The Baptist

By David Anthony

Researchers have discovered a number of Jewish and early Christian sects that were not fully known for thousands of years.

Along with Saducees, Pharisees, and Zealots—which are well-known—Essenes, Mandaeans, and the monastery at Qumran have enriched the understanding of religious communities in the first century.

In this book, you’ll learn about these sects through the eyes of John, who begins an eight-hour walk from Jerusalem to Qumran.

While he’d visited the library in Qumran many times to read the scrolls available only to the Essenes and to hear the teachings handed down from the righteous teacher and other leaders of the desert community, this trip is different.

John had turned away from the Sadducees, who focused their religion on the Torah and the temple. He had also spurned the Pharisees, who built rhetorical shrines to the oral Torah traditions, openly praising their own purity above other Judaic traditions. Even more vehemently, John abhorred the Herodians, who ruled over Judea.

Having reached the age of thirty, his plan is to seek admission to the monastery of Qumran. He does not know when, if ever, he’ll return to Jerusalem.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9781664293854

David Anthony

David Anthony is a three time NPC Masters Bodybuilding Champion, advanced nutrition consultant, personal trainer and Medical Exer-Therapist. David has counseled thousands of clients at all levels of health and age groups, both men and woman, at his well established nutrition and wellness center in central Florida, established in 1995 and he is ready to help you find your way to having the best body and realistic goals for your type of physique. David gives you the right tools to sculpt a new body, and take ownership of "YOU" today!

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Epilogue

CHAPTER 1

The people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marveled that he delayed in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. He continued making signs to them, and remained mute. When the days of his service were fulfilled, he departed to his house. After these days Elizabeth, his wife, conceived, and she hid herself five months, saying, Thus has the Lord done to me in the days in which he looked at me, to take away my reproach among men.

—Luke 1:21–25 (WEB)

It was an eight-hour walk from Jerusalem to Qumran. John rose early to leave before sunrise and travel as far as he could before the afternoon heat became oppressive. He planned to rest during the hottest part of the day and then finish his journey in the cool of the evening. His clothing and a few belongings were bundled together in a pack, which he slung over his shoulder. John stepped into the night air, touching the mezuzah reflexively as he crossed the doorframe and departed.

John walked quietly but with sure footing through the narrow passageways of the city, though the way was only dimly illuminated by occasional oil lamps or torches. He had lived in this small home in a section of worker dwellings, near the southern wall of Jerusalem, ever since his father had died. He knew each step and turn as well as he knew his own features. His dark, curly hair was cut just above his shoulders and framed his round, thickset nose and mouth. He was shorter than his father—just over five feet. His mother had been beloved by all who knew her but had passed when John was twenty-three.

The trip to Qumran was familiar. He had visited the library many times to read the scrolls available only to the Essenes and to hear the teachings handed down from the Righteous Teacher and other leaders of the desert community. This time was different, however. Having reached the age of thirty, John was going to seek admission to the monastery of Qumran. He did not know when, if ever, he would return to Jerusalem. The usual age to enter Qumran was fifty, but he had been offered a place through the recommendation of the Essene community in Jerusalem.

At one time, his father had served as a priest in the Jerusalem Temple—a position that had brought honor to the family. Shortly before John was conceived, Zacharias had experienced some type of illness at the temple, which had left him unable to speak for several days. Zacharias said he had been visited by an angel, who had caused his muteness. Though no one openly doubted his claim, many believed Zacharias had committed some outrage or blasphemy that had caused his condition.

Though John had been eligible for the priesthood, he had chosen to work in the marketplace. He had some knowledge of the cloth trade, so he had become a purveyor of textiles and other goods. Zacharias had scoffed when John announced his intentions to join the Essenes and had adamantly refused to give his blessing. As time passed, Zacharias had refused to speak on the subject, eventually ignoring his only son entirely. One evening, Zacharias had confronted John, exclaiming that he would no longer be welcome in his home if he continued to follow the desert community. Their voices had risen in anger, and John had promised to leave Zacharias’s home in the morning. In the morning, he had awoken to find that Zacharias had died in his sleep. After the Levayah, John had followed his father’s wishes and left his home, never to return.

