ABSTRACT
In Judaism before, during and after the new testament period, there was a long established tradition of retelling and expanding versions of the past. The story of the death of John the Baptist has therefore utilized the Esther traditions to emphasize innocence. This chapter provides an explanation as to why we have a story which goes against everything we know about John's relationship with Herod Antipas but which can be plausibly located in first century Christianity. It hopes that the study is not merely an example of traditional historical reconstruction. It nods gently in the direction of what Robert Darnton calls 'history in the ethnographic grain'. The chapter suggests that the historically inaccurate emphasis on the women being responsible begins with this story, where at least some of the first century male readers would accept the validity of Herod Antipas' actions.
