Everything about John The Baptist totally explained
Saint
John the Baptist (died c. 30) was a
Jewish preacher and
ascetic. He drew large crowds on the banks of the
River Jordan, demanding from them repentance and
baptism in view of the imminent coming of the
Kingdom of God.
Jesus was one of those whom he baptized. He was killed by
Herod Antipas, whom he'd denounced for his marriage.
Jesus' own ministry followed John's, and some of
Jesus' early followers had been followers of John. John, like Jesus, preached at a time of political, social, and religious conflict (see
Cultural and historical background of Jesus), and he prophesied that fire was coming to destroy the wicked.
Christians commonly refer to John as the Precursor or Forerunner of
Jesus Christ, since in the
gospels, John announces Jesus' coming. He is also identified with
Elijah, and as related to Jesus . In view of,
Early Church tradition describes John as endowed with prenatal grace, so the feast day of his birth (
24 June) is celebrated more solemnly than that marking his death (
29 August). which is mentioned not only in these two gospels, but also in . He is also depicted as an ascetic wearing camel hair and with a staff and scroll inscribed "Ecce Agnus Dei" (Latin, "Behold the Lamb of God" - ) or bearing a book or dish with a lamb on it. His birth, name, and office were foretold by the angel
Gabriel to Zachariah, while Zachariah was performing his functions as a priest in the temple of Jerusalem. According to Luke, Zachariah was a priest of the course of
Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was of the
daughters of Aaron; consequently John automatically held the priesthood of
Aaron.
Luke states that John was born about six months before Jesus. Zachariah had lost his speech at the behest and prophecy of the angel Gabriel, and it was restored on the occasion of Zachariah naming John.
On the basis of Luke's account, the Catholic calendar placed the feast of John the Baptist on June 24, six months before Christmas. According to Luke, Jesus and John the Baptist were related, their mothers being cousins ; there's no mention of this in the other Gospels, and the scholar
Raymond E. Brown has described the relationship as 'of dubious historicity';
Geza Vermes has called it 'artificial and undoubtedly Luke's creation'.
Ministry
All four canonical gospels relate John's ministry, his preaching and baptism in the
River Jordan.
Most notably, according to the Bible, he's the one who recognized
Jesus as the
Messiah, and on Jesus' request, baptised him. The baptism marked the beginning of Jesus' ministry.
The Gospels of
Mark,
Matthew and (less clearly)
Luke relate that Jesus came from Galilee to John and was baptized by him, whereupon the Spirit descended upon him and a voice from Heaven told him he was God's Son. Their lives (e.g, births) are believed to have been similar, although in Christianity, John is thought of as last prophet and Jesus as the Messiah.
The problem that Jesus, considered by Christians to be without sin, received John's baptism, which was for the forgiveness of sins, is addressed in the
Gospel of Matthew's account, which has John refusing to baptize Jesus, saying, "I need to be baptized by you," until Jesus convinces him to baptize him nonetheless .
The
Gospel of John doesn't describe John baptizing Jesus but has John introducing Jesus to his disciples as the "Lamb of God" .
The Gospel of John reports that Jesus' disciples were baptizing and that a debate broke out between some of the disciples of John and another Jew about purification with John explaining that Jesus "must become greater" while he, John, "must become less" . Gospel of John then points out that Jesus' disciples were baptizing more people than John .
Later, the Gospel relates Jesus regarding John as "a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light". .
The book of Acts portrays the disciples of John as eventually merging into the followers of Jesus, a development not reported by the Gospels except for the early case of
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother .
On various occasions the Gospels relate John denying any claim to be the Messiah and clearly acknowledging his inferiority to Jesus. However, scholars such as
Harold W. Attridge contend that John's status as a "self-conscious and deliberate forerunner of Jesus" is likely to be an invention by early Christians, arguing that "for the early church it would have been something of an embarrassment to say that Jesus, who was in their minds superior to John the Baptist, had been baptized by him."
Imprisonment and beheading
According to the canonical Gospels, John the Baptist's public ministry was brought to a close when he was imprisoned on orders of
Herod Antipas, probably about seven months after he'd baptized Jesus.
The synoptic Gospels state that Herod reacted to John's condemnation of Herod's marriage to
Herodias, the wife of Herod's brother
Philip (; }.
Josephus locates John's imprisonment in the fortress of
Machaerus on the southern extremity of Peraea, nine miles (14 km) east of the Dead Sea (Josephus,
Jewish Antiquities XVIII:5:1–2).
Matthew relates that the imprisoned John sent messengers to Jesus to ask him whether he was the Messiah. Jesus indirectly answered in the affirmative and described John in terms of a return of the prophet Elijah .
Regarding John's death, Josephus states that Herod had John killed to preempt a possible uprising. Matthew links John's death as well with Herodias, as he related that her daughter
Salome so much delighted Antipas with a dance that he vowed to grant her any wish to which, after being prompted by her mother (Herodias), she demanded the head of John the Baptist.
