the prophet John

"Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist" (Matthew 11:11).  That was how Jesus Christ viewed John--who, both John and Jesus, at that time, would have been about 30 years old.  Those two young men, who appeared on the stage of history within a few months of each other, were like great meteors which appeared and burned brightly for but a very brief time.  Yet, John and Jesus lived with such spiritual intensity that the memory of those two young men was indelibly burned into the conscience of humanity unto this day.

A lot is known about Jesus.  But who was John?  And why did Jesus speak so highly of him?