i should qualify what i mean by rejecting john the baptist in favor of jesus and 'gnostics' in favor of the traditions deposited in living faith communities (although that seems to be a counterintuitive move for people like us stepped in whatever's left of a 'counterculture')
the audio on this video is a little fucked.
basically, john probably believed in a sacrificial universe, an unpayable debt to HASHEM, mapped illness and wickedness, death and defilement to each other.
pretty much the opposite of what i mean by 'the hermetic church'
rabbinic judaism and christianity (and latter developments) can both offer resources to us corrective of this trend.
our image of john must be of someone holding his severed head in his hands covered in tears as he died - as someone who tried and failed.
our type of christ must also be similar.
the truest type of christ is iyyov