Focusing as it does on the life of Jesus Christ, the New Testament provides only sketchy information on his forerunner. Consequently, John the Baptist has often been considered little more than an effective pre-Christian preacher, not directly affiliated with the gospel of Christ or authorized to administer its ordinances. The Savior, however, held John in the highest regard. “What went ye out for to see?” he asked. “A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet…For I say unto you, among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist.”
Who was this man, who received such a tribute form our Lord himself? How much can we know about him? What did he say? What was his character? What were the reactions of those who heard him preach?
For a number of years Robert J. Matthews has studied the life of John the Baptist and has found him to be a figure of strength, courage, and humility—a man of widespread reputation in his own day, acting in the ordinances of the Aaronic Priesthood with authority from the Most High. Gathering material from both ancient and modern sources, Dr. Matthews here gives us a new insight into the life and work of the man Jesus called “a burning and a shining light.”
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