John gained the status of a martyr in the 4th century A.D. and is now regarded as St. John. John was very popular in the sacred exchange, and several churches still claimed to have his head or right hand to baptize Jesus. The Manda Christians in Iraq claim to be the surviving remnants of followers of John the Baptist, and some of their teachings are also combined with the Gnostic Manichaeism. Christian communities around the world continue to regard baptism as the basic element of faith, and John is regarded as a devout prophet in the religion of * * * *.
Josephus
John plays an important role in the academic study of the New Testament, because we have descriptions of John from non-Christian sources. Flaviu Josephus (AD 37- 100) was a Jewish historian who wrote a history of the Jews. He is not John's witness, but he uses contemporary records and yearbooks. The story of John the Baptist takes place in a digression in the history of Herod antipas (Lord of Galilee, 4 BC-39 AD). Antipas married the daughter of King Aretas IV of Nabatai Kingdom in Jordan (Petra). Then he divorced her and married Herod. Herodias married his half-brother Herod Philip I. Judging from her name, she was very close to these half-uncles. King Arthas fought Herod antipas and defeated him. Josephus then added:
Now some Jews think that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, which is quite fair. As a punishment for what he did to John, he was called the Baptist. Because Herod killed him, he was a good man and ordered the Jews to do good, whether they were righteous to each other, pious to God or even baptized. Because he can accept washing with water. (Jewish antiquities, 18.5.2)
Herod killed John because he was afraid that Rome would think that he could not control his province.
John died because he had "a large number of followers". A large number of Jews often cause riots, usually for the present. Josephus described several other itinerant missionaries who had followers at that time. The leader who was always arrested in Rome executed him and many of his followers because they could be found. Herod killed John because he was afraid that Rome would think that he could not control his province.
This story is not only important to prove John's activities, but also important to the existence of a large audience. After his death, his followers gathered around his name to inherit his teachings and baptism ceremony.
Four gospels
All four gospels begin with John's baptism of Jesus. This does not mean that John has four different sources; They used the first gospel, the Gospel of Kyle, and added their own details. John's baptism in four Jesus made scholars believe:
John's baptism of Jesus must be an early tradition.
John's story (his activities and his death) must be well known; People have been asking whether Jesus was John who rose from the dead;
John's followers are a problem for Jesus' followers: "They said to him,' John's disciples often fast and pray … your disciples eat and drink" (Luke 5:33).
The Gospel of John implies the competition among groups: "Jesus knew that the Pharisees heard that he baptized his disciples more than John" (John 4: 1-2). John's tradition forced evangelists to turn to the Jewish Bible to explain the connection between the two. It is worth noting that the gospels all emphasize that Jesus is superior to John.
mark
Kyle (about 70 AD) began his gospel with the baptism of Jesus, so scholars used it in John's basic story:
With regard to the good news about the Messiah, the son of God, Jesus began. As the prophet Isaiah wrote, "I will send my messenger to prepare the way for you"-the voice of a man shouting in the wilderness, "Prepare the way for the Lord and make a straight road for him." "So John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness and preached the baptism of repentance, so that sins could be forgiven. All the villages in Judea and all the people in Jerusalem came out to see him. They confessed their sins and were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John is dressed in camel hair with a belt around his waist. He eats locusts and wild honey. This is his message: "after me, he is a stronger person than me, and I am not worthy to bend down to untie his shoelaces." "I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." At that time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in Jordan. As soon as Jesus came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove. A voice fell from the sky: "You are my son, whom I love; I am very satisfied with you. " Immediately the Holy Spirit sent him into the wilderness, where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was with the beast, and the angel followed him. (the gospel of Kyle 1: 5- 13).
Kyle compared the prophets Isaiah and Malachi (3:1; 4.5) Several Messiah Scriptures are confused with the image that evokes the prophet Elijah. John's body description (camel hair and eating locusts and honey) is related to the story of Elijah (1 Kings 17- 19 and Kings 2 1-2). Elijah "wore a sweater with a belt around his waist" (2 Kings 1: 8). Mark's description has become the most popular way to describe John in art and movies.
