John the Baptist (c. 1st century BC – c. AD 30) was an itinerant preacher active in the Jordan River region in the early 1st century AD. He is also known as John the Forerunner in Christianity, John the Immerser in some Baptist Christian traditions, and the Prophet Yahya in Islam.
The feast of St. John coincides closely with the June solstice, also called the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. The Christian holiday is set for June 24; but in most countries, festivities mostly take place the day before, on Midsummer Eve. “In England, ‘Saint John’s Tide’ is combined with a celebration of St. John’s Day. Instead of the date of the summer solstice, they chose June 24. This may have been due to the Baptist’s own words, ‘He must increase, but I must decrease’ (John 3:30). John was, of course, referring to Jesus. John’s Day comes as the sun begins to decline…”
John the Baptist, the prophet announcing the coming of Christ
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 all people through him might believe." John confirms that he is neither Christ nor Elijah nor "the prophet" when asked about the Jewish priests and Pharisees; instead, he described himself as the "voice of one crying in the wilderness."
After literary analysis, it is clear that John is the "witness and confessor par excellence", especially in relation to characters like Nicodemus.
The baptism of Jesus is implied but not depicted. Unlike the other gospels, it is John himself who testifies to having seen "the Spirit descend 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 records that Jesus' disciples were baptizing and a debate arose between some of John's disciples and another Jew about purification. In this debate, John argued that Jesus "must become greater," while he (John) "must become less."
The Gospel of John then emphasizes that Jesus' disciples baptized more people than John. Later, the Gospel relates that Jesus regarded John as "a lamp that burns and shines, and you wanted to rejoice for a while in his light."
The Gospels differ on the details of the baptism. In Mark and Luke, Jesus himself sees the heavens opened and hears a voice addressing him personally, saying, "You are my beloved son; you bring me great joy." They do not specify whether others saw and heard these things. Although other incidents where the "voice came from heaven" are recorded, in which, for the sake of the crowds, it was heard audibly, John testified that he saw the spirit descend "from 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 descending like a dove, testifying to the experience as proof of Jesus' status.
John's knowledge of Jesus varies across the gospels. In Mark's gospel, John preaches about a coming leader but shows no sign of acknowledging that Jesus is that leader. In Matthew, however, John immediately recognizes Jesus, and John questions his own worthiness to baptize Jesus. In Matthew and Luke, John later sends disciples to question Jesus about his status, asking, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"
In Luke, John is a relative of Jesus whose birth was foretold by Gabriel. In the Gospel of John, John the Baptist himself sees the spirit descending like a dove and explicitly preaches that Jesus is the Son of God.
The Gospels vary in their description of John's relationship with 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 hair garment and a leather belt. In Matthew, Jesus explicitly teaches that John is "Elijah who was to come" (Matthew 11:14 – see also Matthew 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 Luke's account of the annunciation, an angel appears to Zechariah, John's father, and tells him that John "will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God," and that he will come forth "in the spirit and power of Elijah."
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Today, Christians celebrate Saint John the Baptist. He is the prophet who announced the coming of Jesus of Nazareth. He baptized him on the banks of the Jordan, letting some of his disciples join him. #mythology #myth #legend #calendar #24June #jeanlebaptiste #saintjean
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