John the Baptist[note 1] (late 1st century BC – AD 28–36) was a Jewish itinerant preacher[14] in

the early 1st century AD. Other titles for John include John the Forerunner in Eastern
Christianity, John the Immerser in some Baptist traditions,[15] and the prophet John (Yaḥyā)
in Islam. He is sometimes alternatively called John the Baptizer.[16][17][18]
John the Baptist is mentioned by the Hebrew historian Josephus[19] and revered as a major
religious figure[20] in Christianity, Islam, the Bahá'í Faith,[21] and Mandaeism. He is called
a prophet by all of these faiths, and is honored as a saint in many Christian traditions.
According to the New Testament, John anticipated a messianic figure greater than
himself,[22] and the Gospels portray John as the precursor or forerunner of Jesus,[23] since
John announces Jesus' coming and prepares the people for Jesus' ministry. Jesus himself
identifies John as "Elijah who is to come",[24] which is a direct reference to the prophecy
of Malachi 4:5–6, that has been confirmed by the angel who announced John's birth to his
father Zecharia[25]. According to the New Testament, John the Baptist and Jesus of
Nazareth were relatives.[26][27]
Some scholars maintain that John belonged to the Essenes, a semi-ascetic Judaic sect
who expected a Hebrew messiah and who practiced ritual baptism.[28][29] John
used baptism as the central symbol or sacrament[30] of his pre-messianic movement. Most
scholars agree that John baptized Jesus,[31][32] and several New Testament accounts report
that some of Jesus' early followers had previously been followers of John.[33]
According to the New Testament John was sentenced to death and
subsequently beheaded by Herod Antipas sometime between AD 28 and 36 after John
rebuked him for divorcing his wife, Phasaelis, and then unlawfully wedding Herodias, the
wife of his brother Herod Philip I.

Contents

• 1Gospel narratives
o 1.1In Mark
o 1.2In Matthew
o 1.3In Luke and Acts
o 1.4In the Gospel of John
o 1.5Comparative analysis
• 2In Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews
• 3Relics
• 4Religious views
o 4.1Christianity
▪ 4.1.1Influence on Paul
▪ 4.1.2Catholic Church
▪ 4.1.3Eastern Christianity
▪ 4.1.4The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
▪ 4.1.5Syrian-Egyptian Gnosticism
o 4.2Mandaeans
o 4.3Islam
▪ 4.3.1Quran
▪ 4.3.2Name
o 4.4Bahá'í view
o 4.5Unification Church
• 5Scholarship
• 6In art
o 6.1In poetry
o 6.2In music
o 6.3In film and television
• 7Commemoration
• 8See also
• 9Notes
• 10References
o 10.1Citations
o 10.2Sources
▪ 10.2.1Islamic view
▪ 10.2.2Passages in the Quran
• 11External links

Gospel narratives[edit]
See also: Baptism of Jesus and Beheading of Saint John the Baptist
John the Baptist is mentioned in all four canonical Gospels and the non-canonical Gospel
of the Nazarenes. The Synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew and Luke) describe John
baptising Jesus; in the Gospel of John this is implied in John 1:32–1:34.

In Mark[edit]

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

The Gospel of Mark introduces John as a fulfilment of a prophecy from the Book of
Isaiah (in fact, a conflation of texts from Isaiah, Malachi and Exodus)[34] about a messenger
being sent ahead, and a voice crying out in the wilderness. John is described as wearing
clothes of camel's hair, living on locusts and wild honey. John proclaims baptism of
repentance for the forgiveness of sin, and says another will come after him who will not
baptize with water, but with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus comes to John, and is baptized by him in the river Jordan. The account describes
how, as he emerges from the water, the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descends on him
'like a dove'. A voice from heaven then says, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am
well pleased." (Mark 1:11)
Later in the gospel there is an account of John's death. It is introduced by an incident where
the Tetrarch Herod Antipas, hearing stories about Jesus, imagines that this is John the
Baptist raised from the dead. It then explains that John had rebuked Herod for
marrying Herodias, the ex-wife of his brother (named here as Philip). Herodias demands
his execution, but Herod, who 'liked to listen' to John, is reluctant to do so because he fears
him, knowing he is a 'righteous and holy man'.
The account then describes how Herod's daughter Herodias (NRSV; other translations
refer to the girl as the daughter of Herodias) dances before Herod, who is pleased and
offers her anything she asks for in return. When the girl asks her mother what she should
request, she is told to demand the head of John the Baptist. Reluctantly, Herod orders the
beheading of John, and his head is delivered to her, at her request, on a plate. John's
disciples take the body away and bury it in a tomb.(Mark 6:17–29)
There are a number of difficulties with this passage. The Gospel refers to Antipas as
'King'[35] and the ex-husband of Herodias is named as Philip, but he is known to have been
called Herod.[36] Although the wording clearly implies the girl was the daughter of Herodias,
many texts describe her as "Herod's daughter, Herodias". Since these texts are early and
significant and the reading is 'difficult', many scholars see this as the original version,
corrected in later versions and in Matthew and Luke.[36][37][38] Josephus says that Herodias
had a daughter by the name of Salome.
Scholars have speculated about the origins of the story. Since it shows signs of having
been composed in Aramaic, which Mark apparently did not speak, he is likely to have got it
from a Palestinian source.[39] There are a variety of opinions about how much actual
historical material it contains, especially given the alleged factual errors.[40] Many scholars
have seen the story of John arrested, executed, and buried in a tomb as a conscious
foreshadowing of the fate of Jesus.[41]
show
John the Baptist in The Gospel of Mark
In Matthew[edit]

