Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1886-07-01
THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST.


THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST.
The above picture is copied from
the centerpiece of the dome of the
Baptistery at Ravenna, which was
built and decorated A. d. 454. John
the Baptizer is represented as stand
ing on the bank of the river, holding
large shell in his hand, from which
he pours water on the head of the
Savior, who is standing in the water.
Over his head is the descending dove,
symbol of the Holy Spirit. The
NEUROLOGICAL figure to the left Of the
Savior represents, according to the
custom of the ancients, the divinity
who presided over the river Jordan.
His standing in the water is INNER
sion-his baptism is very different
thing. The depth of the water is
more matter of taste on part of the
artist than of fact. Ali the earlier
pictures represent the water not
above ankle deep.
The Catacombs near Rome, which |
we're the hiding places of the Dis
ciples of the Lord during the early
prosecutions, contain many repre-
sentations of our Lords baptism slmi-
lar to the above-but the earlier the
date of the picture the more shallow
the water. The Rev. w. FL. With
row, in his recent and excellent work
on the Catacombs, gives number of
these pictures, and on page 535 he
says: ''The testimony of the Cata-
combs respecting the mode of bap-
tism, as far as it extends, Is strongly
in favor of affusion or aspersion. All
their pictured representations of the
rite indicate this mode, for which
alone the early fonts seem adapted,
nor is there any early art evidence Of
, haptismal immersion" No picture
in the world older than the 18th GEN.
' tury represents our Lord as being
: baptized by "dipping.''
0 According to the Apostle,s language
e in Heb. 9:1O ("divers BAPTISM in
8 the Tabernacle service) baptisms had
s been in use in the worship of Israel
a for 1900 years before the incarnation
J. of the Lord. We have already seen
8 that there were no ''immersions' in
= the Tabernacle service, for the very
8 best reason in the world-there was
}. no tub, tank, pool or hole-in-ground
e into which anybody could get, Or be
It put for immersing. In the wilderness
a there were no creeks, ponds or rivers
v Still Paul says there were "divers
O baptisms" We have already shown
is that these ''divers baptisms'' were
e sprinklings with divers elements, viz
If clean, unmixed water, blood
f. water and blood, oil, and wate1
Ie mixed with heifer ashes. The Bap
10 tist revision translates Heb. 9:l(
a "divers immersions. Now th'
IS ''divers" (Greek diaphoroi) signifie
% different" According to all th
"a immersion authorities every INNER
N sion was into unmixed water. viii
es any one be good enough to tell m
" wherein one Immersion into water
is differs from another Immersion int
O. water?' Paul says there were ''di
Or vers (differenD baptisms" in the SCI
10 vice of the tabernacle. There is, AM
r. can he, no difference in immersion
ii into water. Therefore, Paul's ''di
of vers hap.isms' were not immersions
to The only way water had ever bee
e. used in divinely appointed ord
ry nances, when the Savior appeared o
nb earth, was by s!rinkling. Did job
ch originate new and unhcgrtt of mode
+. Where is the ovilenc,: We hay
a. already proven that the word "bal
sh tizo" had at that time never bee
d. used in the bible Or out of it in tl
i'm sense of dip" So there is no reli'
ut for the dipping theory from tt
av heather Greek, for i'll the classic
dv older than the time of John the Bal
he tizer, the word bdptizo ''moved Il
he baptizing element or instrumentalit
y while the object vas passive an
receptive"
IL Now some jealous dipper says ''tl
,at Lord was immersed to prefgure h
Al. future burial All! just as ] e.
are pected! But that subterfuge h
,ck been exploded by the overwhelmir
dv proof that he never was buried at a
nd only prepared for burial" and n
ON all the preparation completed eithe
ra- And we have further proven that b
being laid in the rock tomb of JOSEF
;,o was a mere matter of human co
hat venience-emphatically mans wor
IAN aud no fact OF the gospel and no pa
The of the plan Of redemption.
ia. So there is positively not the sha
COS ow of reason for any one saying
-se thinking that the Savior "
nan dipped" but all the factssin and o
,.s of the bible show that he was ba
IN tized with water by John, his fo
,os. runner, Jewish priest, in the sal
20, mode or manner that water had be
nce used for ages in the service of G'
our "But," says another ardent dipp
,els ..he came up cut of the water af
8 Of his baptism" reply that this
rae another of those 40, 900 blunders
oui . King James translators- The B'