Synaxarium

On this day was the birth of Saint John the Baptist, the greatest born of women, who bowed to Christ while still in his mother's womb. He was worthy to lay his hand on the head of the Son of God at baptism. The Holy Gospel says: "Now Elizabeth's time to give birth was fulfilled, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child and wanted to name him after his father Zechariah. But his mother said, 'No; he shall be called John.' They said to her, 'None of your relatives is called by this name.' So they made signs to his father to find out what he wanted to name him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, 'His name is John.' And they all marveled. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God and prophesying about his son that he would be called a prophet of the Most High and would go before the Lord to prepare His way (Luke 1:57–76)."

When John was two years old, the Magi came, and Herod killed the children. Some informed about this child, and soldiers sought to kill him, but Zechariah took him to the temple and said to the soldiers, 'From this place I received him.' Then the angel took him to the wilderness of Zephaniah. The soldiers were enraged and killed his father Zechariah. For this reason, the Lord said to the Jews, 'Upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar' (Matthew 23:35). As for the boy John, he grew and became strong in spirit (Luke 1:80).

From his childhood days, he dwelt in the wilderness and lived there for more than twenty years in an angelic manner until the day of his appearance to Israel (Luke 1:57–80).

John's clothing was camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4; Psalm 1:6). He lived in the wilderness, devoted to prayer and asceticism until God commanded him to complete the prophecy by preaching to the people the coming of the Savior of the world (Matthew 3:4; Psalm 1:6). He was sent by God to bear witness to the light so that all might believe through him; he was not the light but came to bear witness to the light (John 1:6–8).

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, Philip his brother tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis, Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, and Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He came to all the region of the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah: 'A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God' (Luke 3:1–6).

In those days, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand' (Matthew 3:1–2). People from Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region of the Jordan went out to him, confessing their sins and being baptized by him in the Jordan River (Matthew 3:5–6). While the people were waiting and all were pondering in their hearts about John, wondering if he might be the Christ, John answered them, 'I baptize you with water, but He who is mightier than I is coming, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor, gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire' (Luke 3:16–17). Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. John tried to prevent Him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?' Jesus answered, 'Permit it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.' Then John allowed Him. When Jesus was baptized, He immediately came up from the water, and the heavens were opened to Him. He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased' (Matthew 3:13–17; Luke 3:21–22). Then John's disciples came to him and said, 'Teacher, behold, the one You testified about, baptizing, is baptizing, and all are coming to Him.' John answered, 'No one can receive anything unless it has been given from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before Him. The bride belongs to the bridegroom; the friend who stands and hears him rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. This joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God remains on him' (John 3:26–36).

When John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, 'You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves,

We have Abraham as our father.

For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.' When Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, had married Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, against all laws, Saint John the Baptist came to him, rebuking him for this sin and all the evil he was doing. At the instigation of the wicked Herodias, he ordered John to be arrested, bound in chains, and put in prison inside the fortress called Macherus.

John remained in this prison for a whole year without Herod being able to kill him. His disciples courageously visited their teacher in prison, and he did not neglect his duties toward them, proving to them that Jesus is the awaited Christ. When news of the miracles performed by our Savior spread everywhere, John wanted his disciples to be eyewitnesses of Christ's wonders to strengthen their faith in Him.

While in prison, John sent two of his disciples to Jesus, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, or shall we look for another?' Jesus answered them, 'Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.' Then Jesus spoke to the crowds about John: 'What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. Or what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written,

Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.

Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions,

We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say,

He has a demon.

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say,

Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!

But wisdom is justified by her children' (Matthew 11:7–19). The Lord Jesus also said about John the Baptist: 'He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.'

Herodias wanted to get rid of John the Baptist and plotted against him on the day of Herod's birthday celebration. When Herod's daughter danced in the midst and pleased Herod, he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. She was instructed by her mother and came saying, 'Give me here the head of John the Baptist on a platter.' The king was grieved, but because of his oath and those reclining with him, he ordered it to be given. He sent and beheaded John in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl, who took it to her mother. John's disciples came, took his body, and buried it. They came and told Jesus, and when He heard it, He departed from there by boat into the wilderness. The joy of the crowd at Herod's feast turned to sorrow. The head fled from their hands, crying out, 'It is not lawful for you to take your brother's wife.'

The death of Saint John the Baptist occurred at the end of the thirty-first year or the beginning of the thirty-second year of Christ. This saint resembled the angels in his pure conduct and was filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother's womb. He died a martyr for the truth (his martyrdom is commemorated on the 2nd of Thout). May his prayer be with us, and to our Lord be glory forever. Amen.