Names Hebrew Male

John (the Baptist)

Also: (See John the Apostle entry for the many vernacular forms of John)

Meaning

Hebrew "the Lord is gracious" (Yochanan).

Figure

Forerunner of Christ; son of Zechariah and Elizabeth; baptized Jesus in the Jordan (Luke 1; Matthew 3; Mark 1; John 1).

Feast day

June 24 (Nativity of John the Baptist, Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican); August 29 (Beheading of John the Baptist)

Traditions
CATHOLICORTHODOXANGLICANPROTESTANT

In the Christian tradition

John the Baptist is the forerunner of Christ, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth named by the angel before his birth (Luke 1:13), the prophet who baptized Jesus in the Jordan and who pointed to him as "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29). Jesus himself describes John as the greatest born of women (Matthew 11:11). The Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican calendars include both the Nativity (June 24) and the Beheading (August 29) of John the Baptist.

John the Baptist is the figure who bridges the Old Covenant and the New, the last of the prophets in the Old Testament line and the forerunner of Christ. The Nativity of John the Baptist on June 24 is one of the few birthdays celebrated in the Christian calendar (alongside the Nativities of Christ and the Theotokos), reflecting the figure's unique position. The Beheading of John the Baptist on August 29 commemorates his death at the hands of Herod (Matthew 14:1-12). Orthodox tradition holds the Baptist in particular reverence; many Orthodox parishes are dedicated to him, and the figure appears prominently in the iconographic Deesis (the figure of Christ flanked by Mary and John the Baptist) in nearly every Orthodox iconostasis.