Baptism during the Old Testament. Sacraments in the Orthodox Church

29.01.2024 -

The Fathers of the Church - both in the East and in the West - paid great attention to the Sacrament of Baptism. The first serious theological treatise on this topic was Tertullian’s essay “On Baptism.” In the 4th century, Saints Cyril of Jerusalem, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Gregory of Nyssa and John Chrysostom dedicated separate treatises or conversations to the sacrament of baptism. Sections devoted to baptism are found in the treatises “On the Sacraments” by Ambrosius of Milan and “On the Teaching of the Catechumens” by Blessed Augustine, in the work of Dionysius the Areopagite “On the Celestial Hierarchy”, in “The Mysteries” of Maximus the Confessor, in “An Exact Exposition Orthodox Faith" by John of Damascus and in a number of other works. Several main themes run through all these works of the holy fathers.

First of all, Christian authors talk about the significance of water as a religious symbol. Water is “one of those elements that rested in an unformed form with God before any improvement of the world.” According to Scripture: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was invisible and unsettled, and darkness was over the deep, and the Spirit of the Lord hovered over the waters (see: Gen. 1, 1-2). These words, says Tertullian, indicate the purity of water as an element more pleasing to God than other elements that existed at that time: “After all, the darkness then was still complete and ugly, without the decoration of the stars, and the abyss was sad, and the earth was unkempt, and the sky was unsightly. Moisture alone—a substance always perfect, pleasant, simple, pure in itself—was worthy of carrying God.”

Water is the element of life: it was she who “was the first to produce living things, so that at baptism it would not seem surprising that waters can give life.” Through the presence of the Holy Spirit, “the nature of the waters, sanctified by the saints, itself received the ability to sanctify.” Water regains this ability whenever the Holy Spirit is invoked over it:

Any water, due to the advantages of its origin, receives the sacrament of sanctification as soon as God is invoked. For the Spirit immediately descends from heaven and is present in the waters, sanctifying them with Himself, and they, thus sanctified, absorb the power of sanctification.

In the Old Testament, water is considered not only as an element of life, but also as an instrument of death, as evidenced by the biblical story of the flood. This story has been perceived since apostolic times as one of the prototypes of baptism (see: 1 Pet 3:20-21). According to Gregory the Theologian, “the grace and power of baptism does not drown the world, as it once did, but cleanses sin in every person and completely washes away all impurity and filthiness introduced by damage.”

Another Old Testament prototype of baptism is Moses’ passage through the Red Sea: “Israel was baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea (1 Cor 10:2), giving you prototypes and showing you the truth that was revealed in recent times.” But the story of the flood is also perceived as a prototype of Easter: it is no coincidence that it is read on the eve of Easter among the fifteen Old Testament readings. The double meaning of the symbolism of the flood in the Christian tradition is largely explained by the fact that the celebration of Easter was also the day of baptism.

John's baptism also prefigured Christian baptism. The difference between these two baptisms corresponds to the difference between the symbol and the reality, between the type and its fulfillment. According to Basil the Great, “John preached a baptism of repentance, and all Judea came out to him. The Lord preaches the baptism of adoption... This is initial baptism, and this is perfect; this is removal from sin, and this is assimilation to God.”

Baptism is an agreement, or covenant, between man and God. According to Gregory the Theologian, “the power of baptism must be understood as a covenant with God to enter into another life and to maintain greater purity.” John Chrysostom describes baptism using the image of a contract for the purchase of a slave, familiar to every Byzantine. When we buy slaves, says Chrysostom, we ask those who are being sold whether they wish to leave their previous owners and enter our service; Only after receiving their consent do we pay for them. In the same way, Christ asks us whether we wish to renounce the power of the devil, and “does not force those who do not want to serve Him.” The payment for our liberation from slavery to the devil is the dear price (see: 1 Cor 7:23) that He paid with His blood. After this, “He does not require from us either witnesses or manuscripts, but is content with one saying, and if you say from your heart, “I renounce you, Satan, and your pride,” then He received everything.”

