Mexico weekly ledger., 1885-05-14
ACTION OF BAPTISM.

AS l have been requested by the
proprietor of the LEDGER to limit my
articles to less than column I will
have to condense more than is con-
sistent with clearness. I now ask
the reader to look over my last (April
30th) and see how much "Disciple"
has not condescended to notice and
judge whether it was "powder burned
in valn.'' I rather think the shot
took effect from the evident lameness
seen in his last.
Does "Disciple" think that when
Dean Afford says that Jerusalem was
"sparingly furnished with water" he
was ignorant of the existence of
those pools, or reservoirs. named in
his last2 "Disciple' gives the
length and width of several reser-
voirs, some in the city and some out
side the walls, but says not word as
to how deep they were. Bethesda
was eight feet deep with perpendicu-
lar stone walls; rather deep for even
as long man as 'tDisciple" to wade
in safely! Even he would be over
''head and ears before his 'swading
baptism'' had proceeded very far. So
the other pools were too deep-from
10 to Is feet-for dipping purposes.
Plenty of water in Jerusalem, for
sooth! So there is plenty of water
in the R. R. tanks and reservoirs at
the depot in Mexico-but not for i'm
mersion!
Again ''Disciple" tries his hand at
finding classic examples ''older than
the commission" where Baptidzo sig
nifies dip. If Disciples" statement
of the testimony of the Lexicons be
correct, why can't disciple" find the
example in Greek where we will see
the ''specific action of baptlsm,' VIZ
The "dip or immerse?" Something
must be wrong. He brings in quo.
tatlon from Josephus, which is sc
years too late for the commission
and very far from classic Greek
Disciples" second example is just
as unfortunate. He had before his
eyes DR.. Conant's own statement
that his example is only "attributed
| to Alcibiades, about 400 before
Christ" Is that a "well attested'
example, solder than the commits
sion?" Besides, his translation O
the sentence IS all wrong. 1t should
be, ''You aspersed me in plays, but I
Iaptizing thee with waves of the sea
will destroy (thee) with streams NOR
bitter" There is no sin the wave
of the sea- in the passage. 1t is th
dative instrumental without the prep
osition. His other example (fron
strabo, B. c. COY page 20 of Conan'
has no "dip or immerse" in it; fo
the letting down the "rush circle
into the water IS expressed by "Ka
thosi," and the drawing up of tn
salt crown out of the water is ez
pressed by "anelkousin." The bar
tism then was not putting into tn
water, nor the taking out, nor bot
combined. The baptism took plac
in and under the water by the sal
in solution in the briny water adher
ing to the crush CIRCLE" so that afte
days or weeks it is drawn up fror
the brine with crystals of salt all owe
it, and is called Esalt crown" Nc
Mr.. "Disciple," there is no "dip G
immerse'' in Conant's Ex. 81, pag
20. You can try that experiment i
Mexico and you will find your diE
ping or immersing is failure.
Now what is the value of all ''Di:
|ciple's" quotations from the Lex
cons, (even if he quoted them CO.
rectly, which, by the way, he faile
to do,) and from all those "gran
men," not one of whom consistent
favor disciples" theory, when b
cannot find single example in Gree
literature older than the commission
I where Baptidzo has the meaning {
"dip or lmmerse?''
] ssDiseiple' has been mislcd |
. some one, or he is sadly blind
reading from the Lexicons. II
very best Lexicons he quoted give I
the first meaning of Baptizo-''to d
repeatedly loft and repeatedly
Dip" Why did "Disciple" live o.
this first meaning when he quote
from Donegan and the distinguish
Germans, Rost and Bretschneidel
The only reason l can think of
disciple" knows that Baptizo b
J not and never did have any sui
meaning, and his best authoriti
have been so misled by the three pc
tial dips of the Catholics that he
ashamed OF their testimony.
Again, immersion is not subme
sion. If they are the same why ha
two words? We have native Gre
(Rev. III. D. Kalipothakes) now
Athens, Greece, as a missionary
the Presbyterian church. MIR.
has recently published a stateme
: concerning baptism in the Gre
9ryLax skD.-n,,>I