City of Salt: A city in the wilderness of Judah. It is mentioned along with En-gedi, on the short of the Dead Sea, from which, presumably, it was not far distant. It is most probably Qumran, 7-8 miles south of modern Jerico, located on the Wadi Qumran River, which enters the northwest side of the Dead Sea. Destroyed by an earthquake in 31 BCE, it was rebuilt, and was the home of the Essene religious community until its destruction by the Romans in 68 CE.

The Essenes lived a rigorous lifestyle based on the common meal, the study of law, praise of God, three hours of daily prayer, and lustrations, which were purifying baths. This was all carefully ordered in the Manual of Discipline, a rulebook that outlined this monastic framework. Monasticism was then new to that part of the world, being an Eastern tradition, and it was several hundred years before St. Benedict created his own Rules for monks in Europe.

One "entered the covenant" when one joined the sect. The Essenes believe they were the "true Israel". Their leader was "The Righteous Teacher" and their opponent, "The Wicked Priest". The priests in the City of Salt considered Jerusalem's sanctuary "defiled", its priests false, and its calendar unorthodox. They believed that, in "the end of days", they would be exalted and their enemies overthrown.

It is highly likely that they influenced John the Baptist, and some scholars believe that Jesus may have lived and learned there during his "missing years" from age 12 to 30. If this is true, then he would have been picking up very radical ideas that had Eastern influences.