Only that baptism is effective, which is performed in the name of the Holy Trinity. Confession of the Trinity is a necessary attribute of baptism, its theological core. Gregory the Theologian says: “Keep your confession of faith in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. I entrust this confession to you now, with it I will immerse you in the font, and with it I will lead you out. I give him to you for the rest of your life as a comrade and protector—one Divinity and one Power.” According to John of Damascus, we “are baptized into the Holy Trinity because that which is baptized has a need for the Holy Trinity both for its existence and for its preservation, and it is impossible for the three Hypostases not to dwell together in one another, for the Holy Trinity is Indivisible.” .

The prototype of Trinitarian baptism is the three-day stay of Christ in the womb of the earth after His death on the cross. Addressing the newly baptized, Cyril of Jerusalem says:

You made a saving confession, and were immersed in water three times, and came out of the water again. And here you symbolically depicted the three-day burial of Christ. For just as the Savior spent three days and three nights in the womb of the earth (see: Matthew 12:40), so you depicted the first day as the first exit from the water, and the first night of Christ’s sojourn in the earth as the immersion... And at the same time you died and were born, and this saving water was both your coffin and your mother. And at the same time both happened: both your death and your birth were combined together.

At the same time, as John of Damascus emphasizes, the death of Christ took place not three times, but once, therefore it is necessary to be baptized only once. Hence the inadmissibility of rebaptism: those who are baptized a second time “crucify Christ again.” On the other hand, those who are not baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity must be baptized again, since their baptism is invalid.

According to the teaching of the Apostle Paul, baptism into the death of Christ unites a person with Christ in the likeness of resurrection: dying to sin, a person is resurrected to newness of life (Rom 6:2-11). This image is developed, among other Church Fathers, by Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian:

Let us die that we may live; let us put to death carnal wisdom, which cannot submit to the law of God, so that strong spiritual wisdom may be born in us, the result of which is usually life and peace (Rom 8:6-7). Let us bury Christ who died for us, so that we may rise with the Author of our resurrection.

We are buried with Christ through baptism, in order to rise with Him; with Him we will descend, so that with Him we may ascend on high; Let us ascend with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him!

The various names of baptism testify to its diverse effect on the human soul:

We call it gift, grace, baptism, anointing, enlightenment, clothing of incorruptibility, bath of rebirth, seal... We call it a gift as given to those who bring nothing of themselves;

grace - as given to those who are also debtors; by baptism - because sin is buried in water; anointing - as something priestly and royal, because kings and priests were anointed; enlightenment - as lordship; clothes - as a cover for shame; bath - like bathing; seal - as a sign of dominance.

According to Gregory the Theologian, “Scripture shows us threefold birth: carnal birth, birth through baptism and birth through resurrection.” Birth through baptism completely frees a person from sin: it “destroys passions, destroys every cover that lies on us from birth, and elevates us to the life above.”

Continuing the theme of the second birth, John Chrysostom argues that baptism not only frees from all sin, but also makes those who receive it saints:

We promised to show you that those who enter this font are cleansed from all depravity, but our speech showed more - that is, that they become not only pure, but also holy and righteous... Like a spark that falls into the vast sea, it immediately fades away and, absorbed by a lot of water, becomes invisible, so all human depravity, plunging into the font of the divine source, is drowned and disappears faster and easier than that spark... This font... does not just forgive us our sins, does not just cleanse us from sins, but makes it is so that we are, as it were, reborn. Truly, she creates and arranges us again, not forming us again from the earth, but creating us from another element, from the watery nature: she does not simply wash the vessel, but again melts it completely... Like someone taking a golden statue that has become dirty from a long time, smoke, dust and rust, and overflowing it, returns it to us more pure and shiny, so God, taking our nature, damaged by the rust of sin, darkened by the great smoke of sins and having lost the beauty that He gave it in the beginning, melts it again, casting it into waters, as into a furnace, and instead of fire, sending down the grace of the Spirit, and then brings us out from there recreated, renewed and in brilliance not inferior to the rays of the sun, crushing the old man and establishing a new one, brighter than the previous one.

