Today, the figure of John appears deeply rooted in the Old Testament. John the Baptist was a priest, a descendant of Zechariah - priest of the priestly division of Abijah - and Elizabeth – a descendant of the priestly family of Aaron. In John, the priesthood of the Old Covenant leads toward Jesus.

The mission of John is construed on the basis of the figure of Elijah: he is not Elijah, but he comes with the spirit and the strength of the great prophet. With his mission John also meets the expectation of the return of Elijah to purify and relieve the people of God; he would prepare Israel for the coming of the Lord. He is, therefore, included, on the one hand, in the category of the prophets, although, on the other hand, he is simultaneously praised above it because the Elijah who is to come back is the forerunner of the coming of God himself.

—Thus, in these texts the figure of Jesus and his coming are implicitly placed on the same level as God’s advent.