St. John the Baptist

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Geertgen tot Sint Jans: John the Baptist in the Wilderness

Baptism of Jesus by St. John the Baptist

Correggio: Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist

Who was St. John the Baptist, and how did he die?

Giovanni di Paolo: Saint John the Baptist Entering the Wilderness

Illuminated manuscript illustration showing Saint John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River, with onlookers and angels, from an Armenian Gospel dated 1587.

Saint John the Baptist, fresco by Pinturicchio, 1504-05; in the chapel of St. John Baptist, the cathedral of Siena, Italy

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St. John the Baptist summary

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Geertgen tot Sint Jans: John the Baptist in the Wilderness — Geertgen tot Sint Jans: John the Baptist in the Wilderness John the Baptist in the Wilderness, oil on panel by Geertgen tot Sint Jans, 15th century; in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin.

St. John the Baptist

Jewish prophet and Christian saint

Also known as: Yaḥyā

Written by

John Strugnell

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

St. John the Baptist (born 1st decade bce, Judaea, Palestine, near Jerusalem—died 28–36 ce; feast day June 24) was a Jewish prophet of priestly origin who preached the imminence of God’s Final Judgment and baptized those who repented in self-preparation for it; he is revered in the Christian church as the forerunner of Jesus Christ. After a period of desert solitude, John the Baptist emerged as a prophet in the region of the lower Jordan...

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