Life of John the Baptist

Life of John the Baptist

With the help of God and under his guidance, we begin to set down the life of the holy man John the Baptist, son of Zechariah.

The Promise to Zechariah

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was among Israel an aged priest and prophet named Zechariah. He served before God in the temple. His wife was Elizabeth, from the daughters of Aaron. Both were righteous before God, walking in the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, but they had no child, for Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years.

When the turn of Zechariah's service came, he entered the temple at the hour of incense. An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar. Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, but the angel said, "Do not fear, Zechariah. Rejoice, for God has heard your prayer. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. He will be joy and gladness to you, and many will rejoice at his birth. He will be great before the Lord. He will not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Sacred Spirit even from his mother's womb. He will turn many of the children of Israel toward the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and strength of Elijah, to prepare a people ready for the Lord."

Zechariah was astonished and said, "How shall I know this? I am old, and my wife is advanced in years." He did not remember Abraham and Sarah, to whom God gave Isaac in old age.

The angel answered, "I am Gabriel, who stands before God. I was sent to speak to you and announce this good message. Because you did not trust my words, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day these things take place." Then the angel departed from him.

The people outside waited for Zechariah and wondered why he delayed in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They understood that he had seen a vision, for he made signs to them and remained mute. When the days of his service were finished, he went to his house.

Elizabeth conceived. Because of her age, she hid herself for months in a secluded room, ashamed to be seen with her body swelling and milk coming to her breasts. Zechariah also remained apart, and a closed door stood between them for a time.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, Gabriel was sent from God to Nazareth in Galilee, to Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph of the house of David. The angel greeted her and announced that she would conceive and bear Yeshua, who would be called Son of the Most High. Mary wondered how this could be, since she had not known a man. The angel told her that the Sacred Spirit would come upon her and the power of the Most High would overshadow her, and he also told her that Elizabeth, her relative, had conceived a son in her old age. Mary received the word and said, "I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word."

Mary then rose and went quickly into the hill country of Judea. She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. Elizabeth came out to meet her with joy and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb."

The child in Elizabeth's womb moved with joy, as though he wished to come forth and see his Lord. The text speaks of the Word meeting John's hidden life in the womb, and of mercy and truth, righteousness and peace, embracing one another.

Mary remained with Elizabeth for about three months, until the time of Elizabeth's delivery drew near, and then she returned to her own house.

The Birth of John

When Elizabeth gave birth, joy filled the house. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child and wished to call him Zechariah, after his father. Elizabeth said, "No. He shall be called John." They said, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name."

They made signs to his father, asking what he wished the child to be called. Zechariah asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue was loosed, and he praised God. He prophesied concerning his son, knowing the gift God had given him.

John grew as a beautiful child. His mother nursed him until he was two years old. The grace of God was upon his face, and he became strong with the help of the Sacred Spirit.

Elizabeth Flees With John

When Yeshua was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men came from the East and asked where the newborn king of the Jews was, for they had seen his star. Herod was troubled when he heard this and sought the child in order to destroy him. An angel warned Joseph to take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. When Herod could not find Yeshua, he began killing the children of Bethlehem.

Elizabeth feared that John also would be killed. She took him and came to Zechariah in the temple, saying, "My lord, let us go with our son into another land, so Herod the unbeliever will not kill him because of Yeshua the Anointed. Mary and Joseph have gone to Egypt. Come, before they kill our son and turn our joy into grief."

Zechariah answered, "I cannot abandon the service of the temple of the Lord and go to a foreign land where idols are worshipped."

She said, "What shall I do to save my little child?"

The old man answered, "Rise and go into the wilderness near Ayn Karim. If God wills, you will save your son. If they come seeking him, they will shed my blood instead of his."

Great was the grief of their separation. Zechariah took the child to his chest, blessed him, kissed him, and said, "Woe is me, John my son, joy of my old age. I am being kept from seeing your face, full of grace." He took him into the temple and blessed him, asking God to guard him on the way.

