Fire and light on the Jordan.

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Ben C. Smith
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Fire and light on the Jordan.

Post by Ben C. Smith »

I posted a thread last year about the Jordan turning back at the baptism of Jesus, and of course a couple of the references to that event also speak to the more pervasive, and seemingly more ancient, motif of either a fire blazing or a light shining at the baptism.

The motif of the light may tie in with a scriptural passage applied to Jesus being a resident of Galilee:

Isaiah 9.1-2: 1 But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He will make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.

Matthew 4.12-16: 12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; 13 and, leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled: 15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — 16 the people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a Light dawned” (= Isaiah 9.1-2).

The motif of the fire probably bears a different meaning, which I will bring up after listing a sample of the texts which refer either to the light or to the fire:

Matthew 3.13-17 (for reference): 13 Then Jesus arrives from Galilee at the Jordan, coming to John to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have the need to be baptized by You, and yet You are coming to me?” 15 But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allows Him.* 16 After He was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and settling on Him, 17 and behold, a voice from the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

* Vercellensis: And when he was baptized an immense light flashed round from the water, so that all who had come were fearful. / et cum baptizaretur, lumen ingens circumfulsit de aqua, ita ut timerent omnes qui advenerant.

* Sangermanensis: And when he was baptized a great light flashed from the water, so that all who had congretated were fearful. / et cum baptizaretur Iesus, lumen magnum fulgebat de aqua, ita ut timerent omnes qui congregati erant.

Matthew 3.13-17, Vetus Latina apud Vercellensis: 13 Tunc venit Iesus a Galilaea in Iordanem ad Iohannem, ut baptizaretur ab eo. 14 et prohibebat eum Iohannis, dicens, «Ego a te debeo baptizari, et tu venis ad me?» 15 respondens autem Iesus, dixit illi, «Sine modo, sic enim decet nos implere omnen iustitiam.» tunc dimisit eum. et cum baptizaretur, lumen ingens circumfulsit de aqua, ita ut timerent omnes qui advenerant. 16 et baptizato Iesu, confestim ascendit de aqua, et ecce, aperti sunt ei caeli, et vidit Spiritum Dei descendentem de caelo sicut columbam venientem in ipsum. 17 et ecce, vox de caelis dicens ad eum, «Tu es Filius meus dilectus, in quo bene com....»

Justin Martyr, Dialogue 88.3: 3 And then Jesus came upon the Jordan river, where John was baptizing, and when Jesus went down upon the water even a fire was lit on the Jordan, and his apostles wrote that when he rose up out of the water the holy spirit flew as a dove upon him, since he is our Christ. / 3 καὶ τότε ἐλθόντος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰορδάνην ποταμόν, ἔνθα ὁ Ἰωάννης ἐβάπτιζε, κατελθόντος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ πῦρ ἀνήφθη ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ, καὶ ἀναδύντος αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος ὡς περιστερὰν τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα ἐπιπτῆναι ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἔγραψαν οἱ ἀπόστολοι αὐτοῦ τούτου τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἡμῶν.

Sibylline Oracles 6.1-7 (translation modified from Ursula Treu):

1 I sing from the heart the great Son and famous of the Deathless,
2 To whom the Most High, his Begetter, gave a throne to take
3 Ere he was born, for according to the flesh he was raised up
4 The second time, after he had washed in the stream of the river
5 Jordan, which is borne along on silvery foot, drawing its waves;
6 Who first, escaping from fire, shall see God
7 Coming in sweet spirit on the white wings of a dove.

1 Ἀθανάτου μέγαν υἱὸν ἀοίδιμον ἐκ φρενὸς αὐδῶ,
2 ᾧ θρόνον ὕψιστος γενέτης παρέδωκε λαβέσθαι
3 οὔπω γεννηθέντι· ἐπεὶ κατὰ σάρκα τὸ δισσόν
4 ἠγέρθη, προχοαῖς ἀπολουσάμενος ποταμοῖο
5 Ἰορδάνου, ὃς φέρεται γλαυκῷ ποδί, κύματα σύρων.
6 ὃς πυρὸς ἐκφεύξας πρῶτος θεὸν ὄψεται ἡδύν
7 πνεύματι γινόμενον, λευκαῖς πτερύγεσσι πελείης.

