52 Dimensions of Baptism
point of Joshua's monument is that it attests to the might (laxupd) of the
hand of the Lord. This detail may be hinted at in John's promise that after
him comes one 'mightier' (ioxvpoxepos) than he (Mk 1.7 = Mt. 3.11 =
Lk.3.16).
The stone symbolism reappears in the Elijah narrative: 'Elijah took
twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob,
to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, "Israel shall be your name";
and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord' (1 Kgs 18.31).
In fact, later eschatological speculation links Elijah to the restoration of
the tribes. According to Yeshua ben Sira, who is praising the prophet:(^9) You who were taken up by a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with horses of
fire;^10 you who are ready at the appointed time, it is written, to calm the
wrath of God before it breaks out in fury, to turn (eTnaxpe^cxi) the heart of
the father to the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob. (Sir 48.9-10)
Thus, the Joshua themes of crossing the Jordan River and of twelve sym-
bolic stones that commemorate the event have been taken up in the
tradition of Elijah, both in ancient Scripture, as seen in Kings, and in later
intertestamental Scripture, as seen in Sirach. We find that this constellation
of tradition in John's ministry of baptism, which is located at the Jordan
River, involves 'these stones' and anticipates the coming of a 'mightier
one'.
In view of the parallels that thus far have been considered, the con-
clusion seems unavoidable that in all probability John's Jordan-related
ministry was consciously typological, intending to symbolize a new era of
national restoration and redemption. As it was at the time of the nation's
first crossing into the Promised Land under Joshua, or at the time of
apostasy and crisis when Elijah stood alone, so now all Israel was sum-
moned to the Jordan to be reminded of this sacred past and the fearful
judgment that was soon to come. The specific content of John's message
will be clarified by taking into account its prophetic imagery.
- O. Betz thinks John' s reference to 'these stones' (Mt. 3.9 = Lk. 3.8) anticipates
the human stones that will constitute a living temple that will replace the temple made
of stones; cf. O. Betz, 'Was John the Baptist an Essene?', in H. Shanks (ed.),
Understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls: A Reader from the Biblical Archaeology Review
(New York: Random House, 1992), pp. 205-14 (211-12). This line of interpretation is
very doubtful. The Baptist's utterance may very well have contributed to the later idea
of the Christian community as a living temple (e.g. as seen in 1 Pet. 2.5), but there is
insufficient evidence of this idea in John's teaching and activity.