Freeing a person from sin, baptism at the same time obliges him not to return to previous sins. According to Gregory the Theologian, baptism should be followed by a change in lifestyle with the goal of getting rid of the “old man” and complete spiritual renewal: “Let us cleanse, brothers, every member of the body, let us sanctify every feeling; let there be nothing imperfect in us, nothing from the first birth; Let’s not leave anything unenlightened.” John Chrysostom says:

This font can forgive past sins; but the fear is not small and the danger is not unimportant, so that we do not return to them again and so that healing does not become an ulcer for us. The greater the grace, the more severely those who sin after that will be punished... If you have the habit of doing something... impermissible, destroy this habit so that after baptism you do not return to it again. The font destroys sins, and you correct your habit, so that when the colors have already been applied and the royal image has shone, you will not erase it and do not put wounds and scars on the beauty given to you from God.

These words establish a connection between the Sacrament of Baptism and the moral character of the one who received it. If baptism does not correspond to a virtuous life, then it may be useless for a person. This idea is expressed most succinctly by Cyril of Jerusalem: “The water will accept you, but the Spirit will not accept you.” Elsewhere, Saint Cyril says: “If you are a hypocrite, then people are baptizing you now, but the Spirit is not baptizing you.” Saint Gregory of Nyssa also says the same thing:

If the bath (baptism) served the body, and the soul did not cast off passionate impurities - on the contrary, life after the sacrament is similar to life before the sacrament, then although it would be bold to say, I will nevertheless say and will not refuse that for such people water remains water, because that in the one who is born the gift of the Holy Spirit is not at all found...

The Fathers of the Church pay attention to various external aspects of the Sacrament of Baptism. According to Gregory the Theologian, it does not matter whether the baptism is performed by a bishop, metropolitan or priest. The grace of the Sacrament does not depend on the date, not on the place, and not on the personal merits of the baptizer: every priest is fit to perform the Sacrament, unless he is excommunicated from the Church. In general, all differences - between the virtuous and the morally imperfect, between the rich and the poor, the slave and the free - disappear before the baptismal font:

Do not judge the judges, you who need treatment, do not discriminate the merits of those who purify you, do not make distinctions regarding those who give birth to you. One is higher or lower than the other, but everyone is higher than you... Therefore, let everyone be your baptizer. For even if one were superior to the other in life, the power of baptism is equal; in the same way, anyone brought up in the same faith will lead you to perfection in faith. Do not hesitate, rich man, to be baptized together with the poor, noble with the ignoble, master with the one who is still a slave. You will not humble yourself as much as Christ, into whom you are baptized today, who for your sake took the form of a servant (see Phil 2:7). From the day of your change all the former differences have disappeared: in the same way all put on Christ.

The treatises of the Church Fathers on baptism are filled with admonitions not to delay baptism until old age or until the hour of death. The need for such exhortations was related to the common belief in the fourth century that, since baptism provided cleansing from sins, it was best received before death. Some were baptized only on their deathbed (the classic example is Emperor Constantine). Addressing those postponing baptism, Basil the Great asks:

And who firmly set the limit of your life? Who determined the date of your old age? Who is your reliable guarantor for the future? Don't you see that death snatches away children and carries away those who come of age? Life is given more than one term. Why are you waiting for baptism to be a gift of fever for you, when you will no longer be able to utter saving words, and perhaps you won’t even be able to listen to them clearly, because the illness will settle in your very head; when you no longer have the strength to either raise your hands to heaven, or stand on your feet, or bend your knees to worship, or learn profitably, or pronounce your confession firmly, or unite with God, or renounce your enemy, or even, perhaps, with follow the order of the secret teaching with your consciousness, so that those present will remain in doubt, have you felt grace or are you insensitive to what is being done? Even if you accept grace with consciousness, you will have talent, but you will not bring profit from it.

