Lexicographers, we come down to the present century, at the beginning of which, we find GASES, a learned Greek, who with great labor and pains compiled a large and valuable Lexicon of the ancient Greek language. His book, in three volumes quarto, is a work deservedly held in high estimation by all, and is generally used by native Greeks. The following are his definitions of bapto and baptizo.* BAPTO, brecho, to wet, moisten, bedew. Gemizo, to fill. Buthizo, to dip. Antleo, to draw, to pump water. BAPTIZO, brecho, to wet, moisten, bedew. Pluno, to wash. Louo, to wash, to bathe. Antleo, to draw, to pump water. These are the definitions of a "native Greek,” and are entitled to the highest deference, both for his learning and his Ecclesiastical connections. 2. What is the Scriptural usage of BAPTO and BAPTIZO? It is said by some, that "the Hebrew word, täbăl; the Greek, bapto, and the Latin, mergo, uniformly rendered dip, in the English Bible, are corresponding words, and mean, to dip, to immerse, to plunge." This opinion we are obliged to reject, for reasons we shall lay before our readers. But we ought to remark, that dip and immerse are not, as many seem to suppose, synonymous words. A body is never immersed in water, until it is entirely covered by the water; but it is dipped IN or INTO water, when any part of it comes in contact with the water. Thus, a man dips his pen, that is, the POINT of his pen, in ink, and “dips his finger, that is, the tip of his finger, in water," but in neither case is there any im * Ed. Venice, 3 vols. 4to. mersion. The question, therefore, is, do the foregoing words signify, to immerse, in the sense claimed for them, that is, a complete immersion of the thing dipped? This question must be decided by scriptural usage alone, to which, therefore, we now turn our attention. I. The Hebrew and Greek words above mentioned, denote a partial dipping, or wetting, as appears from the uniform scriptural usage. "And as the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped (Hebrew, nìtb'lū; Greek, ebaphesan) in the BRIM of the water." (Josh. iii. 15.) There was plainly no immersion here, but simply a touching of the soles of the feet. Similar to this was the language of Dives to Abraham: "Send Lazarus, that he MAY DIP (bapse) the TIP of his finger in water." (Luke xvi. 24.) So in the various Jewish purifications, none of the dippings were immersions. Thus the priest is told that “he shall dip (Hebrew, v'tabăl; Greek, bapsei) his finger, or a bunch of hyssop, that is, the end of his finger, or the end of the bunch of hyssop, in the water." (Ex. xii. 22; Lev. iv. 16, 17; ix. 9; xiv. 6, 16, 51; Numb. xix. 18; Deut. xxxiii. 24.) So Jonathan "put forth the END of his rod and dipped (Hebrew, vayitbol; Greek, ebapsen) in the honey-comb." (1 Sam. xiv. 27.) To the same effect in Ruth, (ii. 14:) "And dip (Hebrew, v'tabalt'; Greek, bapseis) thy morsel in the vinegar." So also the language of Christ to Judas denotes a partial dipping: "He that dippeth (Matt. xxvi. 23, embapsas ; Mark xiv. 20, embaptomenos; John xiii. 26, embapsas) with me in the dish." In one place in Job, (ix. 31,) these words have the sense of to plunge, in the common acceptation of the word, that is, to cast headlong; as, "Thou shalt plunge (Hebrew, titb'leni; Greek, ebapsas) me into the ditch." If there was any room for doubt, after considering the foregoing, the following would entirely settle the question: Thus, when Nebuchadnezzar was driven from the abodes of men, it is said that "his body was wet (Chaldean, itstabă'h; Greek, ebaphe) with the dew of heaven." (Dan. iv. 33; v. 23, or iv. 30, and v. 21, of the Hebrew and Greek.) Here the Greek bapto, does not signify to dip, in any sense, but merely to wet, or moisten, and is therefore synonymous with brecho, as defined above. In one place in 2 Kings, (viii. 15,) and in one in Leviticus, (xi. 32,) bapto appears to have the sense of to immerse, which are the only places in the Bible where it has that signification. In Psalms (lxviii. 23, or lxviii. 24, of the Greek) and in Revelations, (xix. 13,) it has the meaning of to tinge, dye, or stain, which may be done either by sprinkling or immersing. These, we believe, are all the places in the Bible where bapto occurs in any form; and we see, therefore, that out of twenty-three instances, it has the sense of immersion but TWICE. II. From bapto, comes baptizo, which being a frequentive in form, ought to signify a repeated action,* and is in fact so defined by Schneider,† "Ich tauche oft ein," I dip in often. But though it has the form of a frequentive, most lexicographers are not willing to allow that it has that signification.