John the Baptist was the son of Zachary, a priest of the Temple in Jerusalem, and Elizabeth, a kinswoman of Mary who visited her. The Angel Gabriel had told Zachary that his wife would bear a child even though she was an old woman. He lived as a hermit in the desert of Judea until about 27 CE. When he was thirty, he began to preach on the banks of the Jordan against the evils of the times and called men to penance and baptism “for the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand”. He attracted large crowds, and when Christ came to him, John recognized Him as the Messiah and baptized Him, saying, “It is I who need baptism from You”. When Christ left to preach in Galilee, John continued preaching in the Jordan valley. Fearful of his great power with the people, Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of Perea and Galilee, had him arrested and imprisoned at Machaerus Fortress on the Dead Sea when John denounced his adultrous and incestuous marriage with Herodias, wife of his half brother Philip. John was beheaded at the request of Salome, daughter of Herodias, who asked for his head at the instigation of her mother. John inspired many of his followers to follow Christ when he designated Him “the Lamb of God,” among them Andrew and John, who came to know Christ through John’s preaching. John is presented in the New Testament as the last of the Old Testament prophets and the precursor of the Messiah. His feast day is June 24th and the feast for his beheading is August 29th.
St. John the Baptist. Sculpture by Rodin, in the Carlsberg Glyptotek.
Denmark – Kopengahen.
The Baptism of Jesus, B. Long, 1979, Montecassino Abbey, Italy.
BAPTISM should probably be regarded as a universal element in the history of religions. It is evident that at the time of Jesus Judaism was in possession of various baptismal rites. Christian contact with these rites came through the work of John the Baptist, who heralded the coming of Jesus Christ, and baptised him as well. John the Baptist, asked people to repent for having turned away from God and baptised them in the River Jordan to make a break with the sinful past. The River Jordan has extraordinary religious and symbolic significance. This is the river that marks the boundary of the Promised Land; these are the waters that Moses was not allowed to cross. Joshua crossed them. On these banks John the Baptist preached, and according to tradition Jesus was baptized there. When Jesus received baptism from his cousin he was in his thirties. Baptism is the initiatory rite of the Christian Church. He also ordered His disciples to baptize all people.
Turkey – Istanbul, Cengelkoy, January 6th 2002, Fota Ceremony, on a snowy day.
The account of the birth of Christ in St. Matthew’s Gospel tells of the visitation of the three Wise Men of the Orient, the Magi. They followed a star which led them to the place in Bethlehem where Jesus was born. There they worshipped Him and gave Him their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Their coming is celebrated at the feast of the Epiphany, which celebrated the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles. Those who observe the Gregorian calendar celebrate the feast of Epiphany on 6th January. The Gospel according to St. Luke recounts how an angel appeared to shepherds, telling them of a Saviour in the form of a baby, born in a stable in Bethlehem. The baptism of Christ is celebrated in different churches on different dates. Those who use the Gregorian calendar celebrate it on the first Sunday after January 6th. Every year on January 6th, the Orthodox Church observing the Julian calendar performs a ceremony, popularly known as Fota, in which a cross is thrown into water, be it the sea, a river or lake. Christian males then jump in to rescue the cross. The man who succeeds is denoted that year’s most fortunate person and receives a blessing.
Turkey – Istanbul, Cengelkoy, Jan, 6th 2002, Fota Ceremony.
The young Orthodox who rescued the cross from the Marmara Sea, receiving the blessing.
Renewal of Baptism procession, January 19th. Music and dance are an integral part of the religious ceremony in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. During the procession, priests sing to a mournful drum rhythm, the high priests hold ornate gold and silver crosses.
Ethiopia – Timkat, Axum.
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