St. John the Baptist Preaching, c. 1665, by Mattia Preti

The Gospel of Matthew account begins with the same modified quotation from
Isaiah,[42] moving the Malachi and Exodus material to later in the text, where it is quoted by
Jesus.[43] The description of John is taken directly from Mark ("clothing of camel's hair with a
leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey"), along with the
proclamation that one was coming who would baptise with the Holy Spirit "and fire"
(Matthew 3:1–12).
Unlike Mark, Matthew describes John as critical of Pharisees and Sadducees and as
preaching "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" and a "coming judgment".
Matthew shortens the account of the beheading of John, and adds two elements: that
Herod Antipas wants John dead, and that the death is reported to Jesus by his
disciples.[44] Matthew's approach is to shift the focus away from Herod and onto John as a
prototype of Jesus. Where Mark has Herod killing John reluctantly and at Herodias'
insistence, Matthew describes him as wanting John dead.[45]
show
John the Baptist in the Gospel of Matthew
In Luke and Acts[edit]
Main article: Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

John the Baptist (right) with child Jesus, in the painting The Holy Children with a Shell by Bartolomé
Esteban Perez Murillo

The Gospel of Luke adds an account of John's infancy, introducing him as the miraculous
son of Zechariah, an old man, and his wife Elizabeth, who was past menopause and
therefore unable to have children.[46][47] According to this account, the birth of John was
foretold by the angel Gabriel to Zechariah, while he was performing his functions as a priest
in the temple of Jerusalem. Since he is described as a priest of the course of Abijah and
Elizabeth as one of the daughters of Aaron,[48] this would make John a descendant
of Aaron on both his father's and mother's side.[49] On the basis of this account, the Catholic
as well as the Anglican and Lutheran liturgical calendars placed the feast of the Nativity of
John the Baptist on June 24, six months before Christmas.[50]
Elizabeth is described as a "relative" of Mary, the mother of Jesus in Luke 1:36. There is no
mention of a family relationship between John and Jesus in the other Gospels,
and Raymond E. Brown has described it as "of dubious historicity".[51] Géza Vermes has
called it "artificial and undoubtedly Luke's creation".[52] The many similarities between the
Gospel of Luke story of the birth of John and the Old Testament account of the birth
of Samuel suggest that Luke's account of the annunciation and birth of Jesus are modeled
on that of Samuel.[53]
Post-nativity
Unique to the Gospel of Luke, John the Baptist explicitly teaches charity, baptizes tax-
collectors, and advises soldiers.
The text briefly mentions that John is imprisoned and later beheaded by Herod, but the
Gospel of Luke lacks the story of a step-daughter dancing for Herod and requesting John's
head.
The Book of Acts portrays some disciples of John becoming followers of Jesus Acts 18:24–
19:6 a development not reported by the gospels except for the early case of Andrew,
Simon Peter's brother (John 1:35–42).
show
John the Baptist in the Gospel of Luke and Acts
In the Gospel of John[edit]
The fourth gospel describes John the Baptist as "a man sent from God" who "was not the
light", but "came as a witness, to bear witness to the light, so that through him everyone
might believe".[54] John clearly denies being the Christ or Elijah or 'the prophet', instead
describing himself as the "voice of one crying in the wilderness".[55]
Upon literary analysis, it is clear that John is the "testifier and confessor par excellence",
particularly when compared to figures like Nicodemus.[56]
Matthias Grünewald, detail of the Isenheim Altarpiece

