John the Baptist
| John the Baptist | |
|---|---|
John the Baptist by Bartolomeo Veneto, 16th century
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| Prophet, Martyr, Saint | |
| Born | Late 1st century BCE Herodian Judea |
| Died | CE 31 – 36[1][2][3][4][5] Machaerus, Perea |
| Honored in | Aglipayan Church, Anglicanism,Assyrian Church of the East,Bahá’í Faith, Eastern Orthodox Church, Islam, Lutheranism,Mandeanism, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Roman Catholic Churches |
| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
| Majorshrine | Church of St John the Baptist,Jerusalem |
| Feast | June 24 (Nativity), August 29 (Beheading), January 7 (Synaxis, Eastern Orthodox), Thout 2 (Coptic Orthodox Church) |
| Attributes | Camel-skin robe, cross, lamb, scroll with words “Ecce Agnus Dei“, platter with own head, pouring water from hands orscallop shell |
| Patronage | Patron saint of Jordan, Puerto Rico, Knights Hospitaller of Jerusalem, French Canada,Newfoundland, Cesena, Florence,Genoa, Monza, Porto, San Juan,Turin, Xewkija, and many other places. |
John the Baptist (Hebrew: יוחנן המטביל, Yoḥanan ha-mmaṭbil, Arabic: يوحنا المعمدان Yuhanna Al-Ma’madan,[6] Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ Ioḥanan, Classical Armenian: Յովհաննէս Մկրտիչ Yovhannēs Mkrtičʿ,Greek: Ὁ Ἅγιος/Τίμιος Ἐνδοξος Προφήτης, Πρόδρομος καὶ Βαπτιστής Ἰωάννης Ho Hágios/Tímios Endoxos, Prophḗtēs, Pródromos, kaì Baptistḗs Ioánnes)[3][7][8][9][10] was an itinerant preacher[11] and a major religious figure[12] in Christianity, Islam,[13] the Bahá’í Faith,[14] and Mandaeism.
John is described as having the unique practice of baptism for the forgiveness of sins.[15] Most scholars agree that John baptized Jesus.[16][17] Scholars generally believe Jesus was a follower or disciple of John[18][19][20] and several New Testament accounts report that some of Jesus’s early followers had previously been followers of John.[21] John the Baptist is also mentioned by Jewish historianJosephus.[22] Some scholars maintain that John was influenced by the semi-ascetic Essenes, who expected an apocalypse and practiced rituals corresponding strongly with baptism,[23] although no direct evidence substantiates this.[24]
According to the New Testament, John anticipated a messianic figure greater than himself,[25] and Jesus was the one whose coming John foretold. Christians commonly refer to John as the precursor or forerunner of Jesus,[26] since John announces Jesus’ coming. John is also identified with the prophetElijah.[21]
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