1 Baptism in the New Testament has prototypes in the Old Testament: cleansing and ritual washings
8 He who is to be cleansed will wash his clothes, cut off all his hair, bathe himself in water, and be clean; then he will enter the camp and remain seven days outside his tent;
(Lev.14:8)5 And whoever touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening;
(Lev.15:5)16 But if he does not wash [his clothes] and wash his body, he will bear his iniquity.
(Lev.17:16) and so on.
which in prophetic predictions become a symbol of cleansing from sins
16 Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove your evil deeds from before my eyes; stop doing evil;
(Isa.1:16)25 And I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be cleansed from all your filthiness, and I will cleanse you from all your idols.
(Ezek.36:25)1 On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem for the washing away of sin and uncleanness.
(Zechariah 13:1)
Along with these Old Testament examples, John probably also saw contemporary phenomena before his eyes. These include the baptism of proselytes, which supposedly appeared in the 1st century. according to R.H.
This baptism, along with circumcision, was performed on pagans, and for girls and women it was the only external sign of their conversion to Judaism. John may also have been aware of the baptism of novices in the Essene sect at Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls).
Despite the possibility of such connections, John's nickname, “Baptist,” indicates that the baptism he performed was regarded as something completely new;
2 John's baptism with water, inextricably linked with his preaching of repentance, presupposes the confession of his sins by the baptized and the awareness of his sinfulness.
6 And they were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 When John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to him to be baptized, he said to them, “You brood of vipers!” who inspired you to flee from future wrath?
8 Produce fruit worthy of repentance
9 And do not think to say within yourself, “We have Abraham as our father,” for I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
10 Even the ax lies at the root of the trees: every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
(Matt. 3:6-11)
4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
5 And all the country of Judea and the people of Jerusalem came out to him, and they were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
(Mark 1:4,5)
3 And he went through all the surrounding country of Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
4 As it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, who says: A voice crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight;
5 Let every valley be filled, and every mountain and hill be made low, the crooked places made straight, and the rough paths made smooth;
6 And all flesh will see the salvation of God.
7 [John] said to the people who came to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers!” who inspired you to flee from future wrath?
8 Produce fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think of saying within yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father,” for I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
(Luke 3:3-8) et seq.
These circumstances, as well as the indication of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire
11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I; I am not worthy to carry His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire;
(Matt. 3:11)
as to a higher level of baptism, which will become possible only with the appearance of Christ,
1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper countries, arrived at Ephesus and, finding [there] some disciples,
2 He said to them, Have you received the Holy Spirit when you believed? They said to him: we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.
3 He said to them, “What then were you baptized into?” They answered: in John's baptism.
4 Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in him who should come after him, that is, in Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus,
6 And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in tongues and prophesy.
7 There were about twelve of them all.
(Acts 19:1-7)
they say that John's baptism takes the place of preliminary baptism in the sacred historical sequence. Through the activities of John, the community of people who connect their salvation with the appearance of the Messiah prepares for the coming of Christ and unites.
II. Baptism of Jesus
1 Baptism in Jordan
Jesus was baptized in the Jordan (see Mark 1:9 et seq.) to “fulfill all righteousness.” The meaning of this baptism referred only to Him as God's Messiah, since nowhere in the New Testament is baptism in the ancient Church grounded in this baptism of Jesus or associated with Him.
9 And it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 And when he came out of the water, [John] immediately saw the heavens opening and the Spirit like a dove descending on Him.
11 And a voice came from heaven: You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
(Mark 1:9-11)
In this baptism, Jesus joins us, sinful people. On the one hand, at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry, God proclaims and confirms that Jesus is His Son (v. 11), and on the other, Jesus, as the Lamb (John 1:29), submits Himself to the Law of God's judgment, like all sinful flesh ;
29 The next day John sees Jesus coming to him and says, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
(John 1:29)
2 Baptism of suffering
Based on this premise, all the suffering of Jesus, up to His death on the cross, can also be called “baptism” (Mark 10:38; Luke 12:50).
38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask.” Can you drink the cup that I drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?
(Mark 10:38)50 I must be baptized with baptism; and how I languish until this is accomplished!
(Luke 12:50)
This is what Paul means when he speaks of the K. Jesus as K. “into death.”
3 Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
(Rom 6:3ff.)
III. Baptism in an ancient church
1 to comprehend the essence of New Testament baptism, the fact that in the Church of Christ the baptism of the Holy Spirit is fundamental,
11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I; I am not worthy to carry His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire;
(Matt. 3:11 and parallels)
prophetically predicted by John becomes the event that establishes and marks this Church.
The disciples of Jesus continued for some time to perform baptism with water as (John's) baptism of repentance,
26 And they came to John and said to him: Rabbi! He who was with you at the Jordan and about whom you testified, behold He baptizes, and everyone comes to Him.
(John 3:26)2 Although Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples
(John 4:2)
but under the influence of the actions of Jesus Himself, starting from the day of Pentecost, they began to baptize again - now “in the name of Jesus Christ”
38 Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
(Acts 2:38)16 For He had not yet descended upon one of them, but only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
(Acts 8:16)48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay with them for several days.
(Acts 10:48)
15 So that no one should say that I baptized in my name.
(1 Cor. 1:15)11 And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
(1 Cor. 6:11)27 All of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
(Gal.3:27)
or - fulfilling the command of Jesus about baptism - in the name of the triune God.
19 Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
(Matt. 28:19)
The Great Feast of the Epiphany is approaching, which is dear and joyful to every Orthodox Christian! In the liturgical calendar, the Baptism of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ (Theophany of the Lord) is one of the twelve holidays.
In Slavic “dvanadyat” means twelve. Thus, the twelve feasts are the 12 greatest holidays of the Church, 12 most important events from the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, His Most Pure Mother, from the history of the First Apostolic Church, which reveal the most significant moments of Sacred history. The Feast of Epiphany is celebrated no less solemnly than the Nativity of Christ. We can say that Christmas and Epiphany, connected by Christmastide, constitute a single, majestic and soul-saving celebration - the Feast of Epiphany. It is in the unity of these holidays that all Three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity appear to us. In the Bethlehem den, the Son of God was born in the flesh, and at His baptism, from the open heavens, “The Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form, like a dove” (Luke 3:22) and the voice of God the Father was heard saying: “You are My Son Beloved; I am well pleased with You!” (Luke 3:22).
