Living Water

Jensen, Robin M.

doi:10.1163/ej.9789004188983.i-306

Cited by 52 publications

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“…The baptism of Jesus also transformed the spiritual value of the Jordan River; early Christian writers asserted that through his act of immersing in the river he had sanctified its water. In the words of a first‐century bishop, Jesus was ‘born and baptized, in order that by his passion, he might purify water’ . The third‐century Christian theologian Origen saw the baptism of Jesus as the model of Christian baptism and extolled the qualities of the Jordan River, which was ‘of sovereign virtue and very good to drink.…”

Section: The Historical Role Of the Jordan Rivermentioning

confidence: 99%

Baptism in the Jordan River: immersing in a contested transboundary watercourse

Châtel

2014

WIREs Water

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As the boundary of the Holy Land and the site of the baptism of Jesus Christ, the Jordan River is the most important river in Christianity. For centuries, pilgrims have traveled long distances to immerse themselves in this holy water and despite its relatively small size, the image of the 'mighty' Jordan has come to dominate popular imaginations. Over the past century, however, the Jordan has fallen victim to the ongoing regional conflict and suffered severe environmental degradation. Once a meandering river full of rapids and cascades, the Jordan has been extensively developed, with dams, diversion canals, and large-scale irrigation projects on the river, its tributaries, and headwaters. As a result, flow has been reduced to about one tenth of the historic value and water quality has sharply deteriorated, with raw sewage, saline flows, and agricultural run-off polluting the remaining water. Yet despite the river's changed physical state, the Jordan's mythical status and its association with defining moments of Jewish and Christian history continue to dominate collective imaginations in the religious realm, with nearly a million annual visitors at the three baptism sites in Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank. Why is there such a disconnect between the physical river and its spiritual counterpart? How can the sense of indifference and lack of awareness about the degradation of this holy river be explained? And what can be done to restore the Jordan River?

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Section: The Historical Role Of the Jordan Rivermentioning

confidence: 99%

Baptism in the Jordan River: immersing in a contested transboundary watercourse

Châtel

2014

WIREs Water

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“…The baptism-of-Christ scene is found frequently in Early Christian and Byzantine art, providing multiple iconograpic and artistic comparisons for the Shivta scene (Jensen 2011). Following the scene’s Early Christian iconographic convention, John the Baptist is clearly proportionally larger than Christ, whose painted figure is much smaller and younger.…”

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Christ’s face revealed at Shivta: an Early Byzantine wall painting in the desert of the Holy Land

et al. 2018

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“…The best recent book on early Christian baptism is the extensive study by Ferguson (2009). Also important is the rather brief overview by Jensen (2012), as well as her specialist study (2011). In my presentation I mainly focus on the rites as they may be reconstructed from Ambrose's works (see below).…”

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Augustine’s baptism: Its significance once and today

Oort

2013

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies

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In those days Christian baptism was an extensive ceremony. 1 Its preparations started weeks before the actual baptism took place. A person who would like to receive baptism should first 'turn in his name' (the so-called nomen dare) to be inscribed by the Church official, who as a rule, was the bishop. 2 After that he 3 received an extensive catechetical instruction. Baptism took place at dawn on Easter Sunday. We do not know the exact rites of the Church of Milan at the time of Augustine, but from two works by Ambrose, his so-called On the Sacraments (De sacramentis) and On the Mysteries (De mysteriis) we seem to be able to reconstruct how baptism was administered in 387. It was accompanied by rites such as a washing of feet (symbolising the forgiveness of sins, a symbol dear to Ambrose), anointments, the laying on of hands, and so on. Also, the newly baptised person received the sign of the cross on the forehead: from then onwards he belonged to Christ. This sign was originally an X, derived from the old-Hebrew sign of Tau already mentioned by the prophet Ezekiel (ch. 9), and also in St John's Apocalypse (cf. e.g. Daniélou 1964:154f., 330f.). This sign was considered a mark of property and protection.Augustine's baptism took place in the baptistery of Milan's main church. A couple of years ago, when excavations were conducted for the construction of an underground, the ancient baptistery from Ambrose's times was discovered. 4 When visiting present-day Milano, you can still see it: after entering the cathedral at the back, left side, you should immediately turn to the right and then go downstairs. I mention this, because only few persons visiting the immense cathedral of Sta. Thecla are aware of this possibility. When seeing the ancient baptistery, you may learn how the adult Augustine, by then 32 years old, was immersed in 'living' (that is: flowing) water. This immersion took place three times, after he had heard three questions: 'Do you believe in God the Almighty Father?'; 'Do you believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and his cross?'; 'Do you also believe in the Holy Spirit?' and after that he subsequently answered three times: 'Credo, I believe!' (Ambrosius De sacramentis 2, 20; cf. Ambrosius De mysteriis 21; 28). It is from the baptismal rite with its three questions and answers that we still have our tripartite confessions (see e.g. Kelly 1960:30-61, esp. pp. 36-37 on Ambrose).Who was the person then baptised? Many popular tales (and even handbooks of history, philosophy and theology!) still have it that a certain pagan, after a dramatic conversion, became a Christian. This representation is wrong. What really happened was this: an ambitious young man from Africa -for a few years already even the most important professor of rhetoric of the whole Roman Empire, the man who delivered speeches for the Emperor and a consul 5 -had resigned from his position and received baptism in the Catholic Church. Originally, in North Africa, he was raised in some sort of Catholic environment; as a student he became a member of a...

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Living Water

Abstract: Baptisteries of the Early Christian World (a multi-media, international project to catalogue ancient Christian baptisteries).

Cited by 52 publications

References 0 publications

Baptism in the Jordan River: immersing in a contested transboundary watercourse

Baptism in the Jordan River: immersing in a contested transboundary watercourse

Christ’s face revealed at Shivta: an Early Byzantine wall painting in the desert of the Holy Land

Augustine’s baptism: Its significance once and today

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