John the Baptist

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John the Baptist was a Jewish preacher who wandered through the early first century AD. He is revered as a major figure in Christianity, Islam, the Bahá'í Faith, and Mandaeism. These traditions all call him a prophet and honor him as a saint in many Christian churches. John used baptism as his movement's central symbol or sacrament. Most scholars agree that John baptized Jesus. Scholars generally believe Jesus was one of John's followers and several New Testament accounts report that some of Jesus' early followers had previously been following John. The Jewish historian Josephus also mentions John the Baptist. Some scholars maintain that John was influenced by the semi-ascetic Essenes, who expected an apocalypse and practiced rituals similar to baptism, although no direct evidence supports this. According to the New Testament, John anticipated a messianic figure greater than himself. Christians commonly refer to John as Jesus' precursor or forerunner since John announced Jesus' coming. John is also associated with the prophet Elijah.