"The Essenes are therefore Jews by birth, but more than others they are bound by mutual affection. They reject pleasure as a vice and, on the contrary, consider continence and control of the passions to be virtues. They disdain marriage for themselves but welcome other people's children when they are still young to introduce them to their studies: they consider them as relatives and impress their own habits on them. They do this not with the intention of abolishing marriage and interrupting the continuation of the species, but to guard against the lasciviousness of women. They also despise wealth and admirably share their possessions, which is why it would be impossible to find anyone who stands out from the others because they are richer."