Abner was the former head of the Nazarite school at Engedi. [1] The Nazarites in Engedi, ascetic and eccentric, had mixed reactions to Jesus, with many becoming believers but the majority refusing to accept him. [2] The Nazarites, along with other groups, believed in the coming Messiah, but Jesus and his disciples distanced themselves from these beliefs. [3] John took the Nazarite vow at Engedi, the southern headquarters of the Nazarite brotherhood, before completing the offerings in Jerusalem. [4] John the Baptist joined the Nazarites at the age of fourteen and lived a sanctified life with vows of abstinence. [5] John, like Samson and Samuel before him, was held in highest regard as a sanctified Nazarite. [6]
Embarrassed by his lack of obedience to the Nazarite vow, John cleansed himself in the Nazarite corner of the women's court in the Jerusalem temple after his father's death. [7] Simon Peter took charge of a noisy meeting, reminding them of the Nazarite parable of the rich man and the beggar preached by John the Baptist. [8] John, a Nazarite, was allowed to enter the holy of holies in the temple, following in the footsteps of Samson and the prophet Samuel. [9] John followed in the footsteps of renowned Nazarites Samson and prophet Samuel, revered as sanctified and holy figures by the Jews. [10]
At the age of fourteen, John took the formal Nazarite vow, abstaining from intoxicants, growing his hair, and avoiding contact with the dead, even in his own family. [11]