BAPTISM, in some of its various forms, is a very ancient rite, and was
extensively practiced in several oriental countries. It was administered
in a great varieties of forms, and with the use of different elements.
Water was the most common, but fire and air, wind, spirit ghost were
also used; and both the living and the dead were made the subjects of
its solemn and imposing ceremonies.
We will notice each of these modes of baptism separate--appropriating a
brief space to each.
1. Baptism by Water.
"Baptism by water," says Mr. Higgins, "is a very old rite, being
practised by the followers of Zoroaster, by the Romans, the Egyptians,
and other nations." It was also vogue among the ancient Hindoos at
a still earlier day Their mode of administering it was to dip the
candidate for immersion three times in the watery element, in the same
manner as is now practiced by some of the Christian sects during the
performance of which the hierophant would ejaculate the following prayer
and ceremony: "O Lord this man is impure, like the mud of this stream!
But as thou cleanse and deliver his soul from sin as the water cleanses
his body." They believed that water possesses the virtue of purifying
both soul and body--the latter from filth and the former from sin. The
ancient Mexican, Persians, Hindoos and Jews were in the habit of
baptizing their infants soon after they were born. And the water used
for this purpose was called "the water of regeneration." Paul speaks of
being "saved by the washing of regeneration." (See Titus iii. 5.) Those
who touched these infants before they were baptized were deemed impure.
And as this was unavoidable on the part of the mothers, they were
required, as in the cases of the mothers of Chrishna and Christ, to
present themselves on the eighth day after accouchement to the priest in
the temple to be purified. The Romans chose the eighth day for girls and
the ninth for boys. The child was usually named (christened) at the time
it was baptized. And in India, the name, or God's name, or some other
mark, was engraven or written on the forehead. This custom is several
times recognized in the Christian bible, both in the old and in the New
Testament. (See Ezek. ix 4; Rev. xiv. 9; xix. 20, etc.) John speaks of a
mark being made on the forehead. (See Rev. xiii. 16.) Also of the name
of God being written on the forehead. (Rev. iii. 12.)
THE DOVE DESCENDING AT BAPTISM.
At this stage of our inquiry it may be stated that several of the
ancient religious orders had the legend of a dove or pigeon descending at
baptism--a counterpart to the evangelical story of "the Spirit of God
descending in bodily shape like a dove," and alighting on the head of
Jesus Christ while being baptized by John in Jordan. (See Luke iii. 22.)
It will be observed here that the spirit, or soul, of God descended not
only in the manner, but in "bodily shape like a dove." This accords with
the tradition anciently prevalent among the Hindoos, Mexicans, Greeks,
Romans and Persians, or Babylonians, that all souls, or spirits,
possessed, or were capable of assuming, the form of a dove. Hence, it is
reported of Polycarp, Semiramis, Caesar and others, that at death their
souls, or spirits, were seen to leave the body in "bodily shape like
a dove" and ascend to heaven. "The Divine Love, or Eros," says Mr.
Higgins, "was supposed by the oriental heathen to descend often in the
form of a dove to bless the candidate for baptism." These traditions,
doubtless, gave rise to the story of the dove descending at Christ's
baptism--that is God in the shape of a dove, for that is clearly the
meaning of the text. We are also informed by our author just quoted,
that a dove stood for and represented, among the orientalists, the third
person of the Trinity, as it does in the gospel story of Christ--he
being the second member of the Christian Trinity of Father, Son and Holy
Ghost. It was considered "the regenerator, or regenerating spirit," and
persons being baptized were said to be "born again" into the spirit or
the spirit into them; that is, the dove into or upon them.
What a master-key is furnished by these oriental religions for solving
the mysteries of the Christian bible! How much more lucid than Divine
Revelation--so-called!
