St., the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ, was the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth. He retired into a desert, where he lived on locusts and wild honey; and about the year 29 began to preach repentance, and to declare the coming of the Messiah. He baptized his disciples, and the following year Christ himself was baptized by him in the river Jordan. Some time after, having reproved Herod Antipas, who had a criminal correspondence with Herodias his brother Philip's wife, he was cast into prison, where he was beheaded. His head was brought to Herodias; who, according to St Jerome, pierced his tongue with the bodkin she used to fasten up her hair, to revenge herself after his death for the freedom of his reproaches.

St., the apostle, or the evangelist, was the brother of St James the Great, and the son of Zebedee. He quitted the business of fishing to follow Jesus, and was his beloved disciple. He was witness to the actions and miracles of his Master; was present at his transfiguration on Mount Tabor; and was with him in the garden of olives. He was the only apostle who followed him to the cross; and to him Jesus left the care of his mother. He was also the first apostle who knew him again after his resurrection. He preached the faith in Asia; and principally resided at Ephesus, where he maintained the mother of our Lord. He is said to have founded the churches of Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. He is also said to have preached the gospel among the Parthians, and to have addressed his first epistle to that people. It is related, that, when at Rome, the emperor Domitian caused him to be thrown into a caldron of boiling oil, when he came out unhurt; on which he was banished to the isle of Patmos, where he wrote his Apocalypse. After the death of Domitian he returned to Ephesus, where he composed his Gospel, about the year 96; and died there, in the reign of Trajan, about the year 100, aged 94.

Gospel of St. JOHN, a canonical book of the New Testament, containing a recital of the life, actions, doctrine, and death, of our Saviour Jesus Christ, written by St John the apostle and evangelist.

St John wrote his Gospel at Ephesus, after his return from the isle of Patmos, at the desire of the Christians of Asia. St Jerome says he would not undertake it, but on condition that they should appoint a public fast, to implore the assistance of God; and, that the fast being ended, St John, filled with the Holy Ghost, broke out into these words: "In the beginning was the Word," &c. The ancients assign two reasons for this undertaking: the first is, because, in the other three Gospels, there was wanting the history of the beginning of Jesus Christ's preaching till the imprisonment of John the Baptist, which therefore he applied himself particularly to relate. The second reason was, in order to remove the errors of the Cerinthians, Ebionites, and other sects. But Mr Lampe and Dr Lardner have urged several reasons to show that St John did not write against Cerinthus or any other heretics in his Gospel.

Revelation of St. JOHN. See APOCALYPSE.

JOHN of Salisbury, bishop of Chartres in France, was born at Salisbury in Wiltshire, in the beginning of the 12th century. Where he imbibed the rudiments of his education is unknown; but we learn that in the year 1136, being then a youth, he was sent to Paris, where he studied under several eminent professors, and acquired considerable fame for his application and proficiency in rhetoric, poetry, divinity, and particularly in the learned languages. Thence he travelled to Italy; and, during his residence at Rome was in high favour with Pope Eugenius III, and his successor Adrian IV. After his return to England, he became the intimate friend and companion of the famous Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, whom he attended in his exile, and is said to have been present when that haughty prelate was murdered in his cathedral. What preferment he had in the church during this time does not appear; but in 1176 he was promoted by King Henry II. to the bishopric of Chartres in France, where he died in 1182. This John of Salisbury was really a phenomenon. He was one of the first restorers restorers of the Greek and Latin languages in Europe; a classical scholar, a philosopher, a learned divine, and an elegant Latin poet. He wrote several books; the principal of which are, his Life of St Thomas of Canterbury, a collection of letters, and Polycraticon.

Pope JOHN XXII., a native of Cahors, before called James d'Euze, was well skilled in the civil and canon law; and was elected pope after the death of Clement V. on the 7th of August 1316. He published the constitutions called Clementines, which were made by his predecessor; and drew up the other constitutions called Extravagantes. Lewis of Bavaria being elected emperor, John XXII. opposed him in favour of his competitor; which made much noise, and was attended with fatal consequences. That prince, in 1320, caused the antipope Peter de Corbiero, a corderlier, to be elected, who took the name of Nicholas V. and was supported by Michael de Cesenne, general of his order; but that antipope was the following year taken, and carried to Avignon, where he begged pardon of the pope with a rope about his neck, and died in prison two or three years after. Under this pope arose the famous question among the corderliers, called the bread of the corderliers; which was, Whether those monks had the property of the things given them, at the time they were making use of them? for example, Whether the bread belonged to them when they were eating it, or to the pope, or to the Roman church? This frivolous question gave great employment to the pope; as well as those which turned upon the colour, form, and stuff, of their habits, whether they ought to be white, gray, or black; whether the cowl ought to be pointed or round, large or small; whether their robes ought to be full, short, or long; of cloth, or of serge, &c. The disputes on all these minute trifles were carried so far between the minor brothers, that some of them were burned upon the occasion. He died at Avignon in 1334, aged 90.

king of England. See ENGLAND, No. 135, 147.

JOHN of Fordoun. See FORDOUN.

JOHN of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, a renowned general, father of Henry IV. king of England, died in 1438.

JOHN of Leyden, otherwise called Bucold. See ANABAPTISTS.

JOHN Sobieski of Poland, one of the greatest warriors in the 17th century, was, in 1665, made grand-marshal of the crown; and, in 1667, grand-general of the kingdom. His victories obtained over the Tartars and the Turks procured him the crown, to which he was elected in 1674. He was an encourager of arts and sciences, and the protector of learned men. He died in 1696, aged 72.

St. JOHN's Day, the name of two Christian festivals; one observed on June 24th, kept in commemoration of the wonderful circumstances attending the birth of John the Baptist; and the other on December 27, in honour of St John the Evangelist.

St. John's Wort. See HYPERICUM, BOTANY Index.