Jewish Perspective On Baptism

In today’s class (Sunday, Jan. 23) a question came up about the origins of baptism, especially as it relates to the Jewish faith. From some research, we find that baptism does have its roots in ancient Judaism. This analysis of the baptismal sacrament explores some of that background.

Well before the coming of Christ, baptism had been established as the consummating step of the process by which a prosyelite would enter the Jewish faith. The people of the New Testament era were therefore quite familiar with the practice. Note that when the priests and Levites confronted John the Baptist (Jn. 1:19), they did not ask him "What are you doing?", but rather they asked him "Why do you baptize?" When an outsider confessed a faith in Judaism, he would be

• instructed in the faith,
• circumcised,
• and then (after he had healed) he would immerse himself in water in a witnessed ceremony.

Immediately as he came out of the water, he would be given all rights and privileges of Judaism.

Further analysis of the origin of baptism goes back to rabbinical law. The mikveh laws were specifically focused on spiritual cleansing and centered around water rituals. From cleansing of clothes, to cleansing after touching the dead, and cleansing before and after ministering in the holy tabernacle.

Some of the origins of Jewish rejection of baptism may stem from the crusades.

History contains shocking accounts of forced baptisms of Jews by so-called "Christians" during the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition. Given the choice of baptism or death, many Jews were executed by people who never knew the Christ they claimed to serve. Understandably then, our Jewish people often regard baptism as the final act of assimilation into an enemy camp that has a long and bloody history of persecuting Jews. Unfortunately, people who jump to this conclusion fail to see three important truths.

So we can conclude that baptism was very much a Jewish right and frequently practiced in the time of John the Baptist.