Baptism in the Early Church

Transcription

1 Money and Faith in the Early Christian Church Series Baptism in the Early Church A Sunday Adult Forum St. John s Episcopal Church, Worthington, OH Presented by Miriam Utter, Parishioner March 19, 2017 I would like to begin with some caveats -- I am no theologian, or early church historian, so any inaccuracies or misinterpretations are all mine, based on reading that is probably incomplete and certainly not in the original Greek. That being said, I do have a serious interest in church history, because tracing the trail of how we got from there to here is absolutely fascinating- at least to me, and I hope that you also will find that discovering these traces of antiquity in our modern church and society brings great enjoyment. We re going to begin first with some background. We will look at the symbolism of water and washing, the role of fasting in initiation rites, mystery cults in antiquity and their rituals, and emergence of church sacraments with a fixed order in first three centuries of Christianity s rise to dominance. Ritual washing appears in many religions and societies. A famous example from mythology is that of Achilles, whose mother Thetis sought to protect her child from an early death, so she held him by the foot and dipped him in the river Styx, which runs through Hades. Sadly, the portion of his foot where she held him did not get wet, and during the Trojan War, he was brought down by a wound on his heel, hence the term, Achilles Heel for a weak point. A very popular mystery cult, that of Mithras and bull, flourished in the later Roman Empire. Mithraism involved the Persian God Mithras, also thought to be the Sun God, who kills the bull (a constellation that appears in the winter sky). Initiates into this mystery (or secret) cult, after a period of fasting, were led into a tunnel or excavation, where they stood underneath a woven wicker platform on which a bull was slaughtered with a spear to the belly. The initiate would be washed in the blood and also drink it, imbibing the characteristics of the animal. Not much is known precisely about this cult, but ancient writers have left some description. The Greeks and Romans also used ritual washing in rivers or pools before entering temples and oracle sites. Other mystery cults used washings, but they were prior to the ceremony, whereas in Christianity, the washing was the focal point of the ritual. There is a surviving religion from the time, the Mandaeans, who observe ritual washings with elements of Judaism and Gnosticism. S u n d a y A d u l t F o r u m : B a p t i s m i n t h e E a r l y C h u r c h ( M i r i a m U t t e r ) P a g e 1 5

2 Since we are talking about Christianity, in its Judaic roots there are many admonitions about washing and bathing. The ritual bath was called the mikveh, and was used for purification. Traditionally, the mikveh was used by both men and women to regain ritual purity after various events, according to regulations laid down in the Torah and in classical rabbinical literature. Purpose-built mikvehs in Jewish synagogues and towns did not appear until the first century BCE, perhaps in response to growing urbanization or the example of the Roman baths. The Torah requires full immersion after menstruation for women, before holy days for men, and on other specific occasions. Converts to Judaism are required to undergo full immersion in water. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan in Waters of Eden connects the laws of impurity to the narrative in the beginning of Genesis. According to Genesis, by eating of the fruit, Adam and Eve had brought death into the world. Kaplan points out that most of the laws of impurity relate to some form of death (or in the case of Niddah the loss of a potential life). One who comes into contact with one of the forms of death must then immerse in water which is described in Genesis as flowing out of the Garden of Eden (the source of life) in order to cleanse oneself of this contact with death (and by extension of sin). An example of the efficacy of bathing occurs in the story of Naaman and Elisha, where the Syrian general is told to go bathe in the river Jordan, immersing himself seven times to cure his leprosy. After some argument, he does and is healed. Jesus also uses water and bathing in his healing miracles. In the gospel of John chapter 9, Jesus heals a blind man by making a paste of mud and saliva, and sends him to wash in the Pool of Siloam, originally built by King Hezekiah. The blind man receives his sight and is healed. Water plays a vital part in the Bible and the Judeo-Christian tradition, and has many symbolic meanings. The word of God is often referred to as water in the Bible because the Word acts as a cleansing agent which explains what Paul meant when he wrote concerning Jesus cleansing the church that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish (Eph 5:26-27). Ezekiel writes about where God says I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you (Ezk 36:25) while the author of Hebrews writes let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water (Heb 10:22). Water is also referred to as Salvation or the Eternal life. Isaiah talks about With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:3) while Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water (John 4:10) because whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:14). Water also refers to the Spirit of God. Jesus uses the word water in yet another figurative way when On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, Out S u n d a y A d u l t F o r u m : B a p t i s m i n t h e E a r l y C h u r c h ( M i r i a m U t t e r ) P a g e 2 5

