I agree, spin, that Christian baptism is an initiation ritual. As I already said above:
"...there is some variety in baptism initiation within Christianity...."
And, yes, Judaism has other means of initiation ritual.
Two agreements.
A third agreement: that the Qumran-view Teacher of Righteousness and the Wicked Priest lived before the first century of the common era. (As detailed in my publication, "Qumran-Related History: Contemporaries Jannaeus, Absalom, and Judah the Essene" in the Jodi Magness Festschrift, Pushing Sacred Boundaries... [Brill, 2023] 310-325.)
But, I notice that in this thread you, spin, rely without reserve on Josephus reporting on John the Baptist. OK.
1) When Josephus wrote Antiquities, people in Rome were more interested in Jesus. If Josephus reported on John, how much more so, on Jesus.
2) Origen knew Antiquities 18 and that Josephus was not a Christian, but that Josephus knew of Jesus.
3) Greek, Latin, Syriac, and Arabic texts of Antiquities demonstrate textual instability exactly relevant to Antiquities and Jesus.
4) In your view it is impossible to break your interpretation of anaphora, though, in fact, there it is (unless not broken by another example or digression, Josephus not having gotten and obeyed your memo).
"...there is some variety in baptism initiation within Christianity...."
And, yes, Judaism has other means of initiation ritual.
Two agreements.
A third agreement: that the Qumran-view Teacher of Righteousness and the Wicked Priest lived before the first century of the common era. (As detailed in my publication, "Qumran-Related History: Contemporaries Jannaeus, Absalom, and Judah the Essene" in the Jodi Magness Festschrift, Pushing Sacred Boundaries... [Brill, 2023] 310-325.)
But, I notice that in this thread you, spin, rely without reserve on Josephus reporting on John the Baptist. OK.
1) When Josephus wrote Antiquities, people in Rome were more interested in Jesus. If Josephus reported on John, how much more so, on Jesus.
2) Origen knew Antiquities 18 and that Josephus was not a Christian, but that Josephus knew of Jesus.
3) Greek, Latin, Syriac, and Arabic texts of Antiquities demonstrate textual instability exactly relevant to Antiquities and Jesus.
4) In your view it is impossible to break your interpretation of anaphora, though, in fact, there it is (unless not broken by another example or digression, Josephus not having gotten and obeyed your memo).
Statistics: Posted by StephenGoranson — Fri Nov 15, 2024 3:22 am