St. John of Damascus said that the Lord was baptized not because He Himself needed purification, but in order to “bury human sin with waters,” fulfill the law, reveal the sacrament of the Holy Trinity and, finally, sanctify the “watery nature” and give us an image and example of Baptism .
In accordance with the above, we note that the Baptism of the Lord is called:
1) Epiphany, because on this day God appeared, worshiped in the Holy Trinity: God the Father in voice, the Son of God in the flesh and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove;
2) Enlightenment, since Christ from that day appeared as the light enlightening the world.
The name of the holiday comes from the Greek term baptisma (in the Slavic-Russian tradition - “baptism”), literally meaning “immersion in water”, “washing”). Historically, it goes back to the Eastern Christian celebration called Epiphany (from the Greek epiphaneia - means a miraculous Appearance, a manifestation of divine power), or Theophany (Theophanea - “Epiphany”). The last name - Holy Epiphany - is retained as the main one in the modern Russian Orthodox calendar.
Holiday event
According to the words of the Holy Gospel, Jesus Christ (at the age of 30 - Luke 3:23) came to John the Baptist, who was near the Jordan River in Bethabara (John 1:28), with the goal of being baptized. John, who preached a lot about the imminent coming of the Messiah, saw Jesus and was surprised and said: “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” To this Jesus replied that “we must fulfill all righteousness,” and received baptism from John. During baptism, “...the sky was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying: You are My Beloved Son; I am well pleased with You!” (Luke 3:21-22).
Thus, with the participation of John the Baptist, it was publicly witnessed that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. The baptism of the Lord, which took place then, is considered by all evangelists as the first event in his social activity. After Jesus' baptism, “John also baptized at Aenon, near Salem, because there was much water there; and they came there and were baptized” (John 3:23). The Evangelist John connects the appearance of the first of the twelve apostles precisely with the preaching of John the Baptist: “The next day John and two of his disciples stood again. And when he saw Jesus coming, he said, Behold the Lamb of God. When both disciples heard these words from him, they followed Jesus” (John 1:35-37).
After his baptism, the Savior, led by the Spirit, withdrew into the desert in order to prepare in solitude, prayer and fasting to fulfill the mission with which he came to earth. Jesus for forty days “...was tempted by the devil and did not eat anything during these days, but after they were over, at last he became hungry” (Luke 4:2).
Speaking about the Baptism of the Savior, we point, first of all, to the external side of the event. Christ comes to John the Baptist on the banks of the Jordan River along with other people thirsting for the baptism of repentance. He comes, is baptized, descending into the Jordanian waters along with all the people, and the Holy Spirit descends on Him in the form of a dove and the voice of the Father is heard from heaven. But this, one might say, is the external, visible side - the Baptism of Jesus Christ itself, and the internal, semantic side is precisely the Epiphany.
The very name Epiphany reflects the inner side, the main meaning of this event. Epiphany is the appearance of God, the appearance of the Holy Trinity to the world, about which extremely vivid gospel evidence has been preserved (see: Matthew 3:13–17; Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22; John 1:33 –34). This is the first clear proclamation of God by the Trinity: the witnessing voice of God the Father, the Son, baptized by John the Baptist and the Holy Spirit descending on the baptized.
Since ancient times, this holiday has also been called the Day of Enlightenment and the Festival of Lights, because God is Light and appeared to enlighten “those sitting in darkness... and the shadow of death” (Matthew 4:16) and to save by grace, which was the Enlightenment (appearance) of the Savior (see: 2 Tim. 1:9-10), fallen human race. Let us note that on the eve of Epiphany there was a custom to perform the baptism of catechumens, which is actually spiritual enlightenment and during which many lamps were lit.
The baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ is in the closest connection with His entire Theanthropic work of saving people (the Economy of our salvation); it constitutes the decisive and complete beginning of this ministry. The Baptism of the Lord in the matter of redemption of the human race has great saving ontological significance. Baptism on the Jordan exudes to mortals remission, remission of sins, enlightenment, restoration of human nature, light, renewal, healing and, as it were, a new birth. The baptism of Christ in the waters of the Jordan, thus, had not only the meaning of a symbol of purification, but also a transforming, renewing effect on human nature. The Baptism of the Savior was actually a foreshadowing and foundation of the grace-filled method of rebirth by water and the Spirit in the sacrament of Baptism given after His Resurrection and Ascension. Here the Lord shows Himself as the Founder of a new, grace-filled Kingdom, which, according to His teaching, cannot be entered without Baptism (see: Matt. 28:19–20).
The threefold immersion (of every believer in Christ) in the sacrament of Baptism depicts the death of Christ, and the coming out of the water is communion with His three-day Resurrection.
At the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan, true worship of God was revealed to people, the hitherto unknown secret of the Trinity of the Divine, the secret of the One God in Three Persons was revealed, and the worship of the Most Holy Trinity was revealed.
Having been baptized by John, who trembled at Christ’s request, the Lord fulfilled “righteousness,” that is, faithfulness and obedience to the commandments of God. Saint John the Baptist received the command from God to baptize the people as a sign of cleansing of sins. As a man, Christ had to fulfill this commandment and therefore be baptized by John. By this He confirmed the holiness and greatness of the actions of the Prophet John, and gave Christians an example of humility and obedience to the will of God for eternity.
Location of the Epiphany
The place where John the Baptist preached and baptized, according to church tradition, was called Bethavara (the area beyond the Jordan, where there was a river crossing, which explains the name of the city - “house of the crossing”). The exact location of Bethawara, possibly Beit Awara, is uncertain. Since the 16th century, it has been considered the place where the Greek monastery of St. John the Baptist is now located, a kilometer from modern Beit Avara, about 10 kilometers east of Jericho and 5 kilometers from the confluence of the Jordan River with the Dead Sea. Already in the time of King David, a ferry was built here, and in the 19th century this place was called the “Pilgrimage Ford” because of the many pilgrims who flocked here to bathe in the waters of the Jordan.
It was along this path, 12 centuries before the birth of Christ, that ancient Israel, led by Joshua, entered the Promised Land. Here, a thousand years before the Incarnation, King David crossed the Jordan, fleeing from his own son Absalom, who rebelled against him. In the same place, the prophets Elijah and Elisha crossed the river, and already in the Christian era, by the way, along the same route, the Venerable Mary of Egypt went to the Trans-Jordanian desert to mourn her sins.