Jesus's baptism is implied but not depicted. Unlike the other gospels, it is John himself who
testifies to seeing "the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove and rest on him". John
explicitly announces that Jesus is the one "who baptizes with the Holy Spirit" and John
even professes a "belief that he is the Son of God" and "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.[57] In this debate
John argued that Jesus "must become greater," while he (John) "must become
less"[58] (Latin Vulgate: illum oportet crescere me autem minui).
The Gospel of John then points out that Jesus' disciples were baptizing more people than
John.[59] Later, the Gospel relates that Jesus regarded John as "a burning and shining lamp,
and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light".[60]
show
John the Baptist in the Gospel of John
Comparative analysis[edit]
Simon J. Joseph has argued that the Gospel demotes the historical John by painting him
only as a prophetic forerunner to Jesus whereas his ministry actually complemented
Jesus'.[61]
The prophecy of Isaiah
Although Mark's Gospel implies that the arrival of John the Baptist is the fulfilment of a
prophecy from the Book of Isaiah, the words quoted ("I will send my messenger ahead of
you, who will prepare your way – a voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way
for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'") are actually a composite of texts
from Isaiah, Malachi and the Book of Exodus. (Matthew and Luke drop the first part of the
reference.)[34]
Baptism of Jesus
The gospels differ on the details of the Baptism. In Mark and Luke, Jesus himself sees the
heavens open and hears a voice address him personally, saying, "You are my dearly loved
son; you bring me great joy". They do not clarify whether others saw and heard these
things. Although other incidents where the "voice came out of heaven" are recorded in
which, for the sake of the crowds, it was heard audibly, John did say in his witness that he
did see the spirit coming down "out of heaven" (John 12:28–30, John 1:32).
In Matthew, the voice from heaven does not address Jesus personally, saying instead "This
is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased."
In the Gospel of John, John the Baptist himself sees the spirit descend as a dove, testifying
about the experience as evidence of Jesus's status.
John's knowledge of Jesus
John's knowledge of Jesus varies across gospels. In the Gospel of Mark, John preaches of
a coming leader, but shows no signs of recognizing that Jesus is this leader. In Matthew,
however, John immediately recognizes Jesus and John questions his own worthiness to
baptize Jesus. In both Matthew and Luke, John later dispatches disciples to question Jesus
about his status, asking "Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?" In Luke,
John is a familial relative of Jesus whose birth was foretold by Gabriel. In the Gospel of
John, John the Baptist himself sees the spirit descend like a dove and he explicitly
preaches that Jesus is the Son of God.
John and Elijah
See also: Matthew 3:4
The Gospels vary in their depiction of John's relationship to Elijah. Matthew and Mark
describe John's attire in a way reminiscent of the description of Elijah in 2 Kings 1:8, who
also wore a garment of hair and a leather belt. In Matthew, Jesus explicitly teaches that
John is "Elijah who was to come" (Matt. 11:14 – see also Matt. 17:11–13); many Christian
theologians have taken this to mean that John was Elijah's successor. In the Gospel of
John, John the Baptist explicitly denies being Elijah. In the annunciation narrative in Luke,
an angel appears to Zechariah, John's father, and tells him that John "will turn many of the
sons of Israel to the Lord their God," and that he will go forth "in the spirit and power of
Elijah (Luke 1:16–17)."

In Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews[edit]

An account of John the Baptist is found in all extant manuscripts of the Antiquities of the
Jews (book 18, chapter 5, 2) by Flavius Josephus (37–100):[62]
Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's [Antipas'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 [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made
use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the 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 [or pleased] 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.[63]
According to this passage, the execution of John was blamed for the defeat Herod suffered.
Some have claimed that this passage indicates that John died near the time of the
destruction of Herod's army in 36 AD. However, in a different passage, Josephus states
that the end of Herod's marriage with Aretas' daughter (after which John was killed) was
only the beginning of hostilities between Herod and Aretas, which later escalated into the
battle.[64]
Divergences between the passage's presentation and the biblical accounts of John include
baptism for those whose souls have already been "purified beforehand by righteousness" is
for purification of the body, not general repentance of sin (Mark 1:4).[65] Biblical scholar John
Dominic Crossan differentiates between Josephus's account of John and Jesus, saying,
"John had a monopoly, but Jesus had a franchise." To get baptized, Crossan writes, you
went only to John; to stop the movement one only needed to stop John (therefore 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 was not just for himself, but could survive without him, unlike
John's movement.[66]

Relics[edit]
See also: Beheading of Saint John the Baptist § Relics

Nabi Yahya Mosque, the traditional burial site in Sebastia, near Nablus, the West Bank, the Levant.

Matthew 14:12 records that "his disciples came and took away [John's] body and buried it".
Theologian Joseph Benson refers to a belief that "it seems that the body had been thrown
over the prison walls, without burial, probably by order of Herodias.[67]
The burial-place of John the Baptist was traditionally said to be at the Nabi Yahya
Mosque (Saint John the Baptiste Mosque) in Sebastia in current Palestinian territories, and
mention is made of his relics being honored there around the middle of the 4th 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 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 Saint
Jerome bears witness to miracles being worked there.
What became of the head of John the Baptist is difficult to
determine. Nicephorus[68] 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 where it was concealed, the place remaining unknown for
years, until it was manifested by revelation in 453. However, the decapitation cloth of Saint
John is kept at the Aachen Cathedral. The Coptic Christian Orthodox Church also claim to
hold the relics of Saint 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.
Shrine of John the Baptist in the Umayyad Mosque.

• Several different locations claim to possess the severed head of John the Baptist. The
current official place for the Catholic Church is the Shrine of Saint John the Baptiste
(Nabi Yahya in Arabic) inside the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.[69] The place was
visited by Pope John Paul II in 2001 who "paused for a minute's silent meditation at the
tomb of St John the Baptist".[70] Previous to that the catholic Church used to believe that
it was kept in the San Silvestro in Capite in Rome;[71] and then that it was held by
the Knights Templar at Amiens Cathedral in France (brought home by Wallon de
Sarton from the Fourth Crusade in Constantinople), at Antioch in Turkey (fate
uncertain). Other traditions assume that it was in Residenz Museum in Munich,
Germany (official residence of the Wittelsbach rulers of Bavaria from 1385 to
1918),[71] or even the parish church at Tenterden in Kent, where it was preserved up
until the Reformation.

