Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Johannes Warns on the Question of Whether Jesus Himself Baptised

  

In the three places in John (chs. 3:22, 26; 4:1, 2) in which it is stated that Jesus baptized or had baptisms performed, there seems to be a contradiction. First it is stated that Jesus baptized; in the second, this information is brought to John the Baptizer; the third account appears to explain the other two, in that Jesus did not Himself perform the water baptism but caused His disciples to do so. But may we not rightly assume that Jesus, Who, according to John 4:1, made and baptized more disciples than John (thus uniting baptism with discipleship), first of all Himself baptized His first disciples (so far as they had not already been baptized by John), and then commissioned them to baptize in His Name? Thus the apparent contradiction would be resolved and at the same time an answer given to the general question, Were all the twelve disciples baptized? If Jesus as a general practice baptized or caused to be baptized those whom He made disciples, could He permit any of the twelve to be excepted from this rule? It is unthinkable. (Johannes Warns, Baptism: Studies in the Original Christian Baptism: Its History and Conflicts Its elation to a State or National Church and its Significance for the Present Time [2d ed.; trans. H. G. Lang; 1922], 21 n. 1)

 

Further Reading:


Did Jesus Baptise?

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