We will quote again from Higgins: "Among all nations, from the
very earliest period, water has been used as a species of religious
sacrament. Because, as it dripped from the clouds, it was observed
to have the power of reviving drooping nature and creating anew, or
regenerating the whole vegetable kingdom in spring, it was hence chosen
as an emblem of spiritual regeneration and a medium of baptism. Water
was the element by means of which everything was born again through the
agency of the Eros, Dove, or Divine Love." And, hence, the ceremony of
dipping or plunging (or, as it is modernly termed, baptizing) came into
vogue for the remission of sins and "the regeneration into a new and
more holy life."
Some streams were supposed to have more efficacy in these respects than
others. Hence, nearly all religious nations had their "Holy Rivers,"
"Holy Water," "Sacred Pools," etc. The Hindoos resorted to the "Holy
Ganges," the Egyptians to the "Holy Nile," the Chaldeans and Persians
to the "Holy Euphrates," the Greeks to their "Holy Lustral Water," the
Italians to the river Po, and the Jews and Christians to their holy
river Jordan. If Jordan was not called "holy," it was undoubtedly
considered so, else why did Elisha order Naaman to wash seven times
in that stream instead of Damascus, which was much nearer and more
accessible? And why was Christ baptized in Jordan? "And all the land of
Judea, and they of Jerusalem, were baptized in Jordan, confessing their
sins." (Matt iii. vi.) Why, as several streams were handier to a large
portion of the candidates, simply because Jordan was considered to be
"more holy." And Christians had their sacred pool of Bethesda, as the
Hindoos had their Sahar.
The rite of baptism was at first generally practiced in caves--as were
also other religious rites; and as these caves were often difficult of
access, and their mouths, doors or gates narrow and difficult to enter,
they fully exemplify Christ's declaration, "Straight is the gate and
narrow is the way that leadeth unto life." (Matt. vii. 14.) And when
he declared, "Except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot
enter the kingdom of heaven" (John iii. 5) he was only seconding the
exhortation of the priests to enter these subterranean vaults and be
baptized after the oriental and Jewish custom. Thus originated baptism
by water in the form of dipping, or immersion.
BAPTISM BY SPRINKLING.
Owing to the scarcity of water in some countries, and its entire absence
in others, and the fatal effects sometimes resulting from the practice
of baptizing infants and invalids by immersion, a new mode of baptism
eventually sprung up, now known as "sprinkling," in which sometimes
water and sometimes blood was used. Virgil, Ovid and Cicero all speak
of its prevalence amongst the ancient Romans or Latins. We are informed
that the ancient Jews practiced it upon their women while in a state of
nudity, the ceremony being administered by three rabbis, or priests. But
the custom finally gave way to one more consonant with decorum. Blood,
being considered "the life thereof" of man, was deemed more efficacious
than water, and hence was often used in lieu of that element. The Greeks
kept a "holy vessel" for this purpose, known as the Facina. The Romans
used a brush, which may now be seen engraven upon some of their ancient
coins and sculptured on their ancient temples. The Hindoos and Persians
used a branch of laurel or some other shrub for sprinkling the repentant
candidate, whether water or blood was used.
In some countries the rite was practiced as a talisman against evil
spirits. The Mexicans never approached their altars without sprinkling
them with blood drawn from their own bodies, as the Jews sprinkled the
walls and door-posts of their temples with blood under the requisition
of the Levitical code. This mode of fancied purification by sprinkling
either with water or blood we find recognized, and apparently
sanctioned, in the Christian bible, both in the Old and New Testaments.
Ezekiel says, "I will sprinkle clean water on you." (Ezek. xxxvi. 25.)
Peter uses the phrase, "The sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ."
(1 Peter i. 2.) And Paul makes use of the expression, "The blood of
sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel" (Heb. xii.
24), which we regard as an indirect sanction of the senseless heathen
idea of effecting spiritual purification by drops of blood. (See
Potter's Antiquities and Herbert's Travels.)
BAPTISM BY FIRE.
