What was St. John the Baptist known for?

Answer 1

John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus Christ. His mother Elizabeth was Mary's sister. He was chosen to be the announcer that the Messiah Jesus Christ had come. He called himself "A voice crying in the wilderness." He introduced Christ to the world as "The Lamb of God that taketh away all sin."

John the Baptist was the son of the Priest Zachariah husband of Elisabeth, cousin of Mary mother of Christ. Like Jesus, John the Baptist was also conceived miraculously.

Luke 1:7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

1:13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Saint John the Baptist (lat. Sanctus Io(h)annes Baptista, heb. Jochanan ben Sacharja, Arab. يحيى Yaḥyā or يوحنا Yūḥanna, aram. Yohanoun) (died c. 30)[1] was a preacher and ascetic who according to Christian tradition, attracted large crowds on the banks of the Jordan River, suggesting repentence and baptism in view of the imminent coming of the Kingdom of God.[2] Jesus was one of those whom he baptized. He was killed by Herod Antipas, whom John had denounced for his (incestuous) marriage.[2] Jesus' own ministry followed John's, and some of Jesus' early followers had previously been followers of John.[3] John, like Jesus, preached at a time of political, social, and religious conflict, and he prophesied that fire was coming to destroy the wicked. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_baptist

Answer 2

AnswerLuke's Gospel tells us that John the Baptist was born during the reign of King Herod to Zacharias and Elizabeth, a cousin of the virgin Mary. The first-century Jewish historian, Josephus, tells us that Herod Antipas had John imprisoned and executed in Macherus for publicly criticising Antipas for marrying his own brother's former wife. The marriage took place in 34 CE and the execution would have taken place in 35 or 36 CE. The New Testament gospels acknowledge that John was arrested for his criticism of Antipas' marriage, but move the death back in time to around 29 CE and say that Antipas had John beheaded in Galilee on a whim of his wife.

Some say that John the Baptist was a Gnostic and that he taught the mid-century Gnostic leaders, Simon the Magus and Dositheus.

Answer 3

John the Baptist is known for being a cousin of Our Lord. He dressed in coarse animal hair clothing and lived in the desert, eating honey and insects. He preached a baptism of repentance to prepare the people for the arrival of Our Lord.

Answer 4

Born: 5 B.C.
Birthplace: Judea
Died: c. 33 A.D. (beheading)
Best Known As: The man who "prepared the way" for Jesus of Nazareth

John the Baptist is a key figure in the Biblical stories of Jesus of Nazareth. According to the Gospels, John's role was to announce the coming of Jesus: in John 1:23 he tells interrogators, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord.'" According to Matthew 3:4, he wore clothing made of camel's hair and ate locusts and wild honey, and baptized people in the river Jordan. (It was after being baptized by John that Jesus was led to the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.) John later was executed by the ruler Herod; as told in Matthew chapter 14, Herod granted the demand of Salome to "give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter." In the Catholic Church, his feast day is June 24th... John the Baptist is a different person from the apostle John, for whom the Gospel of John is named... In speaking of Jesus, John said: "I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the holy spirit"... According to Luke, John was the son of Zechariah (or Zachary) and his wife Elizabeth, a relative of Jesus' mother Mary, and was born roughly six months before Jesus.

Answer 5

Other answers from our community:

What we do know about John the Baptist is that he was a popular Jewish preacher in the first part of the first century CE. He publicly criticised the marriage of Herod Antipas to his brother's former wife, Herodias, and was consequently imprisoned and executed as a threat to civil order, as Antipas felt the Jews would rise up in revolt over this issue if John called on them to do so. The marriage took place in 34 CE and when Aretas, king of the Nabataeans, attacked Herod Antipas in 36 CE, the Jews said this was divine retribution for the death of John. Thus we can place his death in 35 CE or early 36 CE.

Luke's Gospel says that John the Baptist was a distant cousin of Jesus, but it is noteworthy that none of the other evangelists was aware of this relationship, with John's Gospel suggesting that they did not know each other. Much of Luke's story of the birth of John has parallels in the Old Testament, which is at least consistent with literary creation. Uta Ranke-Heinemann (Putting Away Childish Things) believes the story of John's birth is not really factual. The synoptic gospels state that John was imprisoned and executed shortly after the baptism of Jesus, which on Luke's account would place his imprisonment and death around 29 CE, but this is inconsistent with the historical record provided by Josephus. John places the death of John the Baptist somewhat later, but still too early. The gospels also say that Herod was unwilling to execute John the Baptist, but was tricked into it by Herodias and her daughter. However Josephus makes it clear that Herod had intended to kill John as quickly as possible and the execution took place in faraway Macherus, not in Galilee.

1. His parents were Zacharias and Elizabeth
2. His father Was a priest of the course of Abia
3. He lived in deserts until the beginning of his ministry
4. John baptized Jewish people in the river Jordan on the confession of their sins
5. He baptized Jesus in the river Jordan (Matthew 3:13-17), and afterwards introduced him to the people
6. Jesus declared that no Greater man than John had been born of woman
7. John rebuked Herod for an adulterous Marriage to Herodias and as a consequence he was imprisoned
8. On Herod's birthday, the daughter of Herodias, named Salome, danced before the king who he promised to give her anything she desired
9. Salome asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter and her wish was granted - he was beheaded.

Answer:

We have two principal sources of facts about John the Baptist - the New Testament gospels and the writings of the first century Jewish historian Josephus. Some of the facts from both sources are in general agreement, while others are impossible to reconcile.

