John the Baptist
John the Baptist (c. 6 BC – c. AD 30) was an itinerant Jewish preacher who was active in the area of the Jordan River in the early 1st century AD. Sometimes referred to as John the Baptizer, he is known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Catholicism, and Oriental Orthodoxy, as Saint John the Immerser in the Baptist tradition, and as the prophet Yahya ibn Zakariya in Islam.
John the Baptist 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 regarded as 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), as confirmed by the angel Gabriel, who announced John's birth to his father Zechariah. According to the Gospel of Luke, John and Jesus were relatives.
Patron saint of See Commemoration
In the Martyrology
- June 24 The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
- August 29 Passion of Saint John the Baptist