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John the Baptist is a mysterious figure in the New Testament.He was famous in his own day, even before he became the herald of Christ.We even know about him from outside the New Testament.His memorial is August 29th, so it’s an excellent time to catch up on him.Here are 11 things to know and share . . . 1) How was John the Baptist related to Jesus?John was related to Jesus through their mothers. In Luke 1:36, Elizabeth is described as Mary’s “kinswoman,” meaning that they were related in some way through marriage or blood.Most likely, it was a blood relationship,...

Ancient Israelite capital Sebastia, site of important Roman and Crusader ruins, lies unprotected because of security situation. The ancient town of Sebastia is one of the major archaeological sites of the Holy Land, with its overlapping layers of history dating back nearly 3,000 years. But today the hilltop capital of biblical kings, later ruled by Roman conquerors, Crusaders and Ottomans, is marred with weeds, graffiti and garbage. Caught between conflicting Israeli and Palestinian jurisdictions, the site has been largely neglected by both sides for the past two decades. Beyond the decay, unauthorized diggers and thieves have taken advantage of the...

Today being Palm Sunday prompts me to pick a film based(very loosely) on a story from the Gospels. Despite some glaring inaccuracies(the most notorious being the daughter of Herodias dancing before Herod Antipas in an effort to SAVE rather than to behead John the Baptist. Not how it happens in the book, folks), this film manages to entertain thanks to the villainy of Charles Laughton and Judith Anderson and, most of all, the loveliness of Rita Hayworth. I also like how instead of "THE END" appearing at the finale, the film shows the Sermon on the Mount with "this was...

For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. – Mark 6:18-20 We have been tracking the shift for some time. To simply say what the Bible says — as one who believes what it says, of course, not as some...

“A Blessed Visitation” (Luke 1:39-45)It was a meeting of the moms. Two expectant mothers, one old, one young. One was six months along; the other, newly pregnant. And the fact that they were expecting was totally unexpected! Both of them were pregnant when really neither one of them should have been, under normal circumstances. But these circumstances were anything but normal. What was happening was much better than normal. This meeting of the moms was the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. Elizabeth was the older woman; Mary, the younger. Elizabeth was in her sixth month; Mary’s pregnancy had just started....

On the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist "The Truth is the Truth; there is no compromise" CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 29, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the Italian-language catechesis Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience held in the main square at Castel Gandolfo. Today the Holy Father reflected on the figure of St. John the Baptist, whose martyrdom we celebrate today. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, This final Wednesday of the month of August marks the liturgical memorial of the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus. In the Roman...

This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of John the Baptist. I recorded a podcast that provides an overview of the biblical texts describing his importance. It will be posted here soon. Of course, you can also hear it on iTunes. In this post I recap much of what I covered there. John Bergsma will also be posting on the Sunday readings here as well. I might also link to more sites dealing with John the Baptist on Twitter (@MichaelPBarber) over the weekend. As always, I appreciate comments--just post in the comment box! The First Annunciation In Luke 1 we actually have...

A team of researchers believe a knuckle bone found buried beneath a Bulgarian church may belong to John the Baptist, the New Testament prophet who heralded the ministry of Jesus. (Photo Included in article)

When archaeologists claimed to have found the bones of John the Baptist amid the ruins of an ancient Bulgarian monastery experts were understandably sceptical. But carbon dating tests carried out at Oxford University have provided scientific evidence to support the extraordinary claim. A knucklebone has been dated to the 1st Century AD - a time when the revered Jewish prophet is believed to have lived.

Bulgarian archaeologists have found a church dating back to the late Antiquity period, which is located near the village of Sarafovo, on the Black Sea coast. The site, which is close to the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Burgas, has been excavated by the team of Prof. Dr. Lyudmil Vagalinski, who is the Director of the National Archaeology Institute and Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, since the start of May 2012. The excavations at Sarafovo (a village also known for hosting a military airfield) began after over the winter the sea waves uncovered parts of a Roman structures...

Jewish Yad Avshalom revealed as a Christian shrine from Byzantine era By Amiram Barkat The historic Yad Avshalom monument in Jerusalem's Kidron Valley, revered for centuries as a Jewish shrine, was also a Christian holy place in the fourth century, new evidence has revealed. A fourth-century inscription on one of the walls near the monument, recently uncovered by chance, marks the site as the burial place of the Temple priest Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist who baptized Jesus. Scholars believe the monument was built in the first century, making it possible that figures holy to Christians could be...

