The Baptist

This one is going to be short. That’s because I want to get to that someone important I mentioned. But, before I do, I ought to make at least one other introduction.

So...

You’ll recall that by around 100 BCE and after, there were three major sects of Judaism -- Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. The Pharisees and the Essenes didn’t much like the Second Temple or its Priests. All three groups called for a purification of society.

But, just as we arch over into the new Millennium, there was a major change. Specifically, individual preachers, unaffiliated (or only lightly connected) to these three groups, appeared from out of nowhere. And, they began to preach *on their own authority.*

In a word, yikes. That’s going to disrupt things enormously.

Okay, and who were some of these preachers? Well, among the most important, influential, and famous of them was a man named John. As in, the Baptist.(1) We don’t know a heck of a lot about him, actually. Some scholars think he was an Essene, but there are other scholars who don’t. He may have had some sort of connection with the Qumran community. Certainly, he sounds a lot like some of the Qumran texts, and, obviously, he practiced ritual baptism, as did the Qumran community members.

This is “St. John the Baptist Preaching,” by Mattia Preti (1613 – 1699). [You can see more about Preti here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattia_Preti.]

He shows up in the Christian Bible, where he is portrayed as a devote forerunner of Jesus. He is shown humbling himself before Christ and calling Him the messiah. Except, again, some scholars think that may not have happened. They point out that whoever wrote and edited the Gospels were eager to play up Jesus and play down John as a potential competitor.

In fact, John seems to have headed up a very popular movement, probably more popular than early Christianity. He had followers all over the Jewish world. Some of his flock may even have designated him the Messiah. Certainly, we hear (from Christian sources) scathing remarks about “the misled” people who call John their savior.(2) To this day, one small ethno-religious community native to Iraq--the Mandaeans--revere John and regard him as a supreme prophet.(3)

And we really don’t know what happened to him. The Gospels and, later, the works of the Jewish-Roman historian Josephus (37-100), note that he was executed by Herod. Supposedly, John criticized Herod for his marriage to the ex-wife of his brother. You’ll recall, too, the famous story in which Salome dances for her step-father and demands as her reward “the Head of John The Baptist.” It’s a great story, and Oscar Wilde made it into a magnificent and wonderfully decadent play...but we really don’t know if it happened. Maybe it did. On the other hand, maybe it didn’t. You decide.

But, whatever, he was a powerful and charismatic figure who showed clearly what was coming, and did his best to sound the alarm. The Second Temple and its priesthood were no longer valid. The political elite was rapacious and cruel. Things needed to change, he said.

In this he was right.

And soon, another, more powerful voice than his...

Would say the same.

Footnotes:

1. See “John the Baptist,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Baptist

2. “Clementine literature,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clementine_literature

3. Mandaeans, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandaeans.

An aside, the Mandaeans have been (alas) persecuted in their homeland, Iraq. Many have had to flee elsewhere. There is, in fact, a Mandaean cemetery not far from where I live. It is a bit disconcerting to be driving along the highway and suddenly discover that your neighbors include members of one of the most exotic and fascinating religious groups in the world.

Copyright©2026 Michael Jay Tucker

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