Jean the Baptist

See also: Holy Jean, Jean-Baptiste

Jean the Baptist , holy Jean Baptist or Iaokanann , character of the New Testament, was Prédicateur in Palestine at the time of Jesus-Christ. In the Christianity, it is the Prophète which announced the arrival of Jesus-Christ, which baptized it on the edges of the the Jordan, after having indicated it like “the lamb of God”, and to have given him its clean Disciple S. the life of Jean-Baptiste is known through the Évangile S, the Acts of the Apostles. The Jean-Baptiste of the Jewish historian Flavius Josèphe has a biography different from that of the Gospels.

Hagiographie

Saint Jean Baptiste was born in Judaea in the year 7 av. J. - C. the Church celebrates its nativity, as well in the East as in Occident the June 24th, at the time of the summer solstice. Among the many rites which are associated with this festival, some seem to come directly from the old great festivals Celtes from the summer solstice, when this night was considered supernatural, and ceremonial fires. The practice of fires of Midsummer's Day remains very long-lived in many cities and villages of the western world.

Its death is celebrated on August 29th as well in the East as in Occident: it is its Decapitation (or decapitation). One celebrates also several birthdays of the invention (the discovery) of his chief (its cranium).

The festival of the Nativity of saint Jean Baptiste is also the national festival of Canadian-French since 1834 during the creation of the Company Saint-Jean-Baptist. Jean the Baptist was issued owner of Canadian-French in 1908 by the pope Pie X. In 1977, the Saint John's day became the national festival of the Quebec, including the Inhabitants of Quebec of any origines. The festival of the Saint-Jean-Baptist is also an important maconnic festival throughout the world.

He was the son of the priest Zacharie and Elisabeth, a cousin of Marie, the mother of Jesus. Like that of Jesus, the birth of Jean is announced with Zacharie by the archangel Gabriel, who says to him that his/her son to be born, Jean, will be filled of the the Holy Spirit and will have the power of Élie. However the couple being sterile, Zacharie doubted the remarks of the archangel who punishes it while making it dumb and deaf. It is only with the birth of the child, after Zacharie had written on a shelf “Jean is his name” which it found the word and hearing.

Jean carried out a life of asceticism “hidden in the desert”, frugally nourishing “grasshoppers and of wild honey” (Matthieu III: 4), and practitioner the fast. The description which the archangel of the life of Jean makes is that of a to nazir, as attested in Luc 1:13 - 15. In the year 27, it is installed on the edges of the the Jordan, where it starts to practice the “baptism of repentance for the remission of the sins” by immersion in water and prophesied by Isaïe. It brings together around him many disciples, announcing the arrival of the Messiah to them: “Me, I baptize you with water, to bring you to the repentance, but comes that more extremely than me, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthieu III: 11).

According to Matthieu (III: 13-17), Jesus saw Jean to be also baptized to him. Jean says “It to him is me which need to be baptized by you”, and Jesus answered him: “Lets make now, because it is suitable that we achieve all thus that is right”. Jean thus baptizes Jesus and with leaving water all transfer the Holy Spirit “to go down like a dove and to come on him”, and a voice come from the skies known as: “This one is my beloved Son, in whom I put all my affection”.

Jean Baptiste then asked his disciples to follow Jesus.

Birth of Jean the Baptist according to Luc

Luc is the only one to evoke the birth of Jean:

But the angel says to him: Do not fear, Zacharie, because your prayer was exaucée. Your Elisabeth wife will give birth to you a son, and you will give him the name of Jean. He will be for you a subject of joy and joy, and several will be delighted by its birth. Because it will be large in front of the Lord. He will drink neither wine, nor liquor enivrante, and he will be filled of the Holy Spirit as of the center of his mother; he will bring back several of wire of Israel for the Lord, their God; he will go in front of God with the spirit and the power of Élie, to bring back the hearts of the fathers towards the children, and the rebels with the wisdom of right, in order to prepare with the Lord people laid out well. (…) The eighth day, they came for circoncire the child, and they called it Zacharie, of the name of his/her father. But his/her mother spoke, and known as: Not, it will be called Jean. (Luc 1.13-60)

The death of Jean the Baptist

Some time after, in the year 28, the anger of Hérode Antipas, tétrarque of Galileo and Pérée, fell down on Jean Baptiste, which reproached him his marriage with the woman (Hérodiade) of his half-brother Hérode Philippe.

According to Marc (VI: 14-29), Hérode, exceeded, makes stop Jean and “the fact of binding in prison”. The Hérodiade woman wanted to make kill Jean but Hérode Antipas protected it, because he “knew it for a man right and holy” and “listened to it with pleasure”.

However at the time of the festival given for its birthday, Salome, the girl of Hérodiade, danced as much as the governor and all its guests were subjugated, and he says to him: “Asks me what you will want… what you will ask me, I will give it to you, was this half of my kingdom”. Salome asked for her mother the head of Jean Baptiste introduced on a plate. Hérode extremely saddened, sent a guard however to decapitate Jean in his prison, to place its head on a plate and to present it to Salome, who offered it to her Hérodiade mother.

This head would be that arrived miraculeusement and preserved at Saint-Jean-with Angély, in the French province of the Saintonge, today in Charente-Maritime. A relic brought back in 1206 of the 4th crusade is presented to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame of Amiens like cranium of saint Jean Baptiste, that the Grande mosque of Omeyyades to Damas also claims to shelter.

Principal churches

  • For the cathedrals of the same name, to see: Cathedral Saint-Jean-Baptist

  • Also buildings bearing the name of Baptistry Midsummer's Day

Jean-Baptiste in the Coran

The prayers of the Prophète Zakaria were exaucées and he was blessed by God of beautiful, just and virtuous son, Yahya (Jean). God conferred on this child wisdom and knowledge and indicated it Prophète and Messenger of God. As of childhood, the prophet Yahya (A) adored and glorifiait God. Among its qualities mentioned in the Coran saint, there is the fact that it was always good towards his parents and never spoke to them maliciously. He inculcated to people the religious principles and pushed them to move away from the sin. It filled its duties of prophet with much the serious one and did not hesitate to frankly say what it thought when an ill deed had been made. It was among the prophets who were ressuscities at the time of the night voyage of the prophet Mahomet.

Mandéens, Baptists of Iran and Iraq

See also: Mandéens

Community which was formed around Jean Baptiste, was born a ultra-minority religion which recognizes it like only prophet and regards Jesus-Christ then Mahomet as usurpers. This religion has as an obligation to live near the rivers to be able to baptize the faithful ones. It is partly because of this characteristic that it remained confidential, and that it remains only in some areas of Iran and Iraq.

Saint Jean Baptist in painting

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