John the Baptist

John the Baptist (also called John the Baptizer) is regarded as a prophet by at least three religions: Christianity, Islam, and Mandaeanism. According to the Gospel of Luke, he was a relative of Jesus, a cousin. That he was a prophet is asserted by the Synoptic Gospels of the Christian Bible and the Qur'an (see also prophets of Islam). Eastern Orthodox Christians also refer to him as John the Forerunner because he was the forerunner of Christ. Isaiah 40:3-5 is commonly read as a prophecy of John. Muslims believe the head of John the Baptist is interred in the Umayyad Mosque.

Gnostic view

In Gnosticism, John the Baptist was a "personification" of the Old Testament prophet Elijah. According to Gnostic theology, John the Baptist was a Prophet from the Old Testament who did not know the True God (the God of the New Testament), and thus had to be reincarnated. As predicted by the Old Testament prophet Malachi, Elijah must "come first" to herald the coming of Jesus Christ.

Related Topics:
Gnosticism - Old Testament - Elijah - Theology - New Testament - Reincarnated - Malachi

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