The Gospels date John's death before the crucifixion of Jesus. Josephus places John's death no later than 36 CE. Some scholars believe that Herod Antipas didn't marry his brother's wife until his brother Philip died in 34 CE, placing these events after the date in the Gospel account.
Neither Josephus nor the Gospels state where John was buried, though the Gospels state that John's disciples took his body and placed it in a
tomb and then told Jesus all that had occurred .
In the time of Julian the Apostate, however, his tomb was shown at Samaria, where the inhabitants opened it and burned part of his bones. The rest of the alleged remains were saved by some Christians, who carried them to an abbot of Jerusalem named Philip.
Prophecies
Christians believe that John the Baptist had a specific role ordained by God which was to be the forerunner or precursor to the
Messiah, whom they believe to be
Jesus. and also Luke 1:76 "...thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; 1:77 "To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins."
There are several passages within the
Old Testament which are interpreted by Christians as being
prophetic of John the Baptist in this role.
These include a passage in the
Book of Malachi that refers to a prophet who would
prepare the way of the Lord:
» Behold, I'll send my messenger, and he'll prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he'll come, saith the LORD of hosts. -
Though the interpretation of this passage as referring to a forerunner of the Messiah was uncommon amongst Jews prior to the 2nd century BC, it became significantly more common under Hellenic, and later Christian, influences.
Christians interpreted as referring prophetically to John, based on John's own statement as written in ::
He said, 'I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, "Make straight the way of the Lord" ', as the prophet Isaiah said.
Josephus
An account of John the Baptist is found in all extant manuscripts of the
Jewish Antiquities (book 18, chapter 5, 2) by
Flavius Josephus (37-100):
» Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing [withwater] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [orthe remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness. Now when [many] others came in crowds about him, for they were very greatly moved [orpleased] by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion, (for they seemed ready to do any thing he should advise,) thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties, by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late. Accordingly he was sent a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I before mentioned, and was there put to death. Now the Jews had an opinion that the destruction of this army was sent as a punishment upon Herod, and a mark of God's displeasure to him. The passage dates to at least the early third century as it's quoted by
Origen in
Contra Celsum. It was also quoted by
Eusebius of Caesarea in the fourth century.
According to this passage, the execution of John was blamed for a defeat Herod suffered in around 36. Divergences between the passage's presentation and the Biblical accounts of John include the following:
- Baptism for those whose souls have already been "purified beforehand by righteousness" is for purification of the body, not general repentance of sin .
Biblical scholar
John Dominic Crossan differentiates between Josephus' account of John and Jesus: "John had a monopoly, but Jesus had a franchise." To get baptized, Crossan writes, you went only to John. Stopping the movement meant only stopping John. His movement ended with his death. Jesus invited all to come and see how he and his companions had already accepted the Government of God, entered it and were living it. Such a communal praxis wasn't just for himself, but could survive without him, unlike John's movement.
Eastern Orthodox Church
The
Eastern Orthodox believe that John was the last of the
Old Testament prophets, thus serving as a bridge between that period of
revelation and the
New Covenant. They also teach that, following his death, John descended into
Hades and there once more preached that Jesus the Messiah was coming, so he was the Forerunner of Christ in death as he'd been in life. According to
Sacred Tradition, John the Baptist appears at the time of death to those who have not heard the
Gospel of Christ, and preaches the Good News to them, that all may have the opportunity to be saved.
Orthodox churches will often have an
icon of St. John the Baptist in a place of honor on the
iconostasis, and he's frequently mentioned during the
Divine Services. Every Tuesday throughout the year is dedicated to his memory.
The
Eastern Orthodox Church remembers Saint John the Forerunner on six separate feast days, listed here in order in which they occur during the
church year (which begins on September 1):
September 23 - Conception of St. John the Forerunner
January 7 - The Synaxis of St. John the Forerunner. This is his main feast day, immediately after Theophany on January 6 (January 7 also commemorates the transfer of the relic of the right hand of John the Baptist from Antioch to Constantinople in 956)
February 24 - First and Second Finding of the Head of St. John the Forerunner
May 25 - Third Finding of the Head of St. John the Forerunner
June 24 - Nativity of St. John the Forerunner
August 29 - The Beheading of St. John the Forerunner
In addition to the above, September 5 is the commemoration of Zechariah and Elisabeth, St. John's parents.
The Russian Orthodox Church observes October 12 as the Transfer of the Right Hand of the Forerunner from Malta to Gatchina (1799).
