John the Baptist in the Gospel Tradition

by Walter Wink

Why is John the Baptist accorded such an important role in the Gospel tradition? Dr Wink examines the treatment of John in the Gospels, Acts and the Q source to establish why the evangelists were so preoccupied with him, and how the early Church absorbed John into the Gospel message to put an end to competition between John's disciples and those of Jesus: he suggests that the early Church had an additional purpose: to use the image of John to personify and reinforce its own proselytizing functions. The historical facts were clearly modified by the Church during this process of absorption: Dr Wink shows that this was done in order to preserve the actual historical impact of John upon the Church.

Genres: Christianity

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Dr. Walter Wink was Professor Emeritus of Biblical Interpretation at Auburn Theological Seminary in New York City. Previously, he was a parish minister and taught at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. In 1989-1990 he was a Peace Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace.

His newer works include:

The Human Being: Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of the Man
(Fortress Press, 2001.)

Peace Is The Way: Writings on Nonviolence from the Fellowship of Reconciliation. (Edited by Walter Wink. Orbis Books, 2000.)

The Powers That Be:Theology for a New Millennium
(New York: Doubleday, 1999)

Homosexuality and Christian Faith: Questions of Conscience for the Churches (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1999)

He is author of a trilogy, The Powers:

Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984)

Unmasking the Powers: The Invisible Forces That Determine Human Existence (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986)

Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of
Domination (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992)

His other works include:

When the Powers Fall: Reconciliation in the Healing of Nations
(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998). Swedish edition: Healing a Nation's Wounds: Reconciliation on the Road to Democracy (Uppsala, Sweden: Life and Peace Institute, 1997)

Cracking the Gnostic Code: The Powers in Gnosticism (Society of Biblical Literature Monograph Series; Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1993)

Violence and Nonviolence in South Africa (Philadelphia: New Society Publishers, 1987). (Out of print)

Transforming Bible Study, second edition (Nashville: Abingdon, 1990) (Out of print)

The Bible in Human Transformation (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1973). (Out of print)

John the Baptist in the Gospel Tradition (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1968). (Out of print)

Proclamation 5: Holy Week, Year B (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993). (Out of print)

Reviews

[Brian LePort · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I were asked where one might begin their study of John the Baptist this would be the book I’d recommend followed by Webb’s then Taylor’s. While it is important to try to understand John in his historical context we can’t even begin that project without understanding John as he is presented in his literary context, most importantly the Gospels, then Josephus’ passing mention. The effort being made by the Evangelists to remember, interpret, and present John tells us a lot about the man and it gives us a glimpse into the kind of questions that were asked of him in relation to Jesus. Wink is correct: to understand John we must investigate the questions being asked about him by the early Church because it was there memory of John that allows us to continue the investigation today. We must start with the remembered Baptizer. Read my full review here: http://nearemmaus.wordpress.com/2013/...