Feast of the Birth of
Saint John the Baptist

Baptism of Jesus Christ From Restoration of the Sistine Chapel Scott 1172 (2001) June 23 marks the Feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. The stamp above, taken from the Restoration of the Sistine Chapel set from 2001, shows the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan by John the Baptist. John the Baptist was the son of Zachariah, a priest of the Temple in Jerusalem, and Elizabeth, who was from the same family as the Blessed Virgin Mary. John’s birth was foretold to Zachariah when both he and his wife were in their old age (providing a scriptural connection to the Patriarch, Abraham, and his wife, Sarah). John emerged as an itinerant desert preacher around the year 27 AD, announcing: "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). He baptized those who confessed their sins in the River Jordan. In addition, he may have been associated with the community at Qumran near the Dead Sea, the source of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were discovered in 1947. One of the people he baptized was Jesus, announced by John as the: "Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World" (John 1:29). John was imprisoned for rebuking Herod Antipas (son of Herod the Great) for taking as his wife a woman who was his half-sister. Her daughter, Salome, persuaded Herod to have John beheaded. His passion and death are marked on 29 August. Jesus said of John : "Among those who are born of women there is not a greater prophet" (Luke 8:28). Vatican City, to date, has not issued a stamp to specifically honor John the Baptist, but he has appeared on a number of stamps issued over the years. In addition to the stamp at the top of the page, here are some other examples: Feast of the Visitation John and Jesus with their mothers, Elizabeth and Mary Scott 828 (1989) Saint John the Evangelist and Saint John the Baptist Vending Machine Stamp (2001) Detail from the Altarpiece of Saint Zeno Saint Gregory and John the Baptist Scott 1326 (2006) Raphael's "Madonna of Foligno" (John the Baptist on the left) Scott 1497 (2012) Although Vatican City has not issued a specific John the Baptist stamp, there is one postal authority that regularly issues stamps honoring him: the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Saint John the Baptist is the patron saint of the Order, and stamps with his image are issued annually. Click here to see the stamp issued for 2024. REFERENCES: Thomas Crimando, Vatican Notes, Volume 49, Number 5, page 4, 2001, Restored Sistine Chapel Masterpieces of the Fifteenth Century Order of Malta, Poste Magistrali Vatican Philatelic Society website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search