135:2.3 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Baptist John] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_(Biblical_person) Elizabeth] returned to their [[home]] and began to lay [[plans]] for the [[future]]. Since John refused to [[accept]] the [[priest]]'s allowance due him from the [[temple]] funds, by the end of two years they had all but lost their [[home]]; so they decided to go south with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepherd sheep herd]. Accordingly, the [[summer]] that [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Baptist John] was twenty years of age witnessed their removal to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebron Hebron]. In the so-called " [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judean_desert wilderness of Judea] " John tended his sheep along a brook that was tributary to a larger [[stream]] which entered the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea Dead Sea] at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ein_Gedi Engedi]. The Engedi colony included not only Nazarites of lifelong and time-period consecration but numerous other [[ascetic]] herdsmen who congregated in this region with their herds and fraternized with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazarite Nazarite] brotherhood. They supported themselves by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepherd sheep raising] and from gifts which [[wealthy]] [[Jews]] made to the order. | 135:2.3 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Baptist John] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_(Biblical_person) Elizabeth] returned to their [[home]] and began to lay [[plans]] for the [[future]]. Since John refused to [[accept]] the [[priest]]'s allowance due him from the [[temple]] funds, by the end of two years they had all but lost their [[home]]; so they decided to go south with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepherd sheep herd]. Accordingly, the [[summer]] that [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Baptist John] was twenty years of age witnessed their removal to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebron Hebron]. In the so-called " [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judean_desert wilderness of Judea] " John tended his sheep along a brook that was tributary to a larger [[stream]] which entered the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea Dead Sea] at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ein_Gedi Engedi]. The Engedi colony included not only Nazarites of lifelong and time-period consecration but numerous other [[ascetic]] herdsmen who congregated in this region with their herds and fraternized with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazarite Nazarite] brotherhood. They supported themselves by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepherd sheep raising] and from gifts which [[wealthy]] [[Jews]] made to the order. |