Reflections on John the Baptist in History and Theology by Joel Marcus
In this article, I engage with Joel Marcus’s recent book on John the Baptist, focusing on the relationship between John and the Dead Sea Scrolls. While I appreciate many parts of his detailed study, I question the claim that John was a former member of the Essenes. Although there are intriguing simi...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2021
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| In: |
Journal for the study of the historical Jesus
Year: 2021, Volume: 19, Issue: 1, Pages: 15-26 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
John the Baptist
/ Purity
/ Talmûd bavlî. Kleine Traktate. Gerim
/ Gemeinschaftsregel (Qumran Scrolls)
/ Sektenregel (Qumran Scrolls)
/ Dead Sea scrolls, Qumran Scrolls
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| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament HH Archaeology |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In this article, I engage with Joel Marcus’s recent book on John the Baptist, focusing on the relationship between John and the Dead Sea Scrolls. While I appreciate many parts of his detailed study, I question the claim that John was a former member of the Essenes. Although there are intriguing similarities, the question is how far reaching conclusions we may draw concerning such a relationship. I problematize some aspects of the comparison between the sources. Like many scholars, Marcus refers in particular to 1QS and the site of Khirbet Qumran for reconstructing the Essenes and hence John’s background. In response, I highlight the uncertainty about the Sitz im leben of 1QS in relation to Khirbet Qumran and ask why this particular manuscript should be privileged over others. Not least when it comes to purity halakhah there are many other documents than 1QS from Qumran that are highly relevant to the issue. Finally, I critically evaluate Marcus’s view that John the Baptist had a favorable attitude towards Gentiles, which according Marcus differed from the views of the Essenes. |
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| ISSN: | 1745-5197 |
| Reference: | Kritik von "John the Baptist in history and theology (Columbia, South Carolina : The University of South Carolina Press, 2018)"
Kritik von "John the Baptist in history and theology (Columbia : University of South Carolina Press, 2018)" Kritik von "John the Baptist in history and theology (Columbia, South Carolina : The University of South Carolina Press, 2018)" Kritik in "Response to the Respondents (2021)" |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the historical Jesus
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/17455197-19010010 |