Then Gabriel, commander of the angels, came down from heaven with a garment and a leather belt and said to Zechariah, "Take these and put them on your son. God has sent them from heaven. This garment is Elijah's, and this belt is Elisha's." Zechariah received them, prayed over them, and clothed the child in the camel-hair garment with the leather belt.

He brought John back to Elizabeth and said, "Take him and go into the wilderness, for the hand of the Lord is with him. I have learned from God that he will remain in the wilderness until the day he is revealed to Israel."

Elizabeth took the child with tears. Zechariah also wept and said, "I know I will not see you again in the flesh. Go in peace, and may God guide you."

So Elizabeth departed with her son and went into the wilderness near Ayn Karim, and she stayed there with him.

The Death of Zechariah

When Herod's soldiers came to Jerusalem to kill the children, they killed until evening. As they were returning to their king, the tradition says that Satan came to them and said, "Why have you left the son of Zechariah alive? He is hidden with his father in the temple. Do not spare him. Kill him, or the king will be angry with you. If you do not find the son, kill the father in his place."

The soldiers went early to the temple and found Zechariah standing in the service of the Lord. They said to him, "Where is your son, whom you have hidden from us?"

Zechariah answered, "There is no child here with me."

They said, "You have hidden a child from the command of the king."

He said, "Cruel men, whose king drinks blood like a lioness, how long will you shed innocent blood?"

They answered, "Bring out your son so we may kill him. Otherwise we will kill you in his place."

The prophet said, "My son has gone with his mother into the wilderness, and I do not know where he is."

Then they killed Zechariah inside the temple. The priests wrapped his body and hid it in a tomb, fearing the wicked. His blood remained as a witness upon the ground. [Later expansion preserved in some witnesses: the blood is said to have continued boiling for fifty years, until judgment came upon Jerusalem.]

Elizabeth in the Wilderness

When Zechariah gave John to Elizabeth, she asked him to pray over her so that the way in the wilderness would be made easy. Zechariah said, "May the One who gave us a child in our old age guide your path with him."

She took John and went into the wilderness where no one lived. Blessed Elizabeth did not ask for another person to accompany her. She did not ask where she would sleep, where she would find bread, or where the child would drink water. There were no monasteries there then, no gatherings of monks, and no settled community in which she could dwell.

The witness places these words in her mouth: "Why do you wonder that I went alone into the wilderness? I was not afraid, because I carried one of God's own kin in my arms. Gabriel went with me and prepared the road before me. I trusted the kiss I received from Mary, mother of the Lord, for when I greeted her, the child in my womb leaped in joy, and I heard the greeting of the hidden children within us. I clothed my son in camel hair and a leather belt so that the holy wilderness would one day become inhabited and communities of those who serve God would grow there. If God sustained Hagar and her son Ishmael in the desert, will he not also sustain the child he himself has chosen?"

The Death and Burial of Elizabeth

John lived in the wilderness with his mother. God provided for him, and he ate what the wilderness supplied, according to the command that nothing unclean should enter his mouth.

After five years in the wilderness, blessed Elizabeth died. John was seven years and six months old. He sat beside her body and wept, for he did not know how to wrap her or how to bury her. Herod also died on the same day.

Yeshua, whose eyes see heaven and earth, saw his relative John weeping beside his mother. He also began to weep, though no one knew why. Mary said to him, "My son, why are you weeping? Has Joseph, or anyone else, grieved you?"

Yeshua said, "No, mother. It is your relative Elizabeth. She has left my beloved John an orphan, and he is weeping over her body in the mountains."

When Mary heard this, she also wept for her relative. Yeshua said, "Do not weep, my mother. You will see her with your own eyes this very hour."

Then a bright cloud came and stood between them. Yeshua said, "Bring Salome; we will take her with us." They mounted the cloud, and it carried them to the wilderness near Ayn Karim, to the place where John's mother lay and where John was weeping.

Yeshua said to the cloud, "Set us down here." The cloud descended. When John heard its sound, he was afraid and ran from the body of his mother. A voice came to him: "Do not fear, John my beloved. It is I, Yeshua, your Lord and your relative. I have come with my mother to fulfill the duty owed to your blessed mother Elizabeth."

