活动时期西元1世纪初叶
犹太人先知，早期基督教会以他为耶稣基督的先驱。关于他的生平源自四部〈福音书〉、〈使徒行传〉和史学家约瑟夫斯。其母名以利沙伯，可能是耶稣之母玛利亚的亲属；其父是祭司撒迦利亚。约翰的成长时期在犹太境旷野中度过，当时艾赛尼派和其他各派隐修职员在那里依据我们的理想教育年轻人。大约西元28年成为约旦河谷闻名的先知。他宣讲上帝的最后审判马上到来，为悔改者施洗礼。他为耶稣施洗，耶稣受洗后立即开始传教活动。因为他批评希律．安提帕的婚姻不合法而被捕入狱，后由来希律的继女撒罗米需要得到约翰的首级作为她为宾客跳舞的代价，约翰因而被处死。
Jewish prophet revered1 in Christianity as the forerunner2 of Jesus. Sources for his life are the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the historian Josephus. His mother, Elizabeth, was perhaps a relative of Mary; his father was the priest Zechariah. As a young man John lived in the Judaean desert, either as a hermit3 or as part of a Jewish monastic community such as the Essenes. He attracted much public notice c. AD 28 as a prophet in the Jordan Valley. He preached the imminent4 wrathful judgment5 of God and called on his hearers to repent6 and be baptized. Jesus himself came to be baptized by John and shortly afterward7 began his own mission. John was imprisoned8 for criticizing the illegal marriage of Herod Antipas, and was executed after Herod's stepdaughter, Salome, demanded his head as a reward for dancing for the king's guests.
