John the Baptist Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==In art== [[File:John the Baptist by Prokopiy Chirin (1620s, GTG) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Eastern Orthodox [[icon]] ''John the Baptist – the Angel of the Desert'' ([[Stroganov School]], 1620s) [[Tretyakov Gallery]], [[Moscow]]]] ===Early Christian art=== The earliest depictions of St John are found in the ''[[Baptism of Christ]]'',<ref name=ODCC/> one of the earliest scenes from the ''[[Life of Christ in art|Life of Christ]]'' to be frequently depicted in [[Early Christian art]], and John's tall, thin, even gaunt, and bearded figure is already established by the 5th century. Only he and Jesus are consistently shown with long hair from Early Christian times, when the apostles generally have trim classical cuts; in fact John is more consistently depicted in this way than Jesus.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} ===Byzantine and Eastern Orthodox art=== In Byzantine and later Eastern Orthodox art, John the Baptist and the Holy Virgin Mary often flank Jesus on either side. The composition of the ''[[Deesis]]'' came to be included in every [[Eastern Orthodox]] church, as remains the case to this day. Here John and the [[Theotokos]] (Mary the "God-bearer") flank a [[Christ Pantocrator]] and intercede for humanity. In [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] [[religious icon|icons]], he often has angel's wings, since Mark 1:2<ref>{{bibleverse|Mark|1:2}}</ref> describes him as a messenger.<ref name=ODCC/><ref name=":0" /> ===Western art=== After the earliest images showing the Baptism of the Lord follow ones with St John shown as an ascetic wearing camel hair, with a staff and scroll inscribed (in Western art) {{lang|la|"Ecce Agnus Dei"}}, or bearing a book or dish with a lamb on it.<ref name=ODCC/> The Baptist is very often shown on altarpieces designed for churches dedicated to him, where the donor was named for him or where there was some other patronage connection. John the Baptist is the [[patron saint]] of [[Florence]] and has often been depicted in the art of that city,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EFhVehAvVyUC&q=Virgin+of+the+Rocks|title=Art in Renaissance Italy|first1=John T.|last1=Paoletti|first2=Gary M.|last2=Radke|date=15 May 2005|publisher=Laurence King Publishing|isbn=9781856694391|via=Google Books|access-date=14 January 2021|archive-date=26 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026090931/https://books.google.com/books?id=EFhVehAvVyUC&q=Virgin+of+the+Rocks#v=snippet&q=Virgin%20of%20the%20Rocks&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> and also frequently appears in [[baptistries]], which are very often dedicated to him.<ref name=":1">Hall, 173</ref> Major works depicting St John the Baptist can be found in the [[Florence Baptistery]], including the mosaics on the vault, the bronze doors by [[Andrea Pisano]], and the great silver altar<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://operaduomo.firenze.it/en/magazine/posts/the-silver-altar-also-named-the-saint-john-s-treasure|title=The Silver Altar, also named The Saint John's Treasure|website=operaduomo.firenze.it|access-date=14 January 2021|archive-date=9 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209201919/https://operaduomo.firenze.it/en/magazine/posts/the-silver-altar-also-named-the-saint-john-s-treasure|url-status=live}}</ref> now in the [[Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (Florence)|Museo dell'Opera del Duomo]]. [[File:InfantJesus JohnBaptist.JPG|thumb|right|John the Baptist (right) with the [[Christ Child]], in ''The Holy Children with a Shell'' by [[Bartolomé Esteban Murillo]]]] A number of narrative scenes from his life were often shown on the [[predella]] of altarpieces dedicated to John, and other settings, notably in the frescoes by Giotto for the [[c:Category:Peruzzi Chapel|Peruzzi Chapel]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wga.hu/html_m/g/giotto/s_croce/1peruzzi/index.html|title=Frescoes in the Peruzzi Chapel (c. 1315)|website=www.wga.hu|access-date=14 January 2021|archive-date=16 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116194422/https://www.wga.hu/html_m/g/giotto/s_croce/1peruzzi/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> in the church of [[Santa Croce, Florence|Santa Croce]], the large series in [[grisaille]] [[fresco]] in the [[Chiostro dello Scalzo]], which was [[Andrea del Sarto]]'s largest work, and the frescoed ''Life'' by [[Domenico Ghirlandaio]] in the [[Tornabuoni Chapel]], all in Florence. There is another important fresco cycle by [[Filippo Lippi]] in [[Prato Cathedral]]. These include the typical scenes:<ref>See [[Tornabuoni Chapel]] for further information on these scenes</ref> the Annunciation to [[Zechariah (priest)|Zechariah]]; John's birth; his naming by his father; the [[Visitation (Christianity)|Visitation]]; John's departure for the desert; his preaching in the desert; the [[Baptism of Christ]]; John before Herod; the dance of Herod's stepdaughter, [[Salome]]; [[beheading of Saint John the Baptist|his beheading]]; and the daughter of [[Herodias]] Salome carrying his head on a platter.