Dr. Lightfoot quotes a number of Rabbinical writers to this effect.

The extreme care of Luke in fixing this most crucial date in the world's

history, establishes once and for all the historicity of the Christian faith.

Whatever our opinion may be of the Creed or creeds, we must admire the faith

of those who introduced the name of a Roman Governor into the Christian

confession.  'Suffered under Pontius Pilate' is a challenge, for if it could

be proved that no such governor ruled Judaea at this time, then the whole

basis of the Christian faith would be open to doubt and ridicule.  At this

most crucial of dates in history, the word of God came unto John the son of

Zacharias in the wilderness (Luke 3:2).  John apparently had waited for this

'word' to come unto him, and this places him in line with such prophets as

Jeremiah and Ezekiel.  Jeremiah had such a 'word' come unto him, in the days

of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah.

Ezekiel too 'in the ... fifth year of Jehoiachin's captivity' received 'the

word of the Lord'.  John indeed was a prophet.  He came preaching the baptism

of repentance for the remission of sins (Luke 3:3).  This is one of the

examples of the way in which Luke differs from Matthew.  According to

Matthew, John opened his ministry by saying, 'Repent ye: for the kingdom of

heaven is at hand' (Matt. 3:2).  John evidently varied his message, and

Matthew, the chronicler of the King and the earthly kingdom, reports one of

John's sayings; Luke the chronicler of the Saviour and salvation reports

another.  A similar selection of material is seen in the quotation which

Matthew makes from Isaiah 40, as compared with that made by Luke.  Matthew is

content to quote verse 3, and closes his quotation with the words 'make His

paths straight'.  Luke however has another purpose to serve.  He continues

his quotation, and does not finish it until he can say:

'And all flesh shall see the salvation of God' (Luke 3:6).

The words 'all flesh' and 'salvation' continue the distinctive note

struck by the substitution of 'the remission of sins' for 'the kingdom of

heaven'.  We shall find many more instances of this designed selection as we

proceed, and the cumulative effect of such purposed selection cannot be

ignored without loss.  The call to repentance, and the exhortation to bring

forth fruits worthy of repentance, both of which are so characteristic of

John's ministry, demand a consideration here.  Some Greek words in common use

in the New Testament are given a variety of translations in the English

versions, but the verb metanoeo and the noun metanoia are consistently

translated 'repent' and 'repentance' throughout the New Testament.  The

English word 'repent' is so closely associated with sorrow, penitence and

penance, as to overshadow the primary meaning of the Greek word metanoia

which means 'after thought', 'think again', 'change of mind'.  The usual

accompaniment of a change of mind is so often sorrow for wrong done, that the

consequence, 'penitence', has moved up into a primary place.  Before

examining the use of these two Greek words, it will help to gain a true

perspective if we note some of the other combinations that are made with noia

and noeo.

means 'to think beforehand', hence 'provision'

Acts 24:2; Romans 13:14.

means the same, and is found in 2 Corinthians 8:21;

Romans 12:17; 1 Timothy 5:8.

means 'to consider', and is generally so translated

Matthew 7:3; Hebrews 3:1, etc.

a 'through mind', translated 'mind', 'imagination'

and 'understanding'