Sacraments of Initiation
Part 2 History of Initiation
Chapter i21 Origins of Christian Initiation
Preliminary QuestionsBibliographyOrigins of Christian Baptism |
The Baptism of JesusOsborne's Summary of New Testament Insights into Baptism |
Johnson Chapter 1To Think About |
Preliminary Questions
What do you know of the origins of the Rites of Christian Initiation? What do the Christian Scriptures tell us about conversion and initiation into the community? Did Jesus baptize? What is the difference between the Baptism of John the Baptist and Christian Initiation?
Bibliography
Martos, Chapter I. "Sacraments in All Religions," pp 3-18.
Osborne, "Holy Baptism: A Selected Bibliography," pp 7-10.
Osborne, Chapter 1. "Holy Baptism: The Teaching of the Roman Catholic Church," pp 11-23.
Martos, Chapter II. "The Beginning of the Christian Sacraments," pp 19-46.
Osborne, Chapter 2. "Holy Baptism and the New Testament," pp 24-61.
Osborne, Chapter 3. "Holy Baptism and the Early Church," pp 62-78.
Reginald Fuller, "Christian Initiation in the New Testament," Made, Not Born pp 7-31.
Kavanagh, The Shape of Baptism pp i-xv, 1-11.
R. Cabié. "The Origins of Christian Initiation (To the Middle of the Second Century)," pp 11-17 in A. G. Martimort (editor). The Sacraments. Volume III of The Church at Prayer. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, new edition 1987. ISBN 0-8146-1365-9. [Updates of the lecture notes from my master’s level courses at the Institut Catholique.]
Raymond E. Brown, The Churches the Apostles Left Behind. New York: Paulist Press, 1984.
The Origins of Christian Baptism
1. Jewish Ablutions Jewish ablutions usually contain a penance, or repentance, or conversion theme. [Birth themes are a Christian addition.]
2. John the Baptist Scholars debate where John got the idea to baptize and what happened to Jesus when he was baptized by John. Some scholars say that it is the immediate external origin of Christian Baptism (e.g. Fuller).
3. Circumcision There is no direct line leading from circumcision to Christian baptism.
4. Qumran There is no (known) link between the ablution rites at Qumran and Christian baptism.
5. Mystery Religions The (pagan) Mystery Religions used ablution rites. Initiation into the mystery cults was often by baptism in the blood of the sacrificial animal. (Note that there is an obvious connection between water washing away dirt and "washing" away sins. But remember that "original sin is not mentioned at all in the New Testament insights into baptism. Therefore, original sin cannot be seen as a constitutive factor for a theology of baptism." (Osborn, p 59)
6. Fusion of what was in the air Dr. B. Brandon Scott says that Christian baptism was born of a "fusion of things that were in the air at the time" e.g. proselyte (Jewish) baptism, the baptism of John the Baptist and his community, and the practices of the mystery religions.
7. New liturgical creation Kavanagh states that Christian baptism is "a new liturgical creation" which arises out of the Jewish proselyte practice, the practice of John the Baptizer, and the cultural bathing practices of the time. These elements "combine to produce an entirely new liturgical creation – a post Pentecostal plunging into Spirit and fire released upon the earth by the passion, death, and resurrection of one Jesus, the Anointed One of God. (Aidan Kavanagh, "Liturgical Inculturation: Looking to the Future", York, England, August 19, 1989.) The practices flows from a reflection on the meaning of conversion (saying "yes" to the Paschal Victory of Jesus Christ) and the application of archetypes (death to the old self, down, birth, new life, water, light, etc.)
The Baptism of Jesus
The three synoptic gospels each record the baptism of Jesus. We celebrate this event on the first Sunday per annum.
1. Top of the iceberg / Under the iceberg: We all have seen artistic renderings of the baptism of Jesus and we all have various mental pictures of Jesus going down into the Jordan and being baptized by John. But what "interpretation" do we give to this event. What unconscious, under the iceberg interpretation do we give to it?
During my years of teaching graduate courses on the Sacraments of Initiation I have frequently found Catechists who when they hear the word "baptism" think "Sacrament of Baptism" and imagine Jesus going into the Jordan to receive the sacrament. He had original sin forgiven, all his actual sins forgiven, and he became a member of the Roman Catholic Church. Some time later he received the Holy Spirit in Confirmation (we don't know exactly when) and then he received his First Holy Communion at the Last Supper. They then continue this line of thinking and imagine that Jesus ordained the twelve apostles Roman Catholic Priests so that they could concelebrate the First Mass with him and wonder: Did Jesus first baptized them (because you can't be ordained unless you are first baptized); were they ordained before they were Confirmed (because, obviously, they only received Confirmation on Pentecost)? In class at the Institut Supérieur de Liturgie Fr. Gy frequently reminded us that "even more important than knowing the right answers, is knowing the right questions." And these are evidently NOT the right questions.
2. Top of the iceberg: The texts The baptism of Jesus is one of the few events recorded in all three synoptic gospels. Why? Brandon Scott replies: "It was an embarrassment which needs to be explained." (B. Brandon Scott, class notes, St. Meinrad.)
The baptism of Jesus by John is probably in all the synoptic gospels because historically it factually happened. It is unclear why Jesus would have been baptized by John but most scholars think it was to show his allegiance to John and his wanting to be a part of John's early group. Eventually they will split up and Jesus will go his own way. Today, hardly anyone in the scholarly world thinks that Jesus was baptized "to provide a model for later Christians" since that is not how he operated at all. The gospel of John does not have Jesus baptized by John because he might not have known about the synoptic tradition and therefore was unaware that it happened. Later Christians have gone back and tried to explain the baptism of Jesus looking at it through the eyes of later practice and theology and that has led to some rather strange opinions. In the gospels the baptism of Jesus is important because it is the event where he seems to receive his commission from God which sets him on his mission to preach and teach and heal. It is the place where we hear the divine voice telling us who Jesus really is." [Private reply from a noted scripture scholar.]
