Bible Question (short): Pharisee expectations on baptism |
Question (full): John 1:24,25 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. The asked him and said to him, "Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" Anybody know what the connection in their thinking was? Apparently they had some understanding of baptism in which any of these three figures were expected to be doing this but nobody else. Why did they see Baptism as some extremely authority oriented event? What in the old testament might have shaped this view? Or perhaps do you know any of the Jewish tradtion at that time that might explain it? In Christ, Beja |