Vox clamantis in deserto -- the voice of one crying out in the wilderness. My friend and teacher Morton G. Soule pointed out that some translate that as "a voice crying out in the wilderness," but clamantis is a gerund, used here substantively to refer to a person; it is not an adjective modifying vox. John described himself this way when clarifying that he himself was not the Messiah, but a forerunner preparing the way for the Messiah.
John baptized his cousin Jesus, but didn't have a very long career as a preacher after that. He had been denouncing the royal family, something that didn't go down very well with the palace crowd. Busted, beheaded, and served up on a platter, John (or at least his skull) hung around the palace for a while. Eventually the Christians recovered it.
Today, you can see the face of in Amiens, France. The crown of it is in Istanbul with his left arm and hand, and the back of it is in Rome.
Vox clamantis in deserto was recently said by Conan O'Brien to be among the very worst college mottoes in America. If you have not checked out his 2011 commencement address on the You-tubes, consider it. It is hilarious.
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