Essenes
Early Jewish-Christian community at Alexandria identified as the first Alexandrian Christians. From dawn to night they spent the entire day reading, listening to, and searching out allegorical senses from sacred volumes.
Preface and Praise of Sacred Scripture
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Chapter IV: The Judgments and Examples of the Fathers
— The Essenes, first Alexandrian Christians, spent the entire day in sacred study
"how diligently the Essenes — the first, I say, of those Alexandrian Christians — from dawn to night spent the entire day in reading, listening to, and searching out the more sublime allegorical senses"