On Wednesday, September 11, 2024, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrated the venerable commemoration of the beheading of Saint John the Forerunner and Baptist at his Holy Monastery, located near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
This special memory recalls John as the “prophet of a prophet and the baptist”, known as the “voice of the one crying out in the wilderness”. He baptized many Jewish believers, including Jesus Christ, and witnessed the Holy Spirit descending on Him in the form of a dove. John lived an ascetic life, wearing a leather belt like Elijah the Prophet. He publicly denounced Herod Agrippa for his unlawful relationship with Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip.
Despite Herod’s reluctance, he fulfilled a promise to Salome, Herodias’ daughter, by ordering the beheading of John the Baptist. The head was presented to Salome on a platter, who then gave it to her mother, completing the tragic deed.
In honor of the beheading of Saint John the Baptist, Vespers and Divine Liturgy were conducted in the Holy Monastery, led by His Eminence, Metropolitan Hesychios of Capitolias, along with other clergy members.
The Divine Liturgy also took place at the site of the prison and grave of John the Baptist, led by the Hegoumen and renovator of the Shrine of Jacob’s Well, Archimandrite Ioustinos, with the participation of other local priests.
The Patriarchate of Jerusalem provided the information for this article.