History and patristic exegesis of the holiday
The Holy Church on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord confirms our faith in the highest, incomprehensible mystery of the Three Persons of the One God and teaches us to equally honestly confess and glorify the Holy Trinity, Consubstantial and Indivisible; exposes and destroys the delusions of ancient false teachers who tried to embrace the Creator of the world with human thoughts and words. The Church shows the need for Baptism for believers in Christ, instills in us a feeling of deep gratitude to the Enlightener and Purifier of our sinful nature. She teaches that our salvation and cleansing from sins is possible only by the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit and therefore it is necessary to worthily preserve these grace-filled gifts of holy Baptism in order to preserve in the purity of that precious garment about which the feast of Epiphany tells us: “Those who were baptized into Christ, put on Christ "(Gal. 3:27). In these words, the Lord, through the mouth of the Apostle Paul, commands us to cleanse our souls and hearts, so that we may be worthy of a blessed life.
The celebration of Epiphany dates back to apostolic times; it is mentioned in the Apostolic Decrees. The testimony of St. Clement of Alexandria (2nd century) has been preserved about the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord and about the night vigil held on the eve of the holiday, conducted in the reading of the Holy Scriptures.
In the Apostolic decrees we read: “Let them celebrate the feast of Epiphany, since on that day there was the appearance of Christ’s Divinity, who testified to His Father in Baptism, and to the Comforter the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, who showed those who stood before him to bear witness” (book 5, chapter 42; book. 8, chapter 33).
Until the 4th century, the Epiphany of the Lord and the Nativity of Christ were celebrated together, on January 6, old style. At the same time, the appearance of God in the world was celebrated, i.e. the coming, the incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity of Jesus Christ and at the same time the Epiphany, as a revelation, the revelation to the world of the mystery of the Holy Trinity in the event of the Savior’s baptism. The separation of the Nativity of Christ and the transfer of its celebration to December 25 (old style) occurred only in the 4th century. The Nativity of Christ as an independent holiday appears initially in the Christian West in the Roman Church, and somewhere by the end of the 4th century it had already gained fame in the Christian East. People who come to church on holidays can notice how close and similar the services of these holidays are in their structure.
In the 3rd century. On the feast of Epiphany, conversations during the divine service of the holy martyr Hippolytus and St. Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea are known. At the same time, in line with the debate about the separate or syncretistic celebration of Christmas and Epiphany, vivid works appear in which the first point of view is substantiated on solid theological grounds, but very emotionally. Thus, Saint Proclus of Constantinople (5th century) preached: “On the previous feast of the Nativity of the Savior the earth rejoiced, on today’s feast of the Epiphany the sea is greatly rejoicing, since through the Jordan it received the blessing of purification.” And Cosmas Indicoplous (VI century) in “Christian Topography” briefly recorded what all Orthodox Christians eventually accepted: “From ancient times, the Church, so as not to forget about one of the two holidays, if it began to celebrate them together, decreed that they should be separated by twelve days according to the number of apostles."
Subsequently, from the 4th to the 9th centuries, the great fathers and teachers of the Church (St. Gregory the Theologian, St. John Chrysostom, St. Ambrose of Milan, Blessed Augustine of Hippo, St. John of Damascus) created their festive homilies, skillfully combining dogmatic content and symbolic-allegorical imagery.
The holy fathers - Anatoly, Archbishop of Constantinople (V century), Andrew and Sophronius of Jerusalem (VII century), Cosmas of Maium and John of Damascus (VIII century) - compiled the canons, and Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople, Joseph the Studite, Theophanes and Byzantium ( 9th century) - many hymns for the feast of the Epiphany, still sung on this day.
Iconography of the holiday
The eventual complexity of the holiday, its significant dogmatic component influenced the fact that images of the Epiphany, which appeared already in the first centuries of Christianity, depicted not only the Baptism of the Savior in the Jordan by John the Baptist, but, first of all, the appearance to the world of the incarnate Son of God as one of the Persons of the Holy Trinity , which is testified by the Father and the Holy Spirit, who descended on Christ in the form of a dove.
In early Christian monuments of the 4th–5th centuries, such as the ampoules of Monza, the mosaics of one of the baptisteries in Ravenna, the plaque from the throne of Archbishop Maximian, Christ, baptized by the Baptist, was represented as a young beardless youth. However, in the future, in accordance with church tradition, the image of the Baptism of the Savior as an adult will become widespread.
Despite the fact that the main source of iconography for the event of Epiphany was the Gospel, on the testimony of which the descriptions of Baptism in the apocrypha are based, the images of the holiday contained elements not borrowed from the narrative of the holy evangelists. Thus, following ancient pictorial techniques, in the scenes of Baptism, isographers placed the personification of the Jordan River - a gray-haired old man sitting, as, for example, in the mosaic of the dome of the Arian Baptistery, on the shore or located in the river itself, together with the personification of the sea in the form of a floating woman.
In addition, the Gospel does not report the presence of angels at the Baptism of the Lord, although their figures in varying numbers, starting from the 6th–7th centuries, are always depicted standing on the opposite bank of the Jordan from John the Baptist, usually occupying the right side of the composition.
Above the Savior in the water, from ancient times, a segment of the sky was depicted, from which a dove descends to Christ - a symbol of the Holy Spirit, rays of the Trinity light, as well as the blessing right hand of the Almighty, meaning a “gesture of speech” - a voice from heaven (painting in the Daphne monastery near Athens, second half of the 11th century). This emphasizes the moment of the appearance of the Divine, theophany.
Over time, more details appear on icons, mosaics, book miniatures, and other things: on the banks of the Jordan, people undressing are depicted, waiting for their turn to be baptized; sometimes a cross is depicted on the water, the confluence of the streams of Jor and Dan, etc. (Church of the Savior on Nereditsa, Novgorod, 1199; St. Catherine’s Monastery on Sinai; Pskov churches, first half of the 14th century).
The greatest attention in all the images of Epiphany is attracted by the figures of the Savior and John the Baptist, who places his right hand on the head of Christ, which correlates with the Gospel and the hymnography of the holiday (icons from the Sergiev Posad Museum-Sacristy and St. Sophia Cathedral, 15th century).
In Russian monuments of the 16th–17th centuries, despite the prohibition by Church Councils of depicting God the Father, the figure of Hosts is often present in the Epiphany in the segment of the sky. And usually from His mouth comes a ray in which the Holy Spirit is depicted in the form of a dove.
