More About the Essenes

Fled, or were driven out, to the Judaean wilderness as a result of a dispute with the priestly leaders in Jerusalem over the sacred calendar and matters of legal interpretation.
a highly dualistic view of the world (i.e., a world sharply divided between good and evil, light and darkness)
looked for an imminent divine judgment of the wicked.
They also cultivated a communal life of extreme ritual purity.

Fled, or were driven out, to the Judaean wilderness as a result of a dispute with the priestly leaders in Jerusalem over the sacred calendar and matters of legal interpretation.