Where is the body of John the Baptist located?

Answer 1

Another answer from our community:

This is unknown and is unlikely ever to be since he was beheaded in prison. Although his followers buried him it is unlikely that any kind of a memorial was made of his tomb since he himself was a humble man and pointed to Jesus as the coming Messiah, as well as not being in favor with Herod, which would have made any kind of special tomb hazardous.

Answer 2

In his earlier book The Mystery of the Copper Scroll of Qumran, Robert Feather analyzed the Dead Sea Scroll engraved on copper that is considered the work of the secretive, devout Jewish sect known as the Essenes, who lived at Qumran around the time of Jesus. To continue his research into the Essene community's way of life and how its beliefs may have influenced the beginnings of Christianity, he met with Father Jozef Milik, one of the scholars who worked on deciphering the Dead Sea Scrolls in the 1950s. Feather learned that during Milik's work somewhere near the Qumran ruins, he had excavated a headless corpse that he believed to be that of John the Baptist.

Answer 3

The Jewish historian, Josephus, says that John the Baptist was imprisoned in the castle at Macherus, east of the Dead Sea, and executed there, for publicly criticising Herod Antipas' marriage to his brother's former wife. The marriage took place in 34 CE and John must have been executed in 35 or 36 CE.

The gospels agree that John was imprisoned for publicly criticising Herod Antipas' marriage, but say that he was beheaded at the request of his jealous wife, in a scene that appears to place the execution in Galilee, far from Macherus.

In the gospels, it is difficult to reconcile the date of John's death, which must have occurred around 29 CE, with the date of the marriage, so it is likely that Josephus' account of John's execution is more correct.

Answer 4

A:

There are various legendary locations for the burial location, with some traditions saying his head is held in veneration in a mosque or one of a number of churches. These presuppose that John the Baptist was really beheaded in Galilee at the request of the daughter of Herodias. However, the historical account written by Flavius Josephus says that he was executed in faraway Macherus, not necessarily by being beheaded. In Macherus, John's remains would have been thrown into an anonymous grave and lost forever.

Answer 5

For those who venerate the supposed remains of the saints, there is a rich array of locations for parts of John's remains. The gospels say that he was beheaded in Galilee around 29 CE, and Christian tradition says that his remains were placed at Sebaste in Samaria, and were apparently honoured there around the middle of the 4th century.

• There are several equally improbable locations where John's skull was taken and is now venerated.
• The saint's right hand with which he baptised Jesus is claimed by the Serbian Orthodox Cetinje monastery in Montenegro. An arm, with or without a hand, is at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.
• Bone fragments (small bits of a skull, bones from a jaw and an arm, and a tooth) allegedly of John the Baptist were recently discovered embedded in an altar in the ruins of the 5th century monastery on the Bulgarian island of Sveti Ivan ("Saint John") in the Black Sea. This find would likely be inconsistent with the other claims to hold the same skeletal parts.

So, perhaps it is wise to step back and look at a more objective history and see where that leads us. The first-century Jewish historian, Josephus tells us that John the Bapstist was imprisoned in the castle of Macherus and executed on the orders of Herod Antipas for publicly criticising his marriage to his own brother's former wife. Macherus is to the east of the Dead Sea, far from either Galilee or Sebaste, and Antipas would scarcely have allowed John's body a dignified burial, in Sebaste or elsewhere. Further to this, the marriage took place in 34 CE, and John was actually executed in 35 or 36 CE, long after the year of the gospel account. There is no doubt that John the Baptist was much admired and venerated in his lifetime, but the Christian traditions are romantic nonsense for the faithful. We will never know where John's remains really are, but they were probably thrown in a common grave at Macherus.

Answer 6

We know from the Jewish historian, Josephus, that John the Baptist was executed in the castle of Macherus around 36 CE, so he would have been buried there, no doubt in an unmarked grave. Macherus is to the east of the Dead Sea.

Answer 7

here are several current locations for the head of John the Baptist's head, particularly:

• Ommayad mosque, in Damascus, Syria
• Church of San Silvestro in Capite, in Rome
• Amiens Cathedral in France

All these legendary locations presuppose that John the Baptist was really beheaded in Galilee at the request of the daughter of Herodias. However, the historical account written by Flavius Josephus says that he was executed in faraway Macherus, not necessarily by being beheaded. In Macherus, John's remains would have been thrown into an anonymous grave and lost forever.

Answer 8

Another answr from our community:

John the baptist, may God's blessings and peace , be upon him , is buried in the Ommayad mosque, in Damascus, Syria.

Answer 9

In Syria.