The rite of the Great Blessing of Water
The Church annually renews the memory of the Jordanian event with the rite of the great consecration of water.
The consecration of water was accepted by the Church from the apostles and their successors. But the first example was set by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, when He plunged into the Jordan and sanctified the entire nature of the water.
Holy water cleanses believers from spiritual impurities, sanctifies and strengthens them for the feat of salvation in God, and has the power of healing from illnesses and all kinds of infirmities. It is important to note that the consecration of water, performed on January 18 (Epiphany Eve), does not in any way affect the beneficial power of the Great Blessing of Water on this day, in comparison with the consecration on the day of the holiday itself, January 19.
This rite got its start in the Jerusalem Church and in the 4th–5th centuries it was practiced only in it alone: according to custom, everyone went to the Jordan River to bless water in memory of the Baptism of the Savior. Therefore, in the Russian Orthodox Church, the blessing of water in eternity is performed in churches, and on holidays it usually takes place on rivers, springs and wells - in the so-called Jordans, for Christ was baptized outside the temple. The rite of blessing of water is attributed to the Evangelist Matthew. Several prayers for this rite were written by Saint Proclus of Constantinople. The final execution of the rite is attributed to Saint Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem. The consecration of water on the holiday is already mentioned by Tertullian and St. Cyprian of Carthage. The Apostolic Decrees also contain prayers said during the blessing of water. In the second half of the 5th century, Patriarch Peter Foulon of Antioch introduced the custom of consecrating water not at midnight, but on the eve of Epiphany. In the Russian Church, the Moscow Council of 1667 legalized the double blessing of water - on Vespers and on the Feast of Epiphany. The sequence of the great consecration of water both at eve and on the holiday itself is naturally the same and in some parts has similarities with the sequence of the small consecration of water. It consists of remembering the prophecies relating to the event of Baptism (proverbs), the event itself (the Apostle and the Gospel) and its meaning (litany and prayers), invoking the blessing of God on the waters and immersing the Life-giving Cross of the Lord in them three times.
We can see a story about the special properties of water collected on the day of the Epiphany in one of the sermons of St. John Chrysostom (VI century): “On this holiday, everyone, having drawn water, brings it home and keeps it all year long, since today the waters are blessed; and a clear sign occurs: this water in its essence does not deteriorate over time, but, drawn today, it remains intact and fresh for a whole year, and often two and three years.”
It is necessary to remember that in order for holy water to bring us benefit - it is necessary to take care of the purity of one’s own soul, the luminosity of one’s thoughts and deeds, and every time you touch a shrine, offer a prayer in your mind and heart.
Saint Theophan the Recluse wrote about the help of holy water: “All the grace that comes from God through the Holy Cross, holy icons, holy water, relics, consecrated bread (artos, antidor, prosphora) and other things, including the Most Holy Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, has power only for those who are worthy of this grace through prayers of repentance, repentance, humility, service to people, works of mercy and the manifestation of other Christian virtues. But if they are not there, then this grace will not save, it does not act automatically, like a talisman, and is useless for the wicked and imaginary Christians (without virtues).”
For all of us, Orthodox Christians, participation in the prayerful remembrance of the feast of the Epiphany, experiencing it, reflecting on its significance in the history of salvation should lead to reflection on our place in this salvation. In fact, when we enter into the Church in our personal Baptism, being adopted or adopted by God, we accordingly enter into the Church, as into the Body of Christ, forming its members. It would not be amiss to recall that in the Sacrament of Baptism, each of us made a promise to God through the lips of our godparents that he will always renounce Satan and his works and will always unite, “combine” with Christ.
Based on materials from the site: http://eparhia-kaluga.ru
Matt. III, 13-17:13 Then Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. 14 But John restrained Him and said: I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me? 15 But Jesus answered and said to him, Leave it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then John admits Him. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, he immediately went up out of the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw John the Spirit of God, which descended like a dove and descended upon Him. 17 And behold, a voice from heaven said: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Mk. I, 9-11:9 And it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up from the water, he immediately saw John the heavens opening and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
OK. III, 21-22:21 When all the people were baptized, and Jesus, having been baptized, prayed, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying: You are My Beloved Son; My favor is in You!
In. I, 32-34:32 And John testified, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and remaining on him. 33 I did not know Him; but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me: On whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, He is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. 34 And I saw and testified that this is the Son of God.
A Guide to Studying the Four Gospels
Prot. Seraphim Slobodskaya (1912-1971)
Based on the book “The Law of God”, 1957.
Baptism of Jesus Christ
At the time when John the Baptist preached on the banks of the Jordan and baptized people, Jesus Christ turned thirty years old. He also came from Nazareth to the Jordan River to John to receive baptism from him.
John considered himself unworthy to baptize Jesus Christ and began to restrain Him, saying: “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”
But Jesus answered him: “Leave me now,” that is, do not hold me back now, “because this is how we need to fulfill all righteousness” - to fulfill everything in the Law of God and set an example for people.
Then John obeyed and baptized Jesus Christ.
After the baptism was performed, when Jesus Christ came out of the water, the heavens suddenly opened up (opened) above Him; and John saw the Spirit of God, who in the form of a dove descended on Jesus, and from heaven the voice of God the Father was heard: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Then John was finally convinced that Jesus was the expected Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior of the world.
The Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated by the Holy Orthodox Church as one of the great holidays on January 6th (January 19th AD). The Feast of the Epiphany is also called the Feast of Epiphany, because during baptism God revealed (showed) Himself to people that He is the Most Holy Trinity, namely: God the Father spoke from heaven, the incarnate Son of God was baptized, and the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove. And also at baptism, for the first time, people could see that in the face of Jesus Christ not only man appeared, but also God.
On the eve of the holiday, a fast was established. This day is called Christmas Eve. In memory of the fact that the Savior sanctified water with His baptism, the blessing of water occurs on this holiday. On Christmas Eve, water is blessed in the temple, and on the holiday itself in the river, or in another place where water is taken. The procession to bless the water is called the Procession to the Jordan.
Troparion of the holiday.
Your well-known statement confirmed the truth of this word; appear - appear; the world of enlightenment is an enlightened world.
Archbishop Averky (Taushev) (1906-1976)
A Guide to Studying the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament. Four Gospels. Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, 1954.
2. Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ
(Matt. III, 13-17; Mark I, 9-11; Luke III, 21-22; John I, 32-34)
All four Evangelists talk about the baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ. This event is depicted in more detail by St. Matthew.
“Then Jesus comes from Galilee” - St. Mark adds that it is from Nazareth of Galilee. This was, apparently, in the same 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when, according to St. Luke, Jesus turned 30 years old - the age required of a teacher of the faith. According to St. Matthew, John refused to baptize Jesus, saying: “I demand that I be baptized by You,” and according to the Gospel of John, the Baptist did not know Jesus before baptism (John 1:33), until he saw the Spirit of God descending on Him in the form of a dove. There is no contradiction here. John did not know Jesus before his baptism as the Messiah, but when Jesus came to him to ask for baptism, he, like a prophet penetrating the hearts of people, immediately felt His holiness and sinlessness and His infinite superiority over himself, which is why he could not help but exclaim: “ I demand to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” When he saw the Spirit of God descending on Jesus, then he was finally convinced that before him was the Messiah-Christ.
“It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” - this means that the Lord Jesus Christ, as Man and the founder of the new humanity revived by Him, had to show people by his own example the need to observe all Divine institutions. But having been baptized, “Jesus rose up from the water,” because, as a sinner, He did not need to confess his sins, as all the other baptized people did, while standing in the water. St. Luke reports that “Jesus, having been baptized, prayed” undoubtedly that the Heavenly Father would bless the beginning of His ministry.
“And behold, the heavens were opened to Him,” i.e. opened over Him, for His sake, “and saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming on Him.” Since in Greek, “on Him” is expressed by the 3rd person pronoun, and not by the reflexive, then you need to understand that John “saw” the Spirit of God, although, of course, both the Baptized Himself and the people who were present saw it , for the purpose of this miracle is to reveal to people the Son of God in Jesus, who was until then unknown, which is why the Church sings on the day of the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, also called the Epiphany: “thou hast appeared this day to the universe” (Kondak). According to John, the Spirit of God not only came upon Jesus, but also “abided upon Him” (John 1:32-33).
The voice of God the Father: “This is,” according to Matthew, or “Thou art,” according to Mark and Luke, “My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” was an indication to John and the people present of the Divine dignity of the Baptized One as the Son of God, in the proper sense, The Only Begotten, upon whom the favor of God the Father eternally abides, and at the same time, as it were, the answer of the Heavenly Father to His Divine Son to His prayer for blessing for the great feat of service for the salvation of mankind.
Baptism of the Lord our St. Since ancient times, the Church has been celebrating January 6, also calling this holiday Epiphany, for in this event the entire Holy Trinity revealed Himself to people: God the Father with a voice from heaven, God the Son by the baptism of John in the Jordan, God the Holy Spirit by descending in the form of a dove.
A series of programs “The Summer of the Lord” dedicated to the Twelve Feasts and Easter
A. V. Ivanov (1837-1912)
A Guide to Studying the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament. Four Gospels. St. Petersburg, 1914.
(Matt. 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22=John 1:29-34)
John sealed his testimony about the Messiah by baptizing Him. He preached about Him and through Him received sanctification for his ministry. When people came to John to be baptized from Jerusalem, all of Judea and from the entire Jordanian region, then Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee appeared to him at the Jordan and demanded baptism from him. John restrained Him, considering himself unworthy to baptize Him, although he did not yet know that He was the Messiah, but only judged Him by His impeccable life - perhaps from the stories his mother told about Him, from rumors - finally - about His growth and about abounding in all wisdom and love with God and man (Luke 2:52), which, of course, made the baptism of John, appointed for repentance, unnecessary for Him.
As if guessing about His highest dignity, John himself would have wanted to be baptized by Him; but Jesus Christ insists on His decision to fulfill all righteousness, that is, everything that was required by the Law and that could serve to reveal Him as the Messiah, but that was valid only now (άρτι) and with His Baptism will be replaced by another better order, when John baptizes Him. And at the time when He was baptized and praying, the Heavens opened above Him (as lightning cuts the vault of Heaven before our eyes), and the Holy Spirit appeared, descending in the form of a dove on Jesus Christ; and from Heaven the voice of God the Father was heard, affirming that this is His beloved Son, on whom His favor (love) rests. John, to whom it was revealed that the One on whom he would see the descent of the Holy Spirit was the Son of God, having seen the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus Christ (John 1:33,34), became convinced of His messianic calling and from that time began to preach about Him , as about the coming Messiah.
What was the significance of baptism for Jesus Christ and why did He accept it? As sinless, He did not need the baptism of repentance; as the founder of the Kingdom of Heaven, He did not need the means of initiation, which was baptism for proselytes, for repentants. The Baptist himself felt and foresaw this excess of baptism for Jesus when he did not allow Him to be baptized.
But, on the other hand, He had to accept baptism as a symbol of cleansing from the sins that He took upon Himself. He had to be baptized in order to fulfill the righteousness of the law, that is, everything that was required by the Law from a sinner - and Jesus Christ appeared in the likeness of the flesh of sin. He had to be baptized in order to give us an example of humility and to sanctify the waters of not only the Jordan, but also the whole world, by bringing down the Holy Spirit on them. It was not the actual baptism of Jesus Christ that meant the testimony of His messianic calling, His dedication to public service.
Baptism in its proper sense was the Epiphany to the world. Having appeared to the world in the humble form of a man, Jesus Christ through His baptism revealed Himself to the world as God, as the Son of God, as the Messiah. This is exactly how John the Baptist himself looks at this matter when he says: For this reason I came to baptize with water, that he might appear to Israel (John 1:31).
For this reason - both the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus Christ, and the voice of God the Father, testifying that He is His beloved Son. The Holy Spirit, who from all eternity abided with His Divinity, who created the body of Jesus Christ in the womb of the Blessed Virgin, who abided on Him from the day of conception and birth throughout His 30-year private life, who strengthened Him in all wisdom, descends on Him in the form of a dove, for His fulfillment with all the gifts of grace (Isa. 11:1-3), for His anointing as the Messiah (Isa. 61:1-3).
This, however, does not mean that Jesus Christ was hitherto an ordinary person, as some heretics claimed, and that only from the time of baptism did Christ the Messiah descend on Jesus; but only the solemn revelation of His Messianic dignity, which became known not only to John, but to all people. The descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove is a real image (σωματικόν ει̉δος Luke 3:22), accepted by the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself to people, as a sign of purity, meekness and love.
