St John and Jesus, Russian copper antique icon, 1700-1850. Height: 65 mm; Width: 48 mm; пречистый иоанн предтеча - русская икона античная. Иоанна называют Предтечей – потому что он пришел прежде Христа и проповедовал народу Его пришествие, Крестителем – потому что он крестил Спасителя в Иордане. Прежде чем начать свою проповедь, Иоанн много лет жил в пустыне – готовился к своему служению – носил грубую одежду, питался медом и акридами (саранчой). In Mark: The Gospel of Mark introduces John as a fulfillment of a prophecy from the Book of Isaiah (in fact, a conflation of texts from Isaiah, Malachi and Exodus)[48] about a messenger being sent ahead, and a voice crying out in the wilderness. John is described as wearing clothes of camel's hair, and living on locusts and wild honey. John proclaims baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin, and says another will come after him who will not baptize with water, but with the Holy Spirit. Beheading of St John the Baptist by Massimo Stanzione, 1635 Jesus comes to John, and is baptized by him in the river Jordan. The account describes how, as he emerges from the water, Jesus sees the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descends on him "like a dove", and he hears a voice from heaven that says, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased".[49]