John the Baptist

John the Baptist (c. 6 BC–30 AD) was a Jewish preacher the Bible describes as a forerunner of Jesus, preaching the coming Messiah. The Gospel of Luke describes John the Baptist as a relative of Jesus. John used Baptism as a sacrament, and he also baptized Jesus. Some of Jesus’s early followers had been followers of John the Baptist.

John was sentenced to death by the Tetrarch Herod Agrippa II after John had rebuked him for divorcing his wife and marrying Herodias, the wife of his brother. After Herodias’s daughter impressed Herod with her dancing, Herod swore to give her anything she wanted. Herodias prompted her daughter to ask for John the Baptist’s head on a plate. Although reluctant to execute John, Herod carried through with his oath and executed John.