Following Vasily, Gregory the Theologian insists that a person should hasten to baptism while he is still of sound mind, while he is not terminally ill, while his tongue can pronounce the words of the arcane. Why wait for the dying minutes, why turn the celebration of baptism into a funeral ablution? There is always time for baptism because death is always near. The devil inspires a person: “Give me the present, and give God the future, give me youth, and give God old age.” But the danger of an accident and sudden death is great: “Either the war destroyed, or an earthquake crushed under the rubble, or the sea swallowed, or an animal kidnapped, or an illness brought to the grave, or a crumb stuck in the throat... or excessive drinking of wine, or a gust of wind , or carried away a horse, or maliciously prepared poison... or an inhuman judge, or a cruel executioner.”

John Chrysostom describes baptism on his deathbed very colorfully, praising those who do not wait until the hour of death to be baptized:

Therefore, I please you even before you enter that sacred bridal chamber, and I not only please you, but also praise your prudence, that you do not proceed to baptism with your last breath... Those receive the Sacrament on the bed, and you in the bowels of the church, Mother common to all of us; those are in sorrow and tears, and you are in joy and joy; those - with groaning, and you - with gratitude; those are overcome with intense fever, and you are filled with great spiritual pleasure. Therefore, here everything corresponds to the gift, and there everything is opposite to the gift: there those who receive the Sacrament indulge in great lamentation and crying, there are crying children standing around, a wife striking her cheeks, sad friends, servants shedding tears, the appearance of the whole house is likened to some kind of stormy and gloomy day; and if you open the very heart of the person lying down, you will find him more sorrowful than all this... Then, amid such confusion and anxiety, a priest enters, who for the patient is worse than the fever itself, and for those close to the patient more terrible than death, because the arrival of the priest is considered a sign of a greater hopelessness than the voice of a doctor despairing of the life of a patient, and the source of eternal life seems to be a sign of death.

In the 4th century, it was a common custom not to be baptized until the age of thirty or until the completion of secular education. At the same time, Christ was cited as an example, Who was baptized at the age of thirty. In response to this opinion, Gregory the Theologian (himself baptized at the age of thirty) says that “Christ’s deeds were handed over to us in order to serve as some kind of model for our actions, but there cannot be a perfect rapprochement between them.” Christ Himself had power in birth and death, but for a person there is a danger of dying and not having time to be born for a new life.

What age is most appropriate for baptism? This question was answered differently in different eras and in different regions. Tertullian believed that, “taking into account the characteristics, character and even age of each individual, it is more useful to delay baptism, especially of young children.” Tertullian interprets Christ’s words about children, let children come to Me and do not forbid them (Luke 18:16):

So, let them come when they grow up. Let them come when they are learning, when they are taught where to go. Let them become Christians when they have been able to know Christ. Why should an innocent age rush for remission of sins?.. There are no less reasons to postpone baptism for the celibate, who are still subject to temptations: both for adult girls and for husbandless widows, until they either marry or become stronger in abstinence. If we realized the full significance of baptism, we would rather fear haste than delay: immaculate faith does not worry about its salvation.

Basil the Great, on the contrary, believed that youth is a completely appropriate time for baptism: “Are you young? Bring your youth to safety with the bridle of baptism. Have your blooming years passed? Do not lose the parting words, do not destroy the protective means, do not count on the eleventh hour as on the first; because even one who begins life must have death before his eyes.”

Is it permissible to baptize infants? From Tertullian's point of view, no. However, in the 4th century, a view began to prevail, according to which it is not necessary to wait until one reaches a conscious age to be baptized. Gregory the Theologian writes: “Do you have a baby? Let evil not take advantage of this, let him be sanctified from infancy, let him be dedicated to God from a young age.” In principle, Gregory does not object to the fact that baptism should be conscious, but the danger of sudden death remains for him an irrefutable argument in favor of baptism in infancy. He believes that the age of three, when a child can already meaningfully perceive what is happening, is optimal for baptism. Answering the question whether infants who feel neither harm nor grace should be baptized, he writes:

Mandatory if there is any danger. For it is better to be sanctified unconsciously than to leave unsealed and imperfect... About others I express the following opinion: after waiting until the age of three, or a little earlier, or a little later, when you can already hear something mysterious and answer, although not fully realizing , however, imprinting (in memory), one should sanctify souls and bodies with the great Sacrament of Initiation. After all, the situation is like this: although children begin to take responsibility for their lives only when their minds mature and when they understand the meaning of the Sacrament... nevertheless, protecting themselves with a font is much more useful for them in all respects because they can dangers suddenly befall them that cannot be prevented.