Malachi (450 BC? It is claimed that Elijah was taken to heaven before his death, and "before that great and terrible day" (Malachi 4:5) will be sent by God as an envoy. Will announce the arrival of the messiah. In the transfiguration scene, Elijah and Moses appeared together in front of Jesus, indicating the fulfillment of this prophecy (Matthew 17: 1-8 Kyle 9: 2-8, Luke 9: 28-36).
The Holy Spirit mentioned in this article is not the Holy Spirit of the Trinity. This is the spirit of God ("having" the prophet's "breath of God"). Pigeons are symbols of God's existence. Jesus is now endowed with the same spirit as a prophet, so he can perform miracles. Going to the wilderness is also a hint to the prophet. They go to the wilderness a bit like apprentices, preparing for missionary work.
Kyle reported the death of John during Jesus' sermon. In Kyle's version, John was arrested because he criticized the marriage between antipas and Herodias, "because John always said,' It is illegal to marry your brother's wife'" (Kyle 6: 18). This is a famous scene at Antipa's birthday party. His stepdaughter dances for the guests, and he provides anything she wants. At her mother's urging, she asked "to put John the Baptist's head on a plate" (Kyle 6:25). Mark didn't name his daughter, but we know her name is Salome from the family tree. Josephus described John's death as a political expedient, while Kyle let John die because of religious differences among Jews according to the theme of his gospels.
Matthew (New Testament Volume 1)
Josephus and Kyle both asked John to baptize those whose sins were forgiven as a clear sign of repentance.
It is worth noting that neither Josephus nor Kyle described John as preaching the message of God's coming kingdom, that is, Jesus. They both baptized John, and as a man whose sins were forgiven, it was a clear sign of repentance. Matthew cut out the line that mentioned forgiveness when editing Kyle. On the contrary, he used the same message to connect John with Jesus: "In those days, John the Baptist came and preached in the Jewish wilderness, saying,' The kingdom of heaven is near, so you should repent'" (Matthew 3: 1). John called the Pharisees and Sadducees "species of poisonous snakes" (Matthew 3:7), which reflected Matthew's favorite argument against the authorities. This established John's iconic image as an inflammatory missionary working with Jesus.
John of Matthew was reluctant at first: "But John tried to stop him and said,' I need to be baptized by you. Will you come to me? Jesus answered, "For a while; We do this in order to do all kinds of righteousness. " Then John agreed "(Matthew 3: 13- 15). One theme of Matthew is that everything about Jesus, including John, is fulfilled in the Bible.
Luke (male name)
Luke provided John with a biography, which has now become the standard of Christianity. John the Baptist's parents are an old couple who can't have children. The birth of their son was intervened by God. The angel Gabriel appeared:
Zechariah, don't be afraid ... Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a son and you will name him John. ..... he must never drink sake or strong wine, even before he is born, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, ... Elijah's spirit and strength ... people are ready to meet the Lord. (Luke 1: 1- 18)
No drinking refers to the so-called nazir oath (Numbers 6:2-4). The oath of nazir people is the only personal dedication to God. Samson (Judges 13.4) and Samuel (1 Samuel 1: 1 1) are children promised by God to infertile women. People in nazir are forbidden to "shave their heads with razors", which is why John has long hair and a beard.
Mary of Luke visited her cousin Elizabeth when they were both pregnant. (wwW.Lishixinzhi.Com) This is the only source of kinship between Jesus and John. When Mary approached Elizabeth, "the baby was jumping around in her stomach" (Luke 1:4 1). For Luke, if anyone doubts who is better, even in the womb, John admits "his Lord", but please note that the baptism of Jesus was carried out under Luke's stage, not directly.
Matthew and Luke both include a scene of Jesus preaching, which obscures their opening story: "When John heard what the Messiah did in prison, his disciples sent him a message saying,' Are you the one who is coming? , or should I wait for another one? (Matthew11; Luke 7). Jesus told them his miracle, and then said to them: I tell you, no woman was born greater than John; But in the kingdom of God, the youngest is greater than him. "Luke 7:28.
