ABSTRACT
Scholars who study the gospels in order to approach “the historical Jesus” have traditionally emphasized the close personal relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist. It is problematic when historical-critical studies on Jesus and John the Baptist often harmonize the gospels’ accounts of the figures in their search for the historical persons behind the literary characters. This chapter examines how Luke isolates Jesus’ baptism from John’s public ministry through his use of two significant literary changes. Through his account of John’s imprisonment, Luke anticipates Mark’s and Matthew’s transition from John’s public ministry to that of Jesus. The evangelist closes his summary on John’s ministry with a reference to John’s exhortations and his end: So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. Luke’s reshaping of the Baptist’s ministry is coherent with his distinction between former times and the new era of “the good news”.
