Matthew 3:4
Encyclopedia
Matthew 3:4 is the fourth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
. The verse occurs in the section introducing John the Baptist
with this verse describing his clothing and diet.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
The World English Bible
translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 3:4
Nolland notes that the decision by the author of Matthew to give a description of John's clothing and diet shows that both are unusual and worth commenting on. That nowhere in the Gospel does the author give a description of Jesus' or his disciples clothing thus indicates that they did not adopt any form of atypical dress.
This verse played an important role in the development of Christian monasticism
with John the Baptist viewed as a model ascetic. The sparse food and uncomfortable clothing, including the wearing of hairshirt
s became seen as the ideal of Christian asceticism. John Calvin
wholly rejected this interpretation. He did not see this verse presenting John the Baptist as an ideal, but rather presenting an accurate portrait of one forced to live in the wilderness. To Calvin John's holiness and popularity is not because of his asceticism but despite of it. Today most Protestants follow Calvin's view of this verse.
The description of John the Baptist's clothing is believed by most scholars to be a deliberate echo that of the prophet Elijah who in 2 Kings 1:8 is said to wear "a garment of hair and with a leather belt around his waist." Nolland notes that nowhere outside the Gospels is camel hair mentioned as being the clothing of an ascetic. The only reference to camel hair clothing he knows of is in the Apollonius paradoxographus
, which speaks of a luxurious garment made of smooth camel hair. More common for the very poor would have been clothing made of goat hair.
John the Baptist's diet has been the centre of much discussion. For many years it was traditional to interpret locust
as referring to not the insect, but rather the seed pods of the carob tree. The two words are very similar, but most scholars today feel this passage is referring to the insects. Locusts are mentioned 22 other times in the Bible and all other mentions are quite clearly referring to the insect. Locusts are still commonly eaten in Arabia. Eaten either raw or roasted they are quite nutritious and a source of many vitamins. While most insects were considered unclean
under Mosaic law Leviticus 11:22 specifically states that locusts are permitted. Albright and Mann believe the attempt to portray John the Baptist as eating seed pods was concern for having such a revered figure eating insects and also a belief that a true ascetic should be completely vegetarian. What is meant by honey
is also not undisputed. While bee honey was a common food in the area at the time, Jones believes that it refers to the tree gum from that tamarisk tree, a tasteless but nutritious liquid, rather than the honey made from bees.
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. The verse occurs in the section introducing John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
with this verse describing his clothing and diet.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
- And the same John had his raiment
- of camel's hair, and a leathern
- girdle about his loins; and his
- meat was locusts and wild honey.
The World English Bible
World English Bible
The World English Bible is a public domain translation of the Bible that is currently in draft form. Work on the World English Bible began in 1997 and was known as the American Standard Version 1997...
translates the passage as:
- Now John himself wore clothing
- made of camel's hair, with a
- leather belt around his waist.
- His food was locusts and wild honey.
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 3:4
Nolland notes that the decision by the author of Matthew to give a description of John's clothing and diet shows that both are unusual and worth commenting on. That nowhere in the Gospel does the author give a description of Jesus' or his disciples clothing thus indicates that they did not adopt any form of atypical dress.
This verse played an important role in the development of Christian monasticism
Christian monasticism
Christian monasticism is a practice which began to develop early in the history of the Christian Church, modeled upon scriptural examples and ideals, including those in the Old Testament, but not mandated as an institution in the scriptures. It has come to be regulated by religious rules Christian...
with John the Baptist viewed as a model ascetic. The sparse food and uncomfortable clothing, including the wearing of hairshirt
Hairshirt
A hairshirt is a cilice, an uncomfortable shirt worn by some Catholics and, earlier, by Jews as a sign of penance. This may also refer to:*Hairshirt , a 1998 motion picture starring Dean Paras, Chris Hogan, Evan Glenn and Neve Campbell...
s became seen as the ideal of Christian asceticism. John Calvin
John Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
wholly rejected this interpretation. He did not see this verse presenting John the Baptist as an ideal, but rather presenting an accurate portrait of one forced to live in the wilderness. To Calvin John's holiness and popularity is not because of his asceticism but despite of it. Today most Protestants follow Calvin's view of this verse.
The description of John the Baptist's clothing is believed by most scholars to be a deliberate echo that of the prophet Elijah who in 2 Kings 1:8 is said to wear "a garment of hair and with a leather belt around his waist." Nolland notes that nowhere outside the Gospels is camel hair mentioned as being the clothing of an ascetic. The only reference to camel hair clothing he knows of is in the Apollonius paradoxographus
Apollonius paradoxographus
Apollonius paradoxographus was the author of a paradoxographical work Mirabilia which was compiled from the works of earlier writers....
, which speaks of a luxurious garment made of smooth camel hair. More common for the very poor would have been clothing made of goat hair.
John the Baptist's diet has been the centre of much discussion. For many years it was traditional to interpret locust
Locust
Locusts are the swarming phase of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae. These are species that can breed rapidly under suitable conditions and subsequently become gregarious and migratory...
as referring to not the insect, but rather the seed pods of the carob tree. The two words are very similar, but most scholars today feel this passage is referring to the insects. Locusts are mentioned 22 other times in the Bible and all other mentions are quite clearly referring to the insect. Locusts are still commonly eaten in Arabia. Eaten either raw or roasted they are quite nutritious and a source of many vitamins. While most insects were considered unclean
Unclean animals
Unclean animals, in some religions, are animals whose consumption or handling is labeled a taboo. According to these religion's dogmas, persons who handle such animals may need to purify themselves to get rid of their uncleanness.-Judaism:...
under Mosaic law Leviticus 11:22 specifically states that locusts are permitted. Albright and Mann believe the attempt to portray John the Baptist as eating seed pods was concern for having such a revered figure eating insects and also a belief that a true ascetic should be completely vegetarian. What is meant by honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
is also not undisputed. While bee honey was a common food in the area at the time, Jones believes that it refers to the tree gum from that tamarisk tree, a tasteless but nutritious liquid, rather than the honey made from bees.