Baptism by fire was a form or mode of application which seems to have
been introduced from the belief that it was productive of a higher
degree of purification. There were several ways of using fire in the
baptismal rite. In some cases the candidate for immortality ran through
blazing streams of fire--a custom which was called "the baptism of
fire." M. de Humboldt, in his "Views of the Cordilleras and Monuments
of America," informs us it prevailed in India, Chaldea and Syria,
and throughout eastern Asia. It appears to have been gotten up as
a substitute for sun-worship, as this luminary was believed to be
constituted of fire, though in reality there never was any such thing as
sun or solar worship. Christian writers represent the ancient Persians
as has having been addicted to solar worship. But Firdausi, Cudworth
and other authors declare that neither they nor any other nation ever
worshiped the sun, but merely an imaginary Deity supposed to reside in
the sun. Heathen nations have been charged with many things of which
they were not guilty; though it is true that in the spirit of Christ's
exhortation, "Whosoever loseth his life for my sake shall find it,"
some of the candidates for the fiery ordeal voluntarily sacrificed their
lives in the operation, under the persuasion that it was necessary to
purify the soul, and would enable them to ascend to higher posts or
planes of enjoyment in the celestial world. And some of them were taught
that sins not expurgated by fire, or some other efficaciously renovating
process in this life, would be punished by fire in the life to come.
Here we will mention that there is a seeming recognition of this ancient
heathen rite in both departments of the Christian's bible. Isaiah says,
"When thou walkest through fire thou shalt not be burned." (lxiii.
2.) And the Baptist John recognizes three modes of baptism: "I indeed
baptize you with water, but he that cometh after me shall baptize you
with fire and the Holy Ghost." (Matt. iii. 11). And Paul teaches the
necessity of being purified by fire. (See i Cor. iii. 15.) So it is both
a heathen and a Christian idea.
BAPTISM BY THE HOLY GHOST.
This fanciful ceremony is both a Christian and a heathen rite, and is
undoubtedly of heathen origin. The mode of applying it was to breathe
into or upon the seeker for divine favors. This was done by the priest,
who, it was believed, imparted the Spirit of God by the process. The
custom, Mr. Herbert informs us, was anciently quite common in oriental
countries, and was at a later date borrowed by Christ and his apostles
and incorporated into the Christian ceremonies. We find that Christ not
only sanctioned it but practised it, as it is declared when he met his
disciples after his resurrection "he breathed on them, and saith unto
them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost." (John xx. 22.)
And the following language of Ezekiel is evidently a sanction of the
same heathen custom: "Thus saith the Lord God, Come from the four winds,
O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." (xxxvii.
9.) Let it be borne in mind here that breath, air, wind, spirit and
ghost were used as synonymous terms, according to Mr. Parkhurst (see
Chap. XXII.), and this breathing was supposed to impart spiritual life,
being nothing less than the Spirit of God, the same as that breathed
into Adam when "he became a living soul." (See Gen. ii. 7.) For a fuller
exposition see Chapter XXII.
BAPTISM OF OR FOR THE DEAD.
It was customary among the Hindoos and other nations to postpone baptism
till near the supposed terminus of life, in order that the ablution
might extinguish all the sins and misdeeds of the subject's earthly
probation. But it sometimes happened that men and women were killed, or
died unexpectedly, before the rite was administered. And as it would
not do for these unfortunate souls to be deprived of the benefit of this
soul-saving ordinance, the custom was devised of baptizing the defunct
body, or more commonly some living person in its stead. The method of
executing the latter expedient, according to St. Chrysostom, was to
place some living person under the bed or couch on which the corpse
was reclining, when the defunct was asked if he would be baptized. The
living man, responding for the dead, answered in the affirmative. The
corpse was then taken and dipped in a vessel prepared for the purpose.
This silly practice was in vogue among the early Christians, and Paul
seems to regard it as an important custom. "Else what shall they do
which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all." (i Cor.
xv. 9.)
The inference derivable from this text is, that Paul held that the labor
of baptizing the dead would be lost in the event of the falsification of
the doctrine of the resurrection, but otherwise it would be valid--which
evinces his faith in the senseless and superstitious practice. It will
be observed from the historical exposition of this chapter that all the
various ancient heathen modes and rites of baptism have been practiced
by Christians, and are sanctioned by their bible.