<ref>Hall, 173–174, 337</ref><ref>The story of his execution appears in the Bible books {{bibleverse|Matthew|14:8}} and {{bibleverse|Mark|6:25}}, without the name Salome.</ref> His birth, which unlike the [[Nativity of Jesus in art|Nativity of Jesus]] allowed a relatively wealthy domestic interior to be shown, became increasingly popular as a subject in the late [[Middle Ages]],<ref name=":1" /> with depictions by [[Jan van Eyck]] in the [[Turin-Milan Hours]] and Ghirlandaio in the Tornabuoni Chapel being among the best known. His execution, a church feast-day, was often shown, and by the 15th century scenes such as the dance of Salome became popular; sometimes, as in an [[engraving]] by [[Israhel van Meckenem]], the interest of the artist is clearly in showing the life of Herod's court, given contemporary dress, as much as the martyrdom of the saint.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://collections.artsmia.org/art/47973/the-dance-at-the-court-of-herod-israhel-van-meckenem|title=The Dance at the Court of Herod, c. 1500 (engraving by Israhel van Meckenem)|publisher=Artsmia.org|access-date=12 October 2010|archive-date=13 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201013060329/https://collections.artsmia.org/art/47973/the-dance-at-the-court-of-herod-israhel-van-meckenem|url-status=live}}</ref> The execution was usually by a swordsman, with John kneeling in prayer, Salome often standing by with an empty platter, and Herod and Herodias at table in a cut-through view of a building in the background. [[File:Head of St. John the Baptist on a Plate, Southern Netherlands, c. 1430, oak - Bode-Museum - DSC03181 (cropped).JPG|thumb|Head of St John the Baptist on a Plate, Southern Netherlands, {{c.|1430}}, oak]] Salome bearing John's head on a platter equally became a subject for the [[Power of Women]] group: a Northern Renaissance fashion for images of glamorous but dangerous women ([[Delilah]], [[Judith]] and others).<ref>On this see Chapter V, "The Power of Women", in H. Diane Russell;''Eva/Ave; Women in Renaissance and Baroque Prints''; National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1990; {{ISBN|1-55861-039-1}}</ref> It was often painted by [[Lucas Cranach the Elder]] and engraved by the [[Little Masters]]. When the head is brought to the table by Salome, Herod may be shown as startled, if not disgusted, but Herodias is usually not. These images remained popular into the Baroque, with [[Carlo Dolci]] painting at least three versions. John preaching, in a landscape setting, was a popular subject in Dutch art from [[Pieter Brueghel the Elder]] and his successors.<ref>Hall, 173–174</ref> The isolated motif of the severed head, often on its platter, was a frequent image, often in sculpture, from the late Middle Ages onwards,<ref name=":2">Hall, 174</ref> known as {{lang|la|Ioannes in disco}} (Latin for "John on a plate"). As a child (of varying age), he is sometimes shown from the 15th century in family scenes from the life of Christ such as the [[Holy Family#In art|Holy Family]],<ref>Hall, 172, 334–335</ref> the [[Presentation of Christ]], the [[Marriage of the Virgin]] and the [[Holy Kinship]]. In the Baptism of Christ his presence was obligatory.<ref>Hall, 39–40, 173</ref> [[Leonardo da Vinci]]'s two versions of the ''[[Virgin of the Rocks]]'' were influential in establishing a Renaissance fashion for variations on the [[Madonna and Child]] which included John. [[Raphael]] in particular painted many compositions of the subject, such as the ''[[Alba Madonna]]'', {{lang|fr|[[La belle jardinière]]}}, the ''[[Garvagh Madonna]]'', the {{lang|it|[[Madonna della seggiola]]}}, and the {{lang|it|[[Madonna dell'Impannata (Raphael)|Madonna dell'Impannata]]}}, which are among his best-known works. John was also often shown by himself as an adolescent or adult, usually already wearing his distinctive dress and carrying a long thin wooden cross<ref name=":0">Hall, 172</ref> – another theme [[Saint John the Baptist (Leonardo)|influenced by Leonardo]], whose equivocal composition, with the camel-skin dress, was developed by Raphael, [[Titian]] and [[Guido Reni]] among many others. Often he is accompanied by a lamb, especially in the many [[Early Netherlandish painting]]s which needed this attribute as he wore normal clothes, or a red robe over a not very clearly indicated camel skin.