Religion in Salomé is a pretty gloomy thing. Yes, the Nazarenes tell Herod that their Messiah is performing miracles and even raising people from the dead. This is but a small bright spot, however.
Jokanaan's prophecies are almost uniformly super-dark, filled with images of death and destruction. Even as he calls for repentance, he reminds those who do not believe that they will be punished as a result—and when he's speaking to Herodias and Salomé, he makes it very clear that they are doomed. The time of the Lord is at hand, he cries…but that doesn't mean there isn't trouble up ahead.
Questions About Religion
- What do we make of the Jews theological quarreling? Do they have any common ground?
- Is there anyway to sum up Jokanaan's religious beliefs?
- Herod's fear of Jokanaan leads him to respect the prophet, and he dreads having to kill him. That said, is there any indication that Herod is coming to believe in his prophecies?
- What role do the Nazarenes and their Messiah play in the narrative?
Chew on This
Religion is a hard thing to pin down in Salomé; we hear so many competing theories that any labels—Judaism, for instance—begin to seem meaningless.
Though it seems likely that the Savior whom Jokanaan speaks of is the Messiah of the Nazarenes, it's hard to imagine a man turning water into wine and raising the dead setting mass destruction upon the people of the earth.