JOHN THE BAPTIST
671
(dxearaX/t^rof) and Mt 11" (iy/r/efrraL). It ia then as ' the last of the prophets ' and as snch closing the dispensation of 'the law and the prophets' (Mt 11", Lk 16'") that we speciaUy think of John the Baptist.
(2) When we pass to the lan^age in which his teacliing was conveyed, we find that it is largely based on that used by OT prophecy, especially by Isaiah. Uis metaphors of the burning chaff, the fan. the barren tree, are all to be found in OT. Some of the expressions are difficult to trace, and not easy to explain. Thus various interpretations have been assigned to the phrase ytvu^/iaTa ^x^Svwv (Mt 3' etc., Lk 3'), which is not to be found in the OT, but is one of several expressions common to our Lord and John the Baptist ; another expression of which the meaning is not quit« clear is the baptism ' with fire ' (Mt 3").
(3) In regard to the substance of his teaching, it must be remembered (a) that even in the fullest account of it given by St. Luke we have only an abstract (cf. 3' imperfect IXeyey, and 3" iroXXd Kal Irepa) ; (J) that St. Luke regards the character of his teaching as a consequence (3" oiv) of his carrying out the preparatory work spoken of in Is 40^. We may amplify the abstract by noticing the words which are used to describe it. They are KJipvacu (Mk I* etc.), rfayveX/fu (Lk 3'«), TapaKoKiu (Lk 3"), and in the case of Herod i\(-fxw ; and these imply that be announced good tidings, and al^o the preparation necessary for it ; and in both these his
f)rophetic character appears. The ' good tidings ' le announced was tlie near approach of ' the kingdom.' The nature of this kingdom he does not define, nor does he state how the kingdom is to be established, nor who its members are to be. Probably, in accordance with ancient Jewish belief, he expected a visible kingdom ; but he advances on that in so far as consciously or unconsciously to imply that it was spiritual, and to prepare the way for the realization that it was not to be merely Jewish but universal. These points can be seen from his insistence on the moral preparation for it. Repentance is a necessity, for all iialional privileges are useless, and the fitting mode of life requires that ordinary pursuits should be followed, but in a new spirit. Thus an individual and universal responsibility is insisted on, and an individual and universal judgment is proclaimed as imminent. Limits of space prevent an exami- nation in detail of this teaching, but it will rejiay careful study. We can only summarize. It was addressed (Lk S'"; cf. .Mk 1», Mt 3») to the fxXo., who came out to him in large numbers, and in- cluded in their ranks (Mt 3') many I'liarisees and Sadducees. The points insisted on \>y John are (1) confession of sins, and repentance, which had been already enforced by the OT prophets {e.g. Hos 6', Jl 2" etc.) ; (2) the u.seles.sness of reposing on their national privileges as ' children of .\ bra- ham ' is indicated, and possibly the outburst ytn-liiJtaTa ixtSywv may have been provoked by the thought that many of his hearers were relying on his baptism as of value per se, and teacliing others to do the same (Boissonas, I.e. p. 40) ; (3) a judgment is imminent {-/jSri), which is universal (irdK divSpof), and determined by the character of the individual. This judgment involves a mani- festation of divine i/ryn, not onlv towards the political enemies of Israel (as in OF), but towards the Jews. This ipyi) is frequently mentioned in OT and NT, and a resulting purification or se|iara- tion, !taKadaoit7, probalily implies not, as Godet, the universal character of the purification, but its thoroughness ; (4) St. Lake alone records the answers given to (lifl'erent classes who realized the need of action of some kind. John's answers show the changed requirements — not outward observ-
ances or a leaving of their ordinary duties, but a new attitude towards them ; (5) finally, John re- moves the doubts of some as to whether he was the Messiah, by asserting the inferioritj' of his o\vn
Serson and work. His teaching as recorded in St. olin will be best considered under the next heading ; but it will be interesting for students to try and trace whether there is any difVerence between St. John's teaching before and after his baptism of our Lord.
It remains under this bead to say a word as to the eflect of his teaching. It is clear that very large numbers came to him, and he was generally accepted as a prophet ; and of the lower classes many accepted his teaching (Lk T*"), though the upper classes refused to accept his baptism, and some said of him, as of our Lord, Sai/iipiov ex" (Mt 11"). Besides the efi'ect of his work and teaching on the people at large, we read also of fadrfrai who f.asted (Mk 2'* etc.), who attended him in prison (Mt 11' 14''), and to whom he taught special forms of prayer (Lk 5" 11'), some of whom left him to follow (ihrist (Jn 1"). Their number is given in Clem. Horn. ii. 23 as thirty. In the Acts (18^ 19=) we hear of Christians at Ephesus who accepted John's baptism. Their mention shows ' how pro- foundly the efi'ect of John's preaching was felt in districts as remote as proconsular Asia, even after a lapse of a quarter o! a centnrj- ' (Lightfoot, Culussians, p. 402). Later on (and Lightfoot finds a trace of this in the argument of St. John's Gospel) the Hemerobaptists connected their beliefs and practices with John the Baptist, and Christians called after him, the Saba^ans or Mandaeans, are still, though in diminishing numbers, to be found in the marshy districts near the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates (see Lightfoot, I.e., and literature quoted by him p. 405 ; and also Kenan, who finds evidence of Babylonian ideas).