Essenes

This is a minority group

A monastic movement of desert-dwellers who believed that life in the city was sinful and impure (due to the Roman occupation). They believed that the temple was corrupt since the Sadducees were in league with Rome

The primary belief of the Essenes was that the Messiah is coming. Baptism is a main initiation to this group

John the Baptist may have been an Essene

Wiped out around the time that the temple was destroyed