John the Baptist

  Many things that are known to us about John the Baptist from the Gospel, the fact that he was an ascetic, celibate, and a prophet has similarities with the way of life and the religious practices of the Essenes.

 

One of the most fascinating observations is the proximity of the geographical area of both John the Baptist's activity and of the Essenes.

 The Gospel of Matthew tells us:

"In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea..." (3:1, NKJV)

The wilderness of Judea is a geographical region that is called Judean desert nowadays, and it lies east of the Judean mountains, east of Jerusalem, and descends to the Dead Sea.

That is where Qumran's community camp was discovered, 1-2 miles east of the Western Dead Sea shore.  And it is the very same location where the historians Pliny the Elder and Josephus place the Essenes' location in their account. What a coincidence!

 Matthew tells us this:

 

"Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him, and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins..." (3:5-6, NKJV)

 

This requires John to minister closer to Jordan's River delta in the Dead Sea area. Jordan's river lies in less than a half day's walk distance from Qumran (the Essenes' location).

 

The site identified by the Church's tradition with John's baptism of Jesus is also believed to be the place where Joshua son of Nun camped with the children of Israel before crossing the Jordan River. It is the same site believed to be the location of Elijah's assumption to heaven. 

 

Was it John's intention to get dressed in the manner of Elijah? Did not John wear the same "garment of haircloth, with a girdle of leather about his loins?" (2 Kings 1:8) Was he, in way, reincarnation of the prophet, whom Israel expected? Hs own answer was: "I am not", (John 1:21) However later, Jesus said of him: "He is Elijah who is to come". (Mt.11:14) 

 

Was an immersion in water (baptism) a sign of remission of sins only John's (and consequently a Christian) idea? Lets look at what Qumran's community believed in:

 

"Through the upright and humble attitude his sin may be covered, and by humbling himself before God's laws his flesh can be made clean. Only thus can he really receive the purifying waters and be purged by the cleansing flow."  (1QS 3:8-10)

 

This perfectly matches John's attitude to the baptism, first  "bear fruits worthy of repentance",  ( Mt. 3:8), and "I... baptize you in water for repentance" ( v. 11)

 

Jewish historian Josephus also confirms John's life and baptism ministry in the following words:

 

"He (John) was a good man and had urged the Jews to exert themselves to virtue, both as to justice toward one another and reverence towards God, and having done so join together in washing. For  immersion in water, it was clear to him, could not be used for the forgiveness of sins, but as a sanctification of the body, and only if the soul was already thoroughly purified by right actions." ( Antiquities 18.5.2 116-119)

 

 There also is something unique in the attitude of authors of the Gospel and the Qumran's community to the book of prophet Isaiah. Significantly over 90% of the New Testament’s 260 chapters quote from Isaiah’s writings. The central passage for both Essenes and John was Isaiah 40:3:

 

 "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."

 

John identifies his whole vocation and a purpose of his ministry with these words:

 

“I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the LORD,”  as the prophet Isaiah said.” ( Jn.1:23)

 

It is almost unbelievable but The Qumran's community members believed nearly the same thing, their own rule says that they shall separate themselves and to go "the wilderness, there to prepare the way of the truth, as it is written: in the wilderness prepare the way for the  Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."  (1QS 8:12-14)