John’s route brought him very close to the high priest’s house—and to the synagogue known as the Upper Room—before he passed out of the city through the Essene Gate. Many travelers and peddlers were camped along the roadside and around the city walls. The camps were beginning to awaken as the glow of morning pooled among the scattered tents. Three men gathered around a smoking fire, speaking quietly in the brisk air. They nodded silently as John passed, and John returned the casual greeting. As he reached the crest of a small hill, the first direct rays of the sun clearly marked the road before him. He could see the path as it wandered through the hills of Jerusalem before dropping out of sight and into the lower plains, moving toward the Dead Sea. Beyond Qumran, the road turned north, passing by Jericho and the salt-pillar remnants of Sodom’s destruction before reaching the Jordan River.

The fragrant and blossoming hills of Jerusalem drew many herdsmen and shepherds. John watched as they herded their flocks on either side of the road. In a few months, the lambs would be separated, and the clean specimens would be delivered to the shohet for slaughter. Only the rare, unblemished animals would be culled for sacrifice in the temple to meet the requirements for burning blood and flesh or sometimes for consumption by the temple priests, the Kohanim. The Essenes took no part in the temple rites, and John had not visited the temple for several years—which had been another source of strife between him and his father. Zacharias had been committed to the temple and had remained faithful to his temple duties. He made the obligatory offerings of chatat sin offerings as well as the sheheheyanu offerings.

John had turned away from the Sadducees, who focused their religion on the Torah and the temple. He had also spurned the Pharisees, who built rhetorical shrines to the oral Torah traditions, openly praising their own purity above other Judaic traditions. Even more vehemently, John abhorred the Herodians, who ruled over Judea in Rome’s place. Though they kept the title of Jewish kings, they were Romans in all but name. They ate all manner of food—clean and unclean—and led lives of debauchery. Some dared to declare Herod the political messiah and savior of Israel. Against these traditions, John had joined the Essenes, who claimed that God did not dwell in the temple, in lofty rhetoric, or in political palaces. The temple priests had turned away from the line of Aaron and were no longer offered valid sacrifices. A purer sacrifice was performed by faithful Essenes who kept the true line of the high priesthood alive. John knew God lived in the midst of his people and heard the prayers of the true community of believers.

From a young age, John had noticed the Essenes who lived in Jerusalem. They were required to earn a living, so they worked among the other residents. But they kept their religious lives separate. Though they were in the city, they were not of the city. They did not dishonor the temple, except by not participating in the priestly rites. The logical quibbling of the proud Pharisees also did not attract John. The Pharisees wore their self-esteem on their sleeves and in their fine homes.

Most Essenes lived and worshipped in their own homes, though there were several Essene synagogues in the city. Essenes were required to provide shelter and food to other Essenes if they were able. They followed the Sabbath laws, which held that no one could walk more than one thousand cubits from the walls of the city—except herdsmen, who could accompany their animals up to two thousand cubits in search of pasture. They agreed that it was allowed, and even necessary, to save a human life on the Sabbath but taught that it was forbidden to lift a fallen animal out of a pit or deliver an animal from its mother’s uterus.

While working in the market, John had met Jacob, who was a nephew of James—a well-known Essene and one of the Sanhedrin. Jacob and his wife, Athalia, kept an orchard and sold their fruit in the marketplace. At first, John and Jacob would share a few words in passing, but after a few weeks, they began sitting together every day to talk. Jacob was about five years older than John and seemed to take John as his spiritual protégé. For his part, John was curious about the Essenes’ beliefs, which sharply opposed the temple rites. Jacob was happy to share basic information about their faith, although full knowledge of their rituals and beliefs was secreted from outsiders. Admission into the rites of the Essenes was open only to those who had passed through the three-year purification.

Jacob explained that Essenes shared the fruits of their labors, cared for the sick and infirm, and prayed together irrespective of rank or wealth. Their obligations of food purity were stricter than even those of the Sadducees. They did not simply reject the temple and its laws; they surpassed them. To the dismay of the Sadducees and other groups, Essenes said being born Jewish was not enough to be a true follower of Yahweh or to receive his blessings. God could turn a fig seed into a Jew, they proclaimed. The world was inherently evil, and only God’s grace could save his people. Living a holy life of poverty and communal sacrifice was the only path to God’s grace.

