1. Mikveh
A mikveh is a bath used for ritual purification in Judaism. It utilises natural water and was commonly found in areas with Jewish communities. It remains an essential part of Jewish tradition to this day. This purification refers to ritual cleansing; Jews believed that immersing themselves in water would cleanse them of impurities. Gentiles converting to Judaism, as well as those who had come into contact with impurities, were required to immerse themselves in a mikveh to become ritually pure before entering the Temple or Jerusalem.
In the New Testament, various methods of washing the whole body, hands, or feet are mentioned, which are akin to the mikveh. When John the Baptist baptised with water, he also had people fully immerse themselves. This was not his own innovation, but was carried out within the established understanding of Jewish tradition.
2. Caiaphas
Caiaphas is known as the son-in-law of Annas, which suggests that he did not himself come from a particularly prominent family. The depiction in this story, showing how someone with relatively pure faith can be corrupted by worldly desires, is entirely fictional for narrative purposes. By contrast, it is historically accurate that High Priest Simon of Alexandria was King Herod’s father-in-law and became High Priest because of his daughter. It is likely that he was the High Priest when Zechariah encountered the angel in the Temple. I wished to use Caiaphas to express the sense of inadequacy Zechariah might have felt when observing Simon.
Incidentally, the daughter of High Priest Simon, Mariamne II, had a son with King Herod named Herod Philip I. Herod Philip I and Herodias’s daughter was Salome, who was responsible for the execution of John the Baptist. In several ways, this family is significantly connected to Zechariah.