Like the descent of the Holy Spirit, the voice of God the Father is the solemn recognition of Jesus Christ as the Son of God before the whole world, it is the introduction by the Father of His Son into the universe, that every tongue may worship Him, and that all nations may hear Him (Heb. 1:6).
The title of the beloved Son, on whom the Father's favor rests, indicates His superiority over all the sons of God; and the blessing itself - love applies not only to the Messiah, but also to people through the Messiah (about Him = through Him).
The very vision of the Spirit and the voice of God the Father did not refer to Jesus Christ only, as Mark and Luke present (Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22), and not to John, as Matthew and John make it clear (Matthew 3 :16,17; John 1:32), and to all people, although perhaps those who were here as witnesses of baptism saw the light and did not see the Holy Spirit, heard a voice and did not understand the words, as in other cases (John 12: 28,29; Acts 9:7-22:9).
Note 1. The difference in the form of expressions in which the Evangelists convey the voice of God the Father heard on the Jordan (This is My Son - in Matthew and You are My Son - in Mark and Luke) is explained by the difference in the position of the narrators in relation to listeners and readers. Saint Matthew, talking about what happened on the Jordan and showing the messianic significance of Jesus, says that the voice of God the Father was heard there, claiming that Jesus was His beloved Son.
Mark and Luke convey the event as it happened on the Jordan, literally repeating the very words of God the Father. The difference could also come from a difference in the story of the original narrators. Matthew heard the story of the baptism of Jesus Christ first-hand (John or Christ Himself); Mark and Luke secondhand.
Note 2. Evangelist John (I, 28) indicates that all this happened in Bethabara, on the floor of the Jordan. But all the manuscripts have: in Bethany. Origen, not finding such a place on the other side of the Jordan, suggested reading Bethavara. They think that these are two places on both banks of the Jordan, one opposite the other, of which Bethavara = the house of the crossing, and Bethany (beth-aniah) = the house of the ship; from which, however, it is necessary to distinguish Bethany on the Mount of Olives. The name of this latter can mean, according to another word production (beth-hine), the house of figs.
Note 3. The mention of the Evangelist Matthew that John refused to baptize Jesus Christ, considering himself unworthy to perform this action on Him, and the story of the Evangelist John that the Forerunner did not know the Messiah before baptism, do not represent a contradiction with each other, since they are easily reconciled by the assumption that The Baptist knew Jesus Christ as a pious man who did not need baptism of repentance; perhaps he even guessed about His messianic purpose; but as a prophet and messenger of God, he judged not by personal impression and conviction, not on the basis of rumors and opinions of other people, even the most reliable ones, but expected a special revelation from God to confirm that Jesus is the Christ.
And this was indeed promised to him and given in the descent of the Holy Spirit on the baptized Jesus. This indicates both the importance of John’s testimony about Christ, as a testimony revealed from above, and the high importance of the witness of the truth himself, who was awarded the highest honor with his instruction to reveal to the world the One Whom all nations were waiting for.
The Apostles Peter and Paul, comparing baptism with the flood (1 Pet. 3:20,21) and with the passage of the Jews across the sea (1 Cor. 10:1,2), point to the transformative significance of Noah and Moses in relation to Jesus Christ. How Noah, during the flood, brings from the ancient world to the new and saves only those who traveled with him in the ark and - so to speak - were baptized in the waters of the flood; and how then Moses saves his people from the slavery of Egypt and leads them to the Promised Land, leading the Jews through the sea and baptizing them in the divided waters of the sea; Thus, Jesus Christ, leading those who believe in Him through the waters of baptism and Himself having previously been baptized in the Jordan, leads His people from ancient sinful life to a new grace-filled life, from slavery to the devil to the promised blessings of the Heavenly Fatherland.
An even closer prototype of Jesus Christ is Joshua, who, by his name and the transfer of the Jews through the Jordan to the very borders of the Promised Land, shows us the leader of those being saved - Jesus, who brought us into the Kingdom of Heaven with His baptism in the Jordan. - Saint Chrysostom (conversation on Matthew 12:3) in the appearance of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove at the baptism of Christ sees a reminder of that dove that during the flood brought an olive branch to Noah as a sign of the deliverance of the Human Race from disasters and the advent of peace on Earth.
“Here is a dove,” says the saint, “although it does not appear with an olive branch, it points us to the Liberator from all evils and gives good hopes, for it does not lead one person out of the ark, but brings the whole universe to Heaven, and instead of an olive branch brings adoption to the whole Human Race."
Feast of Epiphany or Epiphany
The Feast of Epiphany or Epiphany, along with Easter, is the oldest Christian holiday. It is dedicated to the baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. Since ancient times, this holiday has been greeted by Christians with great enthusiasm because it reminded them of their own baptism and encouraged them to better understand the power of this sacrament.
In this brochure we will talk about the event of the baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ and try to understand the significance of this gospel event for our Christian life, explain the most important moments of the service of the Feast of Epiphany, and present the canon of Matins in the Russian translation. At the end, we will talk about the meaning of the baptismal blessing of water.
When the time approached for the Lord Jesus Christ to enter His public ministry, God sent the prophet John the Baptist to preach repentance to prepare the Jewish people to receive the expected Messiah. The beginning of the preaching of John the Baptist, according to the Evangelist Luke, occurred in the 15th year of the reign of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. It was approximately 779 from the founding of Rome or the 30th year of the Christian era. At this time, the Lord still lived in His city of Nazareth, in the northern part of the Holy Land - Galilee, where the Holy Family had settled since the time of Herod’s massacre of the Bethlehem infants.
The sermon of the prophet John was simple, but penetrated the very soul of his listeners: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” the prophet spoke. The place where John preached was the Judean desert, a sparsely populated area that occupied the western shores of the Jordan and the Dead Sea, dotted with rocky hills and dry streams, with very sparse vegetation, which is why it was called a desert. The Prophet John, the son of the righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth (Zechariah was a priest, and Elizabeth came from the family of King David), orphaned early, grew up in this desert. There he got used to the harshest way of life. He wore clothes made of camel's hair and girded himself with a leather belt. His food was locusts (a genus of locust) and wild honey.
