John the Baptist: desert and diet

Abstract

The rise of the monastic movement in the fourth century led many monks to settle in the Judaean desert. They described how they lived in an inhospitable environment. This gives fresh insights into the life of John the Baptist, including his diet. He would have foraged for food, including the melagria plant, widely eaten by desert dwellers. Later scribes, who were unfamiliar with the desert, changed this to meli agrion, or wild honey.