Chapter 139 of 404

John in Josephus

Even the Jesus Seminar almost unanimously recognized that John the Baptist invited repentance and baptized.⁹ This recognition fits the portrait of John in Josephus, who cannot be accused of writing with any bias supporting the Gospels: John, “called the Baptist” (Ant. 18.116) and drawing great crowds (18.118), administered baptism in the following manner; John “was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both regarding justice toward one another, and piety toward God, and thus to come to baptism.” It would be acceptable if they used it to purify the body once the soul had been fully purified by “justice” or “righteousness” (Ant. 18.117).

Most scholars think Josephus’ comments on John are authentic. Among other reasons, this confidence is because they fit the language of this section of Josephus’ work¹⁰ and a Christian interpolator would have harmonized them with the Gospels (which is not the case with this passage).¹¹ John’s movement had an independent existence outside Jesus’ movement, a status that seems to have generated some later confusion and ambivalence concerning the groups’ relationship (cf. Acts 19:1-6).¹² Nevertheless, John remained important in the history of the early Christian movement because his movement provided an immediate context for that of Jesus. Early Christians viewed the connection as more important for historic than theological reasons; thus it is prominent in the Gospels, mentioned in historic references in Acts, and missing in the letters and Revelation.

Although the Gospels and Josephus agree on various points, where they differ the Gospels (which are slightly earlier) may actually be more authentic. Although Josephus presents the Baptist’s mission like a moralizing philosopher for his Hellenized audience,¹³ the Gospel accounts preserve a greater ring of authenticity: John was a wilderness prophet proclaiming impending judgment. That is, the Gospels, which flow from a community that embraced much of John’s message, have changed the portrait of John (at least in this regard) less than Josephus did.

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