай бұрын

That they may have had a connection to Buddhism is possible, the primary building in early Buddhism was the vihara, which would correspond well to a monastery, and Buddhism has the distinction between practitioners at the viharas and "householders" (nivrtti and pravrtti). But I think the term Theravada (Elders) comes much later as a self-descriptive. Elsewhere in the 1st-2nd c. C.E. they were known as Hinayana (cf. in the north, Khotan, etc.).

@longcastle4863 2 ай бұрын

Their discomfort with the myths suggest the myths were drawn from a time and/or a place with a significantly different ethic.

@myopinions 6 ай бұрын

Yes! ❤

@BojoPigeon 6 ай бұрын

I had heard this group described as "Jewish Shakers" before, which struck me as very anachronistic. But, there were more points of similarity than I expected. Still anachronistic, though.

@ramyafennell4615 6 ай бұрын

This was amazing...I knew Buddhists were sent out of India and that discovery of the Buddha statue is mind-blowing. Theravada influence on early western monasticism....wow. Btw...I couldnt remember why the therapeutae were so familiar to me...then I remembered how many years ago I had studied the work of Australian historian and theologian Barbara Thiierring. I was sad that her analysis of the Dead Sea Scrolls and use of pesher was so thoroughly debunked by scholars. She seemed such a thorough and sincere woman. But if you read Jesus the Man now as a novel !..wow what a story...the Theraputae are there.

@deveranroof 6 ай бұрын

i love the chopin intro, the neapolitan

@theTranscendentOnes 6 ай бұрын

Superb, would almost call it somewhat Transcendental.

@matthewdavey6064 6 ай бұрын

JewBu's is my new favourite word. Bless you.

@marishistorycorner 2 ай бұрын

hello professor, do you have a podcast by any chance? your videos are very podcastable (that's a good thing hehe) and I was wondering if you publish your work in podcast form as well. thanks so much, history student here who's a fan of uour work

@Misandry101 6 ай бұрын

Added to my religion playlist a minute and 42 seconds into it

@TheOrco45 6 ай бұрын

Hey Dr. sledge, i enjoy your content a lot, and im sorry i dont have the means to contribute to the channel, but i was wondering if someday will you make a video on Meister Eckhart

@TheEsotericaChannel 6 ай бұрын

Yep!

@EduNauta95 6 ай бұрын

Interesting hook about Philo and the christian trinity, you are mayble planning a video on that?

@TheEsotericaChannel 6 ай бұрын

Maybe !

@RichardJamesStayAtHomeDad 6 ай бұрын

Can you do a video on ancient homo species and their linkage to ancient text / history

@genghisgalahad8465 6 ай бұрын

Well before the intro sequence, I'm officially entranced by if not obsessed with the Therapeutae of Alexandria, Egypt! 🌌 📜!! Would the love of Philo's milieu make it a "philosophy"? This episode has been truly intellectually and loosely spiritually therapeutic! The richness and essentialism* (Essenes?) of this sect's precepts like a wellspring is edifying, I will say! 🎉 🌌 📜 📜⚕️to sleep perchance to dream, it seems! ✨️🎉 🌌 🍞💧🍯 🦗 🥋 📜 💃 (Footloose inspo?) 🧘‍♀️ 🧘‍♂️ 🪽 🫒 the Hellenized statue of Siddhartha so entrancing! Would love to study it! It's an eclectic cultural transition apropos to Greco-Egyptian milieu of the time, I believe. I'm not a docent. Esoterica has itself by way of Dr Justin Sledge has adjacently entered the Buddhist milieu! 🎉 what a time for Esoterica! 📜 🎉 📖 📚 Love the further study accessible book recommendations!! Scholarly, erudite, and democratic in the original sense! 🎉 📜 📖 📚 And the mention of that epic scroll from an epic episode is awesome!! And I admire their thoughtful transition into contemplative life!! And if an episode embodies the integrity and near monastic devotion to patient process and uncovering and what comes before leading to or perhaps inspiring what comes afterward, it would be this episode that is unparalleled in this regard! Apropos to monastic scholastics!

@patrickgraham6306 6 ай бұрын

There were more Jews in Egypt than in the Levant at the turn of the Common Era? What other sects of Judaism were there in Egypt at the time?

@jacobtracy7847 6 ай бұрын

Bujews! If you ever find yourself in Colorado, Boulder is the state capitol for it!

@1ACL 6 ай бұрын

And Western Massachusetts, Upstate NY, too!

@Allogenes-jd8uq 6 ай бұрын

Great in-depth presentation! Two questions: Is it possible he Essenes and Therapeutae were geographically separate branches of the same sect? Did the Therapeutae practice any form of baptism?

@TheEsotericaChannel 6 ай бұрын

Maybe / doubtful & no evidence of baptism, but they were Jewish (probably) and ritual immersion was/is important. Also living near the lake is salient. Who knows?

@Allogenes-jd8uq 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for responding Justin! Is there any evidence the Therapeutic were practicing Merkabah mysticism?@@TheEsotericaChannel

@TheEsotericaChannel 6 ай бұрын

No everything we know about them is from that one essay of Philo

@davidmorton8332 6 ай бұрын

Genius.

@illegalwiretransfer1457 6 ай бұрын

Also, because of you, my brother and I were talking last night like “fuck! Now we gotta learn Coptic so we can read thunder perfect mind in its OG script!”

@rabbzz1 6 ай бұрын

Can you make a video about a ramekin ?

@theosophicalwatermelons8181 6 ай бұрын

Therapeutae giving speeches about Philosophy in their sleep? I have had recurring dreams where I'm giving analyses. In a recent one, a bearded old man at a storefront of what looked like a convenience store asked me what the nature of Capitalism was. I gave the Deleuzian explanation of Capital as "commerce made into a project of the State Apparatus", and he seemed pleased. No idea how this is significant, save that similar dreams have repeated twice now.

@rosegoldocean 6 ай бұрын

Particularly interesting when you consider that there are theories that the Passion is pure allegory and Jesus went East to study w the Buddha. Will be doing more research!

@TheEsotericaChannel 6 ай бұрын

"theory" is a strong word for those ideas. I'd call that wild speculation and wishful thinking.

@rosegoldocean 6 ай бұрын

@@TheEsotericaChannel yes, of course, but a documentary on it was done by the BBC before so it is semi-mainstream. This group adds an interesting dimension regarding why the “wishful thinking” resonates the way it does. Thank you for your work!