Without really wanting to, Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, had John the Baptist killed. The story is told in Mark 6:17-29 (Matthew 14:3-12; Luke 3:19-20). Herodias, who was living with Herod in an unlawful marriage, hadn’t forgiven John for speaking out against them. Beheading, a method of execution adopted from the Romans, was considered by the Jews to be the most shameful of all punishments (apart from crucifixion, which wasn’t a Jewish punishment). Tradition says that John’s followers, who may have witnessed the execution, brought his body to Samaria-Sebaste. A feast commemorating the beheading of John has been observed in the Eastern Church since the 4th century and in the West since the 5th century.
