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John the Baptist is one of the most enigmatic figures of the New Testament. He seems to play an important role early on and his work is even mentioned in other contemporary records. Then, however, he disappears rather quickly and Jesus takes over. Who was John, what did he do, and what sort of role did he play in the society around him? We don?t have a great deal of information to go on, but recent archaeological excavations may reveal more.

Summary

Title: The Cave of John the Baptist: The Stunning Archaeological Discovery that has Redefined Christian History
Author: Shimon Gibson
Publisher: Doubleday
ISBN: 0385503474

Pro:
?  Excellent writing style that engages as well as informs

Con:
?  Very speculative without always being up front about it
?  Evidence doesn?t unequivocally support all of the conclusions asserted

Description:
?  Analysis of a cave that may have been connected to John the Baptist
?  Explains how the pieces of evidence could be connected back to the time of Jesus

 

Book Review

Understanding the New Testament seems to require a greater understanding of John the Baptist himself. There are a number of reasons for this: Jesus took over a ministry that has similar features to John?s, Jesus was baptized by John, and John apparently had a very large following before Jesus ever came on the scene. One of the goals of Shimon Gibson?s book The Cave of John the Baptist: The Stunning Archaeological Discovery that has Redefined Christian History is to introduce people to John, his work, and his relevance to the history of Christianity.

A field archaeologist working in Israel and Palestine who is in charge of excavations on Mount Zion, Gibson made what he considers one of the most important discoveries of the modern era in the region: a cave that may have been used by John the Baptist during his ministry. The basic discovery, made in 1999, is of a cave that appears to have been used for ritual baptisms. On the walls Gibson discovered an image that he believes is of John the Baptist.

There are other elements as well ? archeological finds like coins and pottery ? but those two pieces are the most important. With them Gibson builds a detailed series of arguments designed to connect everything back to the time of Jesus and the earliest origins of Christianity. Never so detailed that it goes beyond the ability of general readers to understand, it still amounts to a very impressive case by the end.

Still, when we step back from the arguments and return to the original evidence, the entire case doesn?t sound quite as impressive anymore. It?s difficult for a reader to really know which way to turn. Is Gibson making a solid case out of minimal evidence or is he blowing the evidence all out of proportion?

If Gibson is correct in his arguments, the information gathered at the cave could potentially rewrite some of what we know about early Christianity. That, however, is a very big ?if? ? the evidence in support of Gibson?s conclusions isn?t quite as unequivocal as he makes it sound.

Perhaps the biggest flaw is Gibson?s own title because he makes it seem like readers are to be let in on the biggest event in the history of archaeology. The truth is that they will learn about something very interesting ? especially if early Christian history is one of your interests ? but probably not something that will redefine Christian history. Gibson himself seems to have backed off from the sensationalism in the title, but it?s a bit late for that.

In some ways, I think that Gibson does blow things out of proportion ? even if his basic ideas are reasonable. The cave could be associated with the movement created by John the Baptist without having been used by him personally. Even if he personally used it, I don?t think that there is enough to justify concluding that Jesus may have served there as one of John?s disciples. Perhaps it is theoretically possible, but the evidence is far too scanty to take such a position very seriously.

Bottom Line

The best that this book has to offer is that general readers without any background in archeology can get a wonderful view on how the field works. Gibson?s writing is detailed without being technical and will capture people?s imaginations. The worst that the book has to offer is that it takes people beyond archeology without it being clear that the story has moved from science and into speculation.

Gibson is far too uncritical when it comes to accepting the truth of ancient tales and especially of local traditions that associate particular figures with particular sites. Much of this was a product of the era of Constantine ? with Christianity becoming a favored religion, every site that could claim a connection with early Christian figures attracted attention, patronage, and of course religious tourists. To what degree has Gibson been taken in by 3rd and 4th century marketing tactics?