Part 10 (1/2)

[Footnote 7: I have treated of this at greater length in the _Journal Asiatique_, Nov-Dec, 1853, and August-Sept, 1855 It is remarkable that the Elchasates, a Sabian or Baptist sect, inhabited the same district as the Essenes, (the eastern bank of the Dead Sea), and were confounded with them (Epiph, _Adv Haer_, xix 1, 2, 4, xxx 16, 17, liii 1, 2; _Philosophumena_, IX iii 15, 16, X xx 29)]

[Footnote 8: See the remarks of Epiphanius on the Essenes, Hemero-Baptists, Nazarites, Ossenes, Nazarenes, Ebionites, Samsonites (_Adv Haer_, books i and ii), and those of the author of the _Philosophumena_ on the Elchasates (books ix and x)]

[Footnote 9: Epiph, _Adv Haer_, xix, xxx, liii]

This practice was baptism, or total immersion Ablutions were already faions of the East[1]

The Essenes had given them a peculiar extension[2] Baptism had become an ordinary ceremony on the introduction of proselytes into the bosoion, a sort of initiatory rite[3] Never before John the Baptist, however, had either this iiven to immersion John had fixed the scene of his activity in that part of the desert of Judea which is in the neighborhood of the Dead Sea[4] At the periods when he administered baptism, he went to the banks of the Jordan,[5] either to Bethany or Bethabara,[6] upon the eastern shore, probably opposite to Jericho, or to a place called _aenon_, or ”the Fountains,”[7] near Salim, where there was much water[8] Considerable crowds, especially of the tribe of Judah, hastened to him to be baptized[9] In a few months he thus became one of the most influential eneral estimation

[Footnote 1: Mark vii 4; Jos, _Ant_, XVIII v 2; Justin, _Dial

cum Tryph_, 17, 29, 80; Epiph, _Adv Haer_, xvii]

[Footnote 2: Jos, _BJ_, II viii 5, 7, 9, 13]

[Footnote 3: Mishnah, _Pesachim_, viii 8; Talmud of Babylon, _Jebamoth_, 46 _b_; _Kerithuth_, 9 _a_; _Aboda Zara_, 57 _a_; _Masseket Gerim_ (edit Kirchheim, 1851), pp 38-40]

[Footnote 4: Matt iii 1; Mark i 4]

[Footnote 5: Luke iii 3]

[Footnote 6: John i 28, iii 26 All the manuscripts say _Bethany_; but, as no one knows of Bethany in these places, Origen (_Comment in Joann_, vi 24) has proposed to substitute _Bethabara_, and his correction has been generally accepted The tords have, s, and seem to indicate a place where there was a ferry-boat to cross the river]

[Footnote 7: _aenon_ is the Chaldean plural, _aenawan_, ”fountains”]

[Footnote 8: John iii 23 The locality of this place is doubtful The circuelist would lead us to believe that it was not very near the Jordan Nevertheless, the synoptics are agreed in placing the scene of the baptisms of John on the banks of that river (Matt iii 6; Mark i 5; Luke iii 3) The comparison of verses 22 and 23 of chap iii of John, and of verses 3 and 4 of chap

iv of the same Gospel, would lead us to believe that Salim was in Judea, and consequently in the oasis of Jericho, near the mouth of the Jordan; since it would be difficult to find in any other district of the tribe of Judah a single natural basin in which any one ht be totally immersed Saint Jerome wishes to place Salim much more north, near Beth-Schean or Scythopolis But Robinson (_Bibl Res_, iii 333) has not been able to find anything at these places that justifies this assertion]

[Footnote 9: Mark i 5; Josephus, _Ant_, XVIII v 2]

The people took hiined that it was Elias who had risen again[2] The belief in these resurrections idely spread;[3] it was thought that God would raise frouide Israel toward its final destiny Others held John to be the Messiah hih he made no such pretensions[4] The priests and the scribes, opposed to this revival of prophetism, and the constant enemies of enthusiasts, despised him But the popularity of the Baptist awed theainst hiained over the priestly aristocracy When the chief priests were compelled to declare themselves explicitly on this point, they were considerably embarrassed[6]

[Footnote 1: Matt xiv 5, xxi 26]

[Footnote 2: Matt vi 14; Mark vi 15; John i 21]

[Footnote 3: Matt xiv 2; Luke ix 8]

[Footnote 4: Luke iii 15, and following; John i 20]

[Footnote 5: Matt xxi 25, and following; Luke vii 30]

[Footnote 6: Matt, _loc cit_]

Baptisn destined to make an ireat ree with the Messianic hope, and that his principal action was in accordance with it ”Repent,” said he, ”for the kingdoreat wrath,” that is to say, terrible calamities which should come to pass,[2] and declared that the axe was already laid at the root of the tree, and that the tree would soon be cast into the fire He represented the Messiah with a fan in his hand, collecting the good wheat and burning the chaff Repentance, of which baptis of alreat h we do not know exactly in what light he conceived theainst the saainst rich priests, the Pharisees, the doctors, in one word, against official Judaism; and that, like Jesus, he was specially welcomed by the despised classes[4] He made no account of the title ”son of Abraham,” and said that God could raise up sons unto Abraham from the stones of the road[5] It does not seereat idea which led to the triuion; but he powerfully served this idea in substituting a private rite for the legal cereellants of the Middle Ages were the precursors of the Refory of the eneral tone of his serainst his adversaries appear to have been most violent[6] It was a harsh and continuous invective It is probable that he did not reh his teacher Banou, was brought into alests as uous words,[7] and the catastrophe which put an end to John's life seems to imply this His disciples led a very austere life,[8]

fasted often, and affected a sad and anxious deli ordered to share all that he had with the poor[9] The poor man appeared as the one ould be specially benefited by the kingdom of God