Head of Saint John the Baptist
John the Baptist, the great prophet of the New Testament, the one who preached about the coming of the Son of God on earth, and then baptized Him. He is also known for his exhortations to repentance, one of the pillars of Christianity. Even in the Old Testament there are numerous passages that foreshadow his coming to earth. One of these is found
in Isaiah 40:3-5: “In the desert someone is shouting: Clear a path in the desert! Make a straight road for the Lord our God. Fill in the valleys; flatten every hill and mountain. Level the rough and rugged ground. Then the glory of the Lord will appear for all to see.
in Isaiah 40:3-5: “In the desert someone is shouting: Clear a path in the desert! Make a straight road for the Lord our God. Fill in the valleys; flatten every hill and mountain. Level the rough and rugged ground. Then the glory of the Lord will appear for all to see.
The Lord has promised this!” Analyzing the words of the Holy Evangelist Matthew (Matthew 3: 3), John was the one the prophet Isaiah was talking about, when he said, “In the desert someone is shouting: Get the road ready for the Lord!
Make a straight path for Him.” The Holy Fathers saw the fulfillment of this prophecy in the person and activity
of St. John the Baptist, he being “the voice that shoutin in the desert.”
Admiring his life and feeling that he was close to my soul, I felt it necessary to pay tribute to him by creating a work that shows the moment after his beheading, ordered by Herodias.
It is known that in his sermons he repeatedly criticized King Herod Antipas for marrying Herodias, the former wife
of his half-brother Philip. All his harsh words eventually led him to prison.
of his half-brother Philip. All his harsh words eventually led him to prison.
At one point, during a party, Salome, Herodias' daughter, danced in front of her stepfather, and Herod Antipas, delighted with what he had seen, promised him everything. At the urging of her mother, the girl asked for the head of St. John the Baptist. Herod, knowing that he could not break his promise and not wanting to be laughed at in front of the guests, ordered the beheading of the saint. Shortly afterwards, Salome's head was brought to the tray.
The emperor, fearing that John the Baptist might be resurrected if the body had been buried next to the head,
say theological writings, gave the disciples only the body of the saint, who was buried in Sevastia, moistening the head
to be placed in a clay vessel and buried by Herodias in his yard, at great depth.
say theological writings, gave the disciples only the body of the saint, who was buried in Sevastia, moistening the head
to be placed in a clay vessel and buried by Herodias in his yard, at great depth.
