Ep. 40: New Wine

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MATTHEW 9:14-17, MARK 2:18-22, LUKE 5:33-39

The scene has changed and the Baptist has become the prisoner of Herod Antipas. There were three reasons for this. According to Josephus, the Tetrarch was afraid that John’s absolute influence over the people, who seemed disposed to carry out whatever he advised, might lead to a rebellion. This is suggested by the remark of Matthew that Herod was afraid to put the Baptist to death on account of the people’s opinion of him. On the other hand, the statement that Herod had imprisoned John on account of his declaring his marriage with Herodias unlawful, is consistent also with Josephus. Both motives were relevant, but there is an obvious connection between them.

There is a possibility of a third cause that led to John’s imprisonment. The Pharisees may have used Antipas as their tool and worked upon his superstitions to aid their own purposes. The reference to the Pharisee's spying, which led to the withdrawal of Jesus into Galilee, seems to imply that the Pharisees had something to do with the imprisonment of John.

This is an extract from the book, Jesus : Life and Times, available for £10 here (Finalist for Academic Book of the year at 2023 CRT awards)