The traditional home town of John the Baptist is Ein Kerem (Beth-Haccerem of the Old Testament, see Jeremiah 6:1, and Nehemiah 3:14). It is possibly a correct Byzantine tradition as it is close enough to Jerusalem for a priest of the Temple to be able to take his turn in Temple duties, about 5 miles (8 km) from the Temple. The pleasant town is currently graced with 2 churches, and an ancient spring.
The Church of the Visitation (pictured above) celebrates the visit of the pregnant Mary with her cousin the pregnant Elisabeth.
“And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” Luke 1:39-42
The other church is the Church of Saint John the Baptist, which commemorates the birth of John the Baptist.
“Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to his father [who had been stuck deaf and dumb by an angel], how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.” Luke 1:57-64.
Currently the interior of the Church of Saint John the Baptist is going major renovations, but below are two photos.
The last site is the spring of the town (Ein Kerem meaning spring of the vineyard). the spring is called Mary’s Well. Anciently it would have been the place that the town would have evolved around, and the home of Zacharias and Elisabeth would have been nearby.
Like Abraham and Sarah, Zacharias and Elisabeth were past child bearing years and thus the birth of John was a miracle. John would have been raised to take his father’s place as a priest in the Temple. But his parents died while he was still young, probably while he was a teen or early twenties, and John was moved upon by the spirit to flee to the Judean desert (east of Jerusalem) where he was instructed by the Spirit of God and eventually called as the prophet to precede the Messiah (his cousin who he would have known).
“And the child [John] grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.” Luke 1:80. See also Luke 3:1-22 and Matthew 3:1-17 for John’s preaching and his baptizing of Jesus.
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