John turned back. Yeshua and Mary kissed him. Yeshua said to his mother and to Salome, "Wash her body." They washed Elizabeth in the spring from which she and John had drawn water. Mary held the Blessed One and wept with him.

Then Michael and Gabriel came down and dug a grave. Yeshua told them to bring the souls of Zechariah and Simeon the priest, so that hymns might be sung while Elizabeth was buried. They came, and the body of Elizabeth was buried with hymns and tears. The grave was sealed with the sign of the cross, and the heavenly ones departed in peace.

Yeshua and Mary remained beside John for seven days, comforting him for his mother and teaching him how to live in the wilderness.

When Mary saw that John would be left alone, she wept and said, "My son, let us take him with us. He is an orphan and has no one."

Yeshua said, "This is not the will of my Father in heaven. He will remain in the wilderness until the day he is revealed to Israel. Instead of wild beasts, the wilderness will be filled for him with angels and prophets. I have commanded Gabriel, commander of the angels, to watch over him and give him power from heaven. I will make the water of this spring sweet to him like his mother's milk. His mother Elizabeth will come to him and comfort him. He will not be forgotten."

Yeshua also said, "Blessed is Elizabeth, for she bore my beloved. Her mouth will not fall into decay, for it kissed pure lips. Her tongue will not be destroyed in the ground, for she spoke the blessing over my mother. Her body will remain guarded, and John will be comforted when he looks upon her."

Then Yeshua and Mary mounted the cloud while John watched and wept. Mary wept with him and said, "Poor John, you will be alone in the wilderness. Where are your father Zechariah and your mother Elizabeth? Let them come and weep with me today."

Yeshua said, "Do not weep for John, mother. I will not forget him." Then the cloud lifted them and carried them back to Nazareth, where Yeshua lived and grew in all that belongs to human life, except sin.

John Rebukes Herod

John remained in the wilderness. God and his angels were with him. He lived in discipline and devotion, eating only the food of the wilderness and praying and fasting continually, waiting for the salvation of Israel.

In the time of Herod the Younger, Herod took the wife of his brother while his brother was still alive. He did this first in secret, bringing her into his private chambers.

Gabriel taught John in the wilderness to say aloud, "King, it is not lawful for you to take the wife of your brother while he is alive." John repeated this with a loud voice. At night the voice was heard, and Herodias searched her rooms with a lamp, thinking someone was hidden there. She found no one, but the voice continued.

Herodias said to Herod, "Send soldiers to the wilderness near Ayn Karim and kill John, for this is his voice." But God was with John and delivered him from them.

Herodias said, "Who is this John, wandering in the desert, clothed in camel hair, that he should rebuke the ruler of the land? Do openly whatever pleases you, and do not think anyone in this region will blame you except John. When we find an opportunity, we will remove him."

In this way she hardened Herod's heart toward sin. John continued to rebuke Herod until he was thirty years old.

The Baptism of Yeshua

Yeshua grew in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and people. He did not display the works of his divine nature openly, but walked humbly among all.

In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, when Herod was tetrarch of Galilee and Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. He came to the region around the Jordan, preaching, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near." People came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, and the surrounding regions, confessing their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan.

Then Yeshua came from Galilee to the Jordan and said to John, "Baptize me."

When John saw the One standing before him, he was seized with fear and said, "The One who made Israel pass through the sea and gave sweet water from the rock now stands before his servant and says, 'Baptize me.' I need to be baptized by your hands."

Yeshua said, "Permit it now, for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."

Then they went down into the water, and John baptized him, saying, "I baptize the One whom the Father has sent to fulfill the great mystery." Immediately the heavens were opened, and the Sacred Spirit came down upon him in the form of a dove, before John's face. A voice from the Father said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him."

Yeshua came up from the water and went immediately into the wilderness. John remained by the Jordan, baptizing those who came to him.

John Is Imprisoned

Herod acted against his brother Philip and accused him before the emperor, saying that Philip had misruled the region entrusted to him and refused tribute. The emperor became angry and ordered Herod to seize Philip's territory, property, and house. Herod did so and took what belonged to his brother.