A Calcutta Armenian kisses the hand of a priest of Saint John the Baptist, Chinsurah

• The saint's right hand, with which he baptised Jesus, is claimed to be in the Serbian
Orthodox Cetinje monastery in Montenegro; Topkapi Palace in Istanbul;[71] and also in
the Romanian skete of the Forerunner on Mount Athos. The saint's left hand is
allegedly preserved in the Armenian Apostolic Church of St. John at Chinsurah, West
Bengal, where each year on "Chinsurah Day" in January it blesses the Armenian
Christians of Calcutta.[72] A crypt and relics said to be John's and mentioned in 11th-
and 16th-century manuscripts, were discovered in 1969 during restoration of the
Church of St. Macarius at the Monastery of Saint Macarius the
Great in Scetes, Egypt;[73] Additional relics are claimed to reside in Gandzasar
Monastery's Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, in Nagorno Karabakh.
Another obscure claim relates to the town of Halifax in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom,
where, as patron saint of the town, the Baptist's head appears on the official coat-of-
arms.[74] One legend (among others) bases the etymology of the town's place-name on
"halig" (holy) and "fax" (face), claiming that a relic of the head, or face, of John the Baptist
once existed in the town.[75]
Also, in 2010, bones were discovered in the ruins of a Bulgarian church in the St. John the
Forerunner Monastery (4th–17th centuries) on the Black Sea island of St. Ivan and two
years later, after DNA and radio carbon testing proved the bones belonged to a Middle
Eastern man who lived in the 1st century AD, scientists said that the remains could
conceivably have belonged to John the Baptist.[76][77] The remains, found in a reliquarium are
presently kept in the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral in Sozopol.[76][78]

Religious views[edit]
Christianity[edit]
John the Baptist, by Juan de Juanes [es], c. 1560

John the Baptist, Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, Rome

The Gospels describe John the Baptist as having had a specific role ordained by God as
forerunner or precursor of Jesus, who was the foretold Messiah. The New Testament
Gospels speak of this role. In Luke 1:17 the role of John is referred to as being "to turn the
hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make
ready a people prepared for the Lord." In Luke 1:76 as "thou shalt go before the face of the
Lord to prepare his ways" and in Luke 1:77 as being "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 (Malachi 3:1) that refers to a prophet who would prepare the way of the Lord:
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall 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 shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

— Malachi 3:1[79]
and also at the end of the next chapter in Malachi 4:5–6 where it says,
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of
the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the
children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
The Jews of Jesus' day expected Elijah to come before the Messiah; indeed, some present
day Jews continue to await Elijah's coming as well, as in the Cup of Elijah the Prophet in
the Passover Seder. This is why the disciples ask Jesus in Matthew 17:10, "Why then say
the scribes that Elias must first come?" The disciples are then told by Jesus that Elijah
came in the person of John the Baptist,
Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has
already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they
wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." Then the
disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.

— Matthew 17:11–13
(see also 11:14: "...if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who was to come.")
These passages are applied to John in the Synoptic Gospels.[80][81][82] But where Matthew
specifically identifies John the Baptist as Elijah's spiritual successor (Matthew 11.14,
17.13), the gospels of Mark and Luke are silent on the matter. The Gospel of John states
that John the Baptist denied that he was Elijah.
Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask
him who he was. He did not deny, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ." They asked
him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He
answered, "No."

— John 1:19–21

Influence on Paul[edit]
Many scholars believe there was contact between the early church in the Apostolic
Age and what is called the "Qumran-Essene community".[83] The Dead Sea Scrolls were
found at Qumran, which the majority of historians and archaeologists identify as an Essene
settlement.[84] John the Baptist is thought to have been either an Essene or "associated"
with the community at Khirbet Qumran. According to the Book of Acts, Paul met some
"disciples of John" in Ephesus.[85]
Catholic Church[edit]

A 'Head of St John', in Rome

Tomb of Saint John the Baptist at a Coptic monastery in Lower Egypt. The bones of Saint John the
Baptist were said to have been found here.

The Catholic Church commemorates Saint John the Baptist on two feast days:

• 24 June – Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

• 29 August – Beheading of Saint John the Baptist
According to Frederick Holweck, at the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to his mother
Elizabeth, as recounted in Luke 1:39–57, John, sensing the presence of his Jesus, upon
the arrival of Mary, leaped in the womb of his mother; he was then cleansed from original
sin and filled with the grace of God.[86] In her Treatise of Prayer, Saint Catherine of
Siena includes a brief altercation with the Devil regarding her fight due to the Devil
attempting to lure her with vanity and flattery. Speaking in the first person, Catherine
responds to the Devil with the following words:
... humiliation of yourself, and you answered the Devil with these words: 'Wretch that I am!
John the Baptist never sinned and was sanctified in his mother's womb. And I have
committed so many sins ...

— Catherine of Siena, A Treatise of Prayer, 1370.[87][88]

Eastern Christianity[edit]

Eastern Orthodox icon John the Baptist – the Angel of the Desert (Stroganov School,
1620s) Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.

