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If the methodological impasse in the study of John the Baptist has resulted from the failure to take seriously the original intention of the creators of the Gospel accounts, then the logical procedure would be to examine the manner in which each Evangelist has used the traditions about John in proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. For it would appear that the real significance of John -- even his proper historical significance, in so far as it can be measured by his impact on others -- can best be discovered by asking the question concerning John in the same way that it was asked by the early church: what is the role of John the Baptist in God's redemptive purpose? That is to say, what is the role of John the Baptist in the Gospels and Acts? - Introduction.