[Footnote 4:  Luke iii. 15, and following; John i. 20.]

[Footnote 5:  Matt. xxi. 25, and following; Luke vii. 30.]

[Footnote 6:  Matt., loc. cit.]

Baptism with John was only a sign destined to make an impression, and to prepare the minds of the people for some great movement.  No doubt he was possessed in the highest degree with the Messianic hope, and that his principal action was in accordance with it.  “Repent,” said he, “for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."[1] He announced a “great wrath,” that is to say, terrible calamities which should come to pass,[2] and declared that the axe was already laid at the root of the tree, and that the tree would soon be cast into the fire.  He represented the Messiah with a fan in his hand, collecting the good wheat and burning the chaff.  Repentance, of which baptism was the type, the giving of alms, the reformation of habits,[3] were in John’s view the great means of preparation for the coming events, though we do not know exactly in what light he conceived them.  It is, however, certain that he preached with much power against the same adversaries as Jesus, against rich priests, the Pharisees, the doctors, in one word, against official Judaism; and that, like Jesus, he was specially welcomed by the despised classes.[4] He made no account of the title “son of Abraham,” and said that God could raise up sons unto Abraham from the stones of the road.[5] It does not seem that he possessed even the germ of the great idea which led to the triumph of Jesus, the idea of a pure religion; but he powerfully served this idea in substituting a private rite for the legal ceremonies which required priests, as the Flagellants of the Middle Ages were the precursors of the Reformation, by depriving the official clergy of the monopoly of the sacraments and of absolution.  The general tone of his sermons was stern and severe.  The expressions which he used against his adversaries appear to have been most violent.[6] It was a harsh and continuous invective.  It is probable that he did not remain quite a stranger to politics.  Josephus, who, through his teacher Banou, was brought into almost direct connection with John, suggests as much by his ambiguous words,[7] and the catastrophe which put an end to John’s life seems to imply this.  His disciples led a very austere life,[8] fasted often, and affected a sad and anxious demeanor.  We have at times glimpses of communism—­the rich man being ordered to share all that he had with the poor.[9] The poor man appeared as the one who would be specially benefited by the kingdom of God.

[Footnote 1:  Matt. iii. 2.]

[Footnote 2:  Matt. iii. 7.]

[Footnote 3:  Luke iii. 11-14; Josephus, Ant. XVIII. v. 2.]

[Footnote 4:  Matt. xxi. 32; Luke iii. 12-14.]

[Footnote 5:  Matt. iii. 9.]

[Footnote 6:  Matt. iii. 7; Luke iii. 7.]

[Footnote 7:  Ant. XVIII. v. 2.  We must observe that, when Josephus described the secret and more or less seditious doctrines of his countrymen, he suppressed everything which had reference to the Messianic beliefs, and, in order not to give umbrage to the Romans, spread over these doctrines a vulgar and commonplace air, which made all the heads of Jewish sects appear as mere professors of morals or stoics.]