Baptizing cities
In his study of Judaic Baptism, James W. Dale quotes Jewish War , 3.7, where Josephus speaks of a city being, in Dale’s translation, “overmersed” ( epibaptizo ). Dale comments, “It is intolerable to suppose that a city is figured, through the departure of an individual [in this case, Josephus himself] as dipped into water, immersed in the sea, overwhelmed by a flood, or sunk in the ocean.”
Really? It seems perfectly consistent with biblical imagery to suggest a city overrun by enemies as a “flooded” city, and particularly when the city is Jewish and the enemies part of the “sea of Gentiles.”
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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