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Re: orion Hemerobaptists
> In his "Church History" (22:7) Eusebius quotes Hegesippus who refers to
> seven Jewish sects (while Josephus refers to four): "Essens, Galileans,
> Hemerobaptists, Masbothaeans, Samaritans, Sadducees and Pharisees." Can
> anyone help me with information about the group called Hemerobaptists?
I am
> interested in their origin and beliefs. This group is also mentioned by
> Justin (Dialogue with Trypho, ch 80) as "Baptists".
>
> A group with the name "Morning-bathers", probably the same group, is
> mentioned in Tosefta Yadaim 2,20 in the Ms. Vienna (See "Tosefta", ed.
M.
> S. Zuckermandel, repr. with new Foreword by Saul Lieberman, Jerusalem,
> 1930, p 684.) I refer to two other sources which are not available in
> Norway:
> Saul Lieberman ,1939, "Tosefet Rishonim" vol IV,Jerusalem, p 160.
> Louis Ginzberg, 1941, "Perushim ve-Hiddishim bi-Yerushalmi, Vol II, p
230.
>
> Regards
> Rolf Furuli
A convenient older treatment of these materials is by Marcel Simon,
<t>Jewish Sects at the Time of Jesus</> (Fortress 1967; from 1960
French),
88-92. Simon argues the the Hemerobaptists probably are the people
mentioned in Talmud Berakot 22a, and that "Masbothei" "is almost
certainly
the Greek rendering of an Aramaic doublet for the Baptists, and
undoubtedly designates the same sect. Consequently, the Baptists should
be
distinguished from the Hemerobaptists, since Hegesippus mentions both
Hemerobaptists and Masbothei" (88).
On "Baptist groups" in general, he obliquely alludes to the study by
J.Thomas, <t>Le mouvement baptiste...</> (1935; well known but little
read?) and then goes on to talk about John Baptist. Is there much more
that can be said with any confidence?
Bob
--
Robert A. Kraft, Religious Studies, University of Pennsylvania
227 Logan Hall (Philadelphia PA 19104-6304); tel. 215 898-5827
kraft@ccat.sas.upenn.edu
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rs/rak/kraft.html