Whence Baptism?

by Room 215 8 Replies latest jw friends

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  Room 215

  Hi all,

  Have any of you researchedthe origins of the practice of baptism? As far as I can determine, there's no mention of it, much less as a requirement, in the Torah or any of the Old Testament.
  Unless I'm missing something, it appears suddenly with John the Baptist (oh, excuse me, WT lurkers, John the Baptiser).

  So then, if all of this is as it appears, then it's fair to conclude that the practice is of extra-Biblical (as in ``pagan'' or ``heathen'') origins.

  If true, then we have a fascinating example of how John, then Jesus, appropriated a pagan custom because of its suitability as a symbol; in this case, of dying to a former life course and awakening to another. Much as the WT acquiesces to the use of a wedding ring, despite its pagan origins, right?
  
  So is it then fair to condemn the Catholics, indeed all of Christendom, for having ``sanctified by adoption'' so many of their customs and tradtions because of their utility as fitting symbols? In the matter of baptism at least, it would seem we have a precedent in this matter set by none less than Jesus our exemplar.

  So then why lose sleep agonizing over the alleged ``pagan origins'' of some otherwise innocuous practice or custom?

  What say you?
• 

  binadub

  Baptising appears to have been regular part of the ritual of the Jewish sect of the Essenes (Dead Sea Scrolls). Scholars speculate that since John's parents were very aged when he was born, that they died early in his life. He should have followed his father to become a temple priest, but if he were orphaned at a young age, he might have been raised by others. That he came from the wilderness (where the Essenes resided) and practiced baptising, lends some credibility to this as well.
  There were Essenes in northern Galilee (along with other sects like the Zealots) which influence seems to have been involved with Jesus' early ministry.

  I have enjoyed some of your posts and would like to discuss something with you off-line if you would post me. [email protected]

  bin Adub
  It is the theory which decides what we can observe.--Albert Einstein
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  belbab

  When John the Baptist was down at Jordan, dipping people into the muddy waters, The Pharisees came down from Jerusalem and asked if he was Eligah or the Prophet. In the days of Eligah and his successor Elisha, Naaman, an army officer from Syria, came and asked for his leprosy to be cured. Elisha told him to go dip himself in the Jordan seven times, he objected, said his own rivers in his country were a lot cleaner. He was prevailed upon to change his mind and was cured.

  So my understanding is, that the Jews were asking if he was Eligah/Elisha because Naaman was cured in the Jordan. They thought that John was presumptuosly doing the work of former prophetes.

  belbab
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  Yerusalyim

  Ritual bathing has long been a part of Jewish life as evidenced by Mitvahs in every Jewish community of old (and Orthodox of today). It was required to bathe in "living water" to cleanse ones self ritually. I.E. a woman after her menses, upon contact with a dead body, or after a "nocturnal immesion" It's not a large jump from bathing for ritual purity to connecting it with new life and the forgiveness of sins.

  You are correct however in that baptism as seen in the Christian model was practiced among some pagan cults too.

  YERUSALYIM
  "Vanity! It's my favorite sin!"
  [Al Pacino as Satan, in "DEVIL'S ADVOCATE"]
• 

  LittleToe

  The priests would regularly bathe as part of the ritual for atonement for sins, from Aaron's day.
  John's father Zachariah was a priest, even burning incense on the altar. Hence John would have been very familiar with the customs and facts surrounding the various rituals.

  Just 2p for the pot.
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  barry

  Ever heard of an Achillis heal, well Achillis was baptized in bulls blood for protection his mother grabed him by the heal and in battle Achillis was hit in the heal by an arrow and died because he was not covered by the blood. What can we then say of pagon customs like christmas, my case rests your worship
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  hillary_step

  Room,

  An interesting question and I agree with you, too many Christians live in yesterdays world and they tend to look foolish trying to wear theological fashions from another era.

  Baptism has been recorded as a ritual among many religions from as far back as the early Eygyptian dynasties. It is by no means a ritual exclusive to either Jewish or Christian adherents and a religion can only be understood against a backdrop of its own environment.

  Christ used the religious tools of the day to build something new. For example, his parables that mainly used illustrations derived from farming and fishing, would be quite different in concept if he was preaching today.

  Trying to drag many C1st century issues into the C21st, as does the WTS, does not dignify the message of Christ which is so simple that it was summed up in two beautiful commandments that defy time and doctrine.

  Best regards -- HS
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  binadub

  This is just to unsubscribe my e-mail from being subscribed. I must have checked the wrong box below by mistake.

  bin Adub
  It is the theory which decides what we can observe.--Albert Einstein
• 

  Satanus

  Room

  Good thoughts. Another area where the cathiloc church could be exonerated, when one looks at ot, is infant baptism. As we know, infant baptism is supposed to save the baby's soul. The ot pracice of infant circumcision initiated the child into the yhwh covenant. Compared to this, rc infant christenings are nothing strange. They are even more egalitarian, as they include females, where as the jews only circumsized boys. Maybe being in an uncircumsized was the reason girls were treated just a bit better than livestock in the ot.

  SS