After the boring instructions of the Jewish scribes, who talked mainly about the correct performance of various religious rites, the sermon of John the Baptist swept through Judea like a stream of fresh air. The inhabitants of Jerusalem, Judea, and even Galilee and Samaria rushed in crowds to hear the living and inspired word of the prophet of God.
Another 700 years BC. The famous prophet Isaiah predicted in his book about the preaching of John the Baptist. Isaiah names the prophet John “With a voice crying in the wilderness”(), which should have “Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.” The last Old Testament prophet Malachi, who lived about four hundred years before Christ, also predicted about John the Baptist. He calls John the Angel of the Lord, speaking on behalf of God: “Behold, I send My angel, and he will prepare the way before Me. And suddenly the Lord, whom you are looking for, and the Angel of the Covenant will come to His Temple(Messiah), The one you desire. Behold, He comes, says the Lord of hosts.”(“Angel” means messenger in Greek, see also, and).
By calling “ confess"The prophet John instilled in the Jews the need deeply understand the wrongness of their actions, condemn your sinful life and start a new one, based on the commandments of God. The word “repent” is metanoin– in Greek means “to change your way of thinking,” to begin to look at life in a new way. At the same time, the prophet John insisted that repentance be sincere, completely, was accompanied by self-correction and good deeds. “Produce fruit worthy of repentance,”- the prophet said to the Jews. To the frequently asked question “what to do,” the prophet answered: “He who has two coats, give it to the poor,” in other words: do good, help those in need. The prophet urged publicans (tax collectors) not to demand more taxes than required. Voinov taught not to offend anyone, not to slander and to be content with his salary.
However, not all Jews came to the prophet with a thirst to hear the living word of God and the intention to correct themselves. Some came to him out of idle curiosity, or to find fault with some of his careless words and accuse the prophet before the authorities. The prophet's ill-wishers included the Jewish scribes and Pharisees, who were jealous of the prophet's glory and were afraid of losing their authority among the people. They were proud of their knowledge of the law, their ritual “righteousness,” but looked at simple and unlearned people with contempt. The Prophet John, seeing the hypocrisy and malice of the Jewish leaders, their reluctance to turn to God, denounced them openly and very strictly, saying: “Spawn of vipers!(genus of poisonous snake). Who inspired you to flee from future wrath(of God)?”
Those who repented and confessed (openly declared) their sins were baptized by the prophet John in the Jordan River. Baptism consisted of prayerfully immersing the repentant in water, which symbolically meant the cleansing of sins. (The word “I baptize” is in Greek bаptizо- means “immersing”). The baptism of the prophet John was not yet a grace-filled Christian baptism, but only a preparation for it.
Naming the approaching Kingdom of the Messiah Heavenly, The prophet John made it clear that the Messianic kingdom would not be what many of the Jews incorrectly imagined as a powerful and wealthy state. The Kingdom of the Messiah will be exactly heavenly - spiritual, attracting people to God and delivering moral renewal to people.
Some Jews, looking at John, asked themselves: was he the expected Messiah? But the Prophet John resolutely rejected this title, explaining to them that his task was only to prepare people to accept the coming Messiah. He, John, baptizes them in water as a sign of repentance. The Messiah will baptize them “By the Holy Spirit and fire.” In other words, the new baptism will not be a simple symbolic washing, like John’s baptism, but it will be precisely the grace-filled rebirth of man. In Messianic baptism, the Holy Spirit Himself, like fire, will burn away the sinful impurity of people and kindle in their souls a fiery desire to serve God. Those who accept the Messiah will be gathered into His Kingdom, like wheat is gathered into a barn; those who oppose Christ, God will burn like straw with unquenchable fire.
Further, the Evangelists narrate that “Then,” during one of the sermons of the Baptist John on the banks of the Jordan River, Jesus comes from Galilee to John to be baptized by him.” Why did the sinless Jesus come to be baptized? We find the answer to this question from John the Baptist himself, who several times before explained to the members of the Sanhedrin: (The Sanhedrin was the name of the highest spiritual council). “For this purpose I came to baptize in water, so that He(Christ) was revealed to Israel," in other words, so that at baptism it would be revealed who He is. Until this time, he lived in the silence of Nazareth, known only to the inhabitants of his small town as the son of Mary and the carpenter Joseph. Now Christ was thirty years old, and He received the right, according to Jewish laws, to teach the people and be called “rabbi” - mentor. The time has come to reveal Himself to the people, and the people to hear the testimony of Him as the long-awaited Messiah. This was now happening on the banks of the Jordan.
However, when the Lord approached John, he felt His great, divine holiness, and said to Jesus: “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” To which the Lord replied: “Leave now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” The truth Jesus calls the will of God. It was the will of God that all who wished to become members of the blessed Messianic Kingdom should be baptized. Baptism received the meaning of “door” to the Kingdom of God. , being the founder of the new humanity revived by Him, was to be the first to enter the Kingdom founded by Him, to open the path to salvation for people and teach them to fulfill the will of God. (Keeping in mind Christ’s constant desire to do the will of His Father, King David in a prophetic psalm quotes the words of Christ: “I am going (to the world) to fulfill Your will, O God!”(see message to).
Moreover, the immersion of the Savior in water at the moment of His baptism also had the purpose consecrate baptism, to make this symbolic rite a grace-filled, regenerating Christian sacrament.
Everyone who came to John first confessed their sins and then immersed themselves in water. Jesus alone, as sinless, came to John directly for baptism. Having been baptized, Jesus immediately came out of the water and began to pray on the shore. Here He, as the Son of God, asked His Heavenly Father to bless the beginning of His public ministry. Suddenly, while Jesus was still praying, the sky opened, and from there the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a white dove. At the same time, the voice of God the Father was heard from heaven, saying: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” These words of God the Father were an indication to John and the people present of the Divine dignity of the Messiah, who was not only a man, but also the Only Begotten Son of God.
The triple miracle that took place here - the opening of heaven, the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove and the testimony of God the Father - completely convinced the prophet John that he was the expected Messiah. The prophet John was waiting for this visible descent of the Holy Spirit on the Messiah, because God, at the very beginning, sending the prophet to preach, said to him: “He on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” Thus, from that moment on, the prophet John the Baptist could, without the slightest doubt, testify to everyone about Jesus as the Messiah and the Lamb of God, taking away the sins of the world. Soon after the baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ, the prophet John yielded to Him several of his disciples: brothers Andrew (the First-Called) and Peter, and brothers James and John (the Theologian). Having joined the Savior, they became His first disciples and apostles.