If in the 4th century they were still arguing about the optimal age for baptism and different points of view were expressed on this matter, then subsequently the practice of infant baptism prevailed throughout the Christian world. The wide spread of this practice was also associated with a change in the functions of the receivers. If in the time of Justin the Philosopher the main function of the recipients was to bring the person wishing to be baptized into the church and testify to his good behavior during the catechumen period, then later the recipients began to be entrusted with the mission of raising infants baptized at an unconscious age in the faith. The recipients answered the questions of the priest when performing the Sacrament of baptism on behalf of the person being baptized, if he was not yet able to speak and rationally perceive the surrounding reality.

The author of the Areopagite Corpus speaks about infant baptism and the role of recipients in his treatise “On the Church Hierarchy.” The Areopagite polemicizes with those who “find it worthy of fair laughter when hierarchs teach divine things to those who cannot yet hear, and in vain teach sacred traditions to those who still do not understand anything, and, what is even funnier, when others pronounce children of denial and sacred vows." Refuting the opinion of opponents of infant baptism, the author of the Areopagite Corpus writes:

...Infants, being elevated to the Sacraments according to the sacred law, will be introduced into the sacred order of life, becoming free from all wickedness and moving away from a life alien to holiness. Taking this into account, our divine mentors decided to accept babies according to the sacred order so that the natural parents of the child brought would hand him over to one of those initiated into the mysteries of the divine teachings, to a good leader, who would subsequently guide the child as a God-given father and a guide of sacred salvation.

Participating in the Sacrament of baptism, the recipient seems to say: “I give a promise to instill in this baby, when he enters into reason and is able to understand the sacred, so that he will completely deny everything that is enemy and confess and fulfill in practice the divine vows.” As the Areopagite concludes, “there is nothing terrible in the fact that a child is guided in divine upbringing, having a leader and a sacred receiver who inculcates the habit of the divine and keeps him uninvolved in everything enemy.”

A common place in patristic literature was the statement that salvation is impossible without baptism: this statement was based on the words of Christ (see: Mark 16:16). At the same time, the answer to the question about the fate of persons who died unbaptized against their will, for example infants or those who did not receive the Sacrament “out of ignorance,” was not unambiguous. According to Gregory the Theologian, such persons “will not be glorified by the righteous Judge, nor condemned to torment as unsealed, but also innocent and rather having suffered harm than having caused harm.” This, however, does not apply to those who deliberately delay baptism and die unbaptized through their own fault.

In the patristic tradition, the term “baptism” was used not only in relation to the Sacrament of baptism performed by a priest in the church. During the era of persecution (II-III centuries), some of those who believed in Christ accepted martyrdom without having time to be baptized. In relation to such people, the Church believed that baptism with blood replaced their sacramental baptism:

If a catechumen is seized for the name of the Lord, then let him not doubt the completeness of his testimony. If violence was inflicted on him and he was tortured when his sins were not forgiven, then he will be acquitted. For he was baptized with his own blood. ...For us there is also a second baptism, also the only one, namely the baptism of blood, about which the Lord, when he was already baptized, says: “I must receive baptism” (cf. Lk 12:50). For He came, as John wrote, by water and blood (1 John 5:6), to be baptized by water and glorified by blood. And then he made us called through the water, and chosen through the blood. He issues these two baptisms from the wound of his pierced side, since those who believed in His blood were washed with water, and those who were washed with water drank His Blood. This is baptism, which replaces even the rejected font and returns the lost one.

