The beheading of St. John the Baptist

The content of the article

  • The beheading of St. John the Baptist: how it was
  • Icon of the beheading of John the Baptist
  • Paintings with the story of the beheading of John the Baptist
  • Prayers of the feast of the beheading of John the Baptist
  • Articles about the feast of the beheading of John the Baptist
  • Sermon on the feast of the beheading of John the Baptist
  • The beheading of St. John the Baptist is celebrated on September 11 in 2018

The beheading of St. John the Baptist – feast which the Orthodox Church honors and celebrates September 11 (August 29 old style).

Holy Church venerates John the Baptist above all the saints after the mother of God.

The beheading of St. John the Baptist: how it was

About the Martyr’s death of the forerunner of our Lord in the 32 year of the Nativity tells the gospel of Matthew (Matt. 14:1-12) and Mark (MK. 6:14-29). However, the Holy tradition of the Apostolic Church kept some of the details of the events that took place shortly before the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ.

After the death of Herod the Great, the Romans divided Palestine into four parts and each part put a Governor. Herod Antipas received from the Emperor Augustus the rule of Galilee. He had a lawful wife, the daughter of the Arabian king Aretas. Herod left her and cohabited with Herodias, his brother’s wife. John repeatedly denounced him, but the king did not dare to harm him, as revered John the Baptist as the prophet feared the people’s wrath. Still St. John the Baptist was imprisoned by king Herod (LK. 3, 19-20).

On the day of his birthday Herod made a rich feast, which the guests danced Salome, daughter of Herodias. She so pleased Herod that he vowed in front of the guests to give her whatever she asked. Salome went to her mother for advice. Herodias taught her daughter to request the head of John the Baptist. Herod was grieved: he was afraid of the wrath of God for killing the prophet, but could not violate his careless oath.

John the Baptist beheaded and gave it to Salome. According to legend, the head continued to denounce Herod and Herodias. The frenzied Herodias repeatedly stabbed the tongue of the prophet with a pin and buried the head in an unclean place. But John, the wife of the king’s steward Chuza, secretly took the Holy head, put it in a vessel and buried it on the mount of olives in one of Herod’s estates. The body of St. John the Baptist was taken by his disciples and buried it.

God’s wrath fell on those who dared to kill the prophet. Salome crossed winter river Sikoris and fell through the ice. She hung the body in the water, but her head was above the ice. Just as she once danced kicked on the ground, now it is like dancing, made a helpless motion in the icy water. So she hung up until the sharp ice cut through her neck. The head of it, cut by sharp ice, brought to Herod and Herodias, as once they had brought them the head of John the Baptist, and her body was never found. The Arabian king Aref in revenge for the dishonor of his daughter — wife of Herod cetverokatnice — moved his army against the wicked king, and defeated him. The Roman Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Caligula (37-41) was in anger banished Herod with Herodias into exile in Gaul and then in Spain. There they were swallowed up by a fissure in the ground.

The first finding of the head of John the Baptist

Many years after the execution of John the Baptist, when the earth, in which rested the vessel with the Holy head of the forerunner, became the property of the dignitary Innocentius, this vessel was found during the construction of the Church, innocent found out about the great Holiness of the former in this case signs and wonders. But before his death, fearing that the Shrine has not been desecrated by the Gentiles, he again hid it in the same place.

Many years have passed, the Church built by innocent, was abandoned. During the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great, two monks, who came up to worship at Jerusalem, and twice was St. John the Baptist, and indicated the location of his venerable head. Having found the Shrine, the monks put it in a bag made of camel wool and went home, but on the way met unknown Potter who is trusted to carry the precious burden. Then the Potter was himself the forerunner and told him to flee from the careless monks, together with burden. In the family of a Potter the venerable head was kept and passed down from generation to generation in a sealed vessel until it took over the priest Eustathius infected with the heresy of Arianism. Using the miraculous powers emanating from the head of, he seduced many people into heresy. When his blasphemy was uncovered, he fled, buried in the Shrine in the cave near Emessa, hoping again later to pick her up. But God did not allow that. In the cave of the pious monks settled, and a monastery.

In 452, Archimandrite Marcellus of the monastery of Saint John has indicated in the vision the place of concealment of his head, and she was newfound. The Shrine was moved to Emessus, and then to Constantinople. The first and the second miraculous finding of the head of John the Baptist is celebrated by the Church on 8 March (24 February, old style).

The third discovery of the venerable head of the Holy Prophet, forerunner and Baptist John was about 850 years. When in Constantinople arose excitement associated with reference to of St. John Chrysostom, the head of St. John the Baptist was carried out in Emessus, and then, during a RAID of the Saracens (about 810-820.), — to Komana, where he was hidden later, during the iconoclastic persecution. After the restoration of icon-veneration of the Patriarch Ignatius (847-857) the night of prayer was the place where he kept a fair head. The Shrine was again found in the Patriarch of the place, about 850 years. Later, the head was again transferred to Constantinople, and here may 25 put into the court of the Church, part of the Holy head is on mount Athos. The feast of the third finding of the head of St. John the Baptist — June 7 (may 25 articles).

In memory of the beheading of St. John the Baptist Church established a feast and strict fasting as an expression of grief of the Christians of the violent death of the great Prophet.

