Mark 1:4

4. [62] 33 omit καί before κηρύσσων.

[62] Codex Vaticanus. 4th cent., but perhaps a little later than א. In the Vatican Library almost since its foundation by Pope Nicolas V., and one of its greatest treasures. The whole Gospel, ending at Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1889.

4. ἐγένετο Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτίζων ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ. There came John the Baptizer in the wilderness. This is the apodosis of καθὼς γέγραπται: in exact accordance with written prediction, John arose in the wilderness, i.e. the uninhabited part of the valley of the Jordan. The preaching of the Baptist is just the point at which a Gospel influenced by Peter might be expected to begin. Peter would remember it well. Mk alone uses ὁ βαπτίζων (Mark 6:14; Mark 6:24) as well as ὁ βαπτιστής (Mark 6:25; Mark 8:28), and the difference, though slight, is worth marking in translation; cf. ὁ καταλύων τὸν ναόν, “the Temple-destroyer” (Matthew 27:40), and ὁ διώκων ἡμᾶς ποτέ, “our former persecutor” (Galatians 1:23). Josephus (Vita, 2) tells us that as a lad he imitated one Banus, who lived in the wilderness and got his food and clothing from what grew on trees.

καὶ κηρύσσων. If with all uncials, except [188] and all ancient versions we read καί before κηρύσσων, the ὁ belongs to both participles; “There arose in the wilderness John the Baptizer and the Preacher, etc.” All four Gospels give the historical relation between Jesus and John as the starting-point of the Gospel narrative. On Ἰωάνης or Ἰωάννης see W.H. App. p. 159.

[188] Codex Vaticanus. 4th cent., but perhaps a little later than א. In the Vatican Library almost since its foundation by Pope Nicolas V., and one of its greatest treasures. The whole Gospel, ending at Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1889.

βάπτισμα μετανοίας. Cf. Luke 3:3; Acts 13:24; Acts 19:4. The gen. is equivalent to an adjective, “repentance-baptism,” baptism which implied and symbolized a “change of mind” as regards both past and future; and if real repentance was there, forgiveness followed. This is in favour of taking εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν with βάπτισμα rather than with μετανοίας (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16). To preach repentance-baptism means to proclaim the value of baptism as a seal of repentance, a pledge of a new life; and the purpose (εἰς) was to assure those who accepted such baptism that by repentance they could be delivered from the penalty and the bondage of sin. Some Jews believed that it was the sins of the nation that delayed the coming of the Messiah. Nowhere else does Mk use μετάνοια, and he has μετανοέω only twice (Mark 1:15; Mark 6:12). In Lk. and Acts both noun and verb are freq., but neither is found in Jn. In LXX., as in class. Grk, μετάνοια is rare (Proverbs 14:15; Wis 11:23; Wis 12:10; Wis 12:19; Sir 44:16). Neither βάπτισμα nor -μός is found in LXX., nor is ἄφεσις with the meaning of “forgiveness.” The language here may be influenced by Christian phraseology. On ἄφεσις see Trench, N.T. Syn. § xxxiii.; Cremer, Lex. p. 297.

The description of the Baptist by Josephus (Ant. XVIII. Mark 1:2) should be compared with this. Evidently each is independent of the other.