IS JOHN THE BAPTIST THE REINCARNATE OF ELIJAH? A STUDY OF THE BIBLICAL MALACHI 3:1 AND MARK 9:11-13

Abstract

There have been arguments concerning the identity of John the Baptist. The arguments have tended to focus on on whether, John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah, is Elijah who has come back from the dead. This article explores what it might mean to describe John the Baptist as the returned Elijah, suggesting that we need clearly to distinguish this concept from Elijah typology. If, as it is argued, the expectation of Elijah’s return in Mark’s Gospel points to John the Baptist's angelic identity, this has interesting ramifications for other NT issues such as Christology and eschatology.