What do Jews think of John the Baptist?

Zacharias, hesitating to believe the message, was struck dumb, and his mouth was opened again only after the birth of the child, when at the circumcision a name was to be given him; then he answered simultaneously with his wife that he should be called "John," as the angel had foretold. read more

John the Baptist was made the subject of a legendary narrative embodied in Luke i. 5-25, 57-80, and iii. 1-20, according to which he was the son of Zacharias, a priest of the section of Abia, and of Elisabeth, also of priestly descent, and was born in their old age. read more

To be honest, the overall majority of Jews think about John the Baptist the same we think of any other Christian character, we don't. While many Jews have probably heard his name, it's doubtful they know what role he plays in Christian theology. Simply put, he is of no relevance to our beliefs or lives. read more

If there was a historical John the Baptist, he was just one of thousands of ascetic radicals running around ancient Israel at that time. His only importance is to Christians. In any case, he could never have been a prophet, because the age of prophecy ended at the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, and there have been no prophets since. read more