Re: Belief in Christ must be so, before Baptism takes place.

In message <W%9Zh.145724$DE1.20549@pd7urf2no>
graham <g.stereo@xxxxxxx> wrote:

Surely, the original baptism, as practised by John, was nothing more than
the Jewish ritual bathing (mikveh). At least, that's what an Orthodox rabbi
(who had read the NT many times) explained to me.

I'm sure it was related to the mikveh - and possibly even more to the ritual
washings practiced by the Essenes - but John's innovation was to institute
ritual washing for *sin* as opposed to coming in contact with a pig or a
gentile or menstruous woman.

God bless,
Kendall K. Down

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