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WHen now the soueraintie and priesthode by the Iewes began to be toren and pul¦led asunder by the tyrāny & the warres of Antiochus (I passe ouer that the Ma∣chabees* 1.1 ioyned them with Heythen kynges, the which ordeined or deposed princes & high priestes at their pleasure, the whiche cared for nothing lesse
then the endeuour of the religiō): it could not be ••••••t that sectes and sundry dissensions must & yse in the Iewysh religion. For uedes must it happen so, whē¦ether we want a certain head in the religion, or whē¦the heades of the churche or congregatiō do not re∣garde the studies of Godlinesse, and seke onely out∣ward puyssaunce, as prophane nacions do.
The sectes that were sprong vp, were of thre sor¦es:* 1.2 the first wer called Phariseis, that is Seuered of the word Phares. These vsed (for they were bet¦ter learned then the other) certain constitutions of men aboue the lawe of Moses, whereby they were seuered from the other people. Howbeit their doc∣trine was a litle better & righter, thē the other. For they taught immortalitie after this life, & that God will punysh synnes: they beleued also that Messias should come a saueour for the faithfull, and a iudge for the synnes. To the men of this secte also was cō∣mitted the cōmon welth before other, and they wee of more aucthoritie.
The second secte was of the Sadduceis. These* 1.3 hidde their wickednesse with a very noble & not able callyng thēselues. For zaddik signifieth righteous. Sadducei, they that be righteous or holy. So is it moste commonly receaued in vsage in this worlde, that those that be moste wycked of all, do cloke their couetousnesses wyth moste honeste names. They taught that after death was no lyfe. That God had onely geuen the lawe to the intent we shoulde liue honestly & quietly, receiuing of God in y• meane season in this lyfe the rewarde of righteousnesse. They did expounde y• scriptures wholy according to mans iudgemēt, nether would they heare ought
els: & as concernyng for the maners that apperta••¦ned vnto man, very Epicures, (that is to saye, su•• as did put the principall goodnesse in voluptuo••••¦tie,* 1.4 as Epicurus the Philosopher dyd.) And tha•• more is when they at the length had gottē power▪ they troubled not a litle the Phariseis. It is a fear∣full thyng verely to heare, that among the peculiar and chosen people of God, are crept in euen heythe∣nysh doctrines: insomuche that cōstantly they were not ashamed, euen openly to teache and saye, that after this lyfe, was none other lyfe.
The thirde were Essey, the whiche when they* 1.5 perceiued that both the Phariseyes and Saddu∣ceyes folowed their appetites vnder the coloure of honest titles, nether did ought in a maner that were worthy their profession: therfore semed it them good, to declare the straitnesse and seueritie of lyfe with the dede, and would be called Essey, that is workers or doers. For Assa, whence the name Es∣sey commeth, sygnifieth to worke: as in these times the Anabaptistes do reproue bothe the Luthe∣rians and papistes, and endeuour to seme more ho∣lier then ether of them. For the Essey lyued in a ma∣ner in all thinges, as the Anabaptistes lyue: they maryed not, and woulde haue all thynges common among them. This was an vtter foolysh and dotish supersticion of monkerye, and whiche could not last* 1.6 long. Of this wyse nerehand is the church deuided in thre partes also now a dates: for because y• second commyng of Christe also is harde by. The Anabap∣tistes resemble the Esseyes, and on the other parte, some be Phariseyes, some are Sadduceyes. For
the thniges that happened amōg the Iewes ••••e a figuce of the Christē religion. These sectes rose first among the Iewes vnder Ioannes Hircamus the sonne of Simon before the byrth of Christ an hun∣dreth and fyue and twenty yeares.
The Macha¦beys.
The maner of sectes risen in Iewry. The Phari∣seps.
The Saddu∣ceyes.
The Sadu∣ceyes were Epicures.
Essey. The Anabap¦tistes do r••••••∣ble these.
The Note of the churche at this tyme.