Dr Jeanette Pinto –
Gifts bring joy and a smile on the face of a receiver. There’s a plethora of gifts that one can choose from to present your loved ones or friends on different occasions. One can present a priceless, thoughtful, customised or creative gift suitable or useful for the person. There is, however, only one recorded incident in the history of the world of a bloody gruesome gift presented on a platter, namely the head of John the Baptist,
St. John the Baptiser was an ascetic Jewish prophet and a Judean preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early 1stcentury AD. Known in Christianity as the cousin of Jesus, he preached about God’s final judgement and baptized the repented. He is also known as: the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy, John the immerser in some Baptist Christian traditions, and Prophet Yahya in Islam. Importantly he was the last prophet in the Bible.
John was born to a temple priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. Both were descendants from the priestly line of Aaron. The angel Gabriel had told Zechariah that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit and that he was going to turn many people from sin by pronouncing the coming Messiah. He was raised under the teachings of his father Zechariah, and he learned the Torah, Talmud and other important Jewish Holy Books and Scripture. Perhaps he was being groomed to live the priesthood, but the Spirit of God led John out into the wilderness to live as a wild man who learned to eat off the land.
John spent his formative years in the Judean desert, where monastic communities such as the Essenes a strict Jewish sect existed, and individual hermits often educated the young in their own ideals. John strangely wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. We learn that he wasn’t willing to trade his pulpit for a political stump. He understood the risk, and boldly proclaimed truth. Christians must be willing to take risks in order to proclaim the gospel. In fact, to spread the gospel in private or public stage is risky business. It could endanger your job, political advancement, friends, family and perhaps your very life.
During his ministry John had confronted many of the Jewish religious leaders who were Pharisees and Sadducees. King Herod Antipas the ruling monarch then, held an unusual fascination for this fiery preacher. John however did not hesitate to denounce King Herod for marrying his brother’s wife, hence was imprisoned for speaking out boldly against him in public: “Herod feared John knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When he heard him, he was much perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.” (Mark 6:20)
The occasion was Herod’s birthday celebration. His step daughter Salome* danced and mesmerised the audience. Herod was so fascinated by her item that he offered to give her anything she desired even half his kingdom. Prompted by her mother Herodias who was infuriated by John’s condemnation of her adulterous marriage, requested the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Herod was grieved, but unable to go back on his word in front of his guests, ended up brutally beheading John. That was the most ungodly sight of a gruesome bloody gift on a platter anyone could have received. Everybody present was aghast and horrified.
Hearing this the Apostles sadly claimed and buried the body, but where was the head of John the Baptist is a question that has tantalized relic seekers for centuries. It ranked high on the list of the most sought-after relics in Christianity. “You get a thousand different traditions about where he was buried, where his head was buried and stuff like that.” Cargill says.
According to different traditions, four locations lay claim to the murdered saint’s head. In Damascus, Syria, the Umayyad Mosque was built in 8th century AD on the site of a Christian church. His head is said to be buried in a shrine there. A skull identified as the head of John the Baptist is on display at the Basilica of San Silvestro in Capite, Rome. The 13th century Cathedral in Amiens, France was built specifically to house the head of John the Baptist which a Crusader supposedly brought back from Constantinople in 1206. In Munich Germany, the Residenz Museum includes John’s skull among a number of relics collected by Wilhelm V of Bavaria with the Pope’s permission in the mid-sixteenth century.
St John the Baptist baptized Jesus. He is the patron saint of godparents, also of builders, tailors, printers and many different subjects. He is sometimes called the Angel of the Desert, because of this title, he is depicted with wings. He is indeed a much revered saint.
References: Flavius Josephus was a Roman-Jewish historian – he identified Herodias’ daughter as *Salome. Robert R. Cargil, Ph D. was Associate Professor of classics and Religious Studies at University of Iowa.
Dr. Jeanette Pinto is a retired educator and a member of the Archdiocesan Human Life Committee, Bombay. She also leads a Church ministry for widows at her Parish. She is an author of several inspirational books and articles.