THE RELIQUARY OF
SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST
Written by John Snogren.
Taken from the Heavenly Visions Byzantine Icon Studio Gallery.
St. John the Baptist, last of the Old Testament prophets, is also known, especially among the Orthodox, as St. John the Forerunner. Of his birth, the Bible tells us that, during the days of King Herod of Judaea, Zechariah, a priest of the Abijah section of the priesthood, was burning incense in the Lord's sanctuary in the Temple when the Archangel St. Gabriel appeared to him, telling him that a son would soon be born to his wife Elizabeth whom they must call John who would lead many of the Israelites back to God. When Zechariah doubted the angel's words due to his wife's barrenness, St. Gabriel struck him dumb, telling him that, as he did not believe the archangel's words, he would remain mute himself until these things had come to pass. When the priest's time of service had ended, he went back home where his wife concieved (Luke 1:5-25).
As Elizabeth was in her sixth month, the Archangel St. Gabriel visited the Blessed Virgin Mary, telling her of God's plan for her. Mary told him, "You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said" (Luke 1:38). Mary's act of complete faith is yet another mark of her holiness, for her faith, that of a young woman, excelled even that of the priest, and the work God wrought in her was even more wondrous than that which He wrought in Elizabeth. St. Gabriel's visit to Mary is now known as the Annunciation and is commemorated as the First Joyful Mystery of the Rosary (Luke 1:26-38).
Elizabeth is said to have been a cousin of Mary, and just after the Annunciation, Mary hurried off to the house of Elizabeth and Zechariah. Upon her arrival, the child in Elizabeth's womb lept for joy, and Elizabeth praised Mary as "the mother of my Lord" (Luke 1:43), and Mary praised God. Mary then stayed with Elizabeth some three months before going home, apparently until just before the birth of St. John the Baptist. This incident, known as the Visitation, is now commemorated as the Second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary (Luke 1:39-56).
Following this, Elizabeth gave birth to a son, and on the eighth day, at the ceremony of circumcision, as the people were going to name the boy Zechariah after his father, Elizabeth spoke up, demanding that he be called John. They made signs to question the father who took a tablet and wrote, "His name is John." At that his power of speech was restored and Zechariah praised God and prophecised (Luke 1:59-79). John then grew and went to live in the desert until his public ministry (Luke 1:80).
In due course John made his public ministry, preaching baptism and repentance. Jesus Himself answered John's call and was baptised in the River Jordan, and it was at this time that the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a Dove and God the Father announced that He was pleased with His Son; the only time in the Bible in which all Three members of the Trinity appear together (Matthew 3: 13-17; Luke 3:21-22). John always announced that he was paving the way for the One Who would come after him (Matthew 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-18; John 1:19-34). It is for this reason that he is known as St. John the Forerunner, and according to the Gospels John sent his disciples to learn if Jesus was the Chosen One of Whom he preached, and at this Jesus commended John (Matthew 11:2-15; Luke 7:18-30). Before his death, John acknoeledged that Jesus was He for Whom he had been preparing the way (John 3:22-36).
St. John was outspoken and honest in his criticism of evil, and it was because of this that he would die at the hands of Herod the tetrarch. St. John censured Herod for his illict relations with his brother's wife and other crimes and Herod had him thown into prison (Matthew 14:3-4; Mark 6:17-20; Luke 3:19-20). Matthew states that Herod wished to have John killed but was afraid of the people (14:5), but Mark says that Herod held John in awe and enjoyed listening to him (6:20). Whatever Herod's opinon of John, his wife Herodias, who had been his brother Philip's wife and whose marriage to Herod had aroused St. John's wrath, wished to have John killed. At Herod's birthday celebration, her daughter, whom tradition tells us was named Salomé, so delighted Herod that he promised her anything she wished, and, at her mother's prodding, requested the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Thinking of his promise and his guest, he granted her wish, and Salomé gave the head to her mother. Johns disciples then buried his body and told Jesus of his demise (Matthew 14:3-12; Mark 6:17-19).
Herod was so overcome with what he had done to John that, hearing of the miracles wroght by Jesus, he was convinced that Jesus was John come back from the dead to haunt him (Matthew 14:1-2; Mark 6:14-16; Luke 9:7-9).
The mission of St. John the Baptist is discussed at length in:
Meier, John P., Fr. 1994. A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus. Volume II: Mentor, Message, and Miracles. New York: ABRL Doubleday.
This book carries the Imprimatur of the Most Rev. Patrick J. Sheridan, V.G.
Preserved in the parish church of the town of St-Jean-du-Doigt in Finestère, the western most département of Brittany, France, is a small silver coffer in which is reputed to be preserved one of the index fingers of St. John the Baptist. In modern times the coffer is no longer opened. It is said that the finger was miraculously translated to St-Jean from Lô during the Hundred Years' War. Available online is a description of the Pardon of St. John and the acquisition of the finger. This is taken from the second chapter ("Pardons") of the following book:
Johnson, William Branch. 1927. Folktales of Brittany. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd.
This Pardon is also discussed in Book III, "The Pardon of Fire," pgs. 131-197 of the following book:
Le Braz, Anatole. 1907. The Land of Pardons. London: Methuen & Co.