Saint John Baptist. John the Baptist was a Hebrew itinerant preacher in the early 1 st century AD. Other titles for John include John the Forerunner in Eastern Christianity, John the Immerser in some Baptist traditions, and the prophet John in Islam.
   He is sometimes alternatively called John the Baptizer. John the Baptist is mentioned by the Hebrew historian Josephus and revered as a major religious figure in Christianity, Islam, the Bahá'í Faith, and Mandaeism.
   He is called a prophet by all of these faiths, and is honored as a saint in many Christian traditions. According to the New Testament, John anticipated a messianic figure greater than himself, and the Gospels portray John as the precursor or forerunner of Jesus, since John announces Jesus' coming and prepares the people for Jesus' ministry.
   Jesus himself identifies John asElijah who is to come, which some biblical scholars interpret to mean that Jesus believed that John was the reincarnation of the Old Testament prophet Elijah, although John the Baptist in the Gospel of John explicitly denies being linked to Elijah. According to the New Testament, John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth were relatives.
   Some scholars maintain that John belonged to the Essenes, a semi-ascetic Judaic sect who expected a Hebrew messiah and who practiced ritual baptism.John used baptism as the central symbol or sacrament of his pre-messianic movement. Most schol
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