Saint John the Baptist

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John the Baptist (‘Baptizer’, NRSV, Mark 1: 4); his preaching preceded that of Jesus, who aligned himself with John's ministry. The gospels betray an increasing reluctance to say without qualification that John baptized Jesus (the fourth gospel does not mention such an act at all). They do not wish their readers to be in doubt that John was merely a forerunner, probably because for some time there existed disciples of John (Acts 18: 24–8; 19: 1–7) and it was important to establish a distance between the Messiah of Christian belief and the prophet who preceded him, as scripture had anticipated (Mal. 4: 5). But it is clear that John's effect on the population was electric (Mark 1: 15). He castigated the evils of his time: baptisms in the river, unprecedented in Judaism, offered the hope of salvation. John's rite was once for all, unlike the daily ritual washings at Qumran. Other differences existed between John and the Qumran community: he was essentially a public figure addressing all who came; they were a closed and austere sect. Nevertheless it is possible that John had been for a time a member of the community—he emerged out of the desert (Luke 1: 80) to preach the coming of the kingdom. John's clothing, however, made of camel's hair (Matt. 3: 4) and his leather belt were more in the prophetic style than that of the white garments of Qumran. His audacity in rebuking Herod Antipas (Mark 6: 18) for a marriage illegal according to Jewish Law led to his imprisonment and execution in the fortress of Machaerus by the Dead Sea. Josephus, however, gives a different reason for John's execution: Herod feared his popularity and regarded him as a threat to established law and order. John's activity by the River Jordan could have been regarded as a rallying point for apocalyptic plans of rebellion. The Iraqi Sabaean Mandaean sect regards John as the Saviour; baptisms are conducted in the river Tigris. A characteristic of this modern sect is their vigorous disapproval of deserters.

Saint John the Baptist d. c.AD 28–AD 30, Jewish prophet, considered by Christians to be the forerunner of Jesus. He was the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth, who was also a kinswoman of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his birth was miraculously foretold. After spending some time in the desert, he received a divine call to preach repentance to the people of the Jordan valley in preparation for the Messiah. He baptized his followers, and he baptized Jesus, whom he believed to be the Son of God. John's vigorous preaching and great popularity enraged the aristocracy, and he offended Herodias, wife of Herod , by rebuking her publicly. At her instigation and at the direct request of her daughter Salome he was beheaded. (Mat. 11.1–19; 17.11–13; Mark 6.14–29; Luke 1.5–80; 3.1–20; John 1.15–36.) John is also mentioned by the Jewish historian Josephus. Christians have long venerated St. John the Baptist; he is the only saint besides the Virgin Mary whose birthday is celebrated: June 24. The feast of his beheading is Aug. 29.

John the Baptist. A Jewish prophetic figure at the time of Jesus mentioned by Josephus and frequently in the gospels. He preached on the banks of the Jordan demanding repentance and baptism in view of God's impending wrath (Matthew 3. 11). He denounced King Herod Antipas and was beheaded by him (Mark 6. 16–29). Jesus was among those baptized and it is possible that he belonged originally to John's circle (cf. John 3. 22–4). Feast days, 24 June (nativity; six months before Christmas according to Luke 1. 37) and 29 Aug. (death, or ‘decollation’).

In Islam, Yaḥyā is mentioned as a prophet (6. 85, 19. 14 f.), and the prayer of his father, Zakariyya, for a child in his old age (21. 89) is held up as an example of prayer being answered.

John the Baptist, Saint (active 1st century ad) Prophet who heralded the appearance of Jesus Christ and the coming of the kingdom of God. The son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, he was born in Judaea six months before Jesus. John baptized Jesus in the River Jordan, recognizing him as the Messiah. Herod Antipas beheaded John, after Salome asked for his head as a reward for her dance.