Sibylline Oracles 7.81-84 (translation modified from Ursula Treu):

81 Water then You shall pour on pure fire, crying out thus,
82 “As the Father begot You as Word, I send forth the bird,
83 Swift messenger of words, as Word, with holy water
84 Sprinkling Your baptism, through which You came out of fire.”

81 ὕδωρ δὲ σπείσεις καθαρῷ πυρὶ τοῖα βοήσας·
82 «ὥς σε λόγον γέννησε πατήρ, *πάτερ*, ὄρνιν ἀφῆκα,
83 ὀξὺν ἀπαγγελτῆρα λόγων, λόγον, ὕδασιν ἁγνοῖς
84 ῥαίνων σὸν βάπτισμα, δι' οὗ πυρὸς ἐξεφαάνθης.»

Gabriele Winkler, “The Appearance of the Light at the Baptism of Jesus and the Origins of the Feast of Epiphany,” in Between Memory and Hope: Readings on the Liturgical Year, chapter 17, note 37: 37 .... The Mandaean baptismal rite, at the baptism at the Jordan, says, “He [the Father] cried and made me to hear with a loud voice, ‘If there is power in you, Soul, then come!’ ‘If I go through the fire, I will burn up and vanish again from the world.’ I lifted my eyes on high, and with my soul I put my hope in the house of life. I went through the fire and did not burn up but made it through and found my own life.” ....

Cyprian (or pseudo-Cyprian), On Rebaptism 100.17: 17 There is a concocted book which is inscribed as the Preaching of Paul, in which book, against all the scriptures, you will find Christ even confessing his own sin, who alone failed in nothing at all, and that he was compelled by his own mother Mary almost unwillingly to accept the baptism of John, that likewise, when he was baptized, a fire was seen over the water, which is written in no gospel, and that after so much time Peter and Paul, after the bringing together of the gospel in Jerusalem and the mutual cogitation and the altercation and disposition of matters to be done, finally were in the city (of Rome), as if there first they recognized each other, and certain other things of this nature, absurdly and disgracefully concocted, which you will find all congested in that book. / 17 .... Confictus liber qui inscribitur Pauli predicatio in quo libro, contra omnes scripturas, et de peccato proprio confitentem invenies Christum, qui solus omnino nihil deliquit et ad accipiendum Ioannis baptisma paene invitum a matre sua Maria esse compulsum, item cum baptizaretur ignem super aquam esse visum, quod in evangelio nullo est scriptum, et post tanta tempora Petrum et Paulum post conlationem evangelii in Hierusalem et mutuam cogitationem et altercationem et rerum agendarum dispositionem, postremo in urbe quasi tunc primum invicem sibi esse cognitos, et quaedam alia huiusmodi absurde ac turpiter conficta, quae omnia in illum librum invenies congesta. ....

Ephraem, Commentary on the Gospel of the Mixed 4.5: And when he saw from the splendor of the light over the waters and through a voice that was from heaven.... / et cum vidisset ex splendore lucis super aquas et per vocem factam de caelis....

Ephraem, Hymn Concerning Faith 10.17: 17 .... “Behold the fire and Spirit in the river in which you were baptized.”

