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John the Baptist

John the Baptist

13 6.3
A prophet in the Bible who baptizes Jesus and calls people to turn from sin
  • proper noun
translation icon : Juan Bautista
  • In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea.
  • Saint John the Baptist
  • St. John the Baptist
  • Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist

Even the Bible says that even God sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus.

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Examples

  • Even the Bible says that even God sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus.

  • Truly I tell you... that there are not among those born of women... greater prophet than John the Baptist.

  • A man, always good to me... called John the Baptist... he asked me to come.

  • There was a Bible in their house and a picture of John the Baptist in it.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • So John the Baptist is baptizing Jesus and what happens?

  • Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.

    Academic text (2007)
  • The concept is doubly poignant when the martyr in question is none other than John the Baptist himself.

    Academic text (2012)
  • So concerning him John the Baptist, I'm sorry concerning him John the Baptist the prophet Isaiah wrote that he is the voice of one crying in the wilderness.

  • In the New Testament, John the Baptist baptized many people in the River Jordan.

  • According to the Gospels, John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.

Synonyms

baptizer
vsJohn the Baptist
  • US
1 9.6

A title for John who puts people into water to welcome them into the church

refers to the same individual but as a proper name rather than a title
St. John the Baptist
vsJohn the Baptist
6.4

A preacher in the Bible who baptized Jesus and was later killed

is the same preacher without the honorific saint title

Surface Forms

Morphology

John + the + Baptist

Knowing the constituents gives a B1 learner the basic idea: this is a person named John described as 'the Baptist' (i.e., someone who baptizes), so they can infer it refers to a person with that religious role. However, the full meaning as the specific biblical prophet who baptized Jesus and served as Jesus' forerunner requires cultural/religious background and is not fully predictable from the words alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

John the Baptist gets his title from his work: he stood by the River Jordan and baptized people by putting them in water, so people called him 'the Baptist'. That's why the name refers to the prophet who baptized Jesus and told people to change their lives.