Breaking Down the Anonymous Treatise on Baptism

[Secret Alias]

Incipit:

it has been asked among the brethren what course ought specially to be adopted towards the persons of those who, although baptized in heresy, have yet been baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and subsequently departing from their heresy and fleeing as supplicants to the Church of God, should repent with their whole hearts, and only now perceiving the condemnation of their error, implore from the Church the help of salvation. The point is whether, according to the most ancient custom and ecclesiastical tradition, it would suffice, after that baptism which they have received outside the Church indeed, but still in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, that only hands should be laid upon them by the bishop for their reception of the Holy Spirit, and this imposition of hands would afford them the renewed and perfected seal of faith; or whether, indeed, a repetition of baptism would be necessary for them, as if they should receive nothing if they had not obtained baptism afresh, just as if they were never baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.[Anon 1]

is this the original layer? I don't think so. I think this is the final editor re-contextualizing the original report. The second author says:

And therefore some things were talked about as having been written and replied on this new question, wherein both sides endeavoured with the greatest eagerness to demolish what had been written by their antagonists.

Clearly mid-third century concerns. The text has some unique ideas. Namely that John the Baptist:

somewhat departed from the law, that is, from the most ancient baptism of Moses ... preparing the way of the new and true grace, both preoccupied the ears of the Jews gradually by the baptism of water and of repentance which for the time he practised, and took possession of them with the announcement of a spiritual baptism that was to come, exhorting them, and saying, He that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire [ibid 2]

What is the "most ancient baptism of Moses" if not his standing in fire on Sinai? I would like any other suggestions if possible before going further through the treatise.

[Secret Alias]

Apparently there is another explanation at least as early as Basil - https://books.google.com/books?id=wIN-A ... 22&f=false

[arnoldo]

http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/10-2.htm

[Secret Alias]

But the water never touched the Israelites. The analogy is illogical and the Samaritans ridicule it to this day

[arnoldo]

What about the wind?
Dynamics of Wind Setdown at Suez and the Eastern Nile Delta

[Secret Alias]

βαπτίζω dip, plunge (= fully immerse)

A.dip, plunge, “ξίφος εἰς σφαγήν” J.BJ2.18.4; “σπάθιον εἰς τὸ ἔμβρυον” Sor.2.63:—Pass., of a trephine, Gal.10.447; “βάπτισον σεαυτὸν εἰς θάλασσαν” Plu.2.166a; β. Διόνυσον πρὸς τὴν θάλασσαν ib. 914d:—in Pass., to be drowned, Epict.Gnom.47; of ships, sink or disable them, Plb.1.51.6, 16.6.2 (Pass.); ἐβάπτισαν τὴν πόλιν flooded the city, metaph., of the crowds who flocked into Jerusalem at the time of the siege, J.BJ4.3.3; “β. τινὰ εἰσφοραῖς” D.S.1.73; “β. τινὰ ὕπνῳ” AP11.49 (Even.); “ὕπνῳ βεβαπτισμένος” Archig. and Posidon. ap. Aët. 6.3:—Pass., “ὡς ἐκ τοῦ βεβαπτίσθαι ἀναπνέουσι” Hp.Epid.5.63; to be drenched, Eub.68: metaph., “βεβαπτισμένοι” soaked in wine, Pl.Smp. 176b; ὀφλήμασι βεβ. over head and ears in debt, Plu.Galb.21; γνοὺς βαπτιζόμενον τὸ μειράκιον seeing that he was getting into deep water, Pl.Euthd.277d; “β. εἰς ἀναισθησίαν καὶ ὕπνον” J.AJ10.9.4; “ὁ τῷ θυμῷ βεβαπτισμένος καταδύεται” Ach.Tat.6.19; “ψυχή βεβαπτισμένη λύπῃ” Lib.Or.64.115.