The Eastern Catholic Churches and Eastern Orthodox faithful 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 had been in life. Eastern Catholic and
Orthodox churches will often have an icon of Saint John the Baptist in a place of honor on
the iconostasis, and he is 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):

• 23 September – Conception of Saint John the Forerunner[89]

• 7 January – The Synaxis of Saint John the Forerunner. This is his main ml 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)
• 24 February – First and Second Finding of the Head of Saint John the Forerunner
• 25 May – Third Finding of the Head of Saint John the Forerunner
• 24 June – Nativity of Saint John the Forerunner
• 29 August – The Beheading of Saint John the Forerunner, a day of strict fast and
abstinence from meat and dairy products and foods containing meat or dairy products
In addition to the above, 5 September is the commemoration of Zechariah and Elizabeth,
Saint John's parents. The Russian Orthodox Church observes 12 October as the Transfer
of the Right Hand of the Forerunner from Malta to Gatchina (1799).
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[edit]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that modern revelation confirms
the biblical account of John and also makes known additional events in his ministry.
According to this belief, John was "ordained by the angel of God" when he was eight days
old "to overthrow the kingdom of the Jews" and to prepare a people for the Lord. Latter-day
Saints also believe that "he was baptized while yet in his childhood."[90]
Joseph Smith said: "Let us come into New Testament times – so many are ever praising
the Lord and His apostles. We will commence with John the Baptist. When Herod's edict
went forth to destroy the young children, John was about six months older than Jesus, and
came under this hellish edict, and Zecharias caused his mother to take him into the
mountains, where he was raised on locusts and wild honey. When his father refused to
disclose his hiding place, and being the officiating high priest at the Temple that year, was
slain by Herod's order, between the porch and the altar, as Jesus said."[91][92]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints teaches that John the Baptist appeared on
the banks of the Susquehanna River near Harmony Township, Susquehanna County,
Pennsylvania as a resurrected being to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on May 15,
1829, and ordained them to the Aaronic Priesthood.[93][94] According to the Church's
dispensational view of religious history, John's ministry has operated in three
dispensations: he was the last of the prophets under the law of Moses; he was the first of
the New Testament prophets; and he was sent to confirm the Aaronic Priesthood in our day
(the dispensation of the fulness of times). Latter-day Saints believe John's ministry was
foretold by two prophets whose teachings are included in the Book of Mormon: Lehi[95] and
his son Nephi.[96][97]
Syrian-Egyptian Gnosticism[edit]
Among the early Judeo-Christian Gnostics the Ebionites held that John, along with Jesus
and James the Just—all of whom they revered—were
vegetarians.[98][99][100][101][102][103] Epiphanius of Salamis records that this group had amended
their Gospel of Matthew—known today as the Gospel of the Ebionites—to change where
John eats "locusts" to read "honey cakes" or "manna".[104][105]

Mandaeans[edit]
Part of a series on
 Mandaeism

Mandaean prophets[show]

Related religious groups[show]

Practices[show]

Scriptures[show]

Religion portal

• v
• t
• e

John the Baptist is considered the chief prophet of the Mandaeans, and plays a large part
in some of their writings,[106] including the Ginza Rba and the Draša D-Iahia (The Mandaean
Book of John). They view John as the only true Messiah, and are opposed to Jesus.[107]

Islam[edit]

hide
Part of a series on Islam

Islamic prophets

Prophets in the Quran[hide]

 Listed by Islamic name and Biblical name.

• ʾĀdam (Adam)
• ʾIdrīs (Enoch)
• Nūḥ (Noah)
• Hūd (Eber)
• Ṣāliḥ (Salah)
• ʾIbrāhīm (Abraham)
• Lūṭ (Lot)
• ʾIsmāʿīl (Ishmael)
• ʾIsḥāq (Isaac)
• Yaʿqūb (Jacob)
• Yūsuf (Joseph)
• Ayūb (Job)
• Dhul-Kifl (Ezekiel)
• Shuʿayb (Jethro)
• Mūsā (Moses)
• Hārūn (Aaron)
• Dāūd (David)
• Sulaymān (Solomon)
• Yūnus (Jonah)
• ʾIlyās (Elijah)
• Alyasaʿ (Elisha)
• Zakarīya (Zechariah)
• Yaḥyā (John)
• ʿĪsā (Jesus)
• Muḥammad (Muhammad)

Main events[show]

Views[show]

Islam portal

• v
• t
• e
Yaḥyā's name in Islamic calligraphy

John is also honored as a Nabi (Arabic: ‫نَـ ِبي‬, Prophet) as Yaḥyā ibn Zakarīyā ( ‫َيـحـيٰ ى بن‬
‫َـريّا‬
ِ ‫[)زَ ك‬108]), or "Jehiah, son of Zechariah", or simply Yaḥyā (Arabic: ‫)يحيى‬. He is believed
by Muslims to have been a witness to the word of God, and a prophet who would herald the
coming of Jesus.[109] His father Zechariah was also an Islamic prophet. Islamic tradition
maintains that John was one of the prophets whom Muhammad met on the night of
the Mi'raj,[110] his ascension through the Seven Heavens. It is said that he met John and
Jesus in the second heaven, where Muhammad greeted his two brothers before ascending
with archangel Gabriel to the third heaven. John's story was also told to the Abyssinian king
during the Muslim refugees' Migration to Abyssinia.[111] According to the Qur'an, John was
one on whom God sent peace on the day that he was born and the day that he died.[112]
Quran[edit]
In the Quran, God frequently mentions Zechariah's continuous praying for the birth of a
son. Zechariah's wife, mentioned in the New Testament as Elizabeth, was barren and
therefore the birth of a child seemed impossible.[113] As a gift from God, Zechariah (or
Zakaria) was given a son by the name of "Yaḥya", a name specially chosen for this child
alone. In accordance with Zechariah's prayer, God made John and Jesus, who according
to exegesis was born six months later,[114] renew the message of God, which had been
corrupted and lost by the Israelites. As the Quran says:
(His prayer was answered): "O Zakariya! We give thee good news of a son: His name shall
be Yahya: on none by that name have We conferred distinction before."
He said: "O my Lord! How shall I have a son, when my wife is barren and I have grown
quite decrepit from old age?"
He said: "So (it will be) thy Lord saith, 'that is easy for Me: I did indeed create thee before,
when thou hadst been nothing!'"
(Zakarya) said: "O my Lord! give me a Sign." "Thy Sign," was the answer, "Shall be that
thou shalt speak to no man for three nights."