<ref name=":0" /> [[Caravaggio]] painted an especially large number of works depicting John, from [[John the Baptist (Caravaggio)|at least five largely nude youths]] attributed to him, to three late works on his death – the great ''[[The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (Caravaggio)|Execution]]'' in Malta, and two sombre Salomes with his head, [[Salome with the Head of John the Baptist (Madrid) (Caravaggio)|one in Madrid]], and [[Salome with the Head of John the Baptist (Caravaggio, London)|one in London]]. [[File:John Everett Millais - Christ in the House of His Parents (`The Carpenter's Shop') - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|right|St John (right) in ''[[Christ in the House of His Parents]]'' by [[John Everett Millais]], 1849–50]] [[Amiens Cathedral]], which holds one of the alleged heads of the Baptist, has a biographical sequence in polychrome relief, dating from the 16th century. This includes the execution and the disposal of the saint's remains, which according to legend were burnt in the reign of [[Julian the Apostate]] (4th century) to prevent pilgrimages.<ref name=":2" /> A remarkable [[Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood|Pre-Raphaelite]] portrayal is ''[[Christ in the House of His Parents]]'' by [[John Everett Millais]]. Here the Baptist is shown as a child, wearing a loin covering of animal skins, hurrying into [[Saint Joseph|Joseph]]'s carpenter shop with a bowl of water to join [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Mary]], Joseph, and Mary's mother [[Saint Anne|Anne]] in soothing the injured hand of Jesus. Artistic interest enjoyed a considerable revival at the end of the 19th century with [[Symbolist]] painters such as [[Gustave Moreau]] and [[Puvis de Chavannes]] ([[National Gallery]], London).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sir John Everett Millais, Christ in the House of His Parents (article)|url=https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/becoming-modern/victorian-art-architecture/pre-raphaelites/a/sir-john-everett-millais-christ-in-the-house-of-his-parents|access-date=2021-12-27|website=Khan Academy|language=en|archive-date=27 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227184536/https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/becoming-modern/victorian-art-architecture/pre-raphaelites/a/sir-john-everett-millais-christ-in-the-house-of-his-parents|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Oscar Wilde]]'s play ''[[Salome (play)|Salome]]'' was illustrated by [[Aubrey Beardsley]], giving rise to some of his most memorable images. <gallery> Leonardo da Vinci - St John the Baptist - WGA12723.jpg|St. John the Baptist ({{c.|1513–1516}}), [[Leonardo da Vinci]] Allori C San Giovanni.jpg|''John the Baptist in the desert'' (1577–1621), [[Cristofano Allori]] Fondazione Querini Stampalia - San Giovanni Battista (1674-81) - Michele Fabris.jpg|''John the Baptist'' (17th century), [[Michele Fabris]] Puvis de Chavannes, Pierre-Cécile - The Beheading of St John the Baptist - c. 1869.jpg|''The Beheading of St John the Baptist'', {{c.|1869}}, [[Puvis de Chavannes]] </gallery> ===In poetry=== The [[Italian Renaissance]] poet [[Lucrezia Tornabuoni]] chose John the Baptist as one of the biblical figures on which she wrote poetry.<ref>Robin, Larsen and Levin, p. 368</ref> He is also referenced in "[[The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock]]" by [[T. S. Eliot|T.S. Eliot]] in [[stanza]] [[12 (number)|12]]. ===In music=== {{more citations needed|section|date=February 2019}} * [[Guido D'Arezzo]] (991/992 – after 1033) an Italian Benedictine monk founded the standard music stave based on a hymn to Saint John the Baptist. The hymn that begins with [[Ut Queant Laxis]] uses the first syllable for each line – Ut (later changed to Do), Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si. The teaching is also known as the [[solmization]] syllable. * ''[[This Is the Record of John]]'', by [[England|English]] [[Tudor Period|Tudor]] composer [[Orlando Gibbons]] is a well-known part-setting of the [[Gospel of John]] for solo voice, choir and [[pipe organ|organ]] or [[viol]] accompaniment. * The reformer [[Martin Luther]] wrote a [[hymn]] based on biblical accounts about the Baptist, "{{lang|de|[[Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam]]}}" (1541), based for a cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach for the [[Nativity of St John the Baptist|feast day on 24 June]], {{lang|de|[[Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam, BWV 7|''Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam'', BWV 7]] |italic=unset}} (1724). * {{Interlanguage link|S. Giovanni Battista|scores|3=S. Giovanni Battista, G.3.3 (Stradella, Alessandro)|lt=''S. Giovanni Battista''}} (St. John the Baptist) is a 1676 [[oratorio]] by [[Alessandro Stradella]]. * The well-known Advent hymn ''On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's cry'' was written by [[Charles Coffin (writer)|Charles Coffin]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Charles Coffin {{!}} Hymnary.org|url=https://hymnary.org/person/Coffin_C|access-date=23 July 2020|website=hymnary.org|language=en|archive-date=2 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802190022/https://hymnary.org/person/Coffin_C|url-status=live}}</ref> * John the Baptist (Jokanaan), Baritone, is a character in the opera [[Salome (opera)|Salome]] by [[Richard Strauss]], premiered 1905 in Dresden. The text is from [[Oscar Wilde|Oscar Wilde's]] French play, translated into German by [[Hedwig Lachmann]].<ref>''The Victor Book of the Opera'', Simon and Schuster, New York, 1968.</ref> * In popular music, [[Bob Dylan]] dedicates four lines to John the Baptist in "[[Tombstone Blues]]", the second track of his 1965 album ''[[Highway 61 Revisited]]''. He sings: "John the Baptist after torturing a thief/Looks up at his hero the Commander-in-Chief/Saying, "Tell me great hero, but please make it brief/Is there a hole for me to get sick in?".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/tombstone-blues/|title=Tombstone Blues {{!}} The Official Bob Dylan Site|website=www.bobdylan.com|access-date=12 July 2019|archive-date=12 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712221213/http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/tombstone-blues/|url-status=live}}</ref> * The song "John the Baptist (Holy John)" by [[Al Kooper]] on his 1971 album ''[[New York City (You're a Woman)]]'' is about John the Baptist. In the same year the song was also recorded by [[Blood, Sweat & Tears]] for their album ''[[Blood, Sweat & Tears 4]]''. * The 1972 album ''[[Dreaming with Alice]]'' by [[Mark Fry]] features several verses spread throughout the album retelling the story of the beheading of John the Baptist. * In his song "Everyman Needs a Companion", the closing track to his album ''[[Fear Fun]]'', [[Josh Tillman|Father John Misty]] sings about the friendship between John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth: "John the Baptist took Jesus Christ/Down to the river on a Friday night/They talked about Mary like a couple of boys/With nothing to lose/Too scared to try."<ref>{{Citation|title=Father John Misty – Every Man Needs a Companion|url=https://genius.com/Father-john-misty-every-man-needs-a-companion-lyrics|language=en|access-date=12 July 2019|archive-date=12 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712221216/https://genius.com/Father-john-misty-every-man-needs-a-companion-lyrics|url-status=live}}</ref> * John the Baptist is referenced in the music of American [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band [[Om (band)|Om]] in their 2009 song "Meditation Is the Practice of Death".<ref>{{Citation|title=Om (Band) (Ft. Lorraine Rath) – Meditation is the Practice of Death|url=https://genius.com/Om-band-meditation-is-the-practice-of-death-lyrics|language=en|access-date=19 July 2020|archive-date=19 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719175108/https://genius.com/Om-band-meditation-is-the-practice-of-death-lyrics|url-status=live}}</ref> As well as this, John the Baptist is depicted on the cover art of Om's 2012 album, ''[[Advaitic Songs]]''. ===In film and television=== John the Baptist has appeared in a number of screen adaptations of the life of Jesus. Actors who have played John include James D. Ainsley in ''[[From the Manger to the Cross]]'' (1912), [[Nigel De Brulier]] in ''[[Salome (1923 film)|Salome]]'' (1923), [[Alan Badel]] in ''[[Salome (1953 film)|Salome]]'' (1953), [[Robert Ryan]] in ''[[King of Kings (1961 film)|King of Kings]]'' (1961),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055047/fullcredits|title=King