03-30-2014, 03:10 PM
Greg, the reason I probably lean towards the opposite side of your argument is that it appears to me, by overall context, that some Judeans sent out Pharisee priests and Levites to see JB, not JB going to see the Pharisees; at least in the gospel of John. And in what appears to be the parallel account in Matthew, it states that Jerusalem and all of Judea, Pharisees and Sadducees, were going out to see JB, to be baptized by him at the Jordan River; not JB going anywhere near Jerusalem. And it was at this time also, in Matthew, that Yeshua came all the way from Galilee to be baptized by JB.
Perhaps on your side of the argument is the fact that there doesn't seem to be any historical evidence for a second Bethany near the Jordan River.
In the end, I kind of doubt that either of us can prove our position by grammatical nuances. But instead, I think it's probably the overall context that determines it.
Either way though, it's an interesting topic to think about.
Perhaps on your side of the argument is the fact that there doesn't seem to be any historical evidence for a second Bethany near the Jordan River.
In the end, I kind of doubt that either of us can prove our position by grammatical nuances. But instead, I think it's probably the overall context that determines it.
Either way though, it's an interesting topic to think about.