— Quran, sura 19 (Maryam), verse 7[115]

John was exhorted to hold fast to the Scripture and was given wisdom by God while still a
child.[116] He was pure and devout, and walked well in the presence of God. He was dutiful
towards his parents and he was not arrogant or rebellious. John's reading and
understanding of the scriptures, when only a child, surpassed even that of the greatest
scholars of the time.[113] Muslim exegesis narrates that Jesus sent John out with twelve
disciples,[117] who preached the message before Jesus called his own disciples.[114] The
Quran says:
"O Yaḥya! take hold of the Book with might": and We gave him Wisdom even as a youth,

— Quran, sura 19 (Maryam), ayah 12[116]

John was a classical prophet,[118] who was exalted high by God, for his bold denouncing of
all things sinful. Furthermore, the Qur'an speaks of John's gentle pity and love and his
humble attitude towards life, for which he was granted the Purity of Life:
And piety as from Us, and purity: He was devout,
And kind to his parents, and he was not overbearing or rebellious.
So Peace on him the day he was born, the day that he dies, and the day that he will be
raised up to life (again)!

— Quran, sura 19 (Maryam), ayah 13–15[112]

John is also honored highly in Sufism as well as Islamic mysticism, primarily because of the
Quran's description of John's chastity and kindness.[119] Sufis have frequently applied
commentaries on the passages on John in the Quran, primarily concerning the God-given
gift of "Wisdom" which he acquired in youth as well as his parallels with Jesus. Although
several phrases used to describe John and Jesus are virtually identical in the Quran, the
manner in which they are expressed is different.[120]
Name[edit]
It has been claimed that the Quran is mistaken in saying that John the Baptist was the first
to receive this name (Quran 19:7–10), since the name Yoḥanan occurs many times before
John the Baptist.[121] However, according to Islamic scholars, "Yaḥyā" is not the same name
as "Yoḥanan".[122] Despite this, "Yaḥyā" is etymologically the same name as
the Biblical figure Yᵉchîyâh (English rendering: "Jehiah") of the Books of the
Chronicles.[123] Therefore, the Qur'an in Surah 19:7 is likely not claiming that "no one was
ever given the name Yahya before this child". Rather, this Qur'an verse is a clear reference
to the Biblical account of the miraculous naming of John, which accounted that he was
almost named "Zacharias"[124][125] (Greek: Ζαχαρίας)[126] after his father's name, as no one in
the lineage of his father Zacharias (also known as Zechariah) had been named "John"
("Yohanan"/"Yoannes") before him.[127]
The exegetes frequently connected the name with the meaning of "to quicken" or "to make
alive" in reference to John's mother's barrenness, which was cured by God, as well as
John's preaching, which, as Muslims believe, "made alive" the faith of Israel.[128] This is the
same meaning as the Hebrew name Yᵉchîyâh (‫" ;י ְִחיָּה‬Jehiah") (lit.:
"YHWH lives").[123] Yᵉchîyâh was also the name of one of the doorkeepers for the Ark of the
Covenant during the reign of King David in the Bible.[129] Because of this, it is supposed that
this name "Yaḥyā" was commonly used in the 6th–7th centuries CE by Arab Christians as
an allegorical honorific of John the Baptist (Arabic: ُ‫يُو َح َّنا ْال َم ْع َم َدان‬, Yūḥanna al-Mamadan), who
considered him to be a "doorkeeper" for the "Ark of the New Covenant", Jesus
ِ ‫ع ْال َمس‬
Christ (Arabic: ‫ِيح‬ َ ‫سو‬
ُ ‫ َي‬, Yasū'u l-Masīḥ).[130]
The Quran also mentions a root used in the Hebrew name, 'Yohanan' ‫( יֹוחָ נָן‬Yahweh is
َ ‫َوآتَ ْينَاهُ ْال ُح ْك َم‬
gracious). Sura Maryam: 12–13 describes the virtues of Yahya: ‫ص ِبيًّا – َو َحنَا ًنا ِ ّمن لَّ ُد َّنا‬
ً ‫( َوزَ كَاة‬And We gave him judgement, while yet a boy – And affection from Us, and purity.)

Bahá'í view[edit]
Bahá'ís consider John to have been a prophet of God who like all other prophets was sent
to instill the knowledge of God, promote unity among the people of the world, and to show
people the correct way to live.[131] There are numerous quotations in the writings
of Bahá'u'lláh, Founder of the Bahá'í Faith mentioning John the Baptist. He is regarded by
Bahá'ís as a lesser Prophet.[21] 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.[132]
John is believed to have had the specific role of foretelling and preparing the way for Jesus.
In condemning those who had 'turned aside' from him, Bahá'u'lláh, compared them to the
followers of John the Baptist, who, he said, 'protested against Him Who was the Spirit
(Jesus) saying: "The dispensation of John hath not yet ended; wherefore hast thou come?"
Bahá'u'lláh believed that the Báb played the same role as John in preparing the people for
his own coming. As such Bahá'u'lláh refers to the Báb as 'My Forerunner', the Forerunner
being a title that Christians reserve for John the Baptist.[133] 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.

