John the Baptist

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John the Baptist : biography

c. 6 BC – c. 30 AD

Mandaeans

John the Baptist plays a large part in some Mandaean writings, especially those dating from the Islamic period.Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford University Press 2005 ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3), article Mandaeans They view John as the only true Messiah. The Mandaean scriptures state: "If the carpenter [Jesus] has joined together the god, who then has joined together the carpenter?"

Commemoration

As a patron saint

Saint John the Baptist is the patron saint of Jordan, his beheading is said to have taken place in Machaerus in central Jordan.

Saint John the Baptist is the patron saint of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and its capital city, San Juan. In 1521, the island was given its formal name, "San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico", following the custom of christening a town with its formal name and the name which Christopher Columbus had originally given the island. The names "San Juan Bautista" and "Puerto Rico" were eventually used in reference to both city and island, leading to a reversal in terminology by most inhabitants largely due to a cartographic error. By 1746, the city’s name ("Puerto Rico") had become that of the entire island, while the name for the island ("San Juan Bautista") had become that of the city. The official motto of Puerto Rico also references the saint: Joannes Est Nomen Eius (Latin for "his name is John", from ).

He is also a patron saint of French Canada, and Newfoundland. The Canadian cities of St. John’s, Newfoundland (1497) and Saint John, New Brunswick (1604) were both named in his honor. In the United Kingdom, Saint John is the patron of Penzance, Cornwall. His feast day of 24 June, celebrated in Quebec as the Fête Nationale du Québec, and in Newfoundland as Discovery Day.

Also on the night of 23 June on to the 24, Saint John is celebrated as the patron saint of Porto, the second largest city in Portugal. An article from June 2004 in The Guardian, remarked that "Porto’s Festa de São João is one of Europe’s liveliest street festivals, yet it is relatively unknown outside the country".

He is also patron of the Knights Hospitaller of Jerusalem, Malta, Florence, and Genoa, Italy. John is patron saint of Xewkija-Gozo, Malta, which remember him with a great feast on the Sunday nearest to 24 June.

Calamba City, Laguna, Calumpit, Bulacan, Balayan and Lian in Batangas, and San Juan, Metro Manila are among several places in the Philippines that venerate John as the town or city patron. A common practise of many Filipino fiestas in his honour is bathing and the dousing of people in memory of John’s iconic act. The custom is similar in form to Songkran and Holi, and serves as a playful respite from the intense tropical heat. While famed for the Black Nazarene it enshrines, Quiapo Church in Manila is actually dedicated to Saint John.

He also patron of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston, which covers the whole of South Carolina in the United States.

The Baptistines are the name given to a number of religious orders dedicated to the memory of John the Baptist.

Along with John the Evangelist, John the Baptist is claimed as a patron saint by the fraternal society of Free and Accepted Masons (better known as the Freemasons).

Festivity

In many Mediterranean countries the summer solstice is dedicated to St. John. The associated ritual is very similar to midsummer celebrations in the Anglo-Saxon tradition.

Locations, churches, and other establishments in his name

  • St. John the Baptist Primary School, Southampton,
  • Armenian Apostolic Monastery of Gandzasar, Nagorno Karabakh
  • Monastery of Saint John the Baptist, a 4th-century Armenian monastery in the Taron province of historic Armenia that contained the relics of Saint John the Baptist (which were moved there from Caeserea)
  • Maronite Catholic Monastery of Saint John the Baptist, Beit Mery, Lebanon
  • Romanian Skete Prodromos (the name is the Greek for "The Forerunner") on Mount Athos, holding relics believed to be of John the Baptist
  • St John’s College of The University of Oxford, Oxford, England
  • San Juan del Río, Querétaro, Mexico was founded on June 24, 1531
  • St. John’s, Newfoundland was founded on June 24, 1497.
  • Saint John, New Brunswick was named after the Saint John River which was named by Samuel de Champlain
  • Fête nationale du Québec (also known as la St- Jean-Baptiste) is the provincial holiday of Quebec, celebrated on June 24 of every year
  • Prince Edward Island, a Canadian province, was originally called Île de St-Jean or St. John’s Island
  • St. John’s University located in Queens, New York; St. John’s is the second largest Roman Catholic university in the United States
  • Mission San Juan Bautista, one of the original 18th-century missions in northern California
  • San Juan, Metro Manila, the Philippines (also known as San Juan del Monte), the city’s Pinaglabanan Church is dedicated to this saint
  • The main parish church of Calamba City, Laguna, the Philippines; established in 1859, national hero Dr. José Rizal was christened there in 1861
  • 12th-century cathedral in Kamień Pomorski, Poland with a famous 17th-century organ
  • St. John Ambulance and the Venerable Order of St. John
  • Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta (commonly referred to as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta)
  • The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University and Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, MN
  • The city of Sveti Ivan Zelina and the village of Sveti Ivan Žabno in Croatia were named after John the Baptist; both have churches dedicated to him