John the Baptist

Elizabeth was a descendant in the priestly line of Aaron. She and her husband, Zachary (Zachariah), a Temple priest, lived an upright and blameless life in one of the hill-towns of Judea. The great disappointment in their lives was that although they had prayed fervently for a child, Elizabeth had reached an advanced age without ever having conceived. This would have been a devastating situation for a Jewish woman such as Elizabeth at that time.

What a miracle it was, then, when the Archangel Gabriel appeared separately to Elizabeth and Zachary informing them that she would bear a son. This boy, to be called John, would be the forerunner of the messiah. When told by the angel that his aging wife would give birth to a child destined to become a great prophet, Zachary did not believe this could be true. For this lack of faith, Zachary was struck dumb.

we do not know their exact relationship between Mary and elizabeth , apocryphal writings suggest their mothers were sisters and consequently that they were first cousins. When Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her she had been chosen to be mother of the messiah, he also told her that Elizabeth was expecting a child. He further stated that with God, nothing is impossible.

Mary, eager to share in Elizabeth's happiness and to relate her own good news, traveled from Galilee to visit her. Upon arriving, Mary greeted her kinswoman who was now six months pregnant. The moment she spoke Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Ghost, responded to Mary with the words, "Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. . ."

Mary remained with Elizabeth for approximately three months-possibly until the birth of John. The contrast is striking: Elizabeth, seemingly too old for child-bearing, but destined to give birth to John, last prophet of the old Covenant; and the Virgin Mary, seemingly not ready to have a child but destined to bear the messiah, the beginning of the New Covenant. The gospel story tells us that when John was born, friends and neighbors rejoiced with Elizabeth. On the eighth day when the infant was to be circumcised, officials expected him to be called "Zachary" after his father, or possibly named after a dead relative, as was the custom. However, Elizabeth said, "He shall be called John .zarchary agreed with Elizabeth by writing down the name "John." Thereafter, Zachary's voice was restored.

King Herod, who was trying to kill Jesus, also heard about the special circumstances surrounding John's birth and decided to hunt him down as well.

The story further relates that Elizabeth took John into the wilderness to hide. When they came to a mountain, Elizabeth spoke to it, and a cave opened up. A fresh stream appeared and a fruitful date palm sprang up at its mouth. Thus they were able to avoid Herod's soldiers by hiding in the cave. Elizabeth died forty days later in the wilderness and an angel took care of John until he grew up.
There is no record of the birth of Elizabeth in the Bible; however, the Bible says that both Elizabeth and her husband were 'well stricken in years', in other words, very old before John the Baptist was born. So she could have been between 70 and 90 years old when their first son, John was born; which means that she could have been born between the years 90 to 70 BC

Herod Antipas was responsible for sending John to be beheaded because of a promise Herod made to the daughter of Herodious to give her anything she wanted.Her request was for John's head,which she (Herodious) had been wanting for a while , because of John's reproving comments about her adulterous relationship with Herod.This is mentioned in both Matthew and Mark's gospels.

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The gospel story is not the only story of John the Baptist's death. The first-century historian, Josphus, must have been well-disposed towards Christianity, judging by his Testimonium Flavianum - even if he knew almost nothing about the new religion. But he apparently knew quite a lot about John the Baptist. Josephus tells us that Herod Antipas alone decided that John the Baptist should be executed. He had John imprisoned and executed in far away Macherus 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, and there was no request for John's head on a platter during a party in Galilee. In 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."

Yes. Elizabeth was also Mary's, the mother of Jesus, cousin.

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According to Luke's Gospel, yes he was the son of Elizabeth. However, according to New Testament scholars, probably not. Uta Ranke-Heinemann (Putting Away Childish Things) says that both Elizabeth and Zacharias were literary creations by the author of Luke's Gospel.

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King Herod was fooled into ordering his head on a platter. He was thus killed by beheading. This terrible event is recorded in the New Testament Gospels of Matthew 14:1-12, Mark 6:14-29 and Luke 9:7-9.

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According to the gospels, John the Baptist was arrested and held in prison early in the mission of Jesus, probably around 29 CE. Herod Antipas' wife, Herodias, had a quarrel with John the Baptist and would have killed him if she could but, at a royal party in Galilee for the senior men of the kingdom, told her daughter to ask for his head on a platter. On this view, John was beheaded, although Herod would have allowed him to live.

We have one other source of information on John the Baptist. The Jewish historian Josephus said that Herod Antipas had the Baptist killed in quite different circumstances and several years later than the gospel story would allow, because he disapproved of Antipas' marriage to his own brother's wife, who divorced her husband in order to marry Herod Antipas. 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. In this historian's account, there is no provision for anyone to ask for John's head on a platter. Moreover, the party described in the gospels would have been held in Galilee, if at all, but Josephus says that John was imprisoned and executed in faraway Macherus. He might have been beheaded, if that suited Herod Antipas, but not in Galilee and not at anyone else's request.

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John was beheaded under orders from King Herod.

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.

None.

No - none of the accounts of the Massacre of the Innocents suggest John the Baptist died in it (it would be odd if he had, as then he would not be able to baptise Jesus later in life).

The Massacre of the Innocents is at Matthew 2:16-18, but does not record any reference to John the Baptist.

The story is not mentioned by the contemporary Jewish historian Josephus, nor in the other gospels, nor in the early apocrypha. Its first appearance in any source other than Matthew being the 2nd century being in the Protoevangelium of James of c.150 AD, which excludes the Flight into Egypt and switches the attention of the story to the infant John the Baptist. In relation to John, it states:

• "And when Herod knew that he had been mocked by the Magi, in a rage he sent murderers, saying to them: Slay the children from two years old and under. And Mary, having heard that the children were being killed, was afraid, and took the infant and swaddled Him, and put Him into an ox-stall. And Elizabeth, having heard that they were searching for John, took him and went up into the hill-country, and kept looking where to conceal him. And there was no place of concealment. And Elizabeth, groaning with a loud voice, says: O mountain of God, receive mother and child. And immediately the mountain was cleft, and received her. And a light shone about them, for an angel of the Lord was with them, watching over them."

Most recent biographers of Herod therefore do not regard the massacre as an actual historical event, but rather, like the other nativity stories, as creative hagiography. The gospel of Matthew was most likely written circa 80 - 85 AD by an anonymous Christian appealing to a Jewish audience. The author's goal was to portray Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy, and a greater Moses.