Saint John the Baptist

Juan el Bautista

Juan el Bautista (in Greek Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστής, Ioānnēs ho baptistēs, or Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτίζων, Ioānnēs ho baptizōn; known as the prophet Yahya in the Qur’an), or simply the Baptist or San Juan, was an itinerant Jewish preacher and contemporary of Jesus of Nazareth, born in the late 1st century BC. He is venerated as an important religious figure in Christianity, Islam, and the Bahá’í Faith. He is regarded as a prophet by all these faiths, and several branches of Christianity have proclaimed him a saint. He is considered a very important figure in Mandaeism, though not its founder.

Juan used baptism as the central sacrament of his messianic movement. Most scholars agree that Juan baptised Jesus. Some scholars believe Jesus was a disciple of Juan, and several gospels recount that some of Jesus’s followers had previously been disciples of Juan. Juan el Bautista was also mentioned by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus. Some experts maintain that Juan was influenced by the Essenes, a sect with certain ascetic traits that awaited an apocalypse and practised rituals closely related to baptism, although there is no evidence to support this hypothesis.

According to the New Testament, Juan anticipated a messianic figure greater than himself, and the one who came was Jesus. Christians speak of Juan as the forerunner of Jesus, for having announced his coming. Juan also shares elements in common with the prophet Elijah.

Accounts of San Juan Bautista in the Bible

Birth of San Juan Bautista (Artemisia Gentileschi), 1635 painting

Juan el Bautista is mentioned in the four canonical gospels and in the non-canonical Gospel of the Nazarenes. The synoptic gospels (Mark, Matthew and Luke) describe the baptism of Jesus. The Gospel of John contains a tacit mention of the event (John 1:32-34).

In the Gospel of John

San Juan Evangelista describes Juan el Bautista as «a man sent by God» who «was not the light» but who «came as a witness to testify to the light, so that through him all might believe» (John 1:6-8). Juan Bautista clearly denied being the Christ, Elijah or «the prophet», and instead described himself as «the voice crying out in the wilderness».49

On a literal reading, it is clear that Juan is the «witness and confessor par excellence», especially when compared with figures such as Nicodemus.50

The baptism of Jesus is implied but not narrated directly. It is recounted that «the Spirit was seen descending from heaven like a dove and resting on him». Juan el Bautista explicitly announces that Jesus is the only one who «baptises with the Holy Spirit», who is the «Son of God» and «the Lamb of God».

The Gospel of John reports that Jesus’s disciples were baptised and that there was a debate between some of Juan’s disciples and other Jews about purification (John 3:22-36). In this debate Juan el Bautista argued that Jesus «must increase» in importance while he himself should «decrease» (John 3:30) in relevance.

This gospel says that Jesus’s disciples subsequently baptised more people than Juan’s disciples. It goes on to say that Jesus saw Juan as «a burning and shining lamp», and that «they were willing for a while to rejoice in his light» (John 5:35).

What Juan knew about Jesus

Juan’s understanding of Jesus varies depending on the gospel. In Mark’s account, Juan preaches the coming of a leader but gives no sign that Jesus is that leader. In Matthew’s account, however, Juan immediately recognises Jesus and questions whether he is fit to baptise him. In both Matthew and Luke, Juan asks: «Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?». In Luke’s account, Juan is a relative of Jesus, and both of their births were foretold by the angel Gabriel. According to San Juan Evangelista, Juan el Bautista witnessed the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove and explicitly preached that Jesus is the Son of God.

Juan and Elijah

The gospels vary in their descriptions of Juan’s relationship with Elijah. Matthew and Mark describe Juan’s clothing in a way that recalls the description of Elijah in 2 Kings 1:8, who also wore garments of hair and a leather belt. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus explicitly teaches that Juan is the «Elijah who was to come» (Matthew 11:14 and Matthew 17:11-13); many Christian theologians have said this means Juan is the successor of Elijah. In the Gospel of John, Juan el Bautista explicitly denies being Elijah. In Luke’s account of the annunciation, an angel appears to Zechariah, Juan’s father, telling him that his son «will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God» and that he will have «the spirit and power of Elijah» (Luke 1:16-17).

San Juan Bautista

See also:

Obanos

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