Dimensions of Baptism Biblical and Theological Studies

176 Dimensions of Baptism

originated with Jesus himself and his understanding of both his own death

and the price that some of his disciples would have to pay in order to

follow him. While it would be circular and illegitimate to use Heb. 6.2's

reference to 'baptisms' as the sole basis that this idea of baptism as blood

witness was used in the earliest Christian communities, it could be under-

stood as evidence to this effect //such ideas could be shown to be current

roughly contemporaneous to the time of Hebrews' composition. There is

some indication to this effect and while some of it is circumstantial, it

nevertheless supports the possibility of what is being suggested here. First

is the point already made, that if the logia in Mk 10.38-39 and Lk. 12.50

are authentic, then there was already a precedent for the writer of Hebrews

to speak of baptism in this way. Secondly, if the Mk 10.38-39 and Lk.

12.50 logia are inauthentic, then they must be creations of the Markan and

Lukan communities, and since these Gospels are commonly dated in the

late 60s to 80s, then these verses are evidence that there were Christians

during this period who understood the death of Christ and some of his

disciples (either potentially or really) under the metaphor of baptism.

Many of the various suggestions for dates given for the composition of

Hebrews coincide with the 60s-80s.^53

Thirdly, there is the evidence of Paul's letter to the Romans, written in

the 50s.^54 In Rom. 6.3-5, Paul talks about the Christian's baptism into the

death of Christ: 'Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized

into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death? Therefore we have

been buried with him by baptism through baptism into death, so that, just

as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might

walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death

like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his'.

James Dunn suggests that the source of this language is the tradition of

Jesus' own usage of the baptismal metaphor for his own death in Mk

10.38-39 and Lk. 12.50.^55 If this is accepted, then it is further supportive

evidence for our argument.

53. See, e.g., Attridge, Hebrews, pp. 6-9; Lane, Hebrews, pp. lx-lxvi; Ellingworth,
    Hebrews, pp. 29-33.


54. For our purposes a more precise date is not necessary.


55. J.D.G. Dunn, The Theology of Paul the Apostle (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark,
    1998), pp. 451-52, and also his '"Baptized" as Metaphor', pp. 306-307. See also
    J. Ysebaert, Greek Baptismal Terminology: Its Origins and Early Development
    (Nijmegen: Dekker & Van De Vegt, 1962), pp. 53 and 55; Taylor, Mark, p. 441; J.A.
    Fitzmyer, Romans (AB, 33; New York: Doubleday, 1993), p. 431: 'Paul has undoubt-
    edly derived his teaching about baptism from the early Christian tradition that existed