Hey Rev. Andy!

Thanks for the response.

As I'm sure you know, ritualistic cleansing is something found across every culture and religion. A question for biblical scholars and historians to ask is whether or not the first Christians had imported a specific Jewish ritual -or- modified it -or- were instituting something fairly novel. Given that baptisms we see in the New Testament are absent in the Old Testament -- it's difficult to pinpoint exactly when, where, or why the practice came into being (presumably during the Second Temple Period).

I won't and can't speak to the other things you pointed out, but having read the book "Jesus: First-Century Rabbi" by David Zaslow, I do think we need to see Jesus as our Rabbi and Messiah FIRST.