Epiphanius, Panarion 30.13.7-8: 7 And after saying a good deal it adds, “When the people had been baptized Jesus came also and was baptized of John. And as he came up out of the water the heavens were opened, and he saw the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove which descended and entered into him. And (there came) a voice from heaven saying, ‘You are my beloved Son; in You I am well pleased,’ and again, ‘This day have I begotten You’ (= Luke 3.21-22; Psalm 2.7; Hebrews 1.5). And straightway a great light shone round about the place (= Justin Martyr, Dialogue 88.3). Seeing this,” it says, “John said unto him, ‘Who are You, Lord’ (= Acts 95)? And again (there came) a voice to him from heaven, ‘This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased’ (= Matthew 3.17). 8 And then,” it says, “John fell down before him and said, ‘I pray You, Lord, baptize me.’ But he forbade him saying, ‘Let it alone, for thus it is meet that all be fulfilled’ (= Matthew 3.15).” / 7 καὶ μετὰ τὸ εἰπεῖν πολλὰ ἐπιφέρει ὅτι «τοῦ λαοῦ βαπτισθέντος ἦλθεν καὶ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ἐβαπτίσθη ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰωάννου. καὶ ὡς ἀνῆλθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος, ἠνοίγησαν οἱ οὐρανοὶ καὶ εἶδεν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐν εἴδει περιστερᾶς, κατελθούσης καὶ εἰσελθούσης εἰς αὐτόν. καὶ φωνὴ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ λέγουσα· σύ μου εἶ ὁ υἱὸς ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν σοὶ ηὐδόκησα, καὶ πάλιν· ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε. καὶ εὐθὺς περιέλαμψε τὸν τόπον φῶς μέγα. ὃ ἰδών, φησίν, ὁ Ἰωάννης λέγει αὐτῷ· σὺ τίς εἶ, κύριε; καὶ πάλιν φωνὴ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ πρὸς αὐτόν· οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐφ' ὃν ηὐδόκησα. 8 καὶ τότε, φησίν, ὁ Ἰωάννης προσπεσὼν αὐτῷ ἔλεγεν· δέομαί σου, κύριε, σύ με βάπτισον. ὁ δὲ ἐκώλυσεν αὐτὸν λέγων· ἄφες, ὅτι οὕτως ἐστὶ πρέπον πληρωθῆναι πάντα».

Chronicon Paschale (PG 92, column 545): Ἐγεννήθη Χοιὰχ κη' ὥρᾳ ζ' τῆς νυκτός. ἐβαπτίσθη Τυβὶ ια' ὥρᾳ ι' τῆς ἡμέρας ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ ποταμῷ, καὶ ὁ Ἰορδάνης ἀνεπόδισεν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω. εἴπεν δὲ ὁ κύριος τῷ Ἰωάννῃ· «Εἴπον τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ· ‹Στῆθι· ὁ κύριος ἦλθεν πρὸς ἡμᾶς.›» καὶ εὐθέως ἔστησαν τὰ ὕδατα. τότε ὁ Ἰωάννης προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ λέγων, «Ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι, καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρός με;» καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ κύριος, «Ἄφες ἄρτι· δεῖ γενέσθαι τοῦτο.» τότε καταβάντων αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ ὕδωρ ἀνεκόχλασαν τὰ ὕδατα, ὥσπερ κεκερασμένον ὕδωρ. καὶ ὅτε ἀνέβη ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος, εὐθέως ἀνεῴχθη ὁ οὐρανός, καὶ ἦλθεν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ὡς περιστερὰ πυροειδής· καὶ φωνὴ μεγάλη ἠκούσθη ὡς φωνὴ βροντῆς, λέγουσα, «Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν ᾧ ηὐδόκησα.» ἔμεινεν δὲ ὁ Χριστὸς σὺν ἡμῖν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ θεραπεύων πᾶσαν νόσον καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν ἔτη λγʹ καὶ μῆνας γʹ. / He was born on the twenty-eighth of Choiac at the seventh hour of the night. He was baptized on the eleventh of Tubi at the tenth hour of the day by John in the Jordan river, and the Jordan stepped backward. And the Lord said to John, “Say to the Jordan, ‘Stand; the Lord has come toward us.’” And immediately the waters stood. Then John worshiped him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?” And the Lord said to him, “Allow it at this time; it is necessary for this to be.” Then, as they descended into the water, they splashed the waters, as the water was mixed. And, when he ascended from the water, immediately heaven was opened up, and the Holy Spirit came as a fiery dove. And a great voice was heard as a voice of thunder, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Christ remained with us in the world healing all sickness and every malady for thirty-three years and three months.

Romanus the Melodist, Hymn 16.14 (translation mine):

14 And after these things to be shuddered at, the offspring of Zachariah shouted to the Maker,
“I am not striving, but am rather finishing what you urged on me.”
Having said these things at that time, to the Savior he came
Slavishly and gazed earnestly,
Looking reverently on the naked members of Him Who enjoins
The clouds to drape heaven in the manner of a cloak,
And again seeing in the midst of the streams
The One Who appeared in the midst of the three children,
Dew in fire and fire on the Jordan,
Shining, springing forth, the unapproachable light.

14 Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τὰ φρικτά, ὁ γόνος Ζαχαρίου ἐβόησε τῷ πλάστῃ·
«Ἐγὼ οὐκ ἀντερίζω, ἀλλ' ὃ κελεύεις μοι τελῶ.»
ταῦτα λέξας τότε, τῷ σωτῆρι προσελθὼν
δουλοπρεπῶς ἠτένιζεν,
βλέπων εὐλαβῶς μέλη γυμνούμενα τοῦ ἐντελλομένου
ταῖς νεφέλαις περιβάλλειν τὸν οὐρανὸν δίκην ἱματίου,
καὶ πάλιν θεωρῶν ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ῥείθρων
τὸν ἐν μέσῳ τῶν τριῶν παίδων φανέντα,
δρόσον ἐν πυρὶ καὶ πῦρ ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ
λάμπον, πηγάζον, τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀπρόσιτον.

Romanus the Melodist, Hymn 17.1a (translation mine):

1a To Adam, blinded in Eden, a sun appeared out of Bethlehem and opened his pupils,
Having washed them in the waters of the Jordan;
For him who had been blackened and darkened
An unquenchable light has dawned.

1a Τῷ τυφλωθέντι Ἀδὰμ ἐν Ἐδὲμ ἐφάνη ἥλιος ἐκ Βηθλεέμ καὶ ἤνοιξεν αὐτοῦ τὰς κόρας,
ἀποπλύνας αὐτὰς Ἰορδάνου τοῖς ὕδασιν·
τῷ μεμελανωμένῳ καὶ συνεσκοτισμένῳ
φῶς ἀνέτειλεν ἄσβεστον.

F. C. Conybeare & A. J. Maclean, Rituale Armenorum, Morning Service (Íapra), page 384: 384 .... Blessed is he at whose baptism the heavens opened: and fire and the Spirit mingled with the waters: and he revealed his power to the multitudes on Jordan: that by his baptism they might receive freedom. .... [Link.]

F. C. Conybeare & A. J. Maclean, Rituale Armenorum, Night Service (Lelya), page 345: 345 Hail to thee, Spiritual Bridegroom, who hast prepared all joy for the bride whom thou hast espoused from among mortals: and hast made for her a wonderful wedding feast in the river Jordan: when thou didst arise among the multitudes of Judaea: to be baptized by thy servant in thy love. The river saw thee and was moved and trembled: and fire was kindled among its billows: and preached in silence: of thy coming. [Link.]

Išoʿdad of Merv apud Gabriele Winkler: And immediately, as the Diatessaron attests, there shone a mighty light and over the Jordan hung bright clouds.... And the Jordan stopped in its course during which time its water did not move....”

Dionysius bar Salibi apud Gabriele Winkler: And immediately, as the Gospel of the Diatessaron testifies, a mighty light flashed upon the Jordan and the river was girdled with white clouds... and the Jordan stood still from its flowing, though its waters were not troubled....

Peter Comestor, Historica Scholastica, PL 198, column 1555: 1555 Factum est autem, cum baptizaretur fere omnis populus terrae illius, et Jesu baptizato et orante pro baptizandis, ut acciperent Spiritum Sanctum, confestim ascendit Jesus de aqua et ecce, aperti sunt coeli, id est, inaestimabilis splendor factus est circa eum, ac si coelo aereo et sidereo reseratis, splendor coeli empyrei terris infunderetur.

Ludolph of Saxony, Vita Jesu Christi I, 21.11, apud Gabriele Winkler: Factum est autem, ut, cum baptizaretur a Johanne fere omnis populus terrae illius, id est multi de omni populo, et Jesu a Johanne baptizato, ac post baptismum de aquis ascendente, et pro baptizandis, ut Spiritum sSanctum acciperent, orante, apertum est coelum, id est, inaestimabilis splendor factus est circa Christum, et tantus fulgor circumfulsit eum, ac si coelum empyreum apertum videretur, coeloque aereo et sidereo reseratis, splendor coeli empyrei terris infunderetur.

