Today is the feast day of St John with a large part of the Greek population celebrating their name days.
Saint John feast days are celebrated several times thoughout the year, however because John the Baptist’s main role in his life was played out on Epiphany Day, the Church has dedicated the day following Theophaneia to his memory.
John baptised Jesus and was known as the Forerunner. The scriptures state: “O Forerunner; for thou hast proved to be truly even more venerable than the Prophets, since thou was granted to baptize in the running waters Him Whom they proclaimed. Wherefore, having contested for the truth, thou didst rejoice to announce the good tidings even to those in Hades: that God hath appeared in the flesh, taking away the sin of the world and granting us great mercy.”
John the Baptist was considered to have such moral purity that he was called an ‘angel’ in the Holy Scripture rather than a mortal man.
READ MORE: Greeks gather to celebrate a different kind of Theophania at Frankston and Geelong
Considered a great prophet, he was beheaded by Herod in Sebaste between 28 to 36AD after he rebuked him for divorcing his wife and unlawfully wedding the wife of his brother. Following his execution, St John’s body was moved to Antioch, his place of birth. Later, it was transferred to Constantinople before it disappeared during the time of the Ottomans.