Before, however, he was made a homiletes, or finally admitted into close fellowship, he had to bind himself by a most solemn oath (this being the only occasion on which the Essenes used an oath) to observe three things. 1. Love to God. 2. Merciful justice towards all men; especially to honor nobody as master, to avoid the wicked, to help the righteous, to be faithful to every man, and especially to rulers (τοῖς κρατοῦσιν), for without God no one comes to be ruler. And 3. Purity of character, which implied humility, love of truth, hatred of falsehood, strict secrecy towards outsiders, so as not to divulge the secret doctrines (μυστήρια) to any one, and perfect openness with the members of the order, and, finally, carefully to preserve the books belonging to their sect (τὰ τῆς αἱρέσεως αὐτῶν βιβλία), and the names of the angels (τὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων ὀνόματα) or the mysteries connected with the Tetragrammaton (‏שם המפורש‎) and the other names of God and the angels, comprised in the theosophy (‏מעשה מרכבה‎) as well as with the cosmogony (‏מעשה בראשית‎) which also played so important a part among the Jewish mystics and the Kabbalists. The three sections consisting of candidate (ὁ ζηλῶν), approacher (περουσιῶν ἔγγιον), and associate (ὁμιλητὴς, ὃς εἰς τὸν ὅμιλον ἐγκρίνεται), were subdivided into four orders, distinguished from each other by superior holiness. So marked and serious were these distinctions, that if one belonging to a higher degree of purity touched one who belonged to a lower order, i.e., if one of the fourth or highest order came in contact with one of the third or lower order, or if one of the third touched one of the second order, or if one of the second order touched one of the first or lowest order, he immediately became impure, and could only regain his purity by lustrations. From the beginning of the noviciate to the achievement of the highest spiritual state, there were eight different stages which marked the gradual growth in holiness. Thus, after being accepted as a novice and obtaining the apron (‏זריז‎—περίζωμα) the symbol of purity, he attained (1) to the state of outward or bodily purity by baptisms (‏זריזות מביאה לידי נקיות‎). From this state of bodily purity he progressed (2) to that stage which imposed abstinence from connubial intercourse (‏נקיות מביאה לידי פרישות‎), or to that degree of holiness, which enabled him to practise celibacy. Having succeeded in mortifying the flesh in this respect, he advanced (3) to the stage of inward or spiritual purity (‏פרישות מביאה לידי טהרה‎). From this stage again he advanced (4) to that which required the banishing of all anger and malice, and the cultivation of a meek and lowly spirit (‏טהרה מביאה לידי ענוה‎). This led him (5) to the culminating point of holiness (‏ענוה מביאה לידי הסידות‎). Upon this summit of holiness he became (6) the temple of the Holy Spirit, and could prophesy (‏חסידות מביה לידי רה״ק‎). Thence again he advanced (7) to that stage in which he was