Baptism

Baptism is a full immersion in water. In the Bible it is a sign of a new beginning and of an initiation. Jesus asks to be baptised by John the Baptist. Later, baptism becomes an important rite of passage in Christian communities.

In the Old Testament, purification is an important theme. Sometimes water plays a part in this (see for instance 2 Kings 5:9-14). Baptism as a special initiation ritual does not feature in the Old Testament, however.
Holy baths are known to have existed in India, Mesopotamia and Egypt. Hellenistic religions adopted the use of holy baths. People used them to cleanse themselves from ritual and moral impurity. The cleansing could also have been a symbol of new or eternal life.

John the Baptist baptised people by submersing them in the River Jordan. This baptism was not an initiation rite, but a sign of an inner change. People who wanted to start to live a new life came to John to be baptised. By baptism, their sins were forgiven. That meant they were prepared for God’s final judgement.

Jesus also came to be baptised by John. Matthew, Mark and Luke mention a heavenly revelation during or after his baptism. The Holy Spirit descends on Jesus as a dove and a voice from heaven declares that Jesus is God’s beloved Son.
In the Gospel according to John, John the Baptist testifies to Jesus at the River Jordan, but Jesus’ own baptism is not explicitly mentioned.

John the evangelist reports that Jesus himself baptised people (John 3:22), but this is corrected later: it is Jesus’ disciples who baptise people (John 4:2).
In the Gospel according to Matthew, the disciples are not given the task of baptising until the end (Matthew 28:18-20). This instruction is the only place in the Gospels where Christian baptism is mentioned.

In the book of Acts and in Paul’s epistles, baptism is the rite of passage for new followers of Jesus. Through immersion, they share symbolically in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the practice of baptism, a wide range of elements converge: