John the Baptist

Not to be confused with John the Apostle.
"Saint John the Baptist" redirects here. For other uses, see Saint John the Baptist (disambiguation).

Saint

John the Baptist
Saint John the Baptist, a 1540 painting by Titian
Bornc. 1st century BC[1]
Herodian Tetrarchy, Roman Empire
Diedc. AD 30[2][3][4][5]
Machaerus, Herodian Tetrarchy, Roman Empire
Venerated inChristianity (all denominations which venerate saints), Islam, Druze faith,[6] Baháʼí faith, Mandaeism
CanonizedPre-Congregation
Major shrine
Feast
AttributesCamel-skin robe, cross, lamb, scroll with words "Ecce Agnus Dei-", platter with own head, pouring water from hands or scallop shell
PatronageSee Commemoration

John the Baptist[note 1] (c. 1st century BC – c. AD 30) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early 1st century AD.[18][19] He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist Christian traditions,[20] and Prophet Yahya in Islam. He is sometimes alternatively referred to as John the Baptiser.[21][22][23]

John is mentioned by the Roman Jewish historian Josephus[24] and he is revered as a major religious figure in Christianity,[25] Islam, the Baháʼí faith,[26] the Druze faith, and Mandaeism; in the last of these he is considered to be the final and most vital prophet. He is considered to be a prophet of God by all of the aforementioned faiths, and is honoured as a saint in many Christian denominations. According to the New Testament, John anticipated a messianic figure greater than himself;[27] in the Gospels, he is portrayed as the precursor or forerunner of Jesus.[28] According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus himself identifies John as "Elijah who is to come",[29] which is a direct reference to the Book of Malachi (Malachi 4:5),[30] as confirmed by the angel who announced John's birth to his father, Zechariah.[31] According to the Gospel of Luke, John and Jesus were relatives.[32][33]

Some scholars think that John belonged to the Essenes, a semi-ascetic Jewish sect who expected a messiah and practised ritual baptism.[34][35] John used baptism as the central symbol or sacrament[36] of his pre-messianic movement. Most biblical scholars agree that John baptized Jesus,[37][38] and several New Testament accounts report that some of Jesus's early followers had previously been followers of John.[39] According to the New Testament, John was sentenced to death and subsequently beheaded by Herod Antipas around AD 30 after John rebuked him for divorcing his wife Phasaelis and then unlawfully wedding Herodias, the wife of his brother Herod Philip I. Josephus also mentions John in the Antiquities of the Jews and states that he was executed by order of Herod Antipas in the fortress at Machaerus.[40]

The Preaching of St. John the Baptist by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1566

Followers of John existed well into the 2nd century AD, and some proclaimed him to be the Messiah awaited by Jews.[41] In modern times, the followers of John the Baptist are the Mandaeans, an ancient ethnoreligious group who believe that he is their greatest and final prophet.[42][43] In the Roman martyrology, apart from Jesus and the Virgin Mary, John is the only saint whose birth and death are both commemorated.[44]

While after a century of critical studies a number of issues concerning the life and ministry of John the Baptist have generated considerable consensus (e.g., the baptism of Jesus, unreliability of the Slavic version of Josephus, etc.), the status questionis of several subjects such as the content of his message, portrayal as Elijah, relationship to Jesus, meaning of his baptism, the account in Josephus, and his association with the Essenes/Qumran, as well as some other minor matters, continue to be debated.[45]

