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Was Jesus Ever a Disciple of John the Baptist? a Historical Study

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Was Jesus Ever a Disciple of John the Baptist? a Historical Study Was Jesus Ever a Disciple of John the Baptist? A Historical Study Max Aplin Ph.D. The University of Edinburgh 2011 Declaration I hereby declare that I have composed this thesis, the work is my own, and that this work has not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. ii Abstract This study asks if the historical Jesus was ever a disciple of John the Baptist, where by ‘disciple’ is meant someone who would have been in a close personal relationship to John as their leader and teacher, and who would have spent considerable time in his presence. The current majority view of scholars is that Jesus is likely to have been John’s disciple at some time before beginning his own ministry (and in the opinion of some, during the early part of his ministry too). However, this study argues that, although we cannot be sure, he is actually unlikely to have chosen to submit himself to John in this way. Reasons are provided for believing that, even early in his ministry, Jesus had a profound confidence in his (sometimes distinctive) beliefs across a range of religious issues, including those beliefs that had to do with his own extremely important place in God’s plan. It is argued too that if Jesus was ever John’s disciple, he would very probably have to have first become his disciple no more than a matter of months before beginning his own ministry. The shortness of the time in which his confidence in his religious beliefs could have developed means that, during the period in which any potential discipleship would have begun, it is probable that Jesus had at least a fairly deep assurance about what he believed in religious matters, including what he believed concerning his own crucial place in God’s plan. This assurance makes it unlikely that he would have wished to become John’s disciple. Further – related – reasons for thinking that Jesus’ discipleship is historically unlikely are also provided. These are (a) that Jesus may well have had a spiritual experience at the time of his baptism (before any discipleship could have occurred), something that would not have cohered well with a decision then to become John’s disciple; and (b) that Jesus may have spent time alone in the wilderness very soon after his baptism. In addition to presenting these arguments against Jesus’ discipleship, most of the study involves detailed examination of the most cogent arguments that have been used to support the view that Jesus was once John’s disciple. It finds that even the strongest of these are relatively weak. iii Contents Abbreviations . vi 1. Introduction . 1 1.1 The goal of this study . 1 1.2 Sources . 5 1.3 Methodology . 14 1.4 The conclusion that will be reached . 19 2. John’s Disciples . 21 2.1 Discipleship in John’s day . 21 2.2 What we mean by John’s disciples . 26 2.3 Did John have disciples? . 28 2.4 Characteristics of John’s disciples . 30 2.5 Summary . 37 3. Research So Far and the Contributions of this Study . 39 3.1 Topics that will not be examined in later chapters . 43 3.2 Topics that will be examined in later chapters . 65 4. Jesus’ Confidence about Religious Matters . 69 4.1 Chronological issues . 69 4.2 Jesus’ confidence about religious matters during his ministry . 83 4.3 Jesus’ confidence about religious matters soon before his ministry . 105 4.4 Jesus’ baptism by John . 107 4.5 Jesus’ time in the wilderness . 115 4.6 Conclusion . 121 5. The Fourth Gospel . 123 5.1 Opponents of the Fourth Gospel with an interest in John . 124 5.2 Jesus’ debut appearance in John’s vicinity . 129 5.3 The transfer of disciples from John to Jesus . 132 5.4 John 3.26b . 140 5.5 John 3.30 . 141 5.6 Conclusion . 143 6. Jesus Baptising . 144 iv 6.1 Did Jesus baptise? . 145 6.2 For how long did Jesus baptise? . 169 6.3 Did Jesus perform John’s rite of baptism? . 172 6.4 Would Jesus’ performance of John’s baptism suggest discipleship? . 180 6.5 Conclusion . 187 7. The One Coming after John . 188 7.1 Texts and translations . 189 7.2 Preliminary considerations . 191 7.3 The sense of the logion in the text of the NT and in Q . 193 7.4 Is the logion authentic? . 204 7.5 The original sense of the logion . 212 7.6 Conclusion . 219 8. Matthew 11.11 // Luke 7.28 . 220 8.1 Texts . 222 8.2 Is the logion authentic? . 224 8.3 The interpretation of the logion . 226 8.4 Dibelius’ exegesis does not necessarily imply Jesus’ discipleship . 238 8.5 Conclusion . 241 9. Conclusion . 242 Bibliography . 248 v Abbreviations ABC Anchor Bible Commentary ABD D. N. Freedman et al., eds., The Anchor Bible Dictionary (6 vols.; New York: Doubleday, 1992) ABRL Anchor Bible Reference Library ANRW H. Temporini & W. Haase, eds., Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt (multiple vols.; Berlin: de Gruyter, 1972-1997) Ant. Antiquities ATANT Abhandlungen zur Theologie des Alten und Neuen Testaments AYBRL Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library A.Z. Abodah Zarah b. Babylonian Talmud tractate BAC Bible in Ancient Christianity BAR Biblical Archaeology Review BB Biblische Bücher BBR Bulletin for Biblical Research BCE Before the Christian/Common Era BCR Biblioteca di cultura religiosa BDAG Walter Bauer, F. W. Danker, W. F. Arndt & F. W. Gingrich. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd edn. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2000 (based on Kurt & Barbara Aland, eds., Walter Bauer’s Griechisch- deutsches Wörterbuch zu den Schriften des neuen Testament und der frühchristlichen Literatur, 6th edn. [1988]) BDB Francis Brown, S. R. Driver & Charles A. Briggs. Hebrew and English Lexicon (based on the lexicon of William Gesenius). Peabody, MA.: Hendrickson, 2001. BDF F. Blass, A. Debrunner & Robert W. Funk. A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1961. BECNT Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament Ber. Berakhot BG Biblische Gestalten Bib Biblica BNTC Black’s New Testament Commentary BibS(N) Biblische Studien (Neukirchen) BTB Biblical Theology Bulletin BTS Biblical Tools and Studies BWANT Beiträge zur Wissenschaft vom Alten und Neuen Testament BZ Biblische Zeitschrift BZNWKAK Beiheft zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche ConBNT Coniectanea Biblica New Testament Series CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly CE Christian/Common Era CEP Contemporary Evangelical Perspectives vi ChrCent Christian Century CNT Commentaire du Nouveau Testament COL Christian Origins Library ConNT Coniectanea neotestamentica CurTM Currents in Theology and Mission CV Communio viatorum DJG J. B. Green, S. McKnight & I. H. Marshall, eds., Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1992) ed(s). editor(s) edn. edition EKKNT Evangelisch-katholischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament ET English translation ETR Etudes théologiques et religieuses EvQ Evangelical Quarterly ExpTim Expository Times ff. and the following (verses) FFRS Foundations and Facets Reference Series FO Folia orientalia FRLANT Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments HTKNT Herders theologischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament HTKNTSup Herders theologischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament Supplement Series ICC International Critical Commentary IDB G. A. Buttrick, ed., Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (4 vols.; Nashville: Abingdon, 1962) IDBSup K. Crim et al., eds., Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Supplementary Volume. (Nashville: Abingdon, 1976) Int Interpretation JApplPsychol Journal of Applied Psychology JBL Journal of Biblical Literature JCTCRS Jewish and Christian Texts in Contexts and Related Studies JSHJ Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus JSJSup Journal for the Study of Judaism Supplement Series JSNT Journal for the Study of the New Testament JSNTSup Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series JSocPsychol Journal of Social Psychology JSP Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha JSSR Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion JTI Journal of Theological Interpretation JTS Journal of Theological Studies KEKNT Kritisch-exegetischer Kommentar über das Neue Testament Ket. Ketubot LCL Loeb Classical Library LNTS Library of New Testament Studies LXX Septuagint m. Mishnah tractate MS(S) manuscript(s) vii MT Masoretic Text NTAbh Neutestamentliche Abhandlungen NAC New American Commentary NCBC New Century Bible Commentary Nestle-Aland Eberhard & Erwin Nestle, Barbara & Kurt Aland et al., eds. Novum Testamentum Graece, 27th edn. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1993 NIBC New International Biblical Commentary. NICNT New International Commentary on the New Testament NIGTC New International Greek Testament Commentary NIDNTT C. Brown et al., eds., New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, revised edn. (4 vols.; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986) NovT Novum Testamentum NovTSup Novum Testamentum Supplement Series NT New Testament NTL New Testament Library NTOA Novum Testamentum et Orbis Antiquus NTS New Testament Studies NTTS New Testament Tools and Studies OBO Orbis biblicus et orientalis OBS Oxford Bible Series ÖBS Österreichische Biblische Studien OCD S. Hornblower & A. J. S. Spawforth, eds., The Oxford Classical Dictionary, 3rd edn. (Oxford: Oxford University, 1999) OT Old Testament par(s). and parallel(s) PG J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae Graecae (multiple vols.; Paris: Garnier, 1857-1891) PL J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae Latinae (multiple vols.; Paris: Garnier, 1879-1890) PTS Paderborner Theologische Studien RB Revue Biblique ResQ Restoration Quarterly SAC Studies in Antiquity and Christianity Sanh. Sanhedrin SBLDS Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series SBLMS Society of Biblical Literature Monograph Series SBLSPS Society of Biblical Literature Seminar Papers Series SBLSymS Society of Biblical Literature Symposium Series SBT Studies in Biblical Theology SCJ Studies in Christianity and Judaism SHJ Studying the Historical Jesus SNTSMS Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series SPIB Scripta Pontificii Instituti Biblici StudNeot Studia Neotestamentica Taan.
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