Origins of Baptism
Baptism, associated greatly with the Christian religion, did not originate with John the Baptist as many would assume from well known Bible stories. In fact, before Jesus' time, the washing of almost anything was considered as a way of cleansing and purifying to rid of sin or to make clean. The Levitical Law, a set of standards handed down by God provided people with the methods of identifying those who were unclean and performing ceremonial cleansing (Redeemer, 1996). The Old Testament stories mention many times the concept of ceremonial washing (early forms of Baptism). The first Bible story that foregrounds this ritualistic activity is found in the book of Exodus (19:5-15);
God tells Moses to relay a message to the Israelites: "Now, if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own people. The whole earth is mine, but you will be my chosen people, a people dedicated to me alone, and you will serve me as priests" ... Moses did as he was told and God instructed him: "Go to the people and tell them to spend today and tomorrow purifying themselves for worship. They must wash their clothes and be ready the day after tomorrow. On that day I will come down on Mount Sinai, where all the people can see me".
This act of 'purifying themselves for worship' is considered a form of Baptism. The priests used water to immerse themselves and wash their clothes to ensure that they were no longer considered unclean or sinful, and were worthy to be God's priests. Following on from this event, priests were expected to always carry out a cleansing ritual in water before performing any priestly duties (Blank, 1998).
God tells Moses to relay a message to the Israelites: "Now, if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own people. The whole earth is mine, but you will be my chosen people, a people dedicated to me alone, and you will serve me as priests" ... Moses did as he was told and God instructed him: "Go to the people and tell them to spend today and tomorrow purifying themselves for worship. They must wash their clothes and be ready the day after tomorrow. On that day I will come down on Mount Sinai, where all the people can see me".
This act of 'purifying themselves for worship' is considered a form of Baptism. The priests used water to immerse themselves and wash their clothes to ensure that they were no longer considered unclean or sinful, and were worthy to be God's priests. Following on from this event, priests were expected to always carry out a cleansing ritual in water before performing any priestly duties (Blank, 1998).
Jesus and Baptism
Jesus himself never performed a Baptism, but was baptized in the River Jordan like many others before and after him, by John. He referred to this particular ceremony as 'righteousness', he believed that doing so was expected from him and was the correct action to take. After Jesus was baptized by John, God descended from heaven and baptized Jesus with the Holy Ghost, proclaiming him his beloved son (TTG, 2007). This very promise is offered to all those to believe and have faith in God, as in today's Baptismal Ceremonies the anointing of the Oils is a sign of being baptized with the Holy Spirit.
Upon his death Jesus instructed his disciples to go on and baptize all of his people. This is known as The Great Commission. Matthew (28:18-20) reads: " I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age". This is the point at which Baptism changed, and in the following years of the 1st and 2nd centuries, became a full sacramental ceremony (TESC, 2011).
Jesus himself never performed a Baptism, but was baptized in the River Jordan like many others before and after him, by John. He referred to this particular ceremony as 'righteousness', he believed that doing so was expected from him and was the correct action to take. After Jesus was baptized by John, God descended from heaven and baptized Jesus with the Holy Ghost, proclaiming him his beloved son (TTG, 2007). This very promise is offered to all those to believe and have faith in God, as in today's Baptismal Ceremonies the anointing of the Oils is a sign of being baptized with the Holy Spirit.
Upon his death Jesus instructed his disciples to go on and baptize all of his people. This is known as The Great Commission. Matthew (28:18-20) reads: " I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age". This is the point at which Baptism changed, and in the following years of the 1st and 2nd centuries, became a full sacramental ceremony (TESC, 2011).
Historical Development
As previously mentioned, Baptism was once a full body immersion in water and has developed greatly from the time of Jesus' life to today. In the Bible we read of adults being baptized by water and the Holy Spirit, but are never really told if children were included in this ritual (Martos, 2001). Nowadays the 'norm' is witnessing an infant Baptism which their parents have organized and decided on. Gone are the days when people were baptized by merely expressing that they had faith in God. Over time the Church has built on their requirements to be initiated into the Christian faith; from needing a sponsor for 2 - 3 years to changing occupation if not accepted by the Church. The actual ritual itself was once stretched out across a number of days (the Catechumenate), but has been shortened since to a more manageable 30 - 40 minute rite that is often added into a regular church mass (Martos, 2001).