The meaning of Christ's baptism

[Andrew Kisliakov]

Dear all,

When Christ was baptised in the Jordan, was he himself changed in any way?

I'd always thought that, according to Orthodox teaching, he did this out of obedience (to the Father) or to set an example to future Christians.

However, it's recently been suggested to me that Christ's Baptism somehow enabled him to conquer his sinful nature, making his redemption possible.

Has anyone seen this kind of idea in the writings of the Fathers?

Andrew

[Herman Blaydoe]

No.

This was one attempt by those who were opposed to Trinitarian theology to "explain" how Jesus could "become" Divine. Thus, up until His baptism, so the theory goes, He was merely human and did not receive his Divine Nature until the Holy Spirit descended on Him at His Baptism. This was first proclaimed heresy at the first Ecumenical Council along with Arianism. It has continued to surface from time to time amongst the Cathars, Lombards, Modalists, Unitarians, Mormons, and some undiscerning Protestants I have been aquainted with.

I would say that on the whole, the Fathers were against the idea...

[Nina]

Dear all,

When Christ was baptised in the Jordan, was he himself changed in any way?

I'd always thought that, according to Orthodox teaching, he did this out of obedience (to the Father) or to set an example to future Christians.

However, it's recently been suggested to me that Christ's Baptism somehow enabled him to conquer his sinful nature, making his redemption possible.

Has anyone seen this kind of idea in the writings of the Fathers?

Andrew



"St. John of Damaskos says that Christ was not baptized because He had need of purification, "but to identify Himself with our purification". Just as Christ suffered and was crucified for mankind and felt all the grief and pain, so He identified Himself with our own purification. Many things happened in this way.

So according to St. John of Damaskos, Christ was baptized in order to crush the heads of the dragons in the water, for there was a conception that the demons dwell in the water; in order to wash the sin and bury the old Adam in the water; in order to bless the baptist, for the Forerunner did not bless Christ, but Christ blessed the Forerunner when the latter put his hand on Christ's head; in order to keep the law, since He Himself gave it and should not appear to transgress it; in order to reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity, because at that moment we have the manifestation of the Holy Trinity; in order to become a model for our own baptism, which is perfect baptism and is done by water and the Holy Spirit.

Beyond these things, by His baptism in the River Jordan Christ blessed the water as well. That is why even today we perform the service of the blessing of the waters and during the celebration we call upon the Holy Spirit to bless the waters. Thus after the blessing it ceases to be water of the fall and becomes water if renewal, since it is united with the uncreated Grace of God.

[...]

St. Nicodemos the Hagiorite says that in order to reshape a vessel, the potter needs two elements; water for moulding the earth, and fire to burn and cast the moulded clay and so to reshape it. And God, the great potter of our own mould, does just the same thing. Wanting to reshape our nature, which was crushed by sin, God used fire and water. And He takes the fire from Himself, because as God He is a "consuming fire" which consumes wickedness, and he borrows the water from the River Jordan.

The fact is that by Christ's incarnation, by all the steps of the divine Economy, and certainly by the baptism in the River Jordan, the human race is reshaped. After the fall and the crushing of our nature we have reshaping and rebirth. This reshaping is possible, on the one hand because after the sin the human nature did not disappear altogether, and on the other hand because God Himself is man's creator and is Himself man's recreator.

It is quite impossible for these two elements, water and fire, to exist together. For fire cannot ignite and prosper in a damp place, and water quenches fire. In the River Jordan they can exist together, because the fire is uncreated, while the water is created. And therefore the uncreated fire is not influenced by the created element of the water. Indeed on the contrary, the created water is made holy by the fire of divinity." pp. 102-104

The Feasts of the Lord

by Metropolitan of Nafpaktos Hierotheos

[Andrew Kisliakov]

No.

This was one attempt by those who were opposed to Trinitarian theology to "explain" how Jesus could "become" Divine. Thus, up until His baptism, so the theory goes, He was merely human and did not receive his Divine Nature until the Holy Spirit descended on Him at His Baptism. This was first proclaimed heresy at the first Ecumenical Council along with Arianism. It has continued to surface from time to time amongst the Cathars, Lombards, Modalists, Unitarians, Mormons, and some undiscerning Protestants I have been aquainted with.

I would say that on the whole, the Fathers were against the idea...

Dear Herman,

Thanks for your input.

I'm sure that what this person (who is an Orthodox priest) is telling me is more subtle than that - he is certainly affirming that Christ had a divine nature from conception, but that he nevertheless received something in his baptism that enabled him to accomplish his redemptive mission.

What he's saying doesn't seem to correspond to what I know of any of the heresies condemned by the Ecumenical Councils, but I'm also not convinced of its Orthodoxy unless it can be confirmed in patristic teaching.

Thanks also to Nina for the quote from Metropolitan Hierotheos. It seems then that he certainly wasn't aware of this doctrine.

[Andrew Kisliakov]

Perhaps my correspondent is referring to something similar to this concept from Met. Hierotheos' book:




So according to St. John of Damaskos, Christ was baptized ... in order to wash the sin and bury the old Adam in the water;



What does he (and by extension, Saint John of Damascus) mean by "bury the old Adam"? Is he referring to the old Adam within Christ's own human nature?

If so, in what way is the old Adam buried in Christ's nature?

