The death of John the baptist.

Matthew 14.6-12 = Mark 6.21-29.

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Notes and quotes.

Και τουτον αυτον τον προφητην συνεκεκλεικει ο βασιλευς υμων Ηρωδης εις φυλακην, και γενεσιων ημερας τελουμενης, ορχουμενης της εξαδελφης αυτου ευαρεστως αυτω, ειπεν αυτη αιτησασθαι ο εαν βουληται. και η μητηρ της παιδος υπεβαλεν αυτη αιτησασθαι την κεφαλην Ιωαννου του εν τη φυλακη· και αιτησασης επεμψε και επι πινακι ενεχθηναι την κεφαλην Ιωαννου εκελευσε.

And this same prophet your king Herod had closed up in prison, and when the day of his birth was being celebrated, and the niece of the same Herod had pleased him well by her dancing, he said to her to ask whatever she wished. And the mother of the child prompted her to ask for the head of John, who was in prison; and when she asked it he sent and commanded the head of John to be brought in on a platter.

§ R. H. Gundry, Mark: A Commentary on His Apology for the Cross, pages 313-314:

Josephus puts the execution of John at Machaerus in Perea; and archaeological discoveries of a prison as well as a palace there, and of two dining rooms (triclinia), one large and one small, fit John's imprisonment, Herod's banquet, and the separateness of Herod and Herodias during the banquet, presumably because the men were eating in the large dining room, the women in the small one (V. Corbo and S. Loffreda in S[tudii] B[iblici] F[ranciscani] L[iber] A[nnuus] 31 [1981] 257-86, pls. 26, 29-34; F. Manns in SBFLA 31 [1981] 287-90; B. Schwank in N[ew] T[estament] S[tudies] 29 [1983] 434; R. Riesner in B[ibel und] K[irche] 39 [1984] 176). The apparent lack of separate dining rooms in the Herodian palaces at Masada, the Herodion, and Jericho makes this undesigned coincidence all the more impressive as evidence for historicity.