Subject: Was John the Baptist a Priest? |
Bible Note: Pete23, John was of priestly lineage because Luke 1:5 identifies his father as a priest. But if I understand the text and the Jewish religious culture correctly, John would not have been viewed as a priest. The function of a priest would have been something he had to step into at the appropriate age. In contrast we are told in Luke 1:80 that John remained in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel, which would have been when he began preaching repentance and baptizing. This staying in the wilderness is most likely where the notion of him being an Essene came from. Regardless, at no point did he accept priesthood functionally and this would have been determinative to the Jews in answering the question, "Was John a priest?" In Christ, Beja |