A. Vögtlin, Vita Beate Virginis Marie et Salvatoris Rhythmica, page 129 (translation mine):

Cum ergo Jesus a Johanne foret baptizatus,
Populusque plurimus cum ipso renovatus,
Ecce, celum est apertum, lux magnaque refulsit
In Jesum, necnon universos presentes circumfulsit.


When, therefore, Jesus was to be baptized by John,
And very many people with him renewed,
Behold, heaven was opened, and a great light flashed
Upon Jesus, but did not flash round all those present.

Margery Goates, The Pepysian Gospel Harmony, pages 9-10 (modernization modified from Yuri Kuchinsky): 9-10 .... And in that time Jesus came from Nazareth to the river Jordan to be baptized by John the Baptist. But John tried to deter him, saying that it was better that he should be baptized by him, rather than Jesus by him. And Jesus replied and asked him to do it, for it was very proper for them to do so, giving all others an example in every way, and especially of humility. And so John baptized Jesus. And, when he was baptized and was in prayer for them who received baptism in his name, there came the brightness of heaven with the Holy Ghost, and alighted within him. And then the voice of God, his Father, came down from heaven and said to him, “You are my dear son, with whom I am well pleased.” .... / 9-10 .... And in þat tyme com Jesus fram Naȝareth to þe flum Jurdan forto be baptiȝed of Jon þe Baptyst. Ac seint Jon defended hym & seide þat it bifel bettere hym to be baptiȝed of hym, þan Jesus of hym. And Jesus ansuered & badd hym done it, for also mychel as it bifel to hem to done, to ȝiuen oþer ensample of al manere þing, & namelich of loweness. And þo baptiȝed John Jesus. And whan he was baptiȝed, and was in praiere for hem þat resceyueden baptiȝinge in his name, so com þe briȝthnesse of heuene & þe Holy Gost, & aliȝth wiþinne hym. And þe vois com fram heuene of God his fader & seide to hym, “Þou art my dere son, of wham ich am wel apayed.” ....

This list is far from exhaustive; as I said, the motif is pervasive.

It is initially tempting to view the fire simply as a neat little legendary detail designed to highlight Jesus' dignity. On such a view it could easily be something which arose after the first wave of gospel texts was published but before Justin Martyr's testimony to the fire (as well as before the Sibylline Oracles' similar testimony and before the appearance of the Praedicatio Pauli, whenever that may have been).

However, there may actually have been a good reason for a gospel author or editor to suppress the fire:

Gabriele Winkler, “The Appearance of the Light at the Baptism of Jesus and the Origins of the Feast of Epiphany,” in Between Memory and Hope: Readings on the Liturgical Year, chapter 17: 17 .... The fire attested in the Sibyllines has a testing if not purifying quality. Something similar is also true for Justin. Possibly this holds for the Praedicatio Pauli as well. The fire appears either at the descent of Jesus into the Jordan (as in Justin) or it is strictly bound to the actual event of baptism (as in the Sybillines, Praedicatio Pauli). This stands in contrast to the witnesses which report a shining light which is inserted either during or immediately after the baptism. ....

Gabriele Winkler, “The Appearance of the Light at the Baptism of Jesus and the Origins of the Feast of Epiphany,” in Between Memory and Hope: Readings on the Liturgical Year, chapter 17: 17 .... The cited texts, which could be continued indefinitely, invite one — insofar as they give further information about the events of Jesus’ baptism at the Jordan — to the conclusion that the appearance of the fire was given a new interpretation on the basis of theological reflection: it is no longer Jesus who must prove himself in the trial by fire in the Jordan, but he is now the one from whom the purifying fire proceeds. ....

Gabriele Winkler, “The Appearance of the Light at the Baptism of Jesus and the Origins of the Feast of Epiphany,” in Between Memory and Hope: Readings on the Liturgical Year, chapter 17:

17 .... Here an unmistakable difference from Justin’s κατά- and ἀνά- schema (Bammel) can be identified which associates the appearance of the fire not with the ascent of Jesus from the Jordan but with his immersion in the Jordan River:
  • descent of Jesus into the water, during which the fire was kindled in the Jordan;
  • emergence of Jesus bound with the descent of the Spirit.
That is, in Justin the testing presence of the fire precedes the descent of the Spirit; in the Gospel of the Ebionites, the entrance of the Spirit into Jesus is the presupposition for the solemn proclamation of sonship and the shining of the light which is most closely connected with the announcement of the Son’s begetting in the Jordan.