3 of his heart will flow rivers of living water. Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:37-39) so Jesus was prophesying about the Spirt that would come that had not been given as the living water and would come on the Day of Pentecost when He would pour out His Spirit upon the church. Finally, God is the Fountain of Living Water that sustains everything, an idea found in the Old Testament water where Jeremiah writes for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water (Jer 2:13) So water in the Bible represents the cleansing of the sinner by the washing of the water of the Word of God; water is also the source of the living water that springs up into eternal life; Jesus referred to the coming of the living water as the Holy Spirit which at the time He spoke had not yet been poured out; and finally, God is this source of this living water in both the Old and the New Testament and those who drink from it will never die and indeed, shall never thirst again (John 4:14). A most important part of baptism in the Early church was fasting. Fasting as a spiritual practice appears in many religions and societies. Native American societies had a rite of passage for young males, loosely named vision quest which involved a period of fasting and isolation in the wilderness, so they could discern their purpose in life and in support of their community. In both the Old and New Testaments, fasting was done in a time of intense spiritual need, or as a means to discern God s will. Moses, Elijah, Ezra, Esther, Darius and Daniel are OT examples, while in the NT, Jesus, Paul and the Church elders in Antioch fast, as well as the Pharisees, as fasting was and is part of the Jewish tradition, as in today s Yom Kippur fast. So, how do these elements of fasting and washing become appear in the early church ritual of baptism? A brief aside on the etymology of the word baptism- the Greek root is bapto or baptize, whose literal meaning to dip or plunge. The metaphorical meaning is to harden or to temper, as in dipping hot metal into water, or to dye with color. First, it is important to remember that the early Christians were all Jews. Fasting and ritual bathing were part of their lives already. Christ s baptism in the river Jordan by John the Baptist was an event that was understood within the symbolic framework of Judaism. The first Christians also followed the Jewish laws, and were considered a sect of the Nazarenes. So, when we look for descriptions of baptismal ceremonies in the first century CE, the evidence is sparse. However, there is evidence for proselyte baptism in Judaism, when Gentiles converted to Judaism. Questions were asked of the candidate to determine their sincerity, and then they were instructed in the commandments. If they accepted, then men were circumcised. When healed, they took a nude ritual bath with two witnesses. Women followed the same procedure, but with female witnesses. It is very possible that pagan converts to early Christianity went through the Judaic tradition. But once Paul made the case that Gentiles could become Christians without converting to Judaism, elements of the ritual transformed in the baptismal ceremony that we observe today, but with some major differences. I would like to point out that there is NO New Testament text S u n d a y A d u l t F o r u m : B a p t i s m i n t h e E a r l y C h u r c h ( M i r i a m U t t e r ) P a g e 3 5

4 that relates Christ s baptism with Christian baptism. Christ s baptism by John was not a baptism of repentance but an acknowledgment of the start of his ministry as he received the Holy Spirit. So, if we were to go back in time, how would our baptism ceremony begin? First of all, a person would be an adult. Becoming a Christian was a major step, meaning moving out of the accepted civic life of the Roman world, since one would no longer make offerings to the Emperor, who was considered divine. This refusal was treason, so the sentence was death. Newcomers to the faith were brought to teachers by Christian who testified to their readiness for instruction. Certain occupations, such as prostitute, gladiator, or magician were excluded, unless the person was willing to change jobs. There would be a long period of instruction in the Christian faith, up to three years, but in many cases three month or less might suffice. There was no participation in the Eucharist or other ceremonies. When it was time to receive baptism, the catechumens were examined to see if they had lived a virtuous life and done good works. Their sponsors would testify on their behalf. There then followed an intense period of prayers and fasting with daily exorcisms. It was felt that the air swarmed with demons and the spirits of the ancient gods, and constant vigilance was demanded to be spiritually strong. Baptisms took place only at Easter, so the candidates would be kept in a special retreat, where they would fast for the 40 days of Lent, hearing lectures on the scriptures and spiritual life twice a day. They would be led through the Old Testament with sermons on Abraham, Isaac, Joseph and Jacob, and other biblical personages, so that would understand the basis of the faith. Finally, on Palm Sunday, they would learn the creed, which was at that time not a public document, and was called the symbol. This is from the Greek word symbolon, which means contract. The applicants would memorize it, and be taught the meaning of each sentence. It was a sacred vow that would protect them from harm. At dawn on Easter morning, the applicants would line up at the door of the baptistery, and the bishop would touch their ears and their nostrils, saying ephphatha, be opened, what Jesus said when he healed the deaf mute, meaning that they should be opened to Christ. They then went into the baptistery, men and women separately. They recited the renunciation vows, that we still use today, facing west, where the sun sets. Then, facing east to the arriving son, they declared their acceptance of Christ. Then they disrobed, and totally naked, were oiled by the priests and deacons, an anointing symbolizing they were athletes of Christ, fighting against the world, waiting the victor s crown in heaven. The water in the font was blessed, and they entered the font which was an octagonal pool, where they were immersed three times, with the words we still use, baptize in the name of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. They would also receive a baptismal name. Upon leaving the pool, there would be a foot washing ceremony as an example of humility. They would be dressed in new white robes, and be ready to process into the church for the easter dawn service, where for the first time they would hear the Lord s Prayer, another closely guarded secret like the creed. Today we baptize infants, but in the early church infants and children were considered innocents and not in need of immediate baptism, although tomb inscriptions from the early centuries contain examples of infant baptism. Original sin had not yet become a doctrine. Only youths S u n d a y A d u l t F o r u m : B a p t i s m i n t h e E a r l y C h u r c h ( M i r i a m U t t e r ) P a g e 4 5

5 and adults, who considered old enough to understand the demands that would be placed upon them as they strove to live a Christian life, were baptized. Our final picture is of the San Giovanni famous baptistery in Florence, built in It is octagonal in shape as were many baptisteries and fonts in the early church. Eight was a sacred or mystical number, as Christ rose on the 8 th day, he was circumcised on the 8 th day, 8 people were in Noah s ark, Joseph had 8 brothers and so on. I hope you have enjoyed this race through antiquity in search of baptism, and thank you for listening. [end] S u n d a y A d u l t F o r u m : B a p t i s m i n t h e E a r l y C h u r c h ( M i r i a m U t t e r ) P a g e 5 5