The voice that prepared the way of salvation
Surp Hovhannes Գարապետ — Saint John the Baptist — holds an exceptional place in the Christian and in the Armenian spiritual tradition. He is the last great prophet of the Old Testament and the first witness of the New — the living link between the promise and its fulfilment, between repentance and salvation.
Birth and calling
John was the son of the priest Zechariah and the righteous Elizabeth. His birth was a miracle, for his parents were advanced in years and had long been childless. He was born six months before Jesus Christ — a sign that from the very beginning his life was appointed to prepare the way of the Messiah.
From his youth John chose the path of the hermit. He withdrew into the wilderness beside the river Jordan, far from worldly vanity, to prepare himself spiritually for his great mission.
The ascetic beside the Jordan
According to the Gospel, John led a life of strict asceticism. He wore rough garments of camel hair and fed on locusts and wild honey. This manner of life was a living testimony to his complete devotion to God.
When he reached the age of thirty, he began his public ministry. His preaching was strong, clear and uncompromising. Soon people began to come to him from Jerusalem and from all Judaea — poor and rich, learned and simple, soldiers and merchants. All sought repentance, forgiveness and a new beginning.
John baptised them in the waters of the Jordan — a baptism of repentance, which prepared hearts for the coming of Christ. The most sacred event of his ministry was the Baptism of Jesus Christ, known as the Theophany, when the Son of God was revealed to the world and confirmed by the voice from heaven.
A prophet of the truth
John was not only a spiritual teacher, but a fearless defender of the truth. He rebuked the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the lawlessness of the powerful. He stood particularly firmly against the Jewish king Herod Antipas, who lived in an unlawful union with Herodias — the wife of his brother Philip.
John told him openly:
„It is not lawful for thee to have her.“
These words brought him imprisonment, but not silence.
Martyrdom
On his birthday Herod held a great feast. The daughter of Herodias — Salome — danced before him and his guests. Delighted, the king swore that he would give her whatever she asked.
Prompted by her mother, Salome asked for:
„The head of John the Baptist.“
Though troubled, Herod did not dare to break his oath. John was beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought upon a platter as a cruel trophy.
The fate of the holy head
Herodias ordered that the head of the prophet should not be buried together with his body, for she feared the resurrection of this „fearful“ man of God. It was buried secretly in an unknown place.
But the devout Joanna, wife of Chuza, the steward of Herod, could not endure this sacrilege. She secretly recovered the holy head and carried it to Jerusalem, where she buried it with honour on the Mount of Olives.
Surp Գարապետ in the Armenian tradition
In the Armenian Apostolic Church John the Baptist is venerated as Surp Hovhannes Garabed (Գարապետ) — „Saint John the Forerunner“, „the Herald“. The word „Garabed“ means „forerunner“, „the one who announces the coming of the King“.
For Armenians Surp Garabed is not only a biblical figure but a living spiritual protector — a symbol of repentance, of awakening and of moral courage. One of the most sacred monasteries of historical Armenia — Surp Karapet in the region of Taron (near Mush) — was dedicated to him and for centuries was a place of pilgrimage, of healing and of national memory.
In popular faith Surp Garabed is the defender of the weak, the accuser of injustice and the advocate of God’s truth.
The feast
The feast of Surp Hovhannes Գարապետ is observed on 14 January. If this day falls on a Wednesday or a Friday — days of fasting — the feast is moved to 15 January. It is a day of spiritual renewal and the beginning of a new year under the sign of repentance and of light.
Name days are celebrated by:
Garabed, Garo, Mkrtich, Mko, Hovhannes, Hovnan, Ohan, Onnig, Arakyal, Arakel.