The Word for Baptism in the Ancient Jewish World

The word for baptism in the ancient jewish world, they brought it back from babylon with them, was the word mikva. There are two difrnt kinds of baptism: pharisee ism and there's a esene Baptism. We're told that entire crowds your passage, entire crowds come out to be baptized. Some students of the text have pointed out that it's possible that john was performing mikva for bunch of people who are not allowed to perform micva at the templeM this would be easy to swallow considering john as the son of huberant, of a priest, a priest's name zachari.