John
John began his gospels with a famous preface, claiming that Christ was a pre-existing logos, and "the Tao became flesh and lived among us" (Gospel of John 1: 14). Baptists are mainly witnesses of this divinity:
There is a man sent by God. His name is John. He came to be a witness, to be a witness for the light, so that people may believe because of him. He himself is not a light, but a witness for the light. (Gospel of John 1:6-8)
John's story about the Baptist contributed to the later creed formula. In the fourth gospel, Jesus was crucified because the Passover lamb was slaughtered in the temple. When Jesus came near, the Baptist said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!" " "John 1:29. In the Catholic church, the Eucharist ends with John's words.
historical
The Greek word baptizo is the Jewish concept tvilah, that is, "full body immersion". Tvilah is necessary to keep the sacred space of Jerusalem Temple pure/unclean. Archaeological sites in Israel prove this practice. Mikvahs (meaning "water collection" in Hebrew) is a sunken bath built in bedrock, and the steps extend downward. They must contain "living water" (not stagnant water), and people immerse themselves in water. Baptism means simple dunk.
There is still a historical anomaly in the story of John the Baptist. Neither Josephus nor the Gospels explained why John baptized in the Jordan River when there was a repentance ceremony in the temple of Jerusalem. However, if he is from nazir, his activity area is desert. Combining the Ministry of John and Jesus, the traditional understanding makes John consistent with the same anti-temple attitude given to Jesus in the Gospels.
With the discovery of the Dead Sea Scroll in A.D. 1947 and its information about the Essenes community in Kumran, several studies have determined whether John may be a member of it. Essenes practice baptism and care about separating "purity" from "impure". In community rules, repentance precedes receiving the Holy Spirit (1qiiii8-9). They also severely criticized the temple in Jerusalem.
The baptism of early Christian groups
Unfortunately, we don't have any documents written by John's followers during this period. We know that early followers of John or Jesus introduced it to the earliest Christian groups. Luke claims that this practice began on Pentecost in Jerusalem. After the Holy Spirit came to his disciples, Peter said, "Repent and be baptized, so that your sins can be forgiven in the name of Jesus Christ. "You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). In Acts, baptism in the name of Jesus proves its effectiveness: baptism gives people spiritual gifts; When the room shook, people prophesied and "spoke in tongues" (Acts 19:6).
The conflict between these two groups is related in Acts 18 and 19. Paul's traveling companions Priscilla and Aquila met "a Jew named Apollos from Alexandria, … he only knew the baptism of John." They took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately "(18:24-27). Paul then went to Ephesus and met some people who had been baptized by Apollos and became "baptized by John", but had not been "baptized by the Holy Spirit". Paul had to baptize them again. This time, "when the Holy Spirit came to them, they spoke in tongues and prophesied" (19: 1-7).
We know that Apollos exists because Paul mentioned him in 1 Corinthians. We don't have more detailed information than this, but the correction of one group to another means criticism. The rituals described by Luke-repentance, baptism and acceptance of the Holy Spirit-became the norms of Orthodox and Western Catholicism, as one of the sacraments accompanying the Holy Spirit.
The story of Paul's baptism only happened in Acts 9: 17- 19, when a Christian named Ananias cured his blindness and baptized him. Paul himself never mentioned his own baptism, but baptism is a theme in his letters. He wrote to the Roman community, using death as a metaphor for what happened at baptism:
We are people who die of sin; We have died to sin, how can we continue to live in sin? Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore, we are buried with him through baptism, so that just as Christ rose from the dead through the glory of the Father, we can live a new life. (Romans 6: 1-4)
In other words, baptism is to bring great changes to a person's life and stop committing crimes. The earliest societies practiced adult baptism, which was completed after a period of study (usually three years). Fellow initiates were baptized collectively at Easter.
infant baptism
Infant baptism first appeared in North Africa in the 2nd century, probably because of the high infant mortality rate. In the 4th century AD, Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) invented the concept of original sin, claiming that original sin led to lust entering the Garden of Eden. As descendants of Adam and Eve, we all inherited the original sin of the soul through conception. Baptism becomes a ritual to wash away original sin; You can't go to heaven without baptism.
He also introduced exorcism into the formula; Satan must be rejected before being baptized. Augustine allowed others to sponsor the spiritual education of babies and introduced the practice of teaching parents. However, many modern Christian sects continue to practice adult baptism, such as Baptists.