EVANS The Baptism of John in a Typological Context 61
programmatically linked in the Baptizer's instruction. How much of this
instruction was adopted by Jesus and his following will be explored next.
Baptist Influences in the Teaching and Activity of Jesus
What, if any, of the features observed in John's ministry carry over into
Jesus' ministry? There are at least seven that suggest themselves: (1) bap-
tizing, (2) calls for repentance and the promise of the forgiveness of sins,
(3) identification of John with Elijah, (4) identification as the 'stronger'
one promised by John, (5) strict view on divorce and remarriage, (6)warnings of fiery judgment, and (7) restorative symbolism as seen in the
appointment of twelve apostles. The last element, which for the purposes
of the present study is the most important, will be given greater treatment.- Baptizing. According to Jn 3.22, Jesus and his disciples also baptized
people (cf. 3.26; 4.2). Although we cannot be certain, this Johannine tradi-
tion is probably historical.^23 If so, then we have clear evidence of continu-
ity between John and Jesus. We have no reason to understand Jesus'
ministry of baptism as in any way significantly different from John's.^24- Calls for repentance and the promise of the forgiveness of sins.
John's ministry, at least in reference to his location at the Jordan River, is
described as a 'baptism of repentance' (fkxirnoiia (JExavoias eis cereal v
anapTicov; cf. Mk 1.4).^25 In the Q tradition John is remembered to have
demanded: 'Bear fruit that befits repentance' (Mt. 3.8 = Lk. 3.8); and to
have explained: 'I baptize you with water for repentance' (Mt. 3.11= Lk.
3.16, but without 'for repentance'). So John's ministry was remembered in - On the general question of the historicity of Jn 3.22-30, see C.H. Dodd, His-
torical Tradition in the Fourth Gospel (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1963), pp. 279-87; and more recently R.T. France, 'Jesus the Baptist?', in J.B. Green
and M. Turner (eds.), Jesus of Nazareth: Lord and Christ: Essays on the Historical
Jesus and New Testament Christology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994), pp. 94-111. - On the nature of Jesus' ministry of baptism, see Meier, A Marginal Jew, pp.
120-30; Brown, The Gospel according to John, II, p. 151: 'It is baptism like that of
John the Baptist'. See also Schnackenburg, The Gospel according to St John, I, pp.
410-12, esp. 411: 'The baptism of those who came to Jesus is not improbable in the
context of the movement launched by John, whose example Jesus may have followed.' - In exactly what way the phrase sis a
eoiv apapTicov qualifies ^duT\o\ia
IJETavoias is not easily decided. On this question, see S.E. Porter, 'Mark 1.4, Baptism
and Translation', in S.E. Porter and A.R. Cross (eds.), Baptism, the New Testament and
the Church: Historical and Contemporary Studies in Honour ofR.E. O. White (JSNTSup,
171; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999), pp. 81-98.