IS MARK COMPARING JOHN THE BAPTIST TO JOSIAH? =

[Beverly Devry-Smith]

-Mark 1:5= (of John the Baptist:) "There went forth unto him [προς αυτον] all [πασα] the region of Judea [η ιουδαια] and those [οι] in Jerusalem."
-2Kings 23:1-2= "The king (=Josiah) ... brought together to him [προς αυτον] ... all the men of Judah [πας ιουδα] and all those [οι] living in Jerusalem."
-Mark 6:29 = John's disciples appear and "bear" him away to "entomb" his "corpse."
(compare Josiah's burial=)
-2Kings 23:30 = (after Josiah's untimely death outside of the capitol:) "His servants carried him dead from Megiddo to Jerusalem and entombed him..."
=So is John's baptizing activity meant somehow to be an inverse parallel—equivalent to Josiah's reading of the lost Torah scroll and then instituting reform? Instead of (like Josiah) incincerating by fire idolatrous items (the sacred grove etc) in the Kidron plain, John immerses with water the repentant in the Jordan river. However subtle or slight the references, the gospel author Mark appears to paint with some Josianic coloring both John's introduction and his demise.

[MrMacSon]

Much of the story called the Gospel of Mark follows the story of Elijah and Elisha from 1 and 2 Kings ... For anyone seeking to understand the Gospels, I strongly recommend reading the entire books of 1 and 2 Kings.

... In the Gospel called Mark, John the Baptist represents Elijah. Knowing this is important for understanding the story. How are readers supposed to know that John the Baptist represents Elijah in the story? Readers are told this at the very beginning of the story through the use of literary allusion. In fact, readers are clued in to the fact that the story will parallel much of 1 and 2 Kings right from the beginning. The author uses an implicit reference to the Hebrew scriptures when the author describes the character of John the Baptist.

Mark 1:
4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.

Mark 1:6 refers to 2 Kings 1:8, which provides a description of Elijah.

2 Kings 1:
8 They replied, “He was a man with a garment of hair and with a leather belt around his waist.” The king said, “That was Elijah the Tishbite.”

This description of John the Baptist as a man “clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist” is the only way that the reader can figure out that John the Baptist is Elijah. In order to figure that out, the reader has to recognize this literary allusion and know that it describes Elijah. To an audience of Jews who grew up listening to stories about Elijah, this probably wouldn’t have been difficult. But what is important is that it’s clear that the reader is supposed to be aware of the literary allusion, because the author makes use of information from it later in the story.

Price, R.G. Deciphering the Gospels: Proves Jesus Never Existed (Kindle Locations 300-304; 316-334). Lulu Publishing Services.

[neilgodfrey]

-Mark 1:5= (of John the Baptist:) "There went forth unto him [προς αυτον] all [πασα] the region of Judea [η ιουδαια] and those [οι] in Jerusalem."
-2Kings 23:1-2= "The king (=Josiah) ... brought together to him [προς αυτον] ... all the men of Judah [πας ιουδα] and all those [οι] living in Jerusalem."
-Mark 6:29 = John's disciples appear and "bear" him away to "entomb" his "corpse."
(compare Josiah's burial=)
-2Kings 23:30 = (after Josiah's untimely death outside of the capitol:) "His servants carried him dead from Megiddo to Jerusalem and entombed him..."

. . . . However subtle or slight the references, the gospel author Mark appears to paint with some Josianic coloring both John's introduction and his demise.

It does look like an intriguing possibility.