  1. ^ Luke 1:36 indicates that John was born about six months before Jesus, whose birth cannot be dated later than early in AD 4, L. Morris, "John the Baptist", ed. Geoffrey W Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1938–1958), 1108.
  2. ^ Metzger, Bruce Manning (1993). The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Oxford University Press. p. 283. ISBN 9780199743919. Herod beheaded John at Machaerus in 31 or 32 AD.
  3. ^ Metzger (2004). The Oxford Guide to People & Places of the Bible. Oxford University Press. p. 103. ISBN 9780195176100. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2020. Herod beheaded John at Machaerus in 31 or 32 AD.
  4. ^ Kokkinos, The Herodian Dynasty, pp. 268, 277.
  5. ^ Lang, Bernhard (2009) International Review of Biblical Studies Brill Academic Pub ISBN 9004172548 p. 380 – "33/34 AD Herod Antipas's marriage to Herodias (and beginning of the ministry of Jesus in a sabbatical year); 35 AD – death of John the Baptist"
  6. ^ Swayd, Samy (2015). Historical Dictionary of the Druzes. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 77. ISBN 978-1442246171.
  7. ^ Lang, Bernhard 2009 Page 380
  8. ^ "Ορθόδοξος Συναξαριστής :: Άγιος Ιωάννης Πρόδρομος και Βαπτιστής (Σύλληψη)" (in Greek). Saint.gr. 23 September 2012. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  9. ^ "H ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ : Επιτροπές της Ιεράς Συνόδου – Συνοδική Επιτροπή επί της Εκκλησιαστικής Τέχνης και Μουσικής" (in Greek). Ecclesia.gr. Archived from the original on 30 June 2004. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  10. ^ παπα Γιώργης Δορμπαράκης (26 January 2012). "ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΕΙΝ: Η ΣΥΝΑΞΙΣ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΕΝΔΟΞΟΥ ΠΡΟΦΗΤΟΥ, ΠΡΟΔΡΟΜΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΒΑΠΤΙΣΤΟΥ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ (7 ΙΑΝΟΥΑΡΙΟΥ)" (in Greek). Pgdorbas.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  11. ^ Wetterau, Bruce. World history. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994.
  12. ^ a b "يوحنا المعمدان – St-Takla.org". st-takla.org (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2 October 2006. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  13. ^ "النبي السابق يوحنا المعمدان". Antioch (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  14. ^ "سيرة يوحنا المعمدان ابن زكريا الكاهن". www.thegrace.com (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 6 October 1999. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference GR Gelbert was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Treats, Jewish. "The Hebrew Name John". Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  17. ^ Harper, Douglas. "John". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  18. ^ Cross, F. L., ed. (2005). "John the Baptist, St". Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 893. ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  19. ^ "St. John the Baptist | Facts, Feast Day, & Death | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  20. ^ Cheek, John C., New Testament Translation in America Archived 8 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 72, No. 2 (Jun. 1953), pp. 103–114
  21. ^ Webb, Robert L. (1 October 2006) [1991]. John the Baptizer and Prophet: A Socio-historic Study. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock Publishers (published 29 September 2006). ISBN 9781597529860. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  22. ^ Sykes, Robert Henry (1982). Friend of the Bridegroom: Meditations in the Life of John the Baptizer. Everyday Publications, Inc. ISBN 9780888730527. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  23. ^ Mead, G.R.S. Gnostic John the Baptizer: Selections from the Mandaean John-Book. Forgotten Books. ISBN 9781605062105. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  24. ^ Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 18.5.2
  25. ^ Funk, Robert W. and the Jesus Seminar (1998), The Acts of Jesus: The search for the Authentic Deeds of Jesus. San Francisco: Harper; "John the Baptist" cameo, p. 268
  26. ^ Compilations (1983). Hornby, Helen (ed.). Lights of Guidance: A Baháʼí Reference File. Baháʼí Publishing Trust, New Delhi, India. p. 475. ISBN 978-81-85091-46-4. Archived from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  27. ^ Funk, Robert W. & the Jesus Seminar (1998). The Acts of Jesus: the search for the authentic deeds of Jesus. San Francisco: Harper. "Mark", pp. 51–161.
  28. ^ Meier, John (1994). Mentor, Message, and Miracles (A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, Vol. 2). Vol. 2. Anchor Bible. ISBN 978-0-385-46992-0.
  29. ^ "Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 11:14 – New King James Version". Archived from the original on 3 October 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  30. ^ Malachi 4:5–6
  31. ^ "Bible Gateway passage: Luke 1:17 – New King James Version". Bible Gateway. Archived from the original on 2 June 2007. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  32. ^ "Bible Gateway passage: ΚΑΤΑ ΛΟΥΚΑΝ 1:36 – SBL Greek New Testament". Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  33. ^ "NETBible: Luke 1". Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  34. ^ Harris, Stephen L. (1985). Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield. p. 382
  35. ^ Marshall, I. H.; Millard, A. R.; Packer, J. I., eds. (1988). "John the Baptist". New Bible Dictionary (Third ed.). IVP reference collection. ISBN 978-0-85110-636-6.
  36. ^ Edward Oliver James, Sacrament in Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 20 May 2009, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/515366/sacrament Archived 4 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  37. ^ Charles M. Sennott, The Body and the Blood, Public Affairs Pub, 2003. p. 234
  38. ^ Jesus as a figure in history: how modern historians view the man from Galilee. Mark Allan Powell, published by Westminster John Knox Press, p. 47 "Few would doubt the basic fact...Jesus was baptized by John"
  39. ^ Harris, Stephen L. (1985) Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield John 1:36–40
  40. ^ Flavius Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews Book 18, 5, 2 Text at Wikisource
  41. ^ R. Alan Culpepper; Paul N. Anderson (23 October 2017). John and Judaism: A Contested Relationship in Context. SBL Press. pp. 158–. ISBN 978-0-88414-241-6. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  42. ^ Cite error: The named reference Buckley was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  43. ^ Cite error: The named reference Drower was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  44. ^ "Do we celebrate the birth of St. John the Baptist?". 23 June 2020. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  45. ^ Roberto Martinez, “Contemporary Research and Debated Issues on John the Baptist” Currents in Biblical Research 23 (2024): 7-36.


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