Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

THE MISSION OF JESUS
§11.2
equivalent objective in his birth narrative (Luke 1.16-17). 74 It was clearly important
among the earliest Christian communities that John's widely recognized role
as a prophet should be seen to accord with the significance attributed to Jesus.
The tradition is related as from the perspective of Jesus and assumes his dominant
role. But in apologetic terms an initial concern was probably that Jesus
should benefit from the high regard in which John was more widely held in circles
beyond that of Jesus' disciples.
The same concern is accentuated in the Fourth Gospel, where the subordination
of John to Jesus is firmly marked: John was merely a witness, but a witness
par excellence to Jesus. 75 If some polemic is also evident in the Fourth Evangelist's
treatment of John, against continuing circles of Baptist disciples, 76 that simply
confirms the weight of John's wider influence and the importance that must
have been perceived from earliest days in Christian circles of being able to demonstrate
how the relation between John and Jesus worked in favour of Jesus.
The point can be pressed a little more. In view of the later embarrassment
regarding Jesus' relationship with John, it is impossible to think that the implied
influence of John on Jesus entered the tradition at a late stage. That influence, at
least in terms of Jesus' baptism by John and Jesus' emergence from the circle
round John, must belong to bedrock historicity. ;
In contrast, we may note that the Jesus/John theme is almost wholly lacking
in the Gospel of Thomas. The sole remnants are GTh 46 and 78:
Q7.28
I tell you,
among those born of women there has not arisen
one greater than John;
but he who is least
in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
Q 7.24-25
Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning
John. 'What did vou go out into the wilderness
to look at? A reed shaken bv the wind? What
then did vou go out to see? A man clothed in soft
clothing? Behold those who are
gorgeously apparelled and live in luxury are in
royal palaces'.
GTh 46
Jesus said, 'From Adam until John the Baptist,
among those born of women, there is none
greater than John the Bantist that his eves
should not be lowered (before him). But I have
said, whoever among you becomes a child will
know the kingdom and will be greater than John.
GTh 78
Whv did vou eo out into the countryside?
To see a reed shaken bv the wind?
And to see a man clothed in soft
clothing (like your) kings and great ones? They
are clothed in soft clothing, and they are unable to
discern the truth.
74. There is probably an allusion to Mai. 4.6 (cf. Sir. 48.10) in Luke 1.16.
75. John 1.6-9, 15, 19-36; 3.25-30; 5.33-36. Note the heavy emphasis on the 'witness'
motif (1.7-8, 15, 19, 32, 34; 3.26, 28; 5.33-34, 36), particularly the triple confession of 1.20. As
Wink observes, the Fourth Evangelist has narrowed the role of John to that of witness-bearer,
but has also increased the focus on that role, 'the ideal witness to Christ' {John the Baptist 87-
106, here 105).
76. As suggested above, n. 57.
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