Editing John the Baptist (section)

===Baháʼí view===
The [[Baháʼí Faith]] considers John to have been a prophet of God who like all other prophets was sent to instill the knowledge of God, promote unity among the people of the world, and to show people the correct way to live.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Epistle to the Son of the Wolf|last = Effendi|first = Shoghi|publisher = Baháʼí Publishing Trust|year = 1988|isbn = 9780877430483|location = Wilmette, Illinois|pages = 12}}</ref> There are numerous quotations in the writings of [[Bahá'u'lláh]], founder of the [[Baháʼí Faith]], mentioning John the Baptist. He is regarded by Baháʼís as a [[Manifestation of God (Baháʼí Faith)#Minor prophets|lesser Prophet]].<ref name="Compilations 1983 475" /> Bahá'u'lláh claimed that his forerunner, the [[Báb]], was the spiritual return of John the Baptist. In his letter to Pope [[Pius IX]], Bahá'u'lláh wrote:

{{blockquote|O followers of the Son! We have once again sent John unto you, and He, verily, hath cried out in the wilderness of the [[Persian Bayán|Bayán]]: O peoples of the world! Cleanse your eyes! The Day whereon ye can behold the Promised One and attain unto Him hath drawn nigh! O followers of the Gospel! Prepare the way! The Day of the advent of the Glorious Lord is at hand! Make ready to enter the Kingdom. Thus hath it been ordained by God, He Who causeth the dawn to break.<ref>{{cite book|author=Bahá'u'lláh|author-link=Bahá'u'lláh|year=2002|title=The Summons of the Lord of Hosts|publisher=[[Baháʼí World Centre]]|location=Haifa, Israel|page=63|isbn=978-0-85398-976-9|url=http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/SLH/slh-5.html#pg63|access-date=11 June 2007|archive-date=1 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501021406/https://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/SLH/slh-5.html#pg63|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

John is believed to have had the specific role of foretelling and preparing the way for Jesus. In condemning those who had 'turned aside' from him, Bahá'u'lláh compared them to the followers of John the Baptist, who, he said, "protested against Him Who was the Spirit (Jesus) saying: 'The dispensation of John hath not yet ended; wherefore hast thou come?'" Bahá'u'lláh believed that the Báb played the same role as John in preparing the people for his own coming. As such, Bahá'u'lláh refers to the Báb as 'My Forerunner', the Forerunner being a title that Christians reserve for John the Baptist.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Epistle to the Son of the Wolf|last = Effendi|first = Shoghi|publisher = Baháʼí Publish Trust|year = 1988|isbn = 9780877430483|location = Wilmette, Illinois|pages = 157–158}}</ref> However, Baháʼís consider the [[Báb]] to be a greater Prophet ([[Manifestation of God (Baháʼí Faith)|Manifestation of God]]) and thus possessed of a far greater station than John the Baptist.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}