Birth of John the Baptist

Berossos, 3rd to 4th century BC, was a priest of Marduk (Bel). He wrote in Greek a three-volume work in Greek, now lost, on the culture and history of Babylonian. Alexander Polyhistor abridged this book in the 1st century AD. The book of Berossos was also used by Josephus (Jospeh be Matthias approx. 37 to 100 AD). Eusebius (died 342 AD) also used Berossos as a source of information on Babylonian culture.

Berossos first book Babyloniaka, begins with the account of creation and the myth of Oannes:

"At first they led a somewhat wretched existence and lived without rule after the manner of beasts. But, in the first year appeared an animal endowed with human reason, named Oannes, who rose from out of the Erythian Sea, at the point where it borders Babylonia. He had the whole body of a fish, but above his fish's head he had another head which was that of a man, and human feet emerged from beneath his fish's tail. He had a human voice, and an image of him is preserved unto this day. He passed the day in the midst of men without taking food; he taught them the use of letters, sciences and arts of all kinds. He taught them to construct cities, to found temples, to compile laws, and explained to them the principles of geometrical knowledge. He made them distinguish the seeds of the earth, and showed them how to collect the fruits; in short he instructed them in everything which could tend to soften human manners and humanize their laws. From that time nothing material has been added by way of improvement to his instructions. And when the sun set, this being Oannes, retired again into the sea, for he was amphibious. After this there appeared other animals like Oannes."

The idea of half fish-half man image is not uncommon in Mesopotamia. This image has passed onto us today in the form of mermen and mermaids. The figure is that of head arms and torso of a man or woman with the lower extremities of that of a fish.

This image existed in the art from Old Babylonian period and continued on for centuries. In the Middle Assyrian periods it does appear that the fish-man was replace temporarily with the lion –centaur. But this was a short-lived downfall, for by the Neo-Assyrian period the fish/man was back popular as ever. This image continued into the Achaemenid and Seleucid Periods.

The Assyrian referred to these creatures as kulullu (fish men) or kuliltu (fish-woman). The fish-men, along with other images such as the scorpion-man or lion-man, form a group of animal human hybrids. These hybrids appear to have some magical purposes in the area of protection. The fish-men have a special relationship with the water god Ea and are know to be one of the creatures of the apsu (abzu).

"In Greek, John's name is Ioannes, the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name Johanan. Curiously Ioannes resembles the Greek for the pagan god Ea, the God of the House of Water -- sweet refreshing water, not briny sea water -- which is Oannes. "

“Johanan is always given as meaning the Grace of God but it is a name which appears only in scriptural books written after the return from Babylonian exile, notably Chronicles. It seems that the name Johanan actually was brought back from exile with the returning priests. Johanan therefore is Oannes in Hebrew and the meaning Grace of God was devised for it later”

“The god Oannes is remembered in the constellation Capricorn. The constellation depicts a creature with the body of a fish and the foreparts of a goat. That is precisely how Oannes was depicted when he was not shown as a man with water running from his shoulders. John the Baptist was associated with 6 January when the sun was in the midst of the constellation of Capricorn, and this became the traditional date of the baptism of Jesus—his ritual rebirth as a son of God.”

“. early apocalyptists and allegorists, who were probably Jews of the Babylonian or Syrian dispersion, could conceive of their pre-existent Messiah as in such a way associated with the figure of the ancient Hani (Oannes, Iannes, Ioannes) and expected the Redeemer of Israel to arise from the depths of the great waters, it is not improbable that in those days when the interplay of mystical association was so prevalent and eagerly sought out some of the most enthusiastic followers of John may have believed that his baptizing ‘fisher of souls’ was the expected manifestation.”

Now whereas Magee theory is based on the resemblance between Ioannes and Oannes; Mead suggests that the name was deliberately named Oannes after Mesopotamia god.

Could John the Baptist been named Oannes? It seems very improbable that the “early apocalyptists and allegorists” describe by Mead would had used the name Oannes as a name for their Messiah. Also if the name Oannes was brought from Mesopotamia to Jerusalem why is the name not used in the Old Testament for John?

Dr. Magee in his book continues on this John the Baptist and Oannes connection by stating

“. Thus John the Baptist was given the name Johanan precisely because his duty was that of the god, Oannes. He had to save mankind by warning of the coming judgment to allow the righteous to repent and survive into God's Kingdom.”

“… Ioannes resembles the Greek for the pagan god Ea, the God of the House of Water—sweet refreshing water, not briny sea water—which is Oannes… Now Oannes was a saviour god of the Babylonians—the god who saved mankind from the flood by warning the Babylonian Noah about it, allowing him to build an ark. Either the early Christians have given the Baptist an appropriate name of the gods with whom educated Greeks were familiar, or the Jews had already made these associations.”

“…he taught them the use of letters, sciences and arts of all kinds. He taught them to construct cities, to found temples, to compile laws, and explained to them the principles of geometrical knowledge. He made them distinguish the seeds of the earth, and showed them how to collect the fruits; in short he instructed them in everything which could tend to soften human manners and humanize their laws. From that time nothing material has been added by way of improvement to his instructions…”

John the Baptist in Christian theology is baptizing people in preparation for the messiah. He is not seen as an instructor of man. In the Mandaean theology John the Baptist is the re-generator of the religion and in various ways parallels the specific aspects of the creation of mankind. Both of these views do not seem to relate John the Baptist to the Babylonian god Oannes.

Many figures were used as protective figures and are not just priests representing the fish-men gods. These figures have been found in doorways of Assyrian palaces and temples and under the floors of homes demonstrating their protective powers. The text that accompanies these figures gives directions for the rituals involved in making such figures and placing them in houses.

The figures are to be placed in sets of seven and are referred to as apkallu (sage). The seven sages are those who lived before the flood. The sage figures are of different forms including those of the fish-men and the winged bird face figures called griffen-demons. The tradition of the sages is preserved in Berosso’s account of those who first appeared in the sea with the god Oannes.

Not only were the bodies of men used in combination with fish but also goats. These images appeared in the Neo-Sumerian era through the Hellenistic times. These goatfish figures are often found paired up with the fish-men figures and therefore can be thought of as being used for protective magic powers.

From the 14th to 10 centuries the figure was depicted in a full fish skin reaching the ground. In the 9th century this fish skin was shortened to a cape just below the man’s waist. In the 8th century BC the tread was back to the longer version.