From: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Sent: Thursday, October 9, 1997 8:22 PM
To: "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"
Subject: Info on Baptism / Immersion / Mikvah
From: Stan Grams
To: "heb_roots_chr@geocities.com" <heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
Subject: Baptism
Is there a something similar to Christian baptism to be found in
Hebrew history?
Stan
>From Eddie:
**************
Stan,
Biblical "Christian baptism" is really Jewish
mikvah / immersion. For a comprehensive understanding and background
of mikvah / immersion / baptism, I would recommend that you visit my
Web page that teaches on this subject. It is located at:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/2175/ledaber.html
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From: James Trimm
Subject: Semitic Light on John 3
Some thought on John 3:1-12:
SEMITIC LIGHT ON JOHN 3
3:1 THERE WAS A MAN OF THE PHARISEES NAMED NICODEMUS, A RULER
OF THE JEWS - Probably Nakdimon ben Gorion one of the three leading
councellors in Jerusalem. According to the Talmud he was wealthy
enough to feed the entire city for ten years (b.Gittin 56a). One
rather lenghthy Talmud story tells us that once, during a drought,
Nakdimon made a deal with a Roman General so as to procure twelve
wells of water for the Jewish people. According to the story,
Nakdimon promised the General to repay him either twelve wells or
twelve talents of silver (a tidey sum) before the expiration of one
year. On the last day of the year it still had not rained, so
Nakdimon went to the Temple to pray. His prayer was answered and it
began to rain and refill the wells. The Roman General, however,
demanded the silver, saying that the cloud-cover had caused the day,
and thus the year, to expire prematurely. Nakdimon returned to the
Temple and prayed again, this time the clouds removed and the sun
shined out, thus the General was satisfied. (b.Ta'anit 19b-20a) the
Talmud also tells us that "Nakdimon" was only his nick-name and that
his real name was Buni (b.Ta'anit 20a). The Talmud also reletes that
a certain Buni was a student of Yeshua of Nazareth and was himself
martyred sometime after Yeshua's death (b.San. 43a). The Talmud
suggests that the nickname Nakdimon was taken from NAKAD meaning "to
shine" "because the sun shined out for him" (b.Ta'anit 20a). A more
likely source is NAKI DAM "innocent of the blood" based upon his
actions recorded in Jn. 7:45-52; 19:39. The Greek equivelant name
Nicodemus has a meaning all of its own NIKOS DEMOS "victorious
people". There would be no reason for Buni to have this Greek name as
a nickname, but the sound-alike Greek name may have been used by the
Roman occupiers in there dealings with this very wealthy man, as the
Talmud does record that he had dealings with the Roman General
stationed at Jerusalem (b.Ta'anit 19b-20a).
3:3 BORN AGAIN - The idea behind such an expresion can be found in
the Talmud "...a proselyte is like a newborn infant." (b.Yevamot 62a;
see also b.Yevamot 48b).
3:5-6 BORN OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT... BORN OF THE FLESH... BORN OF THE
SPIRIT - Yeshua ties this in as an elaboration of the previous phrase
"born again." Here Yeshua is refering to a Tenach passage (Ezekiel
36:24-28) which reads:
For I will take you from among the nations,
gather you out of all countries
and bring you into your own Land
Then I will sprinkle clean WATER on you,
and you shall be clean;
I will cleanse you from all your filthiness
and from all your idols.
I will give you a new heart
and put a new SPIRIT within you;
I will take he heart of stone out of your flesh
and give you a heart of FLESH.
I will put My SPIRIT within you
and cause you to walk in My statutes,
and you will keep My judgements and do them.
Then you shall dwell in the Land that I gave to you fathers;
you shall be my people,
and I will be your God.
ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD - As we have shown earlier, the "Kingdom of
God" is a Tenach euphamism for the Kingdom of Israel (as in 1Chron.
28:5; 2Chron. 13:8). Thus in order to enter the Kingdom and be
regathered to the Land, the Jewish people would have to be born of
water (made clean), born of flesh (recieve a heart of flesh rather
than stone) and recieve the Spirit of God so as to walk in the
statutes.
3:8 THE WIND BLOWS - In the Aramaic this is a word play, as the word
for Spirit RUCHA can also mean "wind" and is the word used for wind
here. This gives the double meaning "The Spirit blows...".
3:10 ARE YOU A TEACHER OF ISRAEL, AND DO NOT KNOW THESE THINGS? -
These are things Nakdimon should have known, being a Jewish teacher.
This points away from the idea that Nakdimon merely misunderstood an
idiomatic expresion.
3:12 IF I HAVE TOLD YOU EARTHLY THINGS AND YOU DO NOT BELIEVE HOW
WILL YOU BELIEVE IF I TELL YOU HEAVENLY THINGS? - An example of
antithetic chiasmus as well as a clear kol v'chomer statement. This
gives us the very important information that that which Yeshua has
just spoken of, was earthly rather than heavenly information. Yeshua
was speaking of an earthly Kingdom. Since most of John deals with
heavenly things, this Gospel never returns to the subject of the
Kingdom. John's theme is Yeshua as the source of life and light
(enlightenment), not his Kingdom offer. However, Yeshua's earthly
PASHAT teaching of a Kingdom offer must be grasped before advancing to
his heavenly SOD teachings on life and light.
James Scott Trimm
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>From Eddie:
**************
Being "born again" needs to be understood in the context of
Jewish "Mikvah or immersion". When one has a mikvah, he experiences
a "chance of status". As it relates to accepting Yeshua/Jesus as the
Messiah, you go from being a member of the kingdom of darkness to the
kingdom of light. Therefore, by being "born again" / baptized / or
have a "mikvah", you have a change of status from a old heart to a
new heart, from being outside of the kingdom of God to being a member
of the kingdom of Heaven. Likewise, AFTER we become members of the
Kingdom of Heaven, as we GROW in Messiah, we have a "change of
status" as we GROW in Messiah. In I Cor 3:18, we are CHANGED from
glory to glory. Each area of GROWTH in Messiah is a CHANGE from a
former way or state to a new way or state. This change would be known
as mikvah or immersion / baptism. In Hebrew 6:1-2 it is written:
"Therefore, leaving the (elementary) principles of the doctrine of
Messiah, let us go on unto perfection (5047 = spiritual maturity) not
laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of
faith toward God of the doctrine of baptismS (plural with an S) ..."
Each progression of spiritual growth is seen as being a "change of
status" or mikvah / immersion / baptism. Spiritually, there is a
"mikvah/baptism" INTO the Kingdom and there are "mikvah's/baptisms"
as we GROW IN MATURITY in the Kingdom.
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