During the reign of King Herod there lived in the mountains of Judea an aged priest, named Zachary and his wife, Elizabeth. They were a happy couple but they had no children, although they would like to have a family. One day while Zachary, according to the custom of the priests, was burning incense within the sanctuary, suddenly an angel appeared to him.  The angel told him that their prayers had been heard, and his wife, Elizabeth, in her old age, would bear a son, and he should call his name John. This boy name John would later be known as John the Baptist