Roman Catholic Church
The Roman Catholic Church commemorates St. John the Baptist on three separate feast days:
June 24 The Nativity of St. John the Baptist
August 29 The Beheading of St. John the Baptist
September 23 Conception of St John the Baptist
As a patron saint
Saint John the Baptist is the patron saint of Puerto Rico, and its capital city San Juan bears his name. In 1521, the island was given its formal name "San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico", following the usual custom of christening the town with both its formal name and the name which Christopher Columbus had originally given the island, honouring John the Baptist. The indistinct use of "San Juan Bautista" and "Puerto Rico" for calling both the city and the island led to a reversal in practical use by most inhabitants due largely to a map-making error. Therefore by 1746 the name for the city (Puerto Rico) had become that of the entire island, while the name for the island (San Juan Bautista) had become the name for the city. The official motto for the island of Puerto Rico also references the saint, Joannes Est Nomen Eius (translated, "John is his name").
He is also a patron saint of French Canada, and Newfoundland. The Canadian cities of St. John's, Newfoundland (1497) and Saint John, New Brunswick (1604) were both named in his honor. In the UK Saint John the Baptist is the patron saint of Penzance, Cornwall. His feast day is June 24, celebrated in Quebec as the Fête nationale du Québec (la Fête St-Jean-Baptiste), and in Newfoundland as Discovery Day.
Also on the night from 23rd to 24th June, Saint John is celebrated as the patron saint of Porto, the second largest city in Portugal. An article from June 2004 in The Guardian, remarked that "Porto's Festa de São João is one of Europe's liveliest street festivals, yet it's relatively unknown outside the country".
He is also patron of the Knights Hospitaller of Jerusalem, Florence, and Genoa, Italy.
Saint John the Baptist is also the patron saint of Jordan, his beheading is believed to have taken place in Machaerus in central Jordan.
The Baptistines are the name given to a number of religious orders dedicated to the memory of John the Baptist.
Saint John is also the patron saint of Lian, Batangas, San Juan, Metro Manila (Philippines) and the entire state of South Carolina.
St. John the Baptist is (along with St. John the Evangelist) claimed as a Patron Saint by the fraternal society of Free and Accepted Masons (better known as the Freemasons).
Relics
According to ancient tradition, the burial-place of John the Baptist was at Sebaste in Samaria, and mention is made of his relics being honored there around the middle of the fourth century. The historians Rufinus and Theodoretus record that the shrine was desecrated under Julian the Apostate around 362, the bones being partly burned. A portion of the rescued relics were carried to Jerusalem, then to Alexandria, where on 27 May, 395, they were laid in the basilica that was newly-dedicated to the Forerunner on the former site of the temple of Serapis. The tomb at Sebaste continued, nevertheless, to be visited by pious pilgrims, and St. Jerome bears witness to miracles being worked there.
What became of the head of John the Baptist is difficult to determine. Nicephorus and Symeon Metaphrastes say that Herodias had it buried in the fortress of Machaerus (in accordance with Josephus). Other writers say that it was interred in Herod's palace at Jerusalem; there it was found during the reign of Constantine I, and thence secretly taken to Emesa, in Phoenicia, where it was concealed, the place remaining unknown for years, until it was manifested by revelation in 453.
The Coptic Christian Orthodox Church also claim to hold the relics of St. John the Baptist. These are to be found in a monastery in Lower Egypt between Cairo and Alexandria. It is possible, with permission from the monks, to see the original tomb where the remains were found.
Over the centuries, there have been many discrepancies in the various legends and claimed relics throughout the Christian world. Several different locations claim to possess the severed head of John the Baptist. Among the various claimants are:
The Knights Templar. In medieval times it was rumored that they'd possession of the saint's severed head, and multiple records from their Inquisition in the early 1300s make reference to some form of head being worshiped by the Knights.
San Silvestro in Capite in Rome
Amiens Cathedral, France, brought home by Wallon de Sarton from the Fourth Crusade in Constantinople.
Turkish Antioch
The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus while John's right hand, with which he baptised Jesus, is said to be in the possession of the Serbian Orthodox Cetinje monastery in Montenegro, and also at the Romanian skete of the Forerunner on Mount Athos.
Mandaean view
John the Baptist plays a large part in some Mandaean writings, especially those dating from the Islamic period.
Mandaeans highly revere him and may possibly have some remote connection with his original disciples. Bahá'u'lláh claimed that His Forerunner, the Báb, was the spiritual return of John the Baptist. In His letter to Pope Pius IX, Bahá'u'lláh wrote:
"O followers of the Son! We have once again sent John unto you, and He, verily, hath cried out in the wilderness of the Bayán: O peoples of the world! Cleanse your eyes! The Day whereon ye can behold the Promised One and attain unto Him hath drawn nigh! O followers of the Gospel! Prepare the way! The Day of the advent of the Glorious Lord is at hand! Make ready to enter the Kingdom. Thus hath it been ordained by God, He Who causeth the dawn to break."
