John the Baptist

John the Baptist (c. 5 BCE – c. 30 CE), born Yôḥānān (Hebraic name), was an itinerant preacher, and a major religious figure who baptized Jesus of Nazareth. The son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, he led a movement of baptism at the , and held leadership over many disciples.
==Biography==
John was in the possession of one of the Staves of Eden, which he used to start his ministry. John would also baptize his adult second cousin, Jesus in the River Jordan around 27 CE.Matthew 3:13-17 After him, Saint Peter would take the Staff and use it to spread the religion of Christianity.Assassin's Creed II – Glyph #5: "Instruments of Power"
==Legacy and influence==
During the Middle Ages, John's name was known to sometimes be used by as an exclamation of surprise.Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – King Killer In 1261, Theodora Palaiologina, consort of the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos, erected a church and dedicated it to John; the building was later repurposed and renamed as Fenari Isa Mosque.Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Database: Fenari Isa Mosque
Circa 1330, the Italian painter painted a portrait of the saint along with an assistant.
John was also the patron saint of the Italian city of Florence, which named its San Giovanni District after him.Assassin's Creed II – Database: San Giovanni District In the 1400s, the Venetian church the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Visitazione was rededicated to Mary's to John's mother Elizabeth, after previously being dedicated to the patron saint Jerome.Assassin's Creed II – Database: Santa Maria della Visitazione
During the Renaissance, the famed polymath Leonardo da Vinci painted a portrait of John the Baptist, with his apprentice Salaì as the model.Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood – The Da Vinci Disappearance A few other paintings of John were displayed in Ezio Auditore's painting galleries, often depicting him with Jesus.Assassin's Creed II
In 2012, John was one of many historical people included in the Glyph puzzles the late Assassin Clay Kaczmarek had left behind in the Animus as messages for his successor Desmond Miles to decipher. Desmond later did in September of that year.Assassin's Creed: Initiates – The Desmond Files Desmond solved this puzzle, which was part of a set titled "Instruments of Power" where John was included in the list of historical individuals revealed by Clay to have wielded a Staff of Eden.
==Gallery==
baptism of christ.jpg|, by Andrea del Verrocchio
G14madonna-del-cardellino-border.jpg|John (left) in , by Raphael
Saint Jean Baptiste.jpg|, by Leonardo da Vinci
==Appearances==
*Assassin's Creed II 
*Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood – The Da Vinci Disappearance 
*Assassin's Creed: Revelations 
*Assassin's Creed: Valhalla 
==References==
zh:施洗约翰
Category:5 BCE births
Category:30 deaths
Category:Individuals
Category:Romans
Category:Hebrews
Category:Saints
Category:Preachers
Category:Individuals who held Pieces of Eden
Category:Biblical mythology
Category:Tribe of Levi