John the Baptist
John the Baptist is a play by George Bernard Shaw that tells the story of John the Baptist and his interactions with Jesus Christ. The play explores themes of religion, morality, and power.
By George Bernard Shaw · First published 1936 · Genre: Drama, Religious, Historical · 153 words
First lines
At this moment, a Salvationist prophet named John is stirring the people very strongly. John has declared that the rite of circumcision is insufficient as a dedication of the individual to God, and has substituted the rite of baptism. To us, who are accustomed to baptism as a matter of course, and to whom circumcision is a rather ridiculous foreign practice of no consequence, the sensational effect of such a heresy as this on the Jews is not apparent: it seems to us as natural that John should have baptized people as that the rector of our village should do so. But, as St. Paul found to his cost later on, the discarding of circumcision for baptism was to the Jews as startling a heresy as the discarding of transubstantiation in the Mass was to the Catholics of the XVI century.
What this Textopian page supports
John the Baptist is listed on Textopian as a play by George Bernard Shaw, dated 1936 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Play
- Author: George Bernard Shaw
- Date: 1936 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Drama, Religious, Historical, Philosophical, Satire
- Length: 153 words
- Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for John the Baptist by George Bernard Shaw
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Discussion starters
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Genres
- Drama — The work focuses on intense character interactions and conflicts, typical of dramatic literature.
- Religious — The central theme revolves around religious practices and reforms, specifically baptism versus circumcision.
- Historical — The narrative is set in a historical context, dealing with events and figures from religious history.
- Philosophical — The text explores philosophical questions about religious rites and their significance.
Tags
religion · faith · prophecy · spirituality · historical · drama · philosophy · sacrifice · morality · redemption · conflict · identity