The Beheading of the Prophet, ForeRunner of the Lord, John the Baptist:
Commemorated on August 29
The Beheading of
the Prophet, ForeRunner of the Lord, John the Baptist: The Evangelists
Matthew (Mt. 14: 1-12) and Mark (Mk. 6: 14-29) provide accounts about the
Martyr's end of John the Baptist in the year 32 after the Birth of Christ.
Following the Baptism
of the Lord, Saint John the Baptist was locked up in prison by Herod Antipas,
holding one-fourth the rule of the Holy Land as governor of Galilee. (After the
death of king Herod the Great, the Romans divided the territory of Palestine
into four parts, and into each part put a governor. Herod Antipas received from
the emperor Augustus the rule of Galilee). The prophet of God John openly
denounced Herod for having left his lawful wife – the daughter of the Arabian
king Aretas, and then instead co-habiting with Herodias, – the wife of his
brother Philip (Lk. 3: 19-20). On his birthday, Herod made a feast for
dignitaries, the elders and a thousand chief citizens. The daughter of Herod,
Salome, danced before the guests and charmed Herod. In gratitude to the girl he
swore to give her anything, whatsoever she would ask, anything up to half his
kingdom. The vile girl on the advice of her wicked mother Herodias asked, that
she be given at once the head of John the Baptist on a plate. Herod became
apprehensive, for he feared the wrath of God for the murder of a prophet, whom
earlier he had heeded. He feared also the people, who loved the holy
ForeRunner. But because of the guests and his careless oath, he gave orders to
cut off the head of Saint John and to give it to Salome. By tradition, the
mouth of the dead head of the preacher of repentance once more opened and
proclaimed: "Herod, thou ought not to have the wife of Philip thy
brother". Salome took the plate with the head of Saint John and gave it to
her mother. The frenzied Herodias repeatedly stabbed the tongue of the prophet
with a needle and buried his holy head in a unclean place. But the pious
Joanna, wife of Herod's steward Chuza, buried the head of John the Baptist in
an earthen vessel on the Mount of Olives, where Herod was possessor of a parcel
of land (the Uncovering of the Venerable Head is celebrated 24 February). The
holy body of John the Baptist was taken that night by his disciples and buried
at Sebasteia, there where the wicked deed had been done. After the murder of
Saint John the Baptist, Herod continued to govern for a certain while. Pontius
Pilate, governor of Judea, later sent to him the bound Jesus Christ, over Whom
he made mockery (Lk. 23: 7-12).
The judgement of God
came upon Herod, Herodias and Salome, even during their earthly life. Salome,
crossing the River Sikoris in winter, fell through the ice. The ice gave way for
her such that her body was in the water, but her head trapped beneathe the ice.
It was similar to how she once had danced with her feet upon the ground, but
now flailing helplessly in the icy water. Thus she was trapped until that time
when the sharp ice cut through her neck. The corpse was not found, but they
brought the head to Herod and Herodias, as once they had brought them the head
of Saint John the Baptist. The Arab king Aretas in revenge for the disrespect
shown his daughter made war against Herod. Having suffered defeat, Herod
suffered the wrath of the Roman emperor Caius Caligua (37-41) and was exiled
with Herodias first to Gaul, and then to Spain. And there they were from view.
In memory of the
Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, the feastday established by the Church is
also a strict day of fast, – as an expression of the grief of Christians at
the violent death of the saint. On this day the Church makes remembrance of
soldiers, killed on the field of battle, as established in 1769 at the time of
a war of Russia with the Turks and the Poles.
© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.
