Concerning the Baptism of John

The holy evangelists tell us the time, the place and the manner of it. Luke writes, in chapter 3, verses 1 to 3: "Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country around Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." Matthew 3, verses 1 and 2: "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Verse 11: "I indeed baptize you with water to repentance." Acts 19, verse 4, Paul said: "John truly baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on him who should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus."