John the Forerunner Prophet and Forerunner John the Baptist is
also refered to as John the Forerunner because he was the
forerunner of Christ. He was an ascetic and great prophet, who
baptized Christ and became one of the most revered saints in the
Orthodox Church. John is a cousin of Christ through his mother
Elizabeth who was the daughter of Zoia. Zoia is the sister of
Christ's grandmother. He was later beheaded by Herod in the
first century to statisfy the request of his stepdaughter,
Salome, and wife Herodias. Because he baptized Christ, he is the
patron saint of godparents. Isaiah 40:3-5 is commonly read as a
prophecy of John. His father, Zacharias, was a priest of the
course of Abia (1 Chr. 24:10), and his mother, Elizabeth, was of
the Daughters of Aaron (Luke 1:5). John held the priesthood of
Aaron, giving him the authority to perform baptisms of God. His
birth took place six months before that of Jesus, and according
to the Gospel account was expected by prophecy (Matt. 3:3; Isa.
40:3; Mal. 3:1) and f