of Kings (1961)|via=www.imdb.com|access-date=29 October 2012|archive-date=16 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220916095704/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055047/fullcredits|url-status=live}}</ref> Mario Socrate in ''[[The Gospel According to St. Matthew (film)|The Gospel According to St. Matthew]]'' (1964),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058715/fullcredits|title=The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964)|via=www.imdb.com|access-date=29 October 2012|archive-date=16 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616051908/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058715/fullcredits|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Charlton Heston]] in ''[[The Greatest Story Ever Told]]'' (1965),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059245/fullcredits|title=The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)|via=www.imdb.com|access-date=29 October 2012|archive-date=8 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408031050/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059245/fullcredits|url-status=live}}</ref> [[David Haskell]] in ''[[Godspell (film)|Godspell]]'' (1973),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070121/fullcredits|title=Godspell (1973)|via=www.imdb.com|access-date=29 October 2012|archive-date=16 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616050851/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070121/fullcredits|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Michael York (actor)|Michael York]] in ''[[Jesus of Nazareth (miniseries)|Jesus of Nazareth]]'' (1977), [[Eli Cohen (actor)|Eli Cohen]] in ''[[Jesus (1979 film)|Jesus]]'' (1979),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075520/fullcredits|title=Jesus of Nazareth (TV Mini-Series 1977)|via=www.imdb.com|access-date=29 October 2012|archive-date=16 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616051306/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075520/fullcredits|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Andre Gregory]] in ''[[The Last Temptation of Christ (film)|The Last Temptation of Christ]]'' (1988),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095497/fullcredits|title=The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)|via=www.imdb.com|access-date=29 October 2012|archive-date=16 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616051041/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095497/fullcredits|url-status=live}}</ref> Christopher Routh in ''[[Mary, Mother of Jesus (film)|Mary, Mother of Jesus]]'' (1999), [[David O'Hara]] in ''[[Jesus (1999 film)|Jesus]]'' (1999), Scott Handy in ''[[The Gospel of John (2003 film)|The Gospel of John]]'' (2003), [[Aidan McArdle]] in ''[[Judas (2004 film)|Judas]]'' (2004), [[Daniel Percival]] in ''[[Son of God (film)|Son of God]]'' (2014), [[Abhin Galeya]] in ''[[Killing Jesus (2015 film)|Killing Jesus]]'' (2015), and [[David Amito]] in "[[The Chosen (TV series)|The Chosen]]" (2019-2022).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9471404/fullcredits?ref_=ext_shr_lnk |title=The Chosen (TV Series 2017– ) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb |website=[[IMDb]] |access-date=30 September 2023 |archive-date=4 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004025011/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9471404/fullcredits?ref_=ext_shr_lnk |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Snapaka Yohannan]]'' (''John the Baptist''), a 1963 Indian [[Malayalam]]-language film depicts life of St. John the Baptist and his death at the hands of [[Salome]], [[Herod Antipas]] and [[Herodias]].<ref name="hindu">{{cite web |last1=Vijayakumar |first1=B. |title=Snapaka Yohannan, 1963 |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/snapaka-yohannan-1963/article3754188.ece |website=[[The Hindu]] |language=en-IN |date=12 August 2012 |access-date=5 January 2021 |archive-date=7 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107213403/https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/snapaka-yohannan-1963/article3754188.ece |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Snaapaka Yohannaan [1963] |url=https://en.msidb.org/m.php?3639 |website=en.msidb.org |access-date=5 January 2021 |archive-date=8 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108131228/https://en.msidb.org/m.php?3639 |url-status=live }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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