On this basis alone, the appearance of fire and light should be kept distinct from each other. They do not mean the same thing. ....

The fire, then, could easily have been a detail added, not in order to dignify Jesus, but rather in order to purify him of sin. It has long been noted that Mark does not seem to feel embarrassment in any way at the possible reading of his text as implying that Jesus was being baptized as a means of repentance from his sins; and Jerome quotes from an apocryphal gospel text which seems to wrestle with the idea that Jesus might need baptism for his sins:

Mark 1.4, 9: 4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. .... 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

Jerome, Against the Pelagians 3.2: 2 In evangelio iuxta Hebraeos, quod Chaldaico quidem Syroque sermone sed Hebraicis litteris scriptum est, quod utuntur usque hodie Nazareni, secundum apostolos, sive ut plerique autumant iuxta Matthaeum, quod et in Caesariensi habetur bibliotheca, narrat historia: «Ecce, mater domini et fratres eius dicebant ei, ‹Ioannes baptista baptizat in remissionem peccatorum; eamus et baptizemur ab eo.› dixit autem eis, ‹Quid peccavi, ut vadam et baptizer ab eo? nisi forte hoc ipsum quod dixi ignorantia est.›» / 2 In the gospel according to the Hebrews, which indeed is written in Chaldean and Syrian speech, but with Hebraic letters, which the Nazarenes use until this day, according to the apostles, or as most term it according to Matthew, which is also held in the Caesarean library, it narrates the story: “Behold, the mother of the Lord and his brothers were saying to him, ‘John the baptist is baptizing for the remission of sins. Let us also be baptized by him.’ But he said to them, ‘How have I sinned, that I should go and be baptized by him? Unless perchance this that I have just said is ignorance’ (= Numbers 15.21-31?).”

The Preaching of Paul, as cited above, apparently states that Jesus confessed his sins. Both the Nazarene gospel text and this Preaching of Paul at least grapple with the logical implications of Jesus being baptized by John. So do Matthew and John and probably Luke in different ways:

Matthew 3.13-17: 13 Then Jesus arrives from Galilee at the Jordan, coming to John to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have the need to be baptized by You, and yet You are coming to me?” 15 But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allows Him. 16 After He was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and settling on Him, 17 and behold, a voice from the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Luke 3.19-22: 19 But when Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him regarding Herodias, his brother’s wife, and regarding all the evil things which Herod had done, 20 Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison. 21 Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

John 1.28-34: 28 These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing people. 29 The next day he sees Jesus coming to him, and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He in behalf of whom I said, ‘After me is coming a Man who has proved to be my superior, because He existed before me.’ 31 And I did not recognize Him, but so that He would be revealed to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” 32 And John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. 33 And I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

In Matthew, John protests the baptism, but Jesus mysteriously affirms that it must be done for some unspecified reason. In Luke, John is mentioned as having been thrown into prison, but not mentioned as being the one who baptized Jesus, leaving open the possibility that the baptism was not the Johannine one for repentance. In John, there is no baptism; John, who just happens to be a baptizer, sees an epiphany of Jesus and testifies to him on that account.

Mark, on the other hand, appears to be innocent of the entire controversy. He neither affirms nor denies Jesus' sinlessness before and leading up to the baptism. That he does not deny it means nothing, since it would make no sense to deny what nobody has yet affirmed. (In the same way, one is not likely to deny being an alien with two stomachs unless someone has first leveled the accusation.) That he does not affirm it, either, suggests to me that the Marcan version of this story (nota bene: not necessarily every word in the extant gospel of Mark, but rather this version of this story from its pages) is the earliest approach to the whole idea of Jesus being baptized by John that we have.

