Within the initial 75 lines of Book One of “Paradise Regained,” Satan mentions a person he has recently encountered, described by this passage: “Before him [Jesus] a great Prophet, to proclaim / His coming, is sent Harbinger, who all / Invites, and in the Consecrated stream / Pretends to wash off sin.” Who is this individual?
Explanation
The passage refers to John the Baptist, who is recognized as the forerunner announcing Jesus’s arrival and performing baptisms in the sacred river to symbolize the cleansing of sin.