Toward Ecosophy

That's one possibility. The thing to keep in mind is that the eastern shores of the Mediterranean is a crossroads where many traditions have always flowed together. In the time of Jesus there were many different cultural, spiritual, and esoteric traditions in the region, some of them (like the Essenes) still remembered today, others completely forgotten -- when's the last time you heard anything about the Ebionites or the Naassenes? The tradition has it that John was a high initiate in one of the mystery schools of the time; that's what we know.