Born in 1 BC.
He died in AD 31.
Also called the Baptist or John the Baptist; 1st century AD Jewish preacher, saint in various branches of Christianity, and revered as a prophet (and Messiah in Mandeism) in Islam and other religions. Christian tradition considers him a forerunner of Jesus.
The Gospel according to Saint Luke begins the account of him with the birth of John the Baptist and the miraculous circumstances that preceded it. Barren and very old, Elizabeth saw her desire for offspring come true when the angel Gabriel announced to her husband Zacharias that Elizabeth would give her a son whom she would call Juan.
When the Virgin Mary addressed her relative after her apparition, “the child leaped for joy in Elizabeth’s womb.” Elizabeth, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, exclaimed: “And from where did this come to me, that the mother of my Lord came to me?” (Luke 1:
one-). All these circumstances confirm the role given to Saint John the Baptist as a figure of Jesus Christ and herald of his arrival. This role is recognized by Christian teaching.
Already in his youth, John’s religious and spiritual concerns led him to lead a Jewish sect associated with the Essenes. With very strict rules, the Essenes were one of the many Jewish monastic sects and communities of the time (such as the Sadducees, Pharisees, and Zealots) who awaited the arrival of the Messiah. Among the Essenes there was a group called the Baptists, who attached great importance to the baptismal ritual. Thanks to the Gospels, the history of the group headed by John the Baptist, who lived an ascetic life in the Judean desert surrounded by disciples, is known.
Around the year 28, John the Baptist is publicly recognized as a prophet; His activities took place in the lower Jordan River Valley, where he preached the “good news” and performed baptisms in the river waters. In his sermon, which was well received by the people, he called for repentance based on the demands of the ancient biblical prophets.
John baptized many Jews, whom he intended to purify and prepare for the imminent arrival of the Messiah; The repentance that he preaches must not be merely formal and external, but must involve a real change of life and action. Shortly after he began his ministry, John of Nazareth baptized Jesus, despite the Baptist’s reluctance to do so, saying, “Do you have to baptize me and come to me?” (Gospel according to Saint Matthew, 3,1).
In the Acts of the Apostles, this baptism with “water” is distinguished from the baptism of Jesus with the “Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5).
The messianic tone of the Baptist’s message disturbed the authority of Jerusalem, and Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of Galilee, imprisoned John, whose immorality he condemned. Saint Mark in his Gospel (6,1-29) speaks of the death of Saint John the Baptist: Salome, daughter of Herodias (wife of Herod Antipas), asks the tetrarch for the prophet’s head, which is offered to her. a mother’s prayer In a plate The disciples buried the body of John.