‡ We propose, therefore, to examine the scriptural use of this word, in the same manner as we have the root from which it is ́derived, that is, in every case where it occurs in the Bible. The word baptizo, is defined by some, to signify, " to immerse, to submerge, to sink." The point of inquiry, therefore, now is, does the Scripture usage sustain these definitions? To this we are obliged by the facts to answer in the negative. This word occurs in the Old Testament four times; twice in the Canonical books, and twice in the Apocrypha. It first occurs in 2 Kings, (v. 11, 14:) " And Elijah sent a messenger unto Naaman, saying, go and wash (lousai) in Jordan seven * Butt. Gr. Gram., §119, 1, 2. Rob. Gr. Lex. N. T. + Gr. Lex., 2 vol. 4to. OF RAHATS AND LOUO. 47 times. .... Then he went and washed himself (ebaptisato) in Jordan seven times." Here the word is used in accordance with what, judging from its form, should be its meaning, to signify a repeated action, which action was a washing of purification. In Ecclesiasticus, (xxxiv. 25, or xxxi. 30, or xxxiv. 27,) it is used in the same manner: 'If he that washeth himself, (baptizomenos,) after touching a dead body, touch it again, what availeth his washing, (loutro)?" In both of these instances, baptizo is used as synonymous with louo, to wash, and therefore, according to the principles of those who hold immersion alone to be baptism, "it is not essential how it was performed." But lest some may say that the original Hebrew would lead to another conclusion, we shall dwell a moment upon that point. Louo is the common word used in the Septuagint to denote the washings of purification, and is the equivalent of the Hebrew rāhāts, and is found in the places mentioned in the note.* We believe it occurs in but one other place in the Bible, (Psalms vi. 6,) where it has the sense of to wet, or moisten: "I wet my couch with tears." We may therefore learn something of the meaning of this word from an examination of the Hebrew rāhāts; and we accordingly give a few examples where it is used: "A LITTLE water to wash the feet." (Gen. xviii. 4.) He washed his face." (Gen. xliii. 31.) “Thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle, and shall wash them." (Ex. xxix. 4, and xl. 12.) "And Moses brought Aaron and his sons [to the door of the tabernacle] and washed them with water." (Lev. viii. 6.) The same language is used in reference to all the purifications. 66 *Ex. ii. 5; xxix. 4; xl. 12. 16, 21, 26; xvi. 4, 24, 26, 28; Deut. xxiii. 11. Ruth iii. 3. 2 Sam. xi. 2; xii. 20. 1 Kings xxii. 38; Lev. viii. 6; xv. 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, xvii. 15, 16; xxii. 7. Numb. xix. 7, 19. 2 Kings v. 10, 12, 13. Cant. v. 13. Is. i. 16. Ezek. xiv. 4, 9; xxiii. 66 An unclean person was to wash himself in water;" (Lev. xv. 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 21, 22, 27; xvii. 15; Deut. xxiii. 10; Numb. xix. 19;) also; "to wash his flesh in water." (Lev. xi. 13, 16; xvi. 4, 24, 26, 28; xvii. 16; xxi. 16; Numb. xix. 7, 8.) "And one washed the chariot in the pool." (1 Kings xxii. 38.) "His eyes, like doves', with new milk washed." (Cant. v. 12.) "Thou wast not washed in water in the day of thy nativity." (Ezek. xvi. 4, 9.) These examples are abundantly sufficient to prove, that rāhāts, in the Hebrew, and louo, in the Septuagint, denote washings performed by the application of water to the person, and not by putting the person into the water. Hence, in the cases before cited, as baptizo is the equivalent of rahats and louo, it must have the same meaning. Besides, St. Paul expressly calls these washings of purification, baptisms. (Heb. ix. 9, 10.) "Which was a figure for the time then present, which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, (Greek, baptismois, ‘baptisms.')" So all the primitive writers understood him. Thus St. Ambrose,*"The Jews had many baptisms, some superfluous, some as a figure. And the figure itself profiteth, because it is the herald of truth." The next place in the Canonical books of the Old Testament, where this word occurs, is Isaiah, (xxi. 4 :) “My heart panteth; fearfulness fills (baptizei) me.” In this case, baptizo is synonymous with to fill, (gemizo,) according to one of the definitions of GASES, quoted above. The other place is Judith, (xii. 7:)" And Judith went out by night and washed herself (ebaptizeto) in a fountain, (that is, in a spring,) by the camp." In this case there is no reason why the word in question should not be understood as in the former cases of washing, and if so, then there was no immersion. We are, therefore, *De Sac. II. 1. |