The addition of the fire could have happened at any time, and ex hypothesi it would have been a way of affirming that Jesus was completely purified in the baptism so as to be worthy of being appointed as Messiah or Christ. Either simultaneously or slightly later, and in quite the opposite direction, Jesus had begun to be thought of as having been sinless from the beginning in some quarters, so, instead of fire, the story added excuses; the light would have made sense in this latter context. Not everybody who encountered the motif of the fire from earlier sources would have necessarily known its original meaning; and, of course, its meaning could also be changed, as Winkler points out. (It could also be minimized to a mere adjective, as in the Chronicon Paschale.)

Justin Martyr bears witness to the fire, the Diatessaron to the light; some have argued, therefore, that Tatian (or insert your anonymous compiler here) turned Justin's fire to light, and that all references to the light depend directly or indirectly on Tatian. This seems possible, but of course it all depends, at the very least, on when we date the Ebionite gospel cited by Epiphanius; the exactness of the proposal may outrun the available evidence. But the overall schematic is probably sound; the fire was purifying, a tribute to the earliest tradition, in which Jesus was just like any other man and therefore stood in need of purification, whereas the light was purely epiphanic and therefore compatible right from the start with the notion of Jesus being sinless all along.

Fire or Light on the Jordan.png
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Ben.

ETA: Incidentally, I can really see why Romanus the Melodist is so beloved in some quarters. The Greek is very pretty without being overly complex or pretentious (and my translation does not do it justice).
Last edited by Ben C. Smith on Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Giuseppe
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Re: Fire and light on the Jordan.

Post by Giuseppe »

Thanks for this interesting observation:
Ben C. Smith wrote: Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:07 pm The fire, then, could easily have been a detail added, not in order to dignify Jesus, but rather in order to purify him of sin.
from my POV of the first Gospels being not Gnostic but anti-Gnostic, the embarrassment of a Jesus purified by fire (notorious symbol of YHWH and his Law) is neutralized by the implicit corollary: Jesus can be born (in a gospel where the birth is still missing) "under the Law" by receiving humbly the "fire" on himself at baptism. For Matthew (in a time when the birth "under the Law" has been invented) the need of the baptism to make the point that Jesus is put humbly "under the Law" becomes not more necessary, hence Matthew betrayes embarassment in justifying the baptism.

ADDENDA:
So Jean Magne:

Ce dernier titre en particulier exige un père, une mère, une généalogie, une naissance et une mort, ainsi que l'onction de l'Esprit que suppose le nom. Jésus recevra cette onction par le baptême de Jean tandis que la voix du Père empruntera au dieu juif un verset du psaume pour le déclarer son Fils (Lc 3:22; Ps 2:7).
Jean, que Jésus déclare, en tant qhe héraut appointé par le Père, le plus grand des engants des femmes - car Jésus, lui, en dépit de Galates 4:4, n'est pas né d'une femme -, devient, annoncé par Isaie et Malachie, l'ultime prophète de l'ancienne Loi et, à ce titre, est déclaré plus petit que le plus petit dans le Royaume des cieux.

(Logique des sacrements, p. 216-217)

my translation:
This last title ["Christ"] in particular requires a father, a mother, a genealogy, a birth and a death, as well as the anointing of the Spirit as the name implies. Jesus will receive this anointing through the baptism of John while the voice of the Father will borrow from the Jewish god a verse of the Psalm to declare him his Son (Lk 3:22; Ps 2: 7).
John, whom Jesus declares, as the herald appointed by the Father, the greatest of the born by woman - for Jesus, he, in spite of Galatians 4: 4, was not born by a woman -, becomes, announced by Isaiah and Malachi, the ultimate prophet of the old Law and, as such, is declared lesser than least in the Kingdom of Heaven.

(my bold)
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Re: Fire and light on the Jordan.

Post by Giuseppe »

I wonder if a similar function of the fire as allusion to YHWH's supreme lordship (in evident reaction against a rival god's supremacy) is allegorized by the crown of thorns:

Mark 15:17:
They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.

Exodus 3:2:
There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.

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Re: Fire and light on the Jordan.

