St.John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and an Apostal .We believe that John the Baptist had a specific role ordained by God as forerunner or precursor of Jesus, who was the foretold Messiah.St. John baptized Jesus at "Bethany beyond the Jordan", by wading into the water with Jesus from the eastern bank.Jesus is the one whose coming John foretold.St.John as the precursor or forerunner of Jesus since St.John announces Jesus' coming. St.John is also identified with the prophet Elijah. In Luke 1:17 the role of John is referred to as being "to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." In Luke 1:76 as "…thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways" and in Luke 1:77 as being "To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins." We believe that St. John was the last of the Old Testament prophets, thus serving as a bridge between that period of revelation and the New Covenant and following his death, John descended into Hades and there once more preached that Jesus the Messiah was coming, so he was the Forerunner of Christ in death as he had been in life. According to Sacred Tradition, John the Baptist appears at the time of death to those who have not heard the Gospel of Christ, and preaches the Good News to them, that all may have the opportunity to be saved. Orthodox churches will often have an icon of St. John the Baptist in a place of honor on the iconostasis, and he is frequently mentioned during the Divine Services. Every Tuesday throughout the year is dedicated to his memory.