In Christian sources of the subsequent period (IV-VIII centuries), the term “baptism” began to be used in other meanings. In particular, the feat of repentance and the Sacrament of Confession began to be called “baptism of tears.” John of Damascus lists eight meanings in which the term “baptism” is used in Eastern Christian literature:

The first baptism was baptism by flood to destroy sin. The second is baptism by sea and cloud, for the cloud is a symbol of the spirit, and the sea is a symbol of water. The third is baptism according to the law (of Moses), for everyone who was unclean was washed with water, washed his clothes, and thus entered the camp. The fourth is the baptism of John... The fifth is the Baptism of the Lord, with which He Himself was baptized... And we are baptized with the perfect baptism of the Lord, i.e. water and Spirit. The sixth is baptism through repentance and tears, which is truly difficult. The seventh is baptism by blood and martyrdom, with which Christ Himself was baptized for our sake, as the most glorious and blessed, which is not desecrated by subsequent defilements. The eighth and last is not salvific, but destroys vice, for after it vice and sin will no longer have power, and the punishment is endless.

Baptism in the Old Testament and Judaism

Baptism is an ancient rite. This is not an exclusively Christian practice. The Jews practiced ablution (baptism) as a ritual for accepting proselytes (converts) into the religious ranks. Pagans who decided to accept the religion of God-Yahweh had to solemnly carry out a religious, moral and moral ablution from pagan defilement. Thus, baptism/immersion was a rite, an initiation ceremony, the entry of a new member into a religious community. This practice makes no sense in today's secular society, and if we do not cover it here, many Christians will not understand its significance for the church either. Baptism at that time was akin to a ceremony inauguration (inauguration) in modern secular society.

The Apostle Paul, who experienced his conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-8), devotes considerable attention to his baptism. Essentially, it self-awareness Christian can be traced precisely after his baptism by Ananias. After performing this ritual, Paul immediately begins to preach about the Messiah (see Acts 9:17-20).

Let us again draw a parallel with the inauguration. Let's imagine how the people elect a president. After the election committee counts the votes and announces the results of the vote, the public clearly understands that the presidential candidate has finally become president. However formal procedure required so that the whole society understands that a legal action has taken place, after which the president becomes president. So it is in the case of the apostle. Saul of Tarsus converted to Christianity. But in the society of that time it was considered necessary to perform a certain ceremony, after which a person could feel himself as a member of the community he joined.

The most striking example of the absence of such a ceremony can be seen in the election of King Saul (not to be confused with Saul, the future Apostle Paul). A king was chosen (1 Samuel 10:24). But the problematic nature of this situation was that at that time there was no official, let alone palace (Saul did not have his own palace or retinue at that time), regulated ceremony that would have given Saul the opportunity to actually feel like a king: after After the joyful cries of the people, Saul simply went to his home.

In 1 Cor. 10:2 we see an echo of the Old Testament understanding of baptism. In the case of the Baptist, we see that John the Baptist never commented on the nature of the ritual he was performing. The people around John perfectly understood the nature and purpose of this ceremony. Only John's right to perform this washing, baptism for repentance (Matt. 3:7-9; John 1:19-24) was discussed. When there was talk about preparing new disciples, talk arose about their baptism (John 3:26; 4:1). Although Jesus did not baptize Himself, it is clear that the new disciples went through the rite performed by the apostles. That is, acceptance of baptism was a necessary condition in order to become a full member of a religious group.

1 Baptism in the New Testament has prototypes in the Old Testament: cleansing and ritual washings

8 He who is to be cleansed will wash his clothes, cut off all his hair, bathe himself in water, and be clean; then he will enter the camp and remain seven days outside his tent;
(Lev.14:8)
5 And whoever touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening;
(Lev.15:5)
16 But if he does not wash [his clothes] and wash his body, he will bear his iniquity.
(Lev.17:16) and so on.

which in prophetic predictions become a symbol of cleansing from sins

16 Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove your evil deeds from before my eyes; stop doing evil;
(Isa.1:16)
25 And I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be cleansed from all your filthiness, and I will cleanse you from all your idols.
(Ezek.36:25)
1 On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem for the washing away of sin and uncleanness.
(Zechariah 13:1)

Along with these Old Testament examples, John probably also saw contemporary phenomena before his eyes. These include the baptism of proselytes, which supposedly appeared in the 1st century. according to R.H.

This baptism, along with circumcision, was performed on pagans, and for girls and women it was the only external sign of their conversion to Judaism. John may also have been aware of the baptism of novices in the Essene sect at Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls).