Philip's wife was Herodias, and she had a daughter. The tradition gives the daughter a variant name: [Name uncertain: Arcostariana / Uxatriana / Oxatriana]. Herodias turned away from Philip in his poverty and wrote to Herod, saying that she wished to become his wife and that her daughter was beautiful beyond other women.

Herod was pleased with the letter. He had Herodias and her daughter taken from Philip's house. Philip begged his daughter to remain with him, but she chose to go with her mother. They were brought to Herod, and he received them with desire.

News of this came to John. He was sorrowful for their corruption and wrote to them, "John, son of Zechariah, called the Baptist, says to you: Herod, it is not lawful for you to take the wife of your brother while he is alive."

When Herod heard this, he was troubled and afraid. He said to Herodias, "What shall we do? The news of our sin has reached John, and he has rebuked us."

Herodias said, "Who is John, clothed in camel hair, that he should oppose a king? Have him brought here and kill him, and then we can continue as we please."

Herod's heart turned against John. He arrested him and put him in prison.

Herodias had John brought before her and said, "Why do you trouble me? Do you want to separate me from the king? Stop speaking against me, and I will release you from prison and honor you with riches."

John answered, "Herodias, it is not lawful for you to be with Herod while Philip is alive."

She became enraged and said, "I will kill you. I will take the hair of your head and use it beneath my bed, and I will bury your head in the place where I wash."

John said, "You will kill me, because God permits it, but you will not see my head as you desire. It will remain with me after my death and will proclaim your shame before the world. Your ruin is near."

Herodias ordered the guards to take him back in chains. They placed him again in prison.

The Death of John

Herodias sought a way for John to be killed. Herod feared the people and feared accusation before the emperor, so he asked for a path by which he could act without losing his rule.

Herodias said, "Prepare a feast for the king's envoys and the officials, for your birthday is near. When they have drunk wine and are pleased, I will send in my daughter in her finest garments to dance before you. When she dances, say to her, 'Ask whatever you want, and I will give it to you.' Swear it by the king's life. She will ask for the head of John, and you will have your way."

Herod accepted her counsel. He made a feast, and the envoys and officials reclined with him. When wine had filled the room, Herodias's daughter entered, adorned with gold, silver, perfumes, and jewels. She danced before them, and desire filled their hearts. Herod, pleased with her, said, "Ask what you desire, and by the life of the emperor I will give it to you, even half my kingdom."

She answered as her mother had taught her: "Give me here the head of John the Baptist on a plate."

The king was grieved because of the oath and because of those who sat with him, but he would not break the oath. He ordered the executioner to go to the prison and bring John's head on a plate. This took place on the second day of the month Tut, also called Elul.

Before the executioners came, John said to his disciples, "The king has sent for my head. They come with swords, lamps, torches, and weapons, as they will come on the night when the Anointed One is handed over. They will take my head and present it on a plate. The Anointed One will be nailed to a cross, and through his pure blood he will purify all. I go where I am going. Woe to the king who commanded that my head be cut off, for many calamities will come upon him. Do not fear; no one will be able to harm you."

Then John opened his mouth and praised God, saying, "I bless and praise you, invisible Father, visible Son, and comforting Sacred Spirit."

They beheaded John in the prison. His head was brought on a plate to Herod. Herod gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. His disciples took his body and buried it in Sebaste, beside the body of the prophet Elisha.

The Head of John

When the head of blessed John was brought to Herodias, the eyes of John were open. The witness says his head heard and perceived as in life.

Herodias spoke before the head in anger: "These are the eyes that were not ashamed to look upon the king and answer him. I will tear them out with my own hand. I will pull out the tongue that said, 'It is not lawful for you to take the wife of your brother.' I will take the hair of your head and beard and place it beneath my bed."

She stretched out her hand to seize the head. Suddenly the hair of John's head spread out from the plate, and the head flew into the middle of the room before the king and his officials. The roof opened, and the head rose into the air.

Herodias was struck. Her eyes fell from her head, the room collapsed upon her, and the earth opened beneath her. [Variant expansion preserved in some witnesses: Herodias's daughter went mad, danced upon ice, fell through it, and died by the same sword that had killed John.]

