I recently decided to invest in the 6-volume Anchor Bible Dictionary on Logos and so have been playing around with it. The following is a rather helpful discussion written by Lars Hartman, Professor in Uppsala University, Sweden, on 1 Cor 1:17, a text often abused to support a symbolic-only understanding of water baptism (emphasis added):
In 1 Cor 1:12–17 Paul says that he is thankful that he baptized only a few of the Corinthians, “for Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel” (v 17). This remark is generally understood as showing no contempt on Paul’s part for baptism. Rather he let his coworkers baptize, and it is probable that baptizing meant not only performing the rite but also taking an active part in preparation for it. This can explain how people came to rally around a teacher like Apollos (1 Cor 1:12). Hartman, L. (1992). Baptism. In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 1, p. 587). New York: Doubleday.
