Who was John the Baptist in the Bible? John the Baptist was a Jewish preacher who preached in the Judean desert near Jordan river in the early first century. John the Baptist was the herald of Jesus Christ. John baptized our Lord Jesus Christ. Prophet, Priest Zechariah was the father of John the Baptist and Elizabeth was his mother. In this video, we are visiting where John was born. After Virgin Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel, she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth who was already pregnant. There is a Church of Visitation where Virgin Mary visited Elizabeth. See also Virgin Mary's Spring where tradition says that Virgin Mary took some water while visiting Elizabeth. We visit the Church of John the Baptist which was built where he was born. Ein Kerem is the hometown of John the Baptist and its about 7 Kilometers from Jerusalem a town at the hills of Judea. We are visiting Luke 1