Despite disagreements and occasional struggles, Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes, and even Herodians lived together in a tense peace. Their truce held not only in Jerusalem but also in almost every Roman city with a large Jewish population. In his own home, however, John’s pronounced admiration of the Essene teachings had been met with strong resistance from his father. Zacharias had been removed from the priesthood after his public odium, but that had only increased his devotion to the temple. With equal enthusiasm, John had turned his back on the temple and its obscure observances. Though John had ceased participating in any temple rites, he faithfully observed the traditions, prayers, and blessings. Zacharias had remained a strong and domineering figure throughout John’s younger years.

John might have left Jerusalem and joined the Essenes earlier if he had not been needed to help run his father’s business. With a pang of loss, he remembered how Elizabeth’s health had begun to fail. She’d had difficulty walking, and many days, she had been unable to rise from her bed. She had wept frequently and in her sleep had sometimes called out for her cousin Mary. When she passed away, the distance between John and Zacharias grew. They spoke civilly when business matters required it, but John ate his meals alone. He worked with his father, cleaning or making deliveries, but he grew more devoted to his Essene studies, spending more and more time at the Essene meeting houses. His friends in the marketplace playfully mocked John for his frequent visits to the houses of lepers and outcasts.

Shortly after Elizabeth’s passing, John began the purification rites to join the Essene community. The rites of admission were severe. John was required to abstain from any sexual activity for the full three years of his education. As a devout young man, he had remained a virgin, so this test was not as extreme for John as it might have been for others. Applicants who were married were also required to submit to the celibacy period, to purify themselves and prove their commitment to the Essene life. For married men and women, the test was onerous and demanded a commitment from both partners. Male Essenes could divorce their wives, though women could not initiate divorce themselves. Neither party was allowed to remarry, however. For this reason, Essene women’s dowries were set aside. If their husbands divorced them, their dowry was returned, so that they would have means to support themselves.

For the first year, John was excluded from the religious life of the community. The purification rites were tied intimately to the Essene food purity laws, which meant no proselyte was allowed to share a meal in an Essene home. After the first year, John was allowed to participate in some minor religious ceremonies but was still forbidden to eat or drink with the Essenes. After his second year, he was allowed to share in communal meals but was still forbidden to drink any liquid reserved for Essenes or to touch any Essene drinking vessels. The Essenes strictly followed the Jewish dietary laws. Food was declared impure when contaminated by unclean matter the size of an egg, but even a blemish of impurity would contaminate any liquid, making it unfit for consumption. This state of impurity was transferred to novices, as well as full members of the Essenes who had become ritually impure. The impure were forced to live on the outskirts of the community, until they had been declared pure by the Essene priests. By these rules, newcomers were not allowed to share fully in the community’s meals and religious life until after they were fully sanctified by the high priest’s blessing or by his proxy. After many trials, John had been honored to be welcomed by the Essenes.

CHAPTER 2

The sun rose, and its full majesty shone directly in John’s eyes. He kept a steady pace, keeping his eyes down or glancing askance at the brightly lit road before him. After leaving the city walls behind, he saw few travelers on the road. Qumran was not a large settlement, but rather home to about two hundred permanent residents. The Essene communities in Jerusalem and other cities were open to men, women, and children, but Qumran was almost exclusively male. The community had been founded by the Teacher of Righteousness, who had led his followers to Qumran long ago. The Righteous One had battled the Wicked Priest in Jerusalem and then the Man of Lies in Qumran, finally creating the new way. He and the elders stressed celibacy and the forfeiture of wealth as keys to holiness.

While Essenes in cities usually kept private households, Qumran was communal. Most members lived in shared housing in and around the compound, as well as in tents and in nearby caves. Each male resident performed labor to serve the group as was suited to his abilities. The community kept a shared purse, and each person gave up his personal wealth or belongings—or at least made a public display of doing so. After the passing of the Righteous Teacher, Qumran had become a library and retreat for Essenes everywhere. The Essenes living in Jerusalem and other cities far surpassed the members of Qumran in number. The larger Essene centers rejected the extreme asceticism of Qumran but upheld the ritual purity within their families and communities.

