Dr. Paul Manuel—1989
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| Second Temple Jerusalem Mikvah (Ritual Immersion Pool) |
Because of the size of this study (72 pages) I include below the break only the Table of Contents and the Introduction. The entire study is available here as a pdf.
Contents
Contents
| Introduction | 4 | |
| I. | Ablution in the Old Testament | 5 |
| Diagram: The Sphere of God's Holiness | ||
| A. | Literal use | 6 |
| 1. Ablution for primary defilement | ||
| a. Contact with an idol or its paraphernalia | ||
| b. Contact with an infectious skin disease | ||
| Diagram: The Purification Ritual for an Infectious Skin Disease | ||
| c. Contact with an issue of blood or semen | ||
| d. Contact with a (human) corpse or grave | ||
| 2. Ablution for secondary defilement | ||
| a. Unnamed source | ||
| b. Unsolved murder | ||
| B. | Figurative use | 14 |
| 1. Ceremonial purification:: spiritual cleansing (forgiveness) | ||
| 2. Clean hands: moral integrity | ||
| 3. Clean hands: repentance | ||
| II. | Ablution in Judaism of the late Second Temple Period | 16 |
| A. | Literal use | 18 |
| 1. Ablution for primary defilement | ||
| a. Contact with a gentile | ||
| b. General defilement of a (minor) member | ||
| A Continuum of Attitudes toward Ritual Purity. | ||
| 2. Ablution for secondary defilement. | ||
| a. Hand purification before prayer and study | ||
| b. Hand purification before eating | ||
| B. | Figurative use | 22 |
| 1. Ceremonial purification:: forgiveness | ||
| 2. Clean hands:: moral integrity | ||
| III. | Ablution in the New Testament | 24 |
| A. | Literal use | 26 |
| 1. Ablution for primary defilement | ||
| a. John's ablution | ||
| Comment: Repentance and John's baptism | ||
| Comment: On being baptized | ||
| b. Jesus' ablution | ||
| Comment: Faith and Jesus' baptism | ||
| Comment: Additional significance of Jesus' baptism | ||
| Comment: John's baptism and Jesus' baptism | ||
| Comment: "In the name of" | ||
| c. Paul's ablution | ||
| 2. Ablution for secondary defilement | ||
| a. Disciples' ablution | ||
| b. Miscellaneous ablutions | ||
| B. | Figurative use | 37 |
| 1. Ceremonial cleansing (immersion) :: spiritual cleansing | ||
| 2. Ceremonial cleansing (effusion):: spiritual cleansing | ||
| 3. Ceremonial cleansing (aspersion):: spiritual cleansing | ||
| 4. Ceremonial cleansing (aspersion/immersion):: spiritual cleansing | ||
| 5. Ceremonial cleansing (unspecified):: spiritual cleansing | ||
| 6. Ceremonial purification by water:: moral purification by the Spirit | ||
| 7. Underwater in baptism (immersion) :: underground in death | ||
| 8. Deluged by water (immersion) :: deluged by catastrophe | ||
| 9. Other water:: baptism water (immersion) :: present application | ||
| IV. | Ablution in Christianity after the Late Second Temple Period | 41 |
| A. | Literal use | 42 |
| 1. Ablution for initiation | ||
| 2. Ablution for regeneration | ||
| Comment: On being "born again through water and the Spirit" | ||
| 3. Ablution for representation | ||
| Comment: Communion and baptism in Catholicism and Lutheranism | ||
| Comment: On the form of baptism | ||
| Comment: On the function of baptism | ||
| B. | Figurative use | 51 |
| Comment: On the two uses of baptism—literal and figurative | ||
| Conclusion: How shall we then wash? | 53 | |
| Bibliography | 55 | |
| Endnotes | 57 |
Introduction
The church has found ablution in general and baptism in particular to be a source of some controversy. One reason is that many Christians approach this topic by interpreting backwards, by importing church history into the New Testament and then reading their understanding of the New Testament back into the Old Testament; or they think that they can understand the New Testament practice in isolation, as if it developed in a vacuum. Such approaches have produced some peculiar views of baptism, which we will evaluate after we have studied the biblical and contemporary extra-biblical data.
Although our English word "baptism" comes from the Greek word, the practice of baptism did not originate with the New Testament; God instituted it at Sinai, so that is where we must begin. Moreover, the use of baptism was not confined to the literal act; biblical writers saw parallels to baptism in other areas of their relationship with God and developed an extended figurative use of the term as well. Our study will start with what the Old Testament says, proceed to Jewish literature of Second Temple Period relevant to the topic, then move to the New Testament. Finally, we will consider the various post-New Testament Christian positions on baptism, looking at three aspects of baptism in each section: its form, its function, its figurative use. In this way, we will try to develop a biblical view of baptism.
For For the Complete Study (72 pages), including Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
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Jim Skaggs