Despite the possibility of such connections, John's nickname, “Baptist,” indicates that the baptism he performed was regarded as something completely new;

2 John's baptism with water, inextricably linked with his preaching of repentance, presupposes the confession of his sins by the baptized and the awareness of his sinfulness.

6 And they were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 When John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to him to be baptized, he said to them, “You brood of vipers!” who inspired you to flee from future wrath?
8 Produce fruit worthy of repentance
9 And do not think to say within yourself, “We have Abraham as our father,” for I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
10 Even the ax lies at the root of the trees: every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
(Matt. 3:6-11)

4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
5 And all the country of Judea and the people of Jerusalem came out to him, and they were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
(Mark 1:4,5)

3 And he went through all the surrounding country of Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
4 As it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, who says: A voice crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight;
5 Let every valley be filled, and every mountain and hill be made low, the crooked places made straight, and the rough paths made smooth;
6 And all flesh will see the salvation of God.
7 [John] said to the people who came to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers!” who inspired you to flee from future wrath?
8 Produce fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think of saying within yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father,” for I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
(Luke 3:3-8) et seq.

These circumstances, as well as the indication of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire

11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I; I am not worthy to carry His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire;
(Matt. 3:11)

as to a higher level of baptism, which will become possible only with the appearance of Christ,

1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper countries, arrived at Ephesus and, finding [there] some disciples,
2 He said to them, Have you received the Holy Spirit when you believed? They said to him: we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.
3 He said to them, “What then were you baptized into?” They answered: in John's baptism.
4 Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in him who should come after him, that is, in Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus,
6 And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in tongues and prophesy.
7 There were about twelve of them all.
(Acts 19:1-7)

they say that John's baptism takes the place of preliminary baptism in the sacred historical sequence. Through the activities of John, the community of people who connect their salvation with the appearance of the Messiah prepares for the coming of Christ and unites.

II. Baptism of Jesus

1 Baptism in Jordan

Jesus was baptized in the Jordan (see Mark 1:9 et seq.) to “fulfill all righteousness.” The meaning of this baptism referred only to Him as God's Messiah, since nowhere in the New Testament is baptism in the ancient Church grounded in this baptism of Jesus or associated with Him.

9 And it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 And when he came out of the water, [John] immediately saw the heavens opening and the Spirit like a dove descending on Him.
11 And a voice came from heaven: You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
(Mark 1:9-11)

In this baptism, Jesus joins us, sinful people. On the one hand, at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry, God proclaims and confirms that Jesus is His Son (v. 11), and on the other, Jesus, as the Lamb (John 1:29), submits Himself to the Law of God's judgment, like all sinful flesh ;

29 The next day John sees Jesus coming to him and says, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
(John 1:29)

2 Baptism of suffering

Based on this premise, all the suffering of Jesus, up to His death on the cross, can also be called “baptism” (Mark 10:38; Luke 12:50).

38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask.” Can you drink the cup that I drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?
(Mark 10:38)
50 I must be baptized with baptism; and how I languish until this is accomplished!
(Luke 12:50)

This is what Paul means when he speaks of the K. Jesus as K. “into death.”

3 Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
(Rom 6:3ff.)

III. Baptism in an ancient church

1 to comprehend the essence of New Testament baptism, the fact that in the Church of Christ the baptism of the Holy Spirit is fundamental,

11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I; I am not worthy to carry His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire;
(Matt. 3:11 and parallels)

prophetically predicted by John becomes the event that establishes and marks this Church.

The disciples of Jesus continued for some time to perform baptism with water as (John's) baptism of repentance,

26 And they came to John and said to him: Rabbi! He who was with you at the Jordan and about whom you testified, behold He baptizes, and everyone comes to Him.
(John 3:26)
2 Although Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples
(John 4:2)

but under the influence of the actions of Jesus Himself, starting from the day of Pentecost, they began to baptize again - now “in the name of Jesus Christ”

38 Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
(Acts 2:38)
16 For He had not yet descended upon one of them, but only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
(Acts 8:16)
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay with them for several days.
(Acts 10:48)

15 So that no one should say that I baptized in my name.
(1 Cor. 1:15)
11 And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
(1 Cor. 6:11)
27 All of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
(Gal.3:27)

or - fulfilling the command of Jesus about baptism - in the name of the triune God.

