Baptism in the Old Testament

[gilgal]

Baptism reminds us of John the Baptist and related to the New Testament. But in reality it's an old tradition rooted in the Old Testament. Leviticus?

http://www.biblewheel.com/InnerWheels/Matthew/Mat03.asp

Can anyone elaborate on the types or meaning of baptism known as Mikvah?

[Richard Amiel McGough]

Baptism reminds us of John the Baptist and related to the New Testament. But in reality it's an old tradition rooted in the Old Testament. Leviticus?

http://www.biblewheel.com/InnerWheels/Matthew/Mat03.asp

Can anyone elaborate on the types or meaning of baptism known as Mikvah?
The word "miqvah" first occurs on the Third Day of Creation, corresponding to Matthew 3 and the concepts relating to the Holy Spirit (Third Person of the Trinity). But the word is not used in the OT in reference to the Jewish style "ritual bath" corresponding to the Christian baptismal font as far as I know.

[gilgal]

The word "miqvah" first occurs on the Third Day of Creation, corresponding to Matthew 3 and the concepts relating to the Holy Spirit (Third Person of the Trinity). But the word is not used in the OT in reference to the Jewish style "ritual bath" corresponding to the Christian baptismal font as far as I know.
Wow. Though Hebrews points out the existence of this ritual and the Baptism of John hints that there existed something like this in Old Testament times I can't think of many passages except the immersion of Naaman the Syrian in 2 Kings 5 who immersed in the Jordan river. And as you mentioned the 3rd day of creation.

[Richard Amiel McGough]

Wow. Though Hebrews points out the existence of this ritual and the Baptism of John hints that there existed something like this in Old Testament times I can't think of many passages except the immersion of Naaman the Syrian in 2 Kings 5 who immersed in the Jordan river. And as you mentioned the 3rd day of creation.
Yeah, it seems to have been a part of the Jewish tradition that was developed after the OT was completed. But this is quite typical. The NT is filled with things that are not explained in the OT. For example, the whole thing with angels and demons and Satan in Hades, the idea of an afterlife in heaven, the angels "leaving their first estate" which Jude snatched out of the book of Enoch, and on and on it goes. These things are presented in the NT as if everyone knew about them, but they are explained nowhere in Bible.

[Rose]

Wow. Though Hebrews points out the existence of this ritual and the Baptism of John hints that there existed something like this in Old Testament times I can't think of many passages except the immersion of Naaman the Syrian in 2 Kings 5 who immersed in the Jordan river. And as you mentioned the 3rd day of creation.

The Essenes - who were a Jewish religious sect which flourished from around 200 BC until the 1st century - had developed a daily ritual of full immersion baptism, which probably greatly influenced men like John the Baptist who most likely practiced many of the teachings of the Essenes.

Rose

[gilgal]

Yeah, it seems to have been a part of the Jewish tradition that was developed after the OT was completed. But this is quite typical. The NT is filled with things that are not explained in the OT. For example, the whole thing with angels and demons and Satan in Hades, the idea of an afterlife in heaven, the angels "leaving their first estate" which Jude snatched out of the book of Enoch, and on and on it goes. These things are presented in the NT as if everyone knew about them, but they are explained nowhere in Bible.
Demonology is more spoken of in the apocryphal books.

I was thinking that baptisms were spoken of in the book of Leviticus which I hesitate to look into because of the many ordinances which would make one lose interest in reading the book.

I was searching on google on the subject and found a few but they were old web sites with long pages which would tire you out in reading.

[Richard Amiel McGough]

The Essenes - who were a Jewish religious sect which flourished from around 200 BC until the 1st century - had developed a daily ritual of full immersion baptism, which probably greatly influenced men like John the Baptist who most likely practiced many of the teachings of the Essenes.

Rose
Do the scholars think it originated with the Essenes, or was it an already established Jewish practice that was particularly important to them?

[Richard Amiel McGough]

Demonology is more spoken of in the apocryphal books.

I was thinking that baptisms were spoken of in the book of Leviticus which I hesitate to look into because of the many ordinances which would make one lose interest in reading the book.

I was searching on google on the subject and found a few but they were old web sites with long pages which would tire you out in reading.
Yep ... all that stuff we read in the NT originated outside the Bible in the apocryphal books and pagan mythology. So what's it doing in the NT? How can we believe it is of God if it wasn't taught by God to the apostles or OT prophets?

And yes, Leviticus is probably one of the most tedious books in the Bible. But when I studied it while writing the Bible Wheel book, I actually found it pretty interesting, and it integrated very naturally with the themes of Spoke 3. There are a few references to washing your body in Leviticus, but no mention of any "ritual bath" called a miqveh as far as I know.

[Rose]

Do the scholars think it originated with the Essenes, or was it an already established Jewish practice that was particularly important to them?

No, baptism did not originate with the Essenes - they just took an established part of their Jewish heritage and developed it to have full immersion be a part of the rituals of everyday life.

[kathryn]

Baptism reminds us of John the Baptist and related to the New Testament. But in reality it's an old tradition rooted in the Old Testament. Leviticus?

http://www.biblewheel.com/InnerWheels/Matthew/Mat03.asp

Can anyone elaborate on the types or meaning of baptism known as Mikvah?

I hope you might find this helpful Gilgal:

http://www.gods-kingdom-ministries.org/coldfusion/Chapter.cfm?CID=132

[gilgal]

I hope you might find this helpful Gilgal:

http://www.gods-kingdom-ministries.org/coldfusion/Chapter.cfm?CID=132
Leviticus 14 has to do with leprosy. But there might be a hidden meaning. If the leper is considered a sinner, then the cleansing of the leper would symbolize the forgiving of the sinner. So baptism would add them to the community/congregation/church.

Really. Baptism is passed over as a Christian doctrine. If we can't understand the meaning from the past...

[gilgal]

So this is where the word miqveh first appears.


Genesis 1:10 And God called the dry [land] Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that [it was] good.

and the gathering together h4723 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H4723&t=KJV) מקוה miqveh