† Saint John the Baptist (January 7)
The Reviewer
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http://orthodoxwiki.org/John_the_Forerunner
The glorious Prophet and Forerunner John the Baptist is also referred
to as John the Forerunner because he was the forerunner of Christ. He
was an ascetic and great prophet, who baptized Christ and became one
of the most revered saints in the Orthodox Church. John is a cousin of
Christ through his mother Elizabeth who was the daughter of Zoia. Zoia
is the sister of Christ's grandmother. He was later beheaded by Herod
in the first century to satisfy the request of Herod's stepdaughter,
Salome, and wife Herodias. Because he baptized Christ, he is the
patron saint of godparents. He is sometimes called the Angel of the
Desert; because of this title, he is sometimes depicted with wings.
Isaiah 40:3-5 is commonly read as a prophecy of John. His father,
Zacharias, was a priest of the course of Abia (1 Chr. 24:10), and his
mother, Elizabeth, was of the daughters of Aaron (Luke 1:5). John held
the priesthood of Aaron, giving him the authority to perform baptisms
of God.
His birth took place six months before that of Jesus, and according to
the Gospel account was expected by prophecy (Matt. 3:3; Isa. 40:3;
Mal. 3:1) and foretold by an angel. Zacharias lost his power of speech
because of his unbelief over the birth of his son, and had it restored
on the occasion of John's circumcision (Luke 1:64).
John was a Nazarite from his birth (Luke 1:15; Num. 6:1-12). He spent
his early years in the mountainous tract of Judea lying between
Jerusalem and the Dead Sea (Matt. 3:1-12). He led a simple life,
wearing rope (gamla) fiber clothing and eating "locusts and wild
honey" (Matt. 3:4).
As an adult John started to preach in public, and people from "every
quarter" were attracted to his message. The essence of his preaching
was the necessity of repentance and turning away from selfish
pursuits. He denounced the Sadducees and Pharisees as a "generation of
vipers," and warned them not to assume their heritage gave them
special privilege (Luke 3:8). He warned tax collectors and soldiers
against extortion and plunder. His doctrine and manner of life stirred
interest, bringing people from all parts to see him on the banks of
the Jordan River. There he baptized thousands unto repentance.
The fame of John reached the ears of Jesus in Nazareth (Matt. 3:5),
and he came from Galilee to Jordan to be baptized by John, on the
special ground that it became him to "fulfill all
righteousness" (Matt. 3:15). John's special office ceased with the
baptism of Jesus, who must now "increase" as the King come to his
kingdom. He continued, however, for a while to bear testimony to the
Messiahship of Jesus. He pointed him out to his disciples, saying,
"Behold the Lamb of God." His public ministry was suddenly (after
about six months probably) brought to a close by his being cast into
prison by Herod, whom he had reproved for the sin of having taken to
himself the wife of his brother Philip (Luke 3:19). He was shut up in
the castle of Machaerus, a fortress on the southern extremity of
Peraea, 9 miles east of the Dead Sea, and here he was beheaded at the
instigation of Herodias; later tradition also implicates Salomé. His
disciples, having consigned the headless body to the grave, went and
told Jesus all that had occurred (Matt. 14:3-12). John's death
occurred apparently just before the third Passover of Jesus' ministry.
Jesus himself testified regarding John that he was a "burning and a
shining light" (John 5:35). John was the last of the Old Testament
prophets, thus serving as a bridge figure between that period of
revelation and Jesus. They also embrace a tradition that, following
his death, John descended into Hell and there once more preached that
Jesus the Messiah was coming.
Feast days
The Orthodox Church remembers Saint John the Forerunner on six
separate feast days, listed here in order of the church year which
begins on September 1:
September 23 - Conception of St. John the Forerunner
October 12 - The Russian Orthodox Church observes the Transfer
of the Right Hand of the Forerunner from Malta to Gatchina (1799).
January 7 - The Commemoration of St. John the Forerunner (main
feast day, immediately after Epiphany on January 6)
February 24 - First and Second Finding of the Head of St. John
the Forerunner
May 25 - Third Finding of the Head of St. John the Forerunner
June 24 - Birth of St. John the Forerunner
August 29 - The Beheading of St. John the Forerunner
Also, St. John's parents Zechariah and Elisabeth, are commemorated on
September 5.
Relics
* St. Demetrios Church, Neo Phaleron, Piraeus
* Benaki Museum, Athens
* Topkapi Museum, Constantinople
* Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria
* Cetinje Monastery, Montenegro (right palm)
The Reviewer
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NI | KA
Luna ianuarie in 7 zile:
http://www.credo.ro/proloage.php?data=0701&i=1
Soborul Sfantului Prooroc, Mergatorului inainte si Botezatorului Ioan
Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John
Troparion and Kontakion - http://oca.org/FStropars.asp?SID=13&ID=100109