John the Baptist and Jesus

Questions concerning the historical John the Baptist and Jesus are answered in this provocative and lucid report prepared by W. Barnes Tatum. The Jesus Seminar has considered all the historical evidence related to John the Baptist found in the gospels, Josephus, the documents known as the Pseudo-Clementines, and the traces of the Baptist tradition preserved in Mandaeism, a baptizing sect that continues to exist in southern Iraq and neighboring Iran. This volume contains a summary of the deliberations and votes of the Seminar, together with a concise sketch of the historical figure of John the Baptist.