Description

John the Forerunner is known in the Western church as John the Baptist. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, he is seen as a messenger of the gospel and a forerunner of Christ. John was a prophet who lived in the time of Christ. With his own followers, he went into the desert of Judea and around the Jordan River, where he baptised people. This ancient icon depicts John in his distinctive camel-hair dressing gown. His weathered face and feral beard clearly show that he lived in the desert.