Volume 2

24 Life of Jesus Christ
followed Jesus of their own accord.
John's place of baptism was daily becoming less frequented,
and many more of his disciples would have gone
over to Jesus, had they not been prevented by some
others, pertinacious characters, who took it hard that so
many of his disciples abandoned John. They complained
to hinl about it, saying that Jesus had no right to baptize
in those parts, that He was encroaching upon John's privilege,
etc. John had some difficulty in convincing them to
the contrary. He told them that they should call to mind
his words and how he had always foretold what was now
happening. He repeated that his duty was only to prepare
the way, which done, he was to desist entirely from the
work, and that that would be soon, since the way was
almost prepared. But his disciples were greatly attached
to him and they would not understand his words. Jesus'
baptismal place was already so crowded that He told His
disciples they should on the morrow move further down
the river.
With about twenty companions, among them Andrew,
Saturnin, Aram, and Themeni, Jesus left Bethabara and
went over the Jordan at the usual crossing place where
the passage was easy. Leaving Gilgal on the right, He
went to a very densely settled place called Ophra, situated
in a narrow nl0untain valley. Hither flocked the
merchants from the regions beyond Sodom and Gomorrha.
With their camels laden with merchandise they
passed to the east side of the Jordan, where they were
baptized by John. There was at this place a byway leading
from Judea to the Jordan. Ophra was in many
respects quite forgotten. It was between three and four
hours from John's place of baptism, not quite so far from
Jericho, and from Jerusalem about seven hours. It was
not exposed to the influence of the sun; consequently,
though well built, it was cold. The inhabitants were made
up of merchants, publicans, and smugglers. They were