MARSHALL The Meaning of the Verb 'Baptize' 23
Such is the meaning of the verb. It remains difficult, however, to obtain
a satisfactory translation. In the case of this verb (and the same applies to
the noun) there is obviously much to be said for a uniform translation (in
the manner of the RV's principles of translation) rather than a variety of
rendering (as in most modern versions). But there is no one translation
which will adequately cover the usage in Greek, especially in the texts
where we have the technical terminology of Christian initiation. It may be
best to retain the existing transliteration and to use 'baptize', and so on,provided that we remember that this word must be interpreted according to
its various contexts. What this article suggests is that in the case of the
external act involving water and the metaphorical act involving the Spirit
and fire the reference is not so much to the mode of the action (whether
immersion or affusion) but to the result of being drenched by being
immersed in the medium of cleansing or having it poured over one, and in
the case of the Spirit the imagery of affusion is clearly more appropriate.IV
One significant corollary that takes us beyond linguistics to practice fol-
lows from this. It appears that those churches which have insisted on
immersion as the one proper way of baptism and therefore do not accept
the validity of other modes of baptism have been unduly precipitate in
their conclusion. Our study has not attempted to demonstrate that affusion
rather than immersion was the practice in New Testament times, since it is
clear that immersion was the general rule; rather, it has shown that there
are a variety of points which indicate that affusion (and even sprinkling,Did. 7.3) was also practised. We have, however, been able to show that the
imagery of baptism with the Spirit is definitely that of drenching and
outpouring from above rather than immersion in a stream or baptistery. It
could be claimed that baptism by sprinkling with a little water, which itself
falls short of a proper deluge, is at least as proper a mode of baptism as
immersion, a ceremony in which the symbolism of the Spirit coming down
from above is entirely lost. In the end, however, the amount of water and
the precise mode in which it is administered are surely matters of indif-
ference. It is therefore more than a pity that a number of churches have
written into their title deeds the requirement of believers' baptism by
immersion as the condition of membership, and who therefore insist on the
rebaptism (or, as they would say, the baptism) even of those who have
already undergone believers' baptism by sprinkling before they may
become full members of the fellowship. May it be suggested that one