19 Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
(Matt. 28:19)

The Old Testament contains not only the prophecy of the Messiah, but also prototypes of the New Testament. The sacrament of baptism is the reunification of a person with the fullness of the Church through the sacrifice of Christ in the Holy Spirit. The first fruit of baptism is the forgiveness of original sin, through which the power of the demon over man was realized. The prototype of this sacrament in the Old Testament was the rite of circumcision, which became mandatory from the time of Abraham, but existed even before Abraham among many peoples of the world. The first fruit of this rite was the inclusion of the child in the Old Testament Church.

The Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Colossians clearly indicates the connection between the rites of circumcision and baptism as a type and their fulfillment. “You were circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the sinful body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ; being buried with Him in baptism” (Col. 2:11-12).

The second type of the sacrament of baptism in the Old Testament is Noah's Ark (1 Pet. 3:18-21). At the same time, this is an image of the Church into which a person enters through baptism. In the waves of the global flood, all of humanity perished, except for those who entered the ark, including children and infants. Sin was destroyed along with sinners, since at that time there was still no Church of Christ and its regenerating action, which could heal the soul of man, put a separation between man and sin, give strength to man to resist the flow of sin, evil and depravity that covered earth before the flood.

Another Old Testament prototype of baptism is the passage of the Israelites through the Red (Red) Sea. “Everyone has passed through the sea; and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Cor. 10:1-2). The cloud is a symbol of grace, the sea is the baptismal font. Moses himself is a prototype of Christ in the sense of prophetic ministry. Through Moses the Old Testament was given, through Christ the New Testament. The Israelites left Egypt with their families, they walked along the bottom of the parted sea, holding their children and babies in their arms, therefore, babies participated in events that had an educational meaning.

(from Catholics) It is significant that the main meaning of the term “baptism” (in Greek “baptisma”) is “immersion”: the performance of this sacrament was externally reduced mainly to immersion in water, which was accompanied by the invocation of the Trinity. But the verb “baptizein” also means “to wash”, “to cleanse” (see Mk 7:4; Lk 11:38). In the ritual consciousness of Old Testament Israel, water was endowed with a fairly wide range of meanings. For the biblical world, water is primarily the source and force of life. The earth without it is just a barren desert, a kingdom of hunger and thirst, where both man and beast are doomed to death. But water can also be an element of death, such as a devastating flood that hits the earth and destroys all living things. And finally, during religious activities, as well as in everyday life, water serves to wash people and objects and cleanse them from the dirt of everyday life. Thus, water - sometimes life-giving, sometimes destructive, but always cleansing - is most closely connected with the life and history of man.

From a religious point of view, water meant a lot to Israel. It symbolized the life-giving power of God, the Source of all life. She was a sign of His friendship (when God gives water to Israel in abundance, He appears as a source of salvation, friendship, favor). Water is also a symbol of purification that occurs through ablution: it appears both as a means of achieving ritual purity necessary for performing the most important rituals, and as a symbol of the onset of the messianic era (see Isa 4:4; Zech 13:1).

There are also some events related to water in the Old Testament, which later became signs-symbols in Sacred history:

– The Spirit of God hovering over the primordial waters (Gen. 1.2);

– a flood is a natural disaster that cleanses the world and is God’s judgment (Gen. 6-8);

– the name “Moses”, the meaning of which is interpreted in the Old Testament as “saved from the water” (Ex. 2.10);

– Israel’s crossing of the sea (Exodus 14-15) and Jordan (Joshua 3)

- water that broke through the rock and quenched the thirst of Israel (Ex. 17. 1-7)

Thus, hundreds of years before our Redemption was accomplished and for every believer in Christ the opportunity arose to enter into the family of God's children through baptism, Providence revealed images of this sacrament to the chosen people, the blessed remnant of which became the seed of Christ's Church.

O. Bernardo Antonini

Magazine “Truth and Life” No. 1-2 for 1993