"Jesus identified with sinful humanity. Why was Jesus baptized by John? Followers of Jesus have believed almost from the beginning that Jesus was free from sin. Matthew has Jesus say that he must be baptized by John to fulfill all righteousness (Mt 3:15). In this instance righteousness must indicate God's saving plan or the saving activity of God. Symbolically, Jesus' baptism is a key moment in the Gospel story. It identifies for the reader who Jesus really is. Crucial to this identity is the understanding that by being baptized by John, Jesus identifies totally and fully with sinful humanity. He does not commit sins but he experiences fully the human sinful condition. This is part of God's saving plan. It is the mystery of the incarnation." (Fr. Eugene Hensell, OSB, Homily Helps, January 9, 2005)
3. Top of the iceberg: The liturgy Look to the liturgical texts to see how we pray about the baptism of Jesus. e.g. see the commentary on this feast in the Liturgy of the Hours.
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented Jesus, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered John, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. And when Jesus was baptized he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and Jesus saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my Son, the beloved one, with whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:13-17. Baptism of Our Lord, Cycle A. Pueblo p 32.)
Jesus speaks of his passion and death as his "baptism": "I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed!" (Luke 12:50) In Mk 10:35-45. Jesus associates "baptism" and "death and resurrection." Verse 35: Zebedee’s sons, James and John, approached him. 38: "Can you drink the cup I shall drink or be baptized in the same bath of pain as I?" See also Mt 20:20-28 [Gospel for feast of St. James. See also homily on the text by St. John Chrysostom, Office of Readings, Feast of St. James.] The Paschal Victory (cross) meaning joins water bath event.
At Mass the current Roman invitation to communion joins the words of John the Baptist "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!" [eschatological Lamb, remission of sins] with communion [participation in death and resurrection]. The Baptism of Jesus is joined to the meaning of passion, death, and resurrection. Jordan and Calvary are joined. Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist metaphors become one.
Osborne's Summary of New Testament Insights into Baptism
Osborne (page 59) summarizes "Holy Baptism and the New Testament" in eight statements.
1. Jesus is presented as the center of baptism. The gospels and the later letters of Paul emphasize this.
2. Baptism is associated clearly with the Spirit. To say that there is, for Christians, a baptism of water and only later a baptism of the Spirit counters all that the New Testament says.
3. Baptism is presented in its connection to salvation history. There is an historical revelation of God’s remission of sins and his bestowal of forgiving love.
4. Baptism is presented as a communal activity, involving the followers of Jesus. It is not a private affair, nor is it a family affair. Even if there might be some admission of infants to baptism in the New Testament, such baptisms are almost wholly overshadowed by adult baptism. Thus, the celebration is not of a child into a family, but of a person into the Jesus community.
5. Baptism renders meaningless any claim to preeminence due to gender, social class, or ethnic background.
6. Baptism is a profoundly religious event, both in life of Jesus and in the lives of his followers. Faith is involved, and this means a response to an antecedent gift of God: his call to repentance and to life. Baptism, therefore, is a moment of grace, a moment of gift, not a good work nor a keeping of a commandment.
7. Negatively, baptism is not compared to circumcision, nor is it seen as a Christian substitute for circumcision. Therefore, the theology of circumcision does not play a role in developing the theology of baptism.
8. Negatively, again, original sin is not mentioned at all in the New Testament insights into baptism. Therefore, original sin cannot be seen as a constitutive factor for a theology of baptism.
Maxwell Johnson: Summary of Chapter 1
Maxwell E. Johnson Chapter 1: The Origins of the Rites of Christian Initiation
Part I: Jesus’ “Table Companionship” As an Initiation Rite
Part II: Jesus and Baptism
The Baptism of John
The Baptism of Jesus at the Jordan
Jesus and Baptism in the Fourth Gospel
Part III: Christian Initiation in the New Testament Communities
Rites of Initiation in the New Testament Communities
How were the earliest Christian baptisms administered?
What words were used in the conferring of baptism?
Were infants baptized in the time of the New Testament?Theological Interpretations of Initiation in the New Testament
Conclusion
To Think About
Did you learn anything new about initiation in the Scriptures from what you have read and heard? Are the Christian Scriptures about rites? Did Jesus received the sacrament of Baptism? Did Jesus instituted a single rite which diversified in time? Was John the Baptist was the first to confer the sacrament? Can we find the sacrament of Confirmation in the Acts of the Apostles? Did Jesus say that all persons must be baptized?
Where did the rites of Christian Initiation come from? Discuss the development of these rites.
What is the difference between the Baptism of John and Christian Baptism?
State five metaphors for baptism found in the Christian Scriptures. Where in the Rites for Christian Initiation is this metaphor expressed? What does this tell you about the meaning of Christian Initiation?
What are the historical relationships between Christian Initiation and a) the mystery cults, b) Greek philosophy, and c) Hebrew culture?
Compare and contrast the symbolism of baptism by immersion and by infusion or aspersion in the light of the biblical statements on baptism, conversion and initiation. Down into the river, Down into the tomb, etc.
© Copyright: Tom Richstatter, Franciscan Province of St. John the Baptist, Cincinnati Ohio, Order of Friars Minor. All Rights Reserved. This page was created by Fr. Thomas Richstatter, O.F.M. Every effort has been, and is being made, to acknowledge sources when the ideas are not my own. Any failure to comply with the United States Copyright Act (Title 17, United States Code) will be corrected immediately should I become aware of it. This site was updated on 10/07/08 . Your comments on this site are welcome at tomrichs@psci.net.