Portrait of St. John the Baptist in the prologue of the Fourth Gospel

Abstract

This article analyses the portrait of John the Baptist in the prologue of the Gospel of John. It explores both the hymnic prologue (Jn 1:6-8.15) which speaks of John as the witness “sent by God” to testify to the coming Light, as well as the narrative prologue (Jn 1:19-34) where John denies being the Messiah but points to the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” The study excavates the mission, role, and testimony of the Baptizer in preparing the way for Christ. Though subordinate to Jesus, John is presented as the first and paradigmatic witness who actualizes the prophetic tradition to proclaim the arrival of the long-awaited salvation. His testimony progresses from affirming the unknown presence of the One “standing among you” to explicitly identifying Jesus as the pre-existent Son. While the Johannine prologue features multiple witnesses to Christ, John the Baptist is the foremost herald who fades humbly into the background once the Bridegroom appears. As the study unpacks this rich, multi-layered portrait across the opening chapters of John's Gospel, it illuminates John's vital function in revealing the incarnate Logos to the world.