Strijdom, Johan (Johannes Matthys)2010-02-102010-02-102004Strijdom, J 2004, 'The social class of the Baptist: Dissident retainer or peasant millennialist?', HTS Teologiese Studies/ Theological Studies, vol. 60, no. 1&2, pp. 441-458. [http://www.hts.org.za/index.php/HTS/issue/archive]0259-9422 (print)http://hdl.handle.net/2263/12998Spine cut of Journal binding and pages scanned on flatbed EPSON Expression 10000 XL; 400dpi; text/lineart - black and white - stored to Tiff Derivation: Abbyy Fine Reader v.9 work with PNG-format (black and white); Photoshop CS3; Adobe Acrobat v.9 Web display format PDFIn this article the Baptist is compared with the upper-class/literate millennialists behind the Psalms of Solomon, the Testament of Moses, the Similitudes of 1 Enoch, and the Qumran scrolls on the one hand, and with the lower-class/illiterate millennialist movements in Josephus on the other hand. The argument is developed in constant dialogue with the analyses of John Dominic Crossan. After an initial statement of historical facts about the Baptist, these are compared with the named groups in terms of each one’s (1) criticism of the social-political and religious status quo, (2) depiction of the imagined mediator through whom God was expected to intervene, (3) portrayal of the violent/non-violent intervention of God and the group respectively, and (4) social ethics. It is concluded that John shows closer resemblance to the literate than illiterate millennialists, and should therefore rather be considered as a dissident retainer.enFaculty of Theology, University of PretoriaRetainerJohn, the Baptist, SaintSocial classes in the BibleDissenters, ReligiousMillennialismArticle