[Secret Alias]

Samaritan and (likely) Qumran text of Exodus 20:

Now when all the people heard the thunderings and the sound of the trumpet and saw lightnings and the mountain smoking, all the people were afraid and trembled; and they stood afar off, and said to Moses (Deut. 5:21) Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory, and His greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the midst of the fire; we have this day seen God speak with man, and man still live. (v.25). Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, we shall die. (v.26) For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and has still lived. (v.27) Go near, and hear all that the LORD our God will say; and speak to us all that the LORD our God will speak to you; and we will hear and do it, (Exod. 20:19) but let not God speak to us, lest we die. (v. 20) And Moses said to the people, Do not fear; for God has come to prove you, and that the fear of Him may be before your eyes, that you may not sin. (v.21) And the people stood afar off, While Moses drew near to the thick cloud where God was. (v.22) And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, (Deut. 5:28) I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you; they have rightly said all that they have spoken (v. 29). Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear Me My commandments, that it might go well with them and with their children for ever! (Deut. 18:18) I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren; and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. (v.l.9) And whoever will not give heed to his words while he shall speak in My speak in My name, I myself will require it of him. (v. 20) But the prophet who presumes to speak in My name that which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. (v.21) And if you say in your heart, How may we know the word which the LORD has not spoken? when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, (v.22) if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously, you need not be afraid of him. (Deut. 5:30) Go and say to them, return to your tents. (v. 31) But you, stand here by Me, and I will tell you the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances which you shall teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess.

[arnoldo]

βαπτίζω dip, plunge (= fully immerse)

A.dip, plunge, “ξίφος εἰς σφαγήν” J.BJ2.18.4; “σπάθιον εἰς τὸ ἔμβρυον” Sor.2.63:—Pass., of a trephine, Gal.10.447; “βάπτισον σεαυτὸν εἰς θάλασσαν” Plu.2.166a; β. Διόνυσον πρὸς τὴν θάλασσαν ib. 914d:—in Pass., to be drowned, Epict.Gnom.47; of ships, sink or disable them, Plb.1.51.6, 16.6.2 (Pass.); ἐβάπτισαν τὴν πόλιν flooded the city, metaph., of the crowds who flocked into Jerusalem at the time of the siege, J.BJ4.3.3; “β. τινὰ εἰσφοραῖς” D.S.1.73; “β. τινὰ ὕπνῳ” AP11.49 (Even.); “ὕπνῳ βεβαπτισμένος” Archig. and Posidon. ap. Aët. 6.3:—Pass., “ὡς ἐκ τοῦ βεβαπτίσθαι ἀναπνέουσι” Hp.Epid.5.63; to be drenched, Eub.68: metaph., “βεβαπτισμένοι” soaked in wine, Pl.Smp. 176b; ὀφλήμασι βεβ. over head and ears in debt, Plu.Galb.21; γνοὺς βαπτιζόμενον τὸ μειράκιον seeing that he was getting into deep water, Pl.Euthd.277d; “β. εἰς ἀναισθησίαν καὶ ὕπνον” J.AJ10.9.4; “ὁ τῷ θυμῷ βεβαπτισμένος καταδύεται” Ach.Tat.6.19; “ψυχή βεβαπτισμένη λύπῃ” Lib.Or.64.115.

Purification also came by the sprinkling of water. . .

Then it was that Miriam, the sister of Moses, came to her end, having completed her fortieth year (5) since she left Egypt, on the first (6) day of the lunar month Xanthicus. They then made a public funeral for her, at a great expense. She was buried upon a certain mountain, which they call Sin: and when they had mourned for her thirty days, Moses purified the people after this manner: He brought a heifer that had never been used to the plough or to husbandry, that was complete in all its parts, and entirely of a red color, at a little distance from the camp, into a place perfectly clean. This heifer was slain by the high priest, and her blood sprinkled with his finger seven times before the tabernacle of God; after this, the entire heifer was burnt in that state, together with its skin and entrails; and they threw cedar-wood, and hyssop, and scarlet wool, into the midst of the fire; then a clean man gathered all her ashes together, and laid them in a place perfectly clean. When therefore any persons were defiled by a dead body, they put a little of these ashes into spring water, with hyssop, and, dipping part of these ashes in it, they sprinkled them with it, both on the third day, and on the seventh, and after that they were clean. This he enjoined them to do also when the tribes should come into their own land.
http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text ... /ant4.html

Also see;
http://biblehub.com/hebrews/9-19.htm

[John2]

Maybe Ex. 24:8 (as a wild guess)?

"Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, 'This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.'"

Brownson notes (pg. 56) that:

...the sprinkling with blood symbolizes the establishing of covenant in Exodus 24:8. Jesus picks up this theme when he speaks of the cup, offered at the last supper, as 'the blood of the covenant' ... blood, as the vehicle of life, symbolizes the vitality and blessing that is to come from a restored covenantal relationship with God ... All of these themes -atonement, purity, and covenant- are part of the meaning of the cleansing signified in baptism.

https://books.google.com/books?id=gQ99d ... sm&f=false

[Secret Alias]

But sprinkling isn't baptism