... and a key figure during Advent, by Frank Sheed: St. John the Baptist, Forerunner | Frank Sheed | From To Know Christ Jesus All four evangelists begin Jesus' entry into public life with John the Baptist's emergence from his desert. Matthew leaps straight to John's mission after the return of the Holy Family from Egypt, Luke after the finding of the boy in the Temple. The other two actually begin their Gospel with it, nothing of our Lord's earthly life being told before, apart from John's "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." It is clear, then, that...

On the Martyrdom of John the Baptist by Saint Bede the VenerableThis reading on the martyrdom of John the Baptist was taken from a sermon of St. Bede the Venerable (Hom 23: CCL 122, 354, 356-357) and is in the Office of Readings for August 29, the memorial of the martyrdom of John the Baptist.  As forerunner of our Lord’s birth, preaching and death, the blessed John showed in his struggle a goodness worthy of the sight of heaven. In the words of Scripture: Though in the sight of men he suffered torments, his hope is full of immortality. We...

Joel Osteen and The Prosperity Gospel Written by Gary Gilley (June/July 2009 - Volume 15, Issue 4) The New Age book and video by Rhonda Byrne, The Secret, which gained popularity recently due to Oprah Winfrey’s strong promotion, teaches that we can “create [our] own happiness through the law of attraction.” Whether it is cash, health, prosperity or happiness, all can be ours if we will just learn to use “the secret.” Byrne tells us, “Disease cannot live in a body that is in a healthy emotional state.” But be warned: “If you have a disease and you are focusing...

...Living in the first home of the whole human race, his mother's womb, this last Prophet of the Old Testament and First Prophet of the New responded to the arrival of Jesus the Savior with a dance of Joy. St. John the great theologian records in his Gospel where John the Baptizer explained the reason for his joy, "The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease." (John 1:29 -...

“Luke’s Lead-up to Christmas: The Nativity of St. John the Baptist and the Song of Zechariah, the Benedictus” (Luke 1:57-80)When last we left Zechariah, he was doing his best Marcel Marceau impression. In other words, he couldn’t speak! He was making signs and gestures to try to communicate. In other words, there were no words! Zechariah had been struck mute, unable to speak, because he had not believed the words the angel Gabriel had spoken to him, telling him that he and his wife Elizabeth were going to have a child, even though they were both old and had been...

“Repentance Road Repair” (Luke 3:1-14)Tomorrow the road repair will be finished, and the highway will reopen, better than ever. I’m talking about Interstate 64 in St. Louis, or, as many of the locals still call it, “Highway 40.” The road is all straight and smooth now, all the way from Spoede to Kingshighway. The rough spots have been filled in, the crooked stretches have been straightened out, the perennial bottlenecks and traffic jams all have been accounted for and remedied. A lot of thought and effort, a lot of time and expense, went into making these improvements. The I-64 project...

“Luke’s Lead-up to Christmas: The Annunciation of St. John the Baptist” (Luke 1:1-25)In a few weeks we’ll be hearing one of the most familiar and well-loved passages in the Bible once again, and that is the Christmas Gospel, from Luke chapter two. But the fact that there’s a chapter two must means that there’s a chapter one before it. There is. And Luke chapter one is Luke’s lead-up to Christmas, his account of the events leading up to the birth of Christ. That’s going to be our theme for this series of midweek services, as well as for the last...

1. "The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name" (Is 49,1). Today we celebrate the birth of St John the Baptist. The words of the Prophet Isaiah are well-suited to describe this great biblical figure who stands between the Old and the New Testaments. In the long line of Israel's prophets and just men and women, John "the Baptist" was placed by God's providence immediately before the Messiah, in order to prepare the way before him by his preaching and by the witness of his life. Of all the saints, John...

BEVERLY HILLS, California, April 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In his legendary film career he played saints, geniuses, prophets, soldiers and even the occasional bad guy, but in real life, Charlton Heston was a genuine hero for his defence of civil rights for blacks and for the unborn. His death on Saturday, at age 84, was met with an outpouring of admiration and tributes on the internet and television news and on countless blogs. Admirers lauded him as one of the last of the old-time Hollywood movie stars, and as a man who also embodied in his off-screen life the integrity,...