[Michael Stickles]

Andrew,

The St. John quote comes from chapter 9 of his Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book IV (http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/33044.htm). The full quote is:


The fifth was the baptism of our Lord, whereby He Himself was baptized. Now He is baptized not as Himself requiring purification but as making my purification His own, that He may break the heads of the dragons on the water, that He may wash away sin and bury all the old Adam in water, that He may sanctify the Baptist, that He may fulfil the Law, that He may reveal the mystery of the Trinity, that He may become the type and ensample to us of baptism. But we, too, are baptized in the perfect baptism of our Lord, the baptism by water and the Spirit. Moreover, Christ is said to baptize with fire: because in the form of flaming tongues He poured forth on His holy disciples the grace of the Spirit: as the Lord Himself says, John truly baptized with water: but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire, not many days hence: (Acts 1:5) or else it is because of the baptism of future fire wherewith we are to be chastized.

A couple of other writings from the Fathers: St. Gregory of Nyssa says in On the Baptism of Christ (http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2910.htm) that:


He is baptized by John that He might cleanse him who was defiled, that He might bring the Spirit from above, and exalt man to heaven, that he who had fallen might be raised up and he who had cast him down might be put to shame. And marvel not if God showed so great earnestness in our cause: for it was with care on the part of him who did us wrong that the plot was laid against us; it is with forethought on the part of our Maker that we are saved. And he, that evil charmer, framing his new device of sin against our race, drew along his serpent train, a disguise worthy of his own intent, entering in his impurity into what was like himself,—dwelling, earthly and mundane as he was in will, in that creeping thing. But Christ, the repairer of his evil-doing, assumes manhood in its fulness, and saves man, and becomes the type and figure of us all, to sanctify the first-fruits of every action, and leave to His servants no doubt in their zeal for the tradition. Baptism, then, is a purification from sins, a remission of trespasses, a cause of renovation and regeneration.

Finally, St. John Chrysostom says in Homily 12 on Matthew (http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/200112.htm) (covers Matt 3:13 ff):



John also by way of anticipation said all that he had said before, that he "was not worthy to unloose the latchet of His shoe;" and all the rest, as for instance, that He is Judge, and rewards every man according to his desert, and that He will bestow His Spirit abundantly on all; in order that when you should see Him coming to the baptism, you might not suspect anything mean. Therefore he forbids Him, even when He was come, saying,

"I have need to be baptized of You, and comest Thou to me." (Matthew 3:14) For, because the baptism was "of repentance," and led men to accuse themselves for their offenses, lest any one should suppose that He too "comes to Jordan" in this sort of mind, John sets it right beforehand, by calling Him both Lamb, and Redeemer from all the sin that is in the world. Since He that was able to take away the sins of the whole race of men, much more was He Himself without sin. For this cause then he said not, "Behold, He that is without sin," but what was much more, He "that bears the sin of the world," in order that together with this truth you might receive that other with all assurance, and having received it might perceive, that in the conduct of some further economy He comes to the baptism. Wherefore also he said to Him when He came, "I have need to be baptized of You, and comest Thou to me?"

And he said not, "And are You baptized of me?" nay, for this he feared to say: but what? "And comest Thou to me?" What then does Christ? What He did afterwards with respect to Peter, this did He then also. For so he too would have forbidden Him to wash his feet, but when he had heard, "What I do you know not now, but you shall know hereafter," and "you have no part with me," John 13:7-8 he speedily withdrew from his determination, and went over to the contrary. And this man again in like manner, when he had heard, "Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness,"straightway obeyed. For they were not unduly contentious, but they manifested both love and obedience, and made it their study to be ruled by their Lord in all things.

And mark how He urges him on that very ground which chiefly caused him to look doubtfully on what was taking place; in that He did not say, "thus it is just," but "thus it becomes." For, inasmuch as the point unworthy of Him was in his mind chiefly this, His being baptized by His servant, He stated this rather than anything else, which is directly opposed to that impression: as though He had said, "Is it not as unbecoming that you avoid and forbiddest this? nay, for this self-same cause I bid you suffer it, that it is becoming, and that in the highest degree."

And He did not merely say, "suffer," but He added, "now." "For it will not be so forever," says He, "but you shall see me such as you desire, for the present, however, endure this." Next He shows also how this "becomes" Him. How then does it so? "In that we fulfill the whole law;" and to express this He said, "all righteousness." For righteousness is the fulfilling of the commandments. "Since then we have performed all the rest of the commandments," says He, "and this alone remains, it also must be added: because I have come to do away the curse that is appointed for the transgression of the law. I must therefore first fulfill it all, and having delivered you from its condemnation, in this way bring it to an end. It becomes me therefore to fulfill the whole law, by the same rule that it becomes me to do away the curse that is written against you in the law: this being the very purpose of my assuming flesh, and coming hither."


There is a good bit more in each that is worth reading, but this post is already getting quite long.

In Christ,
Mike

[Herman Blaydoe]

Our Lord "needed" nothing. By submitting to baptism, He identifies Himself with us so that we may identify ourselves with Him. Not only that, but by entering the waters He once again sanctifies all of Creation by His physical Presence. While His baptism certainly was part of His Mission, I am not aware of any Church teaching that He received something from it. Rather, I suspect, He GAVE something from it. Please forgive and correct if I speak in error.

Herman