Icon of the beheading of John the Baptist


Paintings with the story of the beheading of John the Baptist

John the Baptist before Herod. Mattia Preti. 1665

Gustav Moreau. Salome

Vasily Khudyakov. Beheading of John the Baptist. 1861

Jacopo da Ponte. The beheading of St. John the Baptist

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. The beheading of St. John the Baptist

Pierre Cecile Puvis de Chavan. The beheading of St. John the Baptist. 1869

The Revenge Of Herodias. Picture Of Juan Flandes

The beheading of St. John the Baptist. Caravaggio. 1608

Salome. Lucas Cranach The Elder. OK. 1530

Guido Reni. Salome with the head of John the Baptist

Prayers of the feast of the beheading of John the Baptist

Hymns of the feast of the beheading of John the Baptist in the choir of the temple SVT. Nicholas in Kuznetsk Sloboda (Moscow)

Download file mp3 (5.3 MB)

Verse: From the depths I have cried to Thee, o Lord, * Lord, hear my voice.

Christmas cotoraia btstudio of Herod, the nasty plasticy espanjassa addition of the oath:
Predtecha Bo Chapter odessia, like food, nasaleze lying on the dish.
Oh, the feast is nasty, nepripojena acts and murder done!
But we the Baptist, thou in those born of women big, worthy ctose, bless.

Verse: let Your ears be * value the voice of my supplications.

Christmas cotoraia btstudio of Herod, the nasty plasticy espanjassa addition of the oath:
Predtecha Bo Chapter odessia, like food, nasaleze lying on the dish.
Oh, the feast is nasty, nepripojena acts and murder done!
But we the Baptist, thou in those born of women big, worthy ctose, bless.

Verse: If ye nutrisi iniquities, Lord, Lord, who could stand * thou You cleansing eat.

Dance student salakavala the devil your head, the forerunner of the bribe taken.
Oh, a feast, full of blood!
Better be not clarisa, Herod bezzakonie, lies voce.
Ashche same and swore thou, but not about good swore: better the be sagasu life gain, the tender instinctual Chapter Predtechi usernote.
But we the Baptist, thou in those born of women big, worthy ctose, bless.

Verse: me And for Your peterpen Thee, o Lord, poterba my soul in Thy word, * my soul wait upon the Lord.

Dance student salakavala the devil your head, the forerunner of the bribe taken.
Oh, a feast, full of blood!
Better be not clarisa, Herod bezzakonie, lies voce.
Ashche same and swore thou, but not about good swore: better the be sagasu life gain,
nezhe instinctually Chapter Predtechi usernote. But we the Baptist, thou in those born of women big, worthy ctose, bless.

Verse: From the guardians of the morning until the night, from the guards the morning * let Israel hope in the Lord.

Not podobashe ti, Herod, adultery accuser, for the sake of Racine of staninska and rasirena neistovye fornication death, osuditi.
Not podobashe ti that honorable Chapter presentaciones wife for his oath’s sake Platania predate bedne.
Oh, kako dared art is murder sovershite!
Kako’t opalia bad plesivica in the middle of the feast on the dish bearing this?
But we the Baptist, thou in those born of women big, worthy ctose, bless.

Verse: thou, o Lord have mercy and a lot of It deliverance * and That will save Israel from all besakhi it.

Not podobashe ti, Herod, adultery accuser, for the sake of Racine of staninska and rasirena neistovye fornication death, osuditi.
Not podobashe ti that honorable Chapter presentaciones wife for his oath’s sake Platania predate bedne.
Oh, kako dared art is murder sovershite!
Kako’t opalia bad plesivica in the middle of the feast on the dish bearing this?
But we the Baptist, thou in those born of women big, worthy ctose, bless.

Verse: Praise the Lord, all ye mind usually describe * praise Him, all ye people.

Packs, Irudia frantic, paki hesitate.
Oh, Platania lstina and feast lectio!
Usecases the Baptist and Herod sasasasa.
Prayers, o Lord, Thy forerunner, the world on me, o our souls.

Verse: Thou overdise his mercy on us * and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever.

Packs, Irudia frantic, paki hesitate.
Oh, Platania lstina and feast lectio!
Usecases the Baptist and Herod sasasasa. Prayers, o Lord, Thy forerunner, the world on me, o our souls.

Articles about the feast of the beheading of John the Baptist

  • The beheading of the Baptist: Church tradition and Church-related superstitions
  • The beheading of St John the Baptist: hymns of the feast
  • The beheading of the Holy prophet, forerunner and Baptist John. What is sung in this day on the service
  • Beheading. Herod, Herodias, Salome: who is to blame? Reflections for the feast
  • The society of Herod the madness
  • Is the beheading of St. John the Baptist — maybe a holiday?

Sermon on the feast of the beheading of John the Baptist

  • Metropolitan Anthony Of Sourozh. There is no fate grander and more tragic — the beheading of St. John the Baptist
  • Archpriest Valerian Krechetov. Sermon on the beheading of John the Baptist
  • His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. Only strong people like to hear the truth about himself

Sermon of his Beatitude Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and all Ukraine (Ukrainian language)

The beheading of St. John the Baptist is celebrated on September 11 in 2018

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