John the Baptist
Preacher and forerunner of Jesus, revered across multiple faiths.
John the Baptist was a religious preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Catholicism, and Oriental Orthodoxy, Saint John the Immerser in the Baptist tradition, and as the prophet Yahya ibn Zakariya in Islam. He is sometimes referred to as John the Baptiser.
Quick Facts
- Preached in
- wilderness of Judaea (Matthew 3:1)
- Mistaken for risen
- by Herod and others (Matthew 14:2; Mark 6:14; Matthew 16:14; Mark 8:28; Luke 9:19)
- Beheaded
- at request of Herodias's daughter (Mark 6:24-25)
Lore & Background
John is mentioned by the Roman Jewish historian Josephus, and he is revered as a major religious figure in Christianity, Islam, the Baháʼí Faith, 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; in the Gospels, he is portrayed as the precursor or forerunner of Jesus. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus himself identifies John as 'Elijah who is to come', which is a direct reference to the Book of Malachi (Malachi 4:5). The angel Gabriel, who announced John's birth to his father Zechariah, said John would go 'in the spirit and power of Elijah' (Luke 1:17), but the explicit identification as Elijah is made by Jesus in Matthew 11:14 and 17:12-13. According to the Gospel of Luke, John and Jesus were relatives. Some scholars think that John belonged to the Essenes, a semi-ascetic Jewish sect who expected a messiah and practised ritual baptism. John used baptism as the central symbol or sacrament of his pre-messianic movement. Most biblical scholars agree that John baptized Jesus, and several New Testament accounts report that some of Jesus's early followers had previously been followers of John. 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 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. Followers of John existed into the second century AD, and some proclaimed him to be the Messiah awaited by Jews. 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. In the Roman martyrology, John is the only saint whose birth and death are both commemorated.
Reader's Guide
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 inferred by many to be referred to in John 1:32. In Mark, John is introduced as a fulfilment of a prophecy from the Book of Isaiah, wearing clothes of camel's hair and living on locusts and wild honey. He proclaims baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin, and says another will come after him who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. Jesus comes to John and is baptized by him in the River Jordan. Later, John rebukes Herod for marrying Herodias, the ex-wife of his brother (named here as Philip). Herodias demands his execution, and Herod reluctantly orders John's beheading after her daughter dances before him. In Matthew, John is described similarly, and he criticizes Pharisees and Sadducees. In Luke, John's infancy is added, and he teaches charity, baptizes tax-collectors, and advises soldiers. The Gospel of John describes John as a witness to the light, not the light itself, and he denies being the Christ, Elijah, or the prophet.
Elsewhere in Figures of Scripture
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