初探初代教會的施洗約翰團體

A Preliminary Study on the Fellowship Group of John the Baptist during Early Church Period

劉立仁(Li-Jen Liu)

《神學與教會》 41卷2期 (2016/06) Pp. 796-811

https://doi.org/10.6888/TC.201606_41(2).0011

並列摘要

Bible scholars have mostly given John the Baptist quite exalted religious status from the description in the Gospel story of New Testament. According to the records of Matthew, Jesus mentioned to the crowds about John: ＂Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.＂ Even Jesus is the protagonist of all the Gospels, John the Baptist had also to be a foil in the story. However, according to the different descriptions of John the Baptist in each Gospel, the author used the research methodology of Redaction Criticism, especially the event of Jesus' baptism, to explain the possible attempts of belittling John the Baptist behind the text. Furthermore, the description of John the Baptist in the Canon of the Gospels, may also be intended to diminish the tension which may exist between Jesus' and John the Baptist's respective groups. Therefore, the author except through the comparison between Jesus and John the Baptist, with the view across the traditional vision of Canon, to restore the possible situation of the disciples of John the Baptist at the time of the early church period. On the other hand, it can also help the readers understand the early church's original features which may really be more diversified than we imagined and more richness.