1. Sources

John the Baptist is the Jewish preacher and prophet who baptized Jesus. Flavius Josephus (Ant. XVIII5:2 [116–119]), the four gospels, and the Book of Acts are the only six texts we can use for the reconstruction of his historical figure. In Luke's account John was born of a priestly family during the reign of Herod the Great (46–4 bce). Mark, Matthew, and Josephus report that he was executed by Herod Antipas (4 bce–39 ce). Josephus places John's execution prior to the vict…