However, Bahá'ís consider the Báb to be a greater Prophet (Manifestation of God) and thus possessed of a far greater station than John the Baptist.
Gnostic and anthroposophic views
In Gnosticism, John the Baptist was a "personification" of the Old Testament prophet Elijah. As an Old Testament prophet, Elijah didn't know the True God (the God of the New Testament), and thus had to be reincarnated in Gnostic theology. As predicted by the Old Testament prophet Malachi, Elijah must "come first" to herald the coming of Jesus Christ.
Modern anthroposophy, initiated by Rudolf Steiner, concurs with the idea that the Baptist was a reincarnation of Elijah, in line with the Synoptic Gospels (for example ,,), although the Gospel of John explicitly denies this . Furthermore, after his beheading at Machaerus his soul is said to have become the inspiring group genius of Christ's disciples. According to Steiner, the painter Raphael and the poet Novalis were more recent incarnations of John the Baptist.
Unification church
The Unification Church teaches that God intended that John help Jesus during his public ministry in Israel. In particular, John should have done everything in his power to persuade the Jewish people that Jesus was the Messiah. He was to become Jesus' greatest disciple. John's failure to do so was the chief obstacle to the fulfillment of Jesus' mission.Divine Principle Chapter 4, Section 2
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
According to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, latter-day revelation confirms the biblical account and also makes known additional events in the ministry of John the Baptist. According to this tradition, revelation reveals that John was "ordained by an angel," when he was 8 days of age, to overthrow the kingdom of the Jews and to prepare a people for the Lord. They also claim that he was baptized while yet in his childhood (Doctrine and Covenants 84:27-28).
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that John the Baptist appeared on the banks of the Susquehanna River near Harmony Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania (present-day Oakton), as a resurrected being, to Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdery on 15 May 1829, and ordained them to the Aaronic priesthood.; . According to this tradition, John the Baptist's ministry has operated in three dispensations: the last of the prophets under the law of Moses, the first of the New Testament prophets, and the bringer of the Aaronic priesthood to the dispensation of the fulness of times. They also believe John's ministry was foretold by two prophets in the Book of Mormon: Lehi(External Link) and his son, Nephi (; ).
Commemoration
Maronite Catholic Monastery of Saint John the Baptist, Beit Mery, Lebanon
Romanian Skete Prodromos (the name is the Greek for "The Forerunner") on Mount Athos, holding relics believed to be of John the Baptist
St John's College of The University of Oxford, Oxford, England
Puerto Rico was originally named San Juan Bautista; San Juan (then called Puerto Rico) is now its capital city.
St. John's, Newfoundland, was founded on his feast day June 24, 1497.
Exactly 34 years later San Juan del Río, Querétaro, Mexico was founded on June 24, 1531.
Saint John, New Brunswick was named after the Saint John River which was named by Samuel de Champlain
St. John's University located in Queens, New York; St. John's is the second largest Roman Catholic university in the United States.
Saint John's University located in Collegeville, MN; a Roman Catholic-Benedictine liberal arts university.
Fête nationale du Québec - also known as la St- Jean-Baptiste - is the provincial holiday of Quebec, celebrated on June 24 of every year.
Prince Edward Island, a Canadian province, was originally called Île de St-Jean or St. John's Island.
St. John's wort is named after St. John because it's traditionally harvested on his feast day, June 24.
12th century cathedral in Kamien Pomorski (Poland) with a famous 17th century organ
St. John's Regional College in Dandenong Melbourne (Australia)
St. John the Baptist Parish in the southern portion of the American state of Louisiana. In Louisiana, a civil parish is equivalent to a county elsewhere in North America.
St. John's Avenue in Staten Island, New York, overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, Brooklyn, the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, New York Harbour, and Manhattan
St. John Ambulance and the Venerable Order of St. John.
Mission San Juan Bautista, one of the original 18th century missions in northern California.
Famous churches
Two different Churches of St. John the Baptist in Ein Karem, traditional place of his birth
Basilica of St. John Lateran
St. John the Baptist of Coventry
St. John the Baptist at St. John's, Newfoundland (Basilica-cathedral)
San Giovanni Battista di Rimini (cathedral)
San Giovanni Battista di Torino (cathedral)
Saint-Jean-Baptiste d'Audresselles
St. John's Cathedral of Valletta
Saint-John-Baptiste Located on Christian Quarter Road, Old City, Jerusalem
Church of St. John the Baptist, Mudgee, New South Wales, Australia
St. John's (Episcopal) Church, Elizabeth, New Jersey, where the youngest signer of the United States Constitution is buried, Jonathan Dayton, and the 1769 wedding site of the parents of Elizabeth Ann Seton (first American Roman Catholic saint)
Chapel of St. John the Baptist (Capela de São João Baptista), 18th century, at the time reputedly the most expensive chapel in Europe is in the Igreja de São Roque (Lisbon)Further Information
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