Unification Church[edit]
The Unification Church teaches that God intended John to help Jesus during his public
ministry in Judea. 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' main disciple and
John's disciples were to become Jesus' disciples. Unfortunately John didn't follow Jesus
and continued his own way of baptizing people. Moreover, John also denied that he was
Elijah when queried by several Jewish leaders John 1:21 contradicting Jesus who stated
John is Elijah who was to come, Matthew 11:14. Many Jews therefore, could not accept
Jesus as the Messiah because John denied being Elijah, as the prophet's appearance was
a prerequisite for the Messiah's arrival as stated in Malachi 4:5. According to the Unification
Church, "John the Baptist was in the position of representing Elijah's physical body, making
himself identical with Elijah from the standpoint of their mission."
Jesus stated in Matthew 11:11, "there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist,"
however, in referring to John's blocking the way of the Jews' understanding of himself as
the Messiah, said "yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." John's
failure to follow Jesus became the chief obstacle to the fulfillment of Jesus' mission.[134][135][136]

Scholarship[edit]
This section may be unbalanced towards certain
viewpoints. Please improve the article by adding
information on neglected viewpoints, or discuss the issue on
the talk page. (October 2019)

This section needs

expansion. You can help
by adding to it. (October 2019)

Scholars studying John the Baptist—particularly his relationship with Jesus of Nazareth—
have commented on the difficulties they found between the two men.
For example, as reported in The Christian Post, professor Candida Moss, of New
Testament and early Christianity at the University of Notre Dame, who appeared in a
documentary series Finding Jesus, Faith Fact Forgery, noted John and Jesus become "de
facto competitors in the ancient religious marketplace." Even after baptizing Jesus, John
did not follow Jesus but maintained a separate ministry. After John's death, Jesus' followers
had to differentiate him from the executed prophet, "countering the prevalent idea that
Jesus was actually John raised from the dead." Moss also references the incident in
Matthew 16 where disciples present before Jesus indicated some people believed he was
John the Baptist.[137]
Michael H. Crosby, PhD, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA; Capuchin friar and
priest; in his paper "Why Didn't John the Baptist Commit Himself to Jesus as a Disciple?,"
stated there was "no biblical evidence indicating that John the Baptist ever became a
disciple of Jesus." He conveys that John's concept of what a messiah should be, was in
contrast to how Jesus presented himself, and kept him from becoming a disciple of Jesus.
Crosby identifies twenty-five points in the Gospel accounts that lead to the conclusion that
John's effectiveness as a "precursor" in encouraging others to follow Jesus was very
minimal, since the scriptures record only two of his own followers having become Jesus’
disciples. Crosby noted that while many others believed Jesus' miracles, there is no record
of these "signs" convincing John, who continued a separate baptismal ministry, creating
disciples resulting in a community that still exists in parts of the Middle East.[138]
Crosby stated "an unbiased reading about John the Baptist "leaves us with the figure of
John the Baptist as a reformist Jew who also may have wanted desperately to become a
believer but was unable to become convinced of Jesus’ messiahship."[139]
Robert L. Deffinbaugh, graduate from Dallas Theological Seminary pastor/teacher and
elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, wrote a paper "John's Problem
with Jesus (Luke 7:18–35)." Deffinbaugh comments of the difficulty of a more through
examination of John because of the inclination to think of him in only positive terms. He
notes his past piety, humility and encouraging some of his disciples to follow Jesus instead.
While he was "a great man," Deffinbaugh also writes John "is not a perfect man," and
discusses what he calls "the worst moment of John’s life, so far as the biblical record is
concerned." He examines the incident where an imprisoned John the Baptist, after
receiving news about Jesus, sends two of his disciples asking Jesus if he were the Messiah
or another should be sought.
John is not asking an incidental question, writes Deffinbaugh, but instead is issuing a public
challenge precipitating a crises since the message was presented to Jesus while he was
with a gathered crowd. The implication was, if Jesus failed to answer the question
satisfactorily "we will look for someone else to be the Messiah." Deffinbaugh conveys John
might have been looking for inauguration of the kingdom of God in a more dramatic way
than what Jesus was implementing, as John had previously warned that "Messiah would
come with fire." Jesus answered the question by evidence of his miracle works and
teachings which themselves gave evidence of his identity, "The blind receive sight, the
lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the
good news is preached to the poor." (Luke 7:22).[140]

In art[edit]

Puvis de Chavannes, The Beheading of St John the Baptist, c. 1869

Christ in the House of His Parents by John Everett Millais, 1849–50

The Baptism of Jesus Christ, by Piero della Francesca, 1449

John the Baptist by Michele Fabris

Pinacoteca Querini Stampalia
Wood sculpture of John the Baptist's head by Santiago Martinez Delgado, 1942