Herod was struck before those who sat at the feast.

The head of John flew over Jerusalem and proclaimed for three years, "Herod, it is not lawful for you to take the wife of your brother while he is alive." After those three years, it went out through the world, announcing the shame of Herod, until fifteen years had passed from the day John was killed. Then it came to rest in the city of Homs. The faithful there took it and buried it with honor. A church was later built over it.

The Body Is Brought to Alexandria

The body of John remained buried in Sebaste for four hundred years. Then Julian reigned. At first he had been counted among Christians, but afterward he abandoned the faith of the Anointed and turned to the worship of fire and idols. He commanded temples to be built for idols in many places, including Sebaste, where John's body lay.

Those who served Julian could not build there because holy bodies were buried in that place. They told the emperor, and he commanded them to burn the bodies and build the temple. They set fire to the place, but the fire did not come near the coffins of the prophets. Instead, those who kindled it were harmed, and hidden treasures were brought to light.

Above one coffin they found a vessel containing a leather belt, a garment of camel hair, a scapular, and two leather belts. The faithful understood that the coffins belonged to John the Baptist and the prophet Elisha. They wished to take them away, but they feared the wicked king.

After Julian's death, righteous men gathered and carried the coffins to the sea, intending to bring them to Alexandria to Athanasius, the patriarch, for they said, "In these days there is no one in the world more worthy to guard them than Father Athanasius of Alexandria."

They found a ship sailing for Alexandria and boarded with the coffins. When they reached the shore of Alexandria, they could not reveal the matter openly, because the time was dangerous. They went to the patriarch and told him all that had happened and how the Sacred Spirit had moved them to bring the coffins to him.

Athanasius rejoiced greatly. By night he went to the ship with his brother, took the remains in a cloth, and brought them secretly to his dwelling. He wished to build a church for John the Baptist, but because of the troubles of the time he was not able.

The Church of John in Alexandria

The bodies remained hidden in the place where Athanasius had placed them until his death. After him came Peter, then Timothy, who appointed Serapion to his office, though Serapion calls himself unworthy. After Timothy came Theophilus, who sat upon the patriarchal see.

In the days of Theophilus, God's favor strengthened the faith through Theodosius. The king and the patriarch were joined in purpose. The doors of the pagan temples were opened, and treasures of gold and silver were found, especially in the great temple of Alexandria.

Theodosius honored Theophilus and said to him, "Take these treasures and build churches from here to Aswan, for the glory of God and his saints." The patriarch began to build churches.

The first church he built was dedicated to John the Baptist in Alexandria. He adorned it and made it beautiful, for he wished to place John's body there. When it was finished, he summoned the bishops to witness its consecration. Serapion, though unworthy in his own words, came with the other bishops to Theophilus.

The patriarch showed them the church and said, "This is the place where Athanasius wished to build, but his time did not permit it. When I was young and served him, he said to me, 'My son Theophilus, when the opportunity comes, build here a church dedicated to John the Baptist and place his bones in it.'"

Theophilus said, "Athanasius was like David, who desired to build the temple but was not permitted because of wars. Another after him completed the work. When I ceased from struggle with idolaters, I became worthy to build this church for John the Baptist, the morning star."

On the second day of the month Baunah, also called Haziran in some witnesses, Theophilus brought them to the place where the body was hidden. They did not know the exact place, but after prayer God revealed it.

When the remains were brought out, the people of the city gathered with lamps and torches, so that night shone like day. The bishops carried the coffins on their heads, and the patriarch walked before them with deacons singing hymns. They brought the coffins into the church with great honor. The patriarch embraced them and let the people be blessed by the holy bodies. He placed the coffins beside the altar and prepared the consecration that same day.

The church was consecrated, the liturgy was offered, and all received communion from the patriarch. After this, the patriarch dismissed the bishops in peace, and each returned to his own place.

The body of John the Baptist became a sign of wonders, healings, and proofs among the Christian people.

Praise, glory, and power belong to the Father, the Son, and the Sacred Spirit, one God, now and always and forever. Amen.