Ironically, Herod had respect — and perhaps affection — for John, but didn't want to be embarrassed in front of his cronies. So, he ordered the beheading of John the Baptist.

Herod Antipas was reluctant to grant the request, according to the Bible, but he ultimately decided to fulfill it and had John the Baptist's head brought to Salome on a platter.

The second episode of legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese's Fox Nation series "The Saints" focuses on John the Baptist, a pillar of Christianity and the patron saint of converts.

But John was arrested by Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee and Perea, which included part of the wilderness near Jerusalem. This led Jesus to begin his ministry in Galilee: ...

John the Baptist was killed because he was critical of the contemporary Herodian ruler, Herod Antipas. All of the sources agree on that, both Josephus and the testimony of the gospels.

Its framing asks: What does John have to tell us about Jesus? Before the flashback to John starts, Herod thinks of John in the first place because Jesus’ name is in the air.

Salome receives the head of John the Baptist in this early 17th century painting by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. In the Bible, Herod Antipas ordered the Christian preacher beheaded for ...

Herod Antipas was reportedly reluctant to have John the Baptist killed but soon the daughter, called Salome, was said to receive John's head on a platter.