Where was John the Baptist killed?

Answer 1

A:In the gospel accounts, Herod Antipas held a party in Galilee for the senior men. The daughter of his new wife, Herodias, entranced him with her dancing and he offered to give her anything she wanted. Herodias wanted John the Baptist dead for criticising her marriage to Antipas, after divorcing Philip, so she told her daughter to ask for John's head on a platter. Herod Antipas was loathe to have John killed, but was forced to keep his promise. In the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), John was executed right at the very beginning of Jesus' ministry, apparently about 29 CE. The author of John's Gospel was possibly more aware of Jewish history and showed John the Baptist to be alive much later, but still seems to place his death during the lifetime of Jesus.

The historical account, told by Josephus, is somewhat different. The gospel account is correct in that John the Baptist had publicly criticised Antipas' marriage to Herodias, which took place in 34 CE. But Herod himself had wanted John killed, lest he start an uprising among the people of Galilee. There was no party in Galilee and John the Baptist died in 35 or 36 CE in the faraway castle of Macherus. The relevant text from Book 18 of Antiquities of the Jews says:

"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."

Answer 2

In Book 18 of Antiquities of the Jews, the Jewish historian, Josephus, says that John was killed in the castle of Macherus, to the east of the Dead Sea:

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.

However, the gospels would seem to place John's death in faraway Galilee, since Herod Antipas was having a feast for the great men of Galilee, and it would have been entirely impractical to order John's execution, then have his head brought all the way from Macherus to Galilee during the course of a feast.

Answer 3

John the Baptist was executed by Herod Antipas in 36 CE, or perhaps as early as 35 CE, but not in Galilee and not on the request of Salome, in spite of the gospel account. The Jewish historian Josephus said that Herod Antipas had the Baptist arrested and killed in the castle of Macherus, east of the Dead Sea, 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 Antipas 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 belief would not have arisen unless the death of John was not long before the attack, thus confirming that John was executed in 35-36 CE.

Answer 4

Herod Antipas had him beheaded at the request of Herod's daughter.

Answer 5

Another answer from our community:

John the Baptist was beheaded by Herod Antipas upon the request of Salome in 36 CE .