Subject: Baptism in Galilee

From: Charles Miller <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 1995 15:17:51 -0700 (MST)

I am doing research on baptism "movements" in Galilee during the 3rd 
cent. BCE to 1st cent. CE. I have collected various textual evidence for 
the existence of these movements.

The texts include: Sybilline Oracles 3 & 4; Qumran texts; Josephus; the 
NT; and references to Ebionites and Elechasaites in Epiphanius. The 
question I have is: Joseph Thomas talks about movements; Robert Webb 
talks about movements; but what kind of evidence do we have of the actual 
practice of baptism in this time? Does the evidence point to Mesopotamian 
influences? or is the phenomenon indigenous?

The big question is: what did baptism mean? the same thing for all of 
them? or different things? Compare, for example, what Robert Webb says 
about baptism and its significance in Qumran (basically as a means of 
maintaining cultic purity) and what r. Gray says (maintaining purity in 
order to be able to prophesy). And what does this have to do with Bannus 
or John the Baptist?

Another question is: what relationship does baptism have to do with 
apocalyptic, in the sense of a religious world view?

Charles David Miller		| Reality is not limited to the familiar,
University of New Mexico	| the commonplace, for it consists in huge
(505) 867-1892			| part of a latent, as yet unspoken future
				| Word. -- F. Dostoevskey, _Notebooks_