The Essenes were a religious group in Ancient Israel. At the time of Jesus, there were three divisions within Judaism in Israel: the Sadducees, the Pharisees and the Essenes. The Sadducees and Pharisees are prominent in the Scripture of the New Testament, but the Essenes are not. This is because they did not follow the social customs of the time nor some aspects of the Torah. They lived in many small communities and villages throughout Israel, growing their own food, conducting their devoted religious lives privately in community, and following their own interpretation of God. They were the earliest Christians, and they are represented in Scripture through Jesus.