John the Baptist
Wilderness prophet, beheaded
John the Baptist is a biblical figure who preached repentance and baptized followers in the Jordan River, including Jesus Christ.
He appears in the Gospels as a prophet announcing the coming Messiah, living ascetically in the wilderness.
His execution by Herod Antipas—at the request of Salome, who asked for his head on a platter—has become an iconic image of martyrdom.
The name sometimes appears in phrases like a voice crying in the wilderness, alluding to his prophetic role.
Middle Eastern waterway ending saltily
- immersionState of being submerged
- repentanceRemorseful rejection of past wrongs
- purificationRemoval of contaminants
- confessionAdmission of wrongdoing
water · ritual · cleansing · remission · disciples · dove · Holy Spirit · washing
Old Testament prophet
- heraldOfficial news announcer
- MessiahProphesied divine deliverer
- prophecyForetelling of future events
- prepare the wayMake ready beforehand
voice in the wilderness · Isaiah · Malachi · announcement · messenger · precursor · anointing · Lamb of God
Removal of head
- SalomeBiblical princess who danced
- executionCompleting a planned task
- prisonConfinement for offenders
- persecutionSystematic mistreatment of groups
relics · veneration · saint · feast day · courage · steadfastness · witness · sacrifice
Deliberate food avoidance
- wildernessUncultivated, uninhabited natural region
- locustsSwarming crop-destroying grasshoppers
- wild honeyNectar from untended hives
- camel hairSoft fur from humped animals
leather belt · austerity · renunciation · solitude · hermit · abstinence · self-denial · discipline
Religious sermon deliverer
- visionaryImaginative planner of futures
- revelationSurprising disclosed truth
- callingStrongly felt purpose
- divine missionTask ordained by God
rebuke · Pharisees · Sadducees · repentance · judgment · fire · proclamation · truth-telling
Jordan River
Middle Eastern waterway ending saltily
- immersionState of being submerged
- repentanceRemorseful rejection of past wrongs
- purificationRemoval of contaminants
confession · water · ritual · cleansing · remission · disciples · dove · Holy Spirit · washing · converts
Elijah
Old Testament prophet
prepare the way · voice in the wilderness · Isaiah · Malachi · announcement · messenger · precursor · anointing · Lamb of God · testimony
beheading
Removal of head
persecution · relics · veneration · saint · feast day · courage · steadfastness · witness · sacrifice · conviction
fasting
Deliberate food avoidance
- wildernessUncultivated, uninhabited natural region
- locustsSwarming crop-destroying grasshoppers
- wild honeyNectar from untended hives
camel hair · leather belt · austerity · renunciation · solitude · hermit · abstinence · self-denial · discipline · simplicity
preacher
Religious sermon deliverer
- visionaryImaginative planner of futures
- revelationSurprising disclosed truth
- callingStrongly felt purpose
divine mission · rebuke · Pharisees · Sadducees · repentance · judgment · fire · proclamation · truth-telling · fearless
- Bible FiguresAbraham, Moses, David, Paul, Peter
- Bible PeopleAbraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David
- Christian MartyrsStephen, Sebastian, Lawrence, Ignatius of Antioch, Felicity
- ProphetsDaniel, Ezekiel, Elijah, Amos, Elisha
- Quranic FiguresIbrahim, Adam, Sulayman, Ismail, Maryam
- BibleOld Testament, New Testament, Holy Scriptures, Adam, Moses