Journal: Tyndale Bulletin
Volume: TYNBUL 73:1 (NA 2022)
Article: John’s Baptism As A Symbolic Enactment Of The Return From Exile
Author: Joel R. White

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John’s Baptism As A Symbolic Enactment Of The Return From Exile

Joel R. White

Professor of New Testament
Freie Theologische Hochschule Gießen
[email protected]

Abstract

John’s baptism continues to be the subject of much discussion among biblical scholars. Attempts to trace its origin to Essene ritual washings or proselyte baptism have proven unconvincing, as are recent arguments against the traditional site on the lower reaches of the river Jordan. It is likely that John’s baptism was his own invention and that he intended it to be a symbolic depiction of the return from exile, which was by no means viewed as complete in the first century CE. The baptism itself involved crossing the river Jordan from east to west, not just being immersed in it .

1. Introduction

The title of Mark’s Gospel, which I take with most scholars to be the first of the four canonical Gospels,1 prepares the reader for a work focused squarely on Jesus (Mark 1:1), but it begins with the sudden appearance of John the Baptist on the stage of salvation history (Mark 1:2–11). A comparison with the other Gospels highlights Mark’s narrow interest in John’s ministry of baptism generally and Jesus’s baptism by John in particular.2 Yet even Mark does not clearly articulate

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what he believes John’s baptism was intended to signify. Shedding light on that enigma will be the focus of this article. I will argue two major points that stand (or fall) independently of each other but which are interwoven in the Gospel accounts. First, John’s baptism (as portrayed by Mark and followed by Matthew and Luke) had the character of a symbolic enactment of the long-yearned-for return from exile.3 Second, John’s baptism consisted not merely of immersion in the Jordan, but rather of crossing it from east to west and thus entering the promised land just like Israel did following the exodus. Before making that case, I will address two topics that have engendered much discussion in modern scholarship and impinge upon my interpretation: first, the origin of John’s baptism, and second, the location of John’s baptismal ministry.

2. The Origin Of John’s Baptism

The origin of John’s baptism has long been the subject of vigorous debate. This reflects the fact that the two most popular explanations run up against seemingly intractable shortcomings. Especially in the decades since the discov...