Cristofano Allori's John the Baptist in the desert

The beheading of Saint John the Baptist is a standard theme in Christian art,[10] in which
John's head is often depicted on a platter, which represents the request of Herod's
stepdaughter, Salome.[141] He is also depicted as an ascetic wearing camel hair, with a staff
and scroll inscribed Ecce Agnus Dei, or bearing a book or dish with a lamb on
it.[14] In Orthodox icons, he often has angel's wings, since Mark 1:2 describes him as a
messenger.[142]
The Baptism of Christ was one of the earliest scenes from the Life of Christ to be frequently
depicted in Early Christian art, and John's tall, thin, even gaunt, and bearded figure is
already established by the 5th century. Only he and Jesus are consistently shown with long
hair from Early Christian times, when the apostles generally have trim classical cuts; in fact
John is more consistently depicted in this way than Jesus. In Byzantine art the composition
of the Deesis came to be included in every Eastern Orthodox church, as remains the case
to this day. Here John and the Theotokos (Mary) flank a Christ Pantocrator and intercede
for humanity; in many ways this is the equivalent of Western Crucifixions on roods and
elsewhere, where John the Evangelist takes the place of John the Baptist (except in the
idiosyncratic Isenheim Altarpiece). John the Baptist is very often shown on altarpieces
designed for churches dedicated to him, or where the donor patron was named for him or
there was some other connection of patronage – John was the patron saint of Florence,
among many other cities, which means he features among the supporting saints in many
important works.
A number of narrative scenes from his life were often shown on the predella of altarpieces
dedicated to John, and other settings, notably the large series in grisaille fresco in
the Chiostro dello Scalzo [it], which was Andrea del Sarto's largest work, and the
frescoed Life by Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Tornabuoni Chapel, both in Florence. There
is another important fresco cycle by Filippo Lippi in Prato Cathedral. These include the
typical scenes:[143] the Annunciation to Zechariah, John's birth, his naming by his father,
the Visitation, John's departure for the desert, his preaching in the desert, the Baptism of
Christ, John before Herod, the dance of Salome, and his beheading.

St John the Baptist, from a medieval book of hours

St. John the Baptist (c. 1513–1516), Leonardo da Vinci

His birth, which unlike the Nativity of Jesus allowed a relatively wealthy domestic interior to
be shown, became increasingly popular as a subject in the late Middle Ages, with
depictions by Jan van Eyck in the Turin-Milan Hours and Ghirlandaio in the Tornabuoni
Chapel being among the best known. His execution, a church feast-day, was often shown,
and by the 15th-century scenes such as the dance of Salome became popular, sometimes,
as in an engraving by Israhel van Meckenem, the interest of the artist is clearly in showing
the life of Herod's court, given contemporary dress, as much as the martyrdom of the
saint.[144] Salome bearing John's head on a platter equally became a subject for the
Northern Renaissance taste for images of glamorous but dangerous women
(Delilah, Judith and others),[145] and was often painted by Lucas Cranach the Elder and
engraved by the Little Masters. These images remained popular into the Baroque,
with Carlo Dolci painting at least three versions. John preaching, in a landscape setting,
was a popular subject in Dutch art from Pieter Brueghel the Elder and his successors.
As a child (of varying age), he is sometimes shown from the 15th century in family scenes
from the life of Christ such as the Presentation of Christ, the Marriage of the Virgin and
the Holy Kinship. Leonardo da Vinci's versions of the Virgin of the Rocks were influential in
establishing a Renaissance fashion for variations on the Madonna and Child that included
John. Raphael in particular painted many compositions of the subject, such as the Alba
Madonna, La belle jardinière, Aldobrandini Madonna, Madonna della seggiola, Madonna
dell'Impannata, which were among his best-known works. John was also often shown by
himself as an older child or adolescent, usually already wearing his distinctive dress and
carrying a long thin wooden cross – another theme influenced by Leonardo, whose
equivocal composition, reintroducing the camel-skin dress, was developed by
Raphael Titian and Guido Reni among many others. Often he is accompanied by a lamb,
especially in the many Early Netherlandish paintings which needed this attribute as he wore
normal clothes. Caravaggio painted an especially large number of works including John,
from at least five largely nude youths attributed to him, to three late works on his death –
the great Execution in Malta, and two sombre Salomes with his head, one in Madrid,
and one in London.

Statue of St John carved out of a blackberry tree by Pietro Paolo Azzopardi – 1845. Xewkija

Amiens cathedral, which holds one of the alleged heads of the Baptist, has a biographical
sequence in polychrome relief, dating from the 16th century. This stresses the execution
and the disposal of the saint's remains.
A remarkable Pre-Raphaelite portrayal is Christ in the House of His Parents by John
Everett Millais. Here the Baptist is shown as a child, wearing a loin covering of animal
skins, hurrying into Joseph's carpenter shop with a bowl of water to join Mary, Joseph, and
Mary's mother Anne in soothing the injured hand of Jesus. Artistic interest enjoyed a
considerable revival at the end of the 19th century with Symbolist painters such as Gustave
Moreau and Puvis de Chavannes (National Gallery, London). Oscar Wilde's
play Salome was illustrated by Aubrey Beardsley, giving rise to some of his most
memorable images.

In poetry[edit]
The Italian Renaissance poet Lucrezia Tornabuoni chose John the Baptist as one of biblical
figures on which she wrote poetry.[146]