The gospels say that John baptised for the remission of sins, and that Jesus came to be baptised. He was dressed in camel hair, with a girdle of skin, and ate locusts and wild honey. He was imprisoned for publicly criticising Herod Antipas' marriage to his own brother's former wife, and later beheaded at a banquet in Galilee at the request of Herodias and her daughter, who asked for his head on a platter. The synoptic gospels say that this occurred right at the beginning of the mission of Jesus, but John's Gospel says that John was not executed until quite some time later, although definitely before the crucifixion of Jesus. Luke's Gospel says that his mother was called Elizabeth, a cousin of Mary, and his father was Zachariah, although Uta Ranke-Heinemann (Putting Away Childish Things) believes that both Elizabeth and Zachariah were literary creations by the gospel author.

Strangely, Josephus says that John was not preaching for the remission of sins. He confirms that the reason for John's arrest was his public criticism of Herod Antipas' marriage to his own brother's former wife. The wedding took place in 34 CE and Antipas ordered John to be executed in 35 or 36 CE, out of fear that he was stirring the Jews up for rebellion. The relevant text from Book 18 of Antiquities of the Jews:

• "Now many people came in crowds to him, for they were greatly moved by his words. Herod, who feared that the great influence John had over the masses might put them into his power and enable him to raise a rebellion (for they seemed ready to do anything he should advise), thought it best to put him to death. In this way, he might prevent any mischief John might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late. Accordingly John was sent as a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I already mentioned, and was put to death."

We know that he was a cousin of Jesus, he lived a simple life wore only sheepskin and ate locusts and wild honey, he wasa bold man. As he told Herod what he did in marying was wrong.

Answer 6

The synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) say that John the Baptist baptised Jesus just before Jesus began his ministry. The author of John's Gospel seems to have been unwilling to describe John the Baptist as actually baptising the divine Jesus, and so omits this scene, although those familiar with the synoptic version would infer from John's Gospel that Jesus was baptised.

Luke's Gospel also says that John was related to Jesus, his mother being Elizabeth, a cousin of Mary the mother of Jesus. Nevertheless, when John was in prison he sent messengers to Jesus, asking of him whether he was the one he had promised would come, although it seems hardly likely that he would need to ask this of Jesus if they were relatives. John's Gospel says that John did not even know Jesus until he saw the dove descend upon him.

According to the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), John the Baptist was executed at a party in Galilee by Herod Antipas, on a whim of his wife. This took place around 29 CE, shortly after the beginning of the mission of Jesus. The author of John's Gospel appears to have been more fully aware of Jewish history and culture than were the other authors, and could have known that John the Baptist was really executed much later than this. He is ambiguous as to whether John was executed during the lifetime of Jesus, and provides evidence that John was alive longer than in the synoptics.

The Jewish historian Josephus said that Herod Antipas had the Baptist killed far away from Galilee and in quite different circumstances, because he disapproved of Antipas' marriage to his own brother's wife, who divorced her husband in order to marry Herod Antipas. The wedding took place in 34 CE and the execution of John would have been in 35 or 36 CE. The relevant text from Book 18 of Antiquities of the Jews: "Now many people came in crowds to him, for they were greatly moved by his words. Herod, who feared that the great influence John had over the masses might put them into his power and enable him to raise a rebellion (for they seemed ready to do anything he should advise), thought it best to put him to death. In this way, he might prevent any mischief John might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late. Accordingly John was sent as a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I already mentioned, and was put to death."
King Aretas of the Nabateans attacked Herod Antipas in 36 CE because of the insult to his daughter whom Aretas had divorced in order to marry his brother's wife, leading the Jews to believe that this was God's way of punishing Antipas for the death of John the Baptist. This must therefore have been shortly after the death of John.

Members of the Mandaean religion say that John the Baptist was the founder of their faith, and that his name was stolen by the early Christians. Another view, based on very little extra-biblical information about John, is that he might have been the leader of an early Gnostic sect.

Answer 7

John the Baptist was a popular Jewish religious leader of the early first century CE. Perhaps because of his popularity, the gospels portray him as venerating Jesus, saying he was not worthy to stoop down and unloose Jesus shoes, thereby encouraging those who held him in the highest regard to believe that John would have wanted them to follow Jesus.

We have two slightly different stories about John the Baptist, one in the New Testament gospels and another in the writings of the first century Jewish historian Josephus. Both sources agree that John was arrested for publicly criticising the marriage of Herod Antipas to his own brother's former wife, but the gospels place the arrest and execution of John at the beginning of Jesus' mission, in 29 CE. Josephus tells us that the wedding actually took place in 34 CE and resulted in Aretas, king of Nabatea, attacking Herod Antipas in 36 CE.

Answer 8

John the Baptist was a popular Jewish religious leader of the early first century CE. Perhaps because of his popularity, the gospels portray him as venerating Jesus, saying he was not worthy to stoop down and unloose Jesus shoes, thereby encouraging those who held him in the highest regard to believe that John would have wanted them to follow Jesus.

We have two slightly different stories about John the Baptist, one in the New Testament gospels and another in the writings of the first century Jewish historian Josephus. Both sources agree that John was arrested for publicly criticising the marriage of Herod Antipas to his own brother's former wife, but the gospels place the arrest and execution of John at the beginning of Jesus' mission, in 29 CE. Josephus tells us that the wedding actually took place in 34 CE and resulted in Aretas, king of Nabatea, attacking Herod Antipas in 36 CE. With the execution of John fresh in memory, the Jews believed that Antipas defeat at the hands of Aretas was God's punishment for the death of the Baptist.

Answer 9

John the baptist was know for being a mesanger. He was also know for being a prophit. and he was beheaded because a woman did not like what he did.

Answer 10

he baptised Jesus

he reached on the banks of the Jordan river when he was 30

his feast day is June 24