3. Another type of, <r rather a rite analogous to, baptism was circumcision. Paul (Col. ii, 11) speaks of the Colossian Christians as having been circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, when they were buried with Christ in baptism, in which they were also raised again with him (tp ip TTipurj.ujPi]ri . . . . GvvrafykvTtc, arriii it' to> ^airriafian. "The aorist participle, as often, is contemporary with the preceding past verb."— Alford in lcc.). The obvious reason for the comparison of the two rites is that cir- cumcision was the entrance to the Jewish Church and the ancient covenant, baptism to the Christian Church and to the new covenant; and perhaps also that the spiritual significance of circumcision had a resemblance to the spiritual import of baptism, viz. "the putting off the body of the sins of the flesh," and the purifica- tion of the heart by the grace of God. Paul therefore calls baptism the circumcision made without hands, and speaks of the putting off of the sins of the flesh by Christian circumcision (iv Tt) rripiTopiJ rov Xpiarov), i. c. by baptism.
BAPTISM
642
BAPTISM
4. Before leaving this part of the subject, we ought perhaps to observe that in more than one instance death is called a baptism. In Matt, xx, 22; Mark x, 29, our Lord speaks of the cup which he had to drink, and tlic baptism that lie was to he baptized with ; and again, in Luke xii, ">i», " I have a baptism to he bap- tized with." It is generally thought that baptism here means an inundation of Borrows; that, as the baptized went down in the water, and water was to be poured over him, so our Lord meant to indicate that he himself had to pass through "the deep waters of affliction" (see Kuinol on Matt, xx, 22 ; Schleusner, s. v. nu-ri-w). In after times martyrdom was called a baptism of blood. But the metaphor in this latter case is evidently different; and in the above words of our Lord baptism is used without any qualification, whereas in passages adduced from profane authors we always find some words explanatory of the mode of the immersion. Is it not then probable that some deeper significance attaches to the comparison of death, especially of our Lord's death, to baptism, when we consider, too, that the connection of baptism with the death and resurrection of Christ is so much insisted on by Paul ?
IV. Names of Baptism. — 1. "Baptism" (/3«— nupa : the word fiaTTTUTpoQ occurs only three times, viz. Mark vii, 8; Heb.vi, 2; ix, 10). The verb fiaTrri'Cuv (from fid-KTtiv, to wet) is the rendering of h'Sa, to plunge, by the Sept. in 2 Kings v, 14 ; and according- ly the Rabbins used fih"^ for /3«-n<x/<o;. The Lat- in fathers render jia-ri'Cuv by tine/ere (e. g. Tertull. adv. Prax. c. 26, "Novissime mandavit ut tingerent in Patrem Filium et Spiritum Sanctum"); by merger e (as Ambros. De Sacramenlis, lib. ii, c. 7, " Interrogatus es, Credis in Deum Patrem Omnipotentem? Dixisti Credo ; et mersisti, hoc est sepultus es") ; by mergi- tare (as Tertullian, De Corona Hilitis, c. 3, " Dehinc ter mergitamur") ; see Suicer, s. v. avaduut. By the Greek lathers the word /3ajm'£«v is often used figura- tively for overwhelming with sleep, sorrow, sin, etc. Thus inrb fi't9)]Q fiaTrTiZo^tvoQ eig vttvoi', buried in sleep through drunkenness. So pvpiaig /3«7rri£d>£- voq (ppovTiatv, absorbed in thought (Chrysost.). Tate Qapwdraiq apapriaig fiefiairTia pivot, steeped in sin i Justin M.). See Suicer, s. v. |3<Mrn'£a>.
2. " The Water" (to vCiop) is a name of baptism which occurs in Acts x, 47. After Peter's discourse, the Holy .Spirit came, visibly on Cornelius and his company; and the apostle asked, "Can any man for- bid the water, that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Ghost?" In ordinary cases the water had been first administered, after that the apostles laid on their hands, and then the Spirit was given. But here the Spirit had come down manifestly, before the administration of baptism; and Peter ar- gued that no one could then reasonably withhold bap- tism (calling it " the water") from tho"se who had vis- iblj received that of which baptism was the sign and >eal. With this phrase, T0 vSo»p, "the water," used of baptism, compare - the breaking of bread" as a title of the Eucharist, Acts ii, 12.
B. •'! be Washing of Water" (Tb \o„mw to? }'.,?„.
bathofthe water") occurs Eph.v, 26. There
api-ar- clearly in these words a reference to the bridal
bath : but the allusion to baptism is dearer still, bap-
U* ' wh,ch the bridal bath was an emblem, a type
or mystery, signifying to us the spiritual union be- fcWIXl I hrist and his church. For as the bride was
"""' '" batho l"'l'",v being presented to the bride- rr"""'-.\" "»<>hingii, the water is that initiatory rite ">'.? Mch ""• Christian Church is betrothed to the Bridegroom, Christ.
There u, gome difficulty in the construction and in- terpretation of the qualifyinR words. ;,. p>ar«, " by the word. According to the more ancient interpre- tation, they would indicate that the outward rite of
washing is insufficient and unavailing without the added potency of the Word of God (eomp. 1 Pet. iii, 21), "Not the putting away the tilth of the flesh," etc.) ; and as the Xovrpbv too vCcitoc, had reference to the bridal bath, so there might be an allusion to the wt rds of betrothal. The bridal bath and the words of betrothal typified the water and the words of baptism. On the doctrine so expressed the language of Augus- tine is famous: " Detrahe verbum, et quid est aqua nisi aqua? Accedit verbum ad elementum, ct fit sac- ramentum" (Tract. 80 in Jolian.). Yet the general use of pi)j.ia in the New Testament and the grammati- cal construction of the passage seem to favor the opin- ion that the Word of God preached to the church, rather than the words made use of in baptism, is that accompaniment of the laver without which it would be imperfect (see Ellicott, in loc).