The Divine Ministry of Jesus Christ 

Passover in volume 2, on pages 114 121.

444

 She first mentions John's arrest on page 161, only forty pages after 

the first Passover of Christ's Ministry (April 10 17 of 

A.D.

 16). 

    On page 145, she describes another Jewish religious ceremony, in which the Jews wore long black mantles 

as well as sackcloth, went barefoot, and  prayed and chanted in a mournful tone. 

445

 Though she does not 

name this ceremony, it most probably occurred during the time between Passover and the Jewish Pentecost 

(Feast of Weeks). That time period for the Jews is a time of partial mourning, in remembrance of the time 

between the Exodus from slavery in Egypt and the giving of the Law in the Sinai desert.

446

 Her description of 

the ceremony fits that theme. Also, she places this ceremony not long after the Passover. 

    After this ceremony, Blessed Anne Catherine describes some additional events during Christ's Ministry, 

including the mention of two Sabbaths.

447

 Next she details how John's disciples spoke with Jesus about John's 

imprisonment; this is followed by the mention of the Feast of the New Moon (which occurs at the start of each 

month in the Jewish calendar).

448

 This places John's arrest within two Sabbaths of the time between Passover 

and the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot). The Feast of Weeks is celebrated on Sivan 6 and 7 (the Jewish months from 

Passover are: Nisan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, etc.).  

    From her description of the Passover to her first mention of John's arrest, there are forty pages and the 

mention of at least four Sabbaths.

449

 Thus, the Feast of the New Moon she mentions could not be Sivan 1, this 

is too close to the Passover for all of the Sabbaths and events, plus the arrest of John to occur before the new 

moon. Yet there were two Sabbaths only mentioned between the ceremony (the one related to the Passover 

and the Feast of Weeks) and John's arrest. Therefore John the Baptist was arrested by Herod during the month 

of Sivan, prior to the next Feast of the New Moon on Tammuz 1. The month of Sivan, in the year 

A.D.

 16 

began on May 26 and ended on June 22.

450

    Furthermore, Herod would have been less likely to arrest John just before or during the Feast of Weeks. 

Huge crowds gathered for the Feast of Weeks at Jerusalem because it was one of three feasts that all able 

bodied Jewish men were required to attend (Deut 16:16). John was a popular religious figure, so there might 

have been a disturbance among this great crowd of people, if John were arrested at that time. Herod would 

have waited until the crowds left Jerusalem for their homes before arresting John. The Feast of Weeks ends in 

early Sivan, so the most likely time for John's arrest would be in mid to late Sivan in 

A.D.

 16. 

    John was arrested in late spring of 

A.D.

 16. Since John began baptizing in spring of 

A.D.

 15, his ministry 

must have lasted for about one year, or, at most, a year and a few months, up to the point of his imprisonment. 

Perhaps one could say that his ministry continued even after he was imprisoned, but it was not a public 

ministry of preaching and baptism. 

The Martyrdom of John the Baptist 

    John's martyrdom is described in chapter 14 of the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 14:1 12). However, this event is 

presented as having already occurred earlier in Matthew's timeline. Chapter 14 begins with Herod speculating 

that Jesus was really John the Baptist raised from the dead. Thus, by the beginning of chapter 14, John had 

already been dead for some time. The description of John's beheading then follows, but is clearly presented as 

a description of what had already taken place at some earlier time. 

    How long was John in prison before he was beheaded? In Matthew's Gospel, John's imprisonment begins 

in chapter 3 (Mt 3:12), and by chapter 11 (Mt 11:2) John is still in prison. Thus, Matthew's Gospel indicates 

that John was in prison for a lengthy period of time. This interpretation is supported by the description of 

John's beheading. Herod was reluctant to put John to death and did so because of his oath and his guests (Mt 

14:9). Herod's intention was to keep John in prison without putting him to death, and perhaps to release him 

at some point in time. 

    In the Gospel of Mark, John's imprisonment is first mentioned in chapter 1 (Mk 1:14). John's martyrdom is 

not described until chapter 6 (Mk 6:14 29), but again it is described as having already occurred at some earlier 

time. Even so, Mark's Gospel does not present John's imprisonment as if it were brief. 

    In the Gospel of Luke, John's imprisonment is stated in chapter 3 (Lk 3:20). John's martyrdom is not 

described in detail by Luke, but is mentioned in chapter 9, where people are wondering if Jesus is really John 

the Baptist raised from the dead (Lk 9:7 9, 19). Here again John's martyrdom is referred to as a past event, 

making it difficult to determine when John died. 

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