Post by Giuseppe »

Ben C. Smith wrote: Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:07 pm
The addition of the fire could have happened at any time, and ex hypothesi it would have been a way of affirming that Jesus was completely purified in the baptism so as to be worthy of being appointed as Messiah or Christ. Either simultaneously or slightly later, and in quite the opposite direction, Jesus had begun to be thought of as having been sinless from the beginning in some quarters, so, instead of fire, the story added excuses; the light would have made sense in this latter context.
I interpret this opposition between fire and light not about Jesus's degree of divinity (was he a mere mortal or a demigod?) but originally as opposition between YHWH (symbolized by the presence of the fire) and an alien god (symbolized by the presence of the light).
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Re: Fire and light on the Jordan.

Post by Giuseppe »

Note also the opposition between
  • Paul of Acts, who saw Jesus in the form of pure light on the way to Damascus
  • the 12 apostles, who received the spirit in the form of fire at Pentecost (cfr also the disciples of John, converted to orthodoxy by fire descending on them)
Being the Paul of Acts a domesticated Paul, the presence of light at his conversion is a trace of the previous Paul's degree of 'heresy' (a previous Paul used by Gnostics and Marcion).

ADDENDA
The fire is the signature of YHWH on who receives it.
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Re: Fire and light on the Jordan.

Post by Secret Alias »

I think the connection with Isaiah is already in Against Marcion 4 (from memory). That likely means it was known to Irenaeus
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Re: Fire and light on the Jordan.

Post by mbuckley3 »

The motif of fire on the Jordan is surely 'read over' from the baptism of fire in the preceding two verses.
For its purgative sense, here's Clement of Alexandria, Eclogae Propheticae 25-26 : " John says 'I indeed baptise you with water, but there comes after me he that baptises with the spirit and fire' (Matt 3.11). But he baptised no one with fire. But some, as Heracleon says, marked with fire the ears of those who were sealed, understanding so the apostolic saying..'but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire' (Matt 3.12). ....to the material he opposes fire, not as being evil or bad, but as strong and capable of cleansing away evil..wherefore this fire is called by the prophets wise....Also the saviour says 'I came to send fire upon the earth' (Luke 12.49) indicating a power to purify what is holy but destructive of what is material.. ".
The mid C2 Heracleon, and Irenaeus A.H. 1.25, seem to indicate a Christian practice of branding the ears as the baptism of fire. Clement, of course, does not argue for Jesus requiring it, but others may well have done. Certainly, the motif of light rather than fire on the Jordan better suits a 'high' Christology...
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Re: Fire and light on the Jordan.

Post by Peter Kirby »

Ben C. Smith wrote: Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:07 pm Cyprian (or pseudo-Cyprian), On Rebaptism 100.17: 17 There is a concocted book which is inscribed as the Preaching of Paul, in which book, against all the scriptures, you will find Christ even confessing his own sin, who alone failed in nothing at all, and that he was compelled by his own mother Mary almost unwillingly to accept the baptism of John, that likewise, when he was baptized, a fire was seen over the water, which is written in no gospel, and that after so much time Peter and Paul, after the bringing together of the gospel in Jerusalem and the mutual cogitation and the altercation and disposition of matters to be done, finally were in the city (of Rome), as if there first they recognized each other, and certain other things of this nature, absurdly and disgracefully concocted, which you will find all congested in that book.
The idea that the fire motif was suppressed or transformed into "light" makes a lot of sense.

At the same time, it opens up the question of whether we need to reconsider "Markan priority" as so often conceived. There may be a gospel before it.
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Re: Fire and light on the Jordan.

Post by Giuseppe »

The fire motif is basically a maniphesto of adoptionism: the Jesus was "less" than YHWH insofar he is "purified" by YHWH's fire.

This talks a lot about an original opposition to a Jesus Son of Father ("Bar-Abbas") who said: "I and my Father are one" (the Father who is meant is not YHWH).
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Re: Fire and light on the Jordan.

Post by Secret Alias »

It's worth noting that 'light' (אֽוֹר) is an acknowledged name of the messiah in rabbinic sources. It can also mean 'fire.' Genesis 1:3 "Let there be אֽוֹר and there was אֽוֹר." If anyone is familiar with 13th century kabbalah both En Sof (infinite) and light both of which have the same value 207. You can just substitute light for the original creative 'thing' the universe is based on.
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