Israeli cave linked to John the Baptist

MSNBC ^ | Aug. 16, 2004

[Between the Lines]

Archaeologists said Monday they have found a cave where they believe John the Baptist anointed many of his disciples - a huge cistern with 28 steps leading to an underground pool of water.

During an exclusive tour of the cave by The Associated Press, archaeologists presented wall carvings they said tell the story of the fiery New Testament preacher, as well as a stone they believe was used for ceremonial foot washing.

They also pulled about 250,000 pottery shards from the cave, the apparent remnants of small water jugs used in baptismal ritual.

"John the Baptist, who was just a figure from the Gospels, now comes to life," said British archaeologist Shimon Gibson, who supervised the dig outside Jerusalem.

Others see no real proof

However, others said there was no proof that John the Baptist ever set foot in the cave, about 2½ miles (4 kilometers) from Ein Kerem, the preacher's hometown and now part of Jerusalem.

"Unfortunately, we didn't find any inscriptions," said James Tabor, a religious studies professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Tabor and his students have participated in the excavations.

Both Tabor and Gibson said it was very likely that the wall carvings, including one showing a man with a staff and wearing animal skin, told the story of John the Baptist. The carvings stem from the Byzantine period and apparently were made by monks in the fourth or fifth century.

[HarleyD]

I thought John did his baptizing in the wilderness, not a cave.

[xzins]

Both Tabor and Gibson said it was very likely that the wall carvings, including one showing a man with a staff and wearing animal skin, told the story of John the Baptist. The carvings stem from the Byzantine period and apparently were made by monks in the fourth or fifth century.

Circumstantial evidence?
Gibson said he believed the monks commemorated John at a site linked to him by local tradition.

Gibson said the carvings, the foot-washing stone and other finds, taken together with the proximity of John’s hometown, constituted strong circumstantial evidence that the cave was used by John.

[good_fight]

It also may be possible that this cave was used by followers of John the Baptist and was never visited by him (or Jesus). The Gospel account seems to indicate that John ceded his ministry to Jesus with his acknowledgment that "it is you who should be baptizing me", but not all of John's followers might have accepted that. It is quite possible that many followed the practices established by John for a number of generations after his death.

The image we get from the Gospels is a "voice crying in the wilderness"; a man who baptized in natural bodies of water (especially the Jordan River)in the open air, and showed scant concern for physical appearances or ritual objects. There's a spontaneous feel to his ministry.

But it is entirely possible that his followers -- as followers are wont to do -- created a more formalized liturgy consistent with their understanding of the Baptist's ministry and practices.

Even if the discovers may have overstated their case somewhat, this is nonetheless a spectacular find and one I hope reawakens interest in the Gospel accounts of John's ministry and its fulfillment in the life, death, and resurrection of Our Lord.

[wagglebee]

I was always taught that Jesus at least was baptized in the Jordan River, and that John the Baptist lived in a cave eating locusts.

On the other hand, I was surprised that MSNBC didn't refer to the entire Christian tradition as a myth.

[rudyrudy]

Maybe the cave was in the wilderness........

[xzins]

What is often forgotten is that John is the firstborn son of a priest in addition to being a prophet.

There were many religious ceremonial prerogatives open to him.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks for the ping. There's not really any way to prove that he used it, in fact there's hardly any imaginable way it could be proved (short of having his mummified remains and ancient DNA samples at this site in the article), but as you said, strong circumstantial evidence. The Byzantines were not pros though, and IMHO screwed up the sites of the Cities of the Plain, among other things.

[SunkenCiv]

similar, somewhat older thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1192539/posts

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

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