Because young men lusted after the pleasures of flesh and lucre, they were seldom accepted into the Qumran community. John had shown himself to be a spiritual adept, and the leaders of the Jerusalem community had unanimously recommended him for acceptance. Non-Essenes were obligated to complete the three-year purification before entering the brotherhood and then had to follow an even more strenuous inculcation prior to being accepted as a full member of Qumran. John had completed his purification and now faced the more rigorous discipline shared by those who were admitted into the desert community.

After walking for two hours, John stopped to rest, sitting on a boulder near the road. He offered a silent prayer before eating a few figs and drinking from his waterskin. The sun had risen to the first ternary, and its heat was pronounced. In Jerusalem, there was usually a slight breeze in the hills, but each step on the downhill road to Qumran seemed to amplify the sun’s vehemence. The Dead Sea was the bottom of the world. Water from the surrounding hills flowed into the sea, but no water flowed out. The Arnon River, Nahal Dragot, and other streams carried the runoff of infrequent storms, but the Jordan River was the main source of water to the Dead Sea. The Jordan River began in the Hula Valley to the north, where three rivers united and flowed south to the Sea of Galilee. The Jordan then exited the Galilee and continued south to the Dead Sea. Although the Jordan River was fruitful and home to a variety of fish, such as Capocta and Cyprinodon, the Dead Sea was lifeless. Water flowing into the sea had no escape, and evaporation increased the salt content of the lake, making it sterile.

After a few moments’ rest, John moved back to the road. He remembered the teachings of Ezekiel, who had said that God would one day heal the Dead Sea, and the prophet Zechariah, who had said that the flowing waters of Jerusalem would descend and redeem the sea. Those prophecies had yet to be enacted. Though lifeless, the Dead Sea was a major feature in the life of Israel. Many people thought the sea was a source of healing. The despised King Herod had built a famous resort for healing on its shores. Sometimes known as Herod the Great, he had been the father of the current ruler, Herod Antipas. Both rulers gathered persimmon from the seaside town of Ein Gedi, which was sent as a fragrant incense for the temple rites. John’s father had performed the purifying ritual of incense many times in the past. The Dead Sea was also bordered by the ancient cities of Jericho and Sodom in the western hills of the Dead Sea. The tower of Masada commanded the southern shore, and the former Maccabean fortress of Machaerus guarded the eastern approach.

As a child, John had once visited Machaerus. Herod kept a royal home in the fortress and also maintained a mikveh, a bath for ritual purification. The mikveh had needed repair, and Zacharias had been appointed to bless the installation of the new accoutrement. Though John had been only twelve at the time, he had accompanied his father on the trip. As part of the priestly entourage, Zacharias and John had traveled in comfort and were even allowed to dine with Herod on one occasion. Zacharias cautioned John to show deference to the king and all members of the royal court. Herod was capricious, and if he perceived any insult, his wrath could be quick and severe. As the representative of Rome and the king of Israel, Herod was honored by the Sadducees and temple priests, though in private they might condemn his lifestyle.

For John, Machaerus had become a symbol of Hellenistic and Roman domination. The descendants of Judas Maccabeus, sometimes known as the Hasmonean kings, had overseen several decades of Jewish self-rule. But they had delivered only a short summer between long winters of occupation and oppression. Judas and his brothers won political and religious autonomy from the Seleucids, but internal power struggles weakened the Hasmonean dynasty, opening the door for Roman domination. Judas’s victory was enshrined in Jewish tradition with the celebration of Hanukkah, though few people living saw any royal leader capable of liberating Israel from foreign occupation. The brothers of Judas had been drawn to Hellenism and spawned the Wicked Priest who had battled the Teacher of Righteousness.

The Teacher of Righteousness had been the true high priest of Jerusalem and had gathered his followers and declared Qumran as the pure temple until Jerusalem could be purified. The Wicked Priest, the false high priest, had marched with his army to Qumran, intending to assassinate the Teacher of Righteousness. Allies in Jerusalem warned Qumran of the danger, and the people there departed before the axe could fall. They removed themselves to Damascus, where the first of the Qumran texts was written. After several decades they were able to return to Qumran, and the Damascus text remained one of the most revered testaments among the faithful. The Jerusalem priests took the name of Herod,