The meaning of the Baptism of the Lord
On the day of the Baptism of the Lord we remember the miracle God-appearances Тео-fаnia. Indeed, at the baptism of the Savior, the one, omnipotent God, Creator of heaven and earth, first revealed Himself to people in Three Persons: God the Father - with His voice; Son - by baptism in the Jordan; and the Holy Spirit - descending in the form of a dove. Therefore, the troparion of the feast of Epiphany says that on this day “The Trinity has appeared(opened) worship."
The Feast of Epiphany or Epiphany is special position among the twelve great feasts of the Church. It reminds us of our spiritual birth on the day when the priest immersed us in water three times. It also reminds us of the vows that we made at the holy font, if not consciously because of our youth, then in the form of a promise from our spiritual guarantors - recipients who were supposed to explain to us the meaning of the sacrament of baptism and the meaning of Christian teaching.
During the sacrament of baptism, the priest remembers the Baptism of the Lord and prays to God with these words (in Russian translation):
“All creation sings praises to You who have appeared. For You are our God, Who came to earth and lived with people. You sanctified the Jordan streams by sending Your Holy Spirit from heaven and crushed the heads of the serpents nesting in them. Therefore, O philanthropic King, come now through the influx of Your Holy Spirit and sanctify this water...And give it the grace of redemption, the blessing of the Jordan. Make it a source of incorruptibility, a gift of sanctification, forgiveness of sins, healing of ailments, destructive to demons, impregnable to enemy forces, filled with angelic strength... Appear, Lord, on this water and let the one baptized be transformed in it, so that he puts aside the old man, corrupted in lusts of deception, and put on the new one, which is renewed in the image of him who created him, so that, being united with You in the likeness of Your death in baptism, he would become a participant in the resurrection and, preserving the gift of the Holy Spirit and increasing the guarantee of grace, he would receive the honor of the highest calling and was numbered with the firstborn, who are written in heaven in You God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
For a Christian, says the father of the Church of the first centuries, St. , the waters of baptism are “both the tomb and the mother.” The grave for his former sinful life outside of Christ and the mother of his new life in Christ and in the Kingdom of His infinite truth. Baptism is the door from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. “Those who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”– Whoever is baptized into Christ is clothed in the robe of Christ’s righteousness, becomes like Him, and becomes a participant in His holiness. The power of baptism is that the baptized person receives the ability and strength to love God and his neighbors. This Christian love attracts a Christian to a righteous life and helps him overcome attachment to the world and its sinful pleasures.
The trouble with many Christians of our time is that they do little to ignite in their hearts the gift of gracious love they have received. A painful attachment to the world replaced spiritual love in them and brought with it grief, anger and envy.
Therefore, as we celebrate the great feast of the Baptism of the Lord, let us remember the vow we made at baptism to love God and our neighbors. Let us thank God for worthy of our spiritual birth and calling us into His Kingdom of eternal bliss. Let us try to become worthy of this great honor and mercy of God!
Feast service
Epiphany (Epiphany)
In the ancient Church (until the fourth century), the Epiphany of the Lord was celebrated on January 6th according to Art. Art. (January 19, New Style). This holiday combined the memory of two events: the Nativity of Christ and His Baptism in the Jordan. When, at the end of the fourth century, the Nativity of Christ began to be celebrated especially on December 25, the Feast of the Epiphany began to celebrate one baptism of Christ, which is why from then on it began to be called the Baptism of the Lord. The initial combination of two memories in one feast of Epiphany affected the similarity of the structures of the feasts of Epiphany and the Nativity of Christ, namely: on the eve of both feasts (vespers), the Royal Hours are celebrated, after which Vespers with Liturgy are celebrated. All-night vigils for these two holidays begin not with Vespers, as usual, but with Great Compline, at which “God is with us” is sung.
At Vespers, celebrated on the eve of Epiphany, 13 proverbs are read - excerpts from Old Testament books. The reason for such a large number of proverbs (usually only three proverbs are read on holidays) is explained by the fact that in the ancient church a large number of catechumens were baptized on this day. The sacrament of baptism was performed in the vestibule of the temple during the reading of the proverbs. After baptism, the newly baptized, in white robes, with lamps in their hands, entered the temple. The Christians greeted them by singing: “Those who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ,” that it is still customary to sing at the liturgies of the feasts of Epiphany and the Nativity of Christ.
At proverbs on the feast of Epiphany, Biblical stories and prophecies related to water are read, for example: 1) - about the establishment of the earth on “waters;” 2) – Israel’s passage through the Red Sea; 3) – a victorious song to God after the drowning of the Egyptians; 4) Jesus. - the miraculous passage of the Jews across the Jordan; 5) – the miraculous passage of the prophets Elijah and Elisha across the Jordan; 6) – healing of Naaman from leprosy in the Jordan River; 7) – a call to repent and wash; 8) – reconciliation between Jacob and Esau near the Jordan; 9) – an Egyptian princess finds baby Moses on the banks of the Nile; 10) miraculous irrigation of wool for Gideon’s identification; 11) – the miracle of the prophet Elijah bringing down fire and the subsequent rain; 12) – the miraculous transformation of salt water into fresh water by the prophet Elisha; 13) about spiritual rebirth.
At the liturgy on the eve of Epiphany, the Apostle: and the Gospel: .
In stichera Vespers On the feast of Epiphany, an artistic retelling of the history of this event is made: the conversation of Jesus Christ with John the Baptist and his fear to baptize the Lord, the opening of heaven, the voice from heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit. In addition, the stichera explain the internal meaning of the holiday: a) the Lord accepted Baptism not for His own purification, which He did not need, but for the sake of saving people; b) The Lord wanted to fulfill all the Old Testament laws and rituals to the end; c) His ascension from the water marks the elevation of the world to heaven, and, finally, d) the modern sacrament of baptism gives the grace of God because the water of baptism is sanctified by the Lord.
Troparion
In the Jordan I am baptized to Thee, O Lord, the Trinitarian adoration appears: for the voice of the Parents testifies to Thee, naming Thy beloved Son, and the Spirit in the form of a dove, making known the affirmation of Thy words. Appear, O Christ God and enlighten the world, glory to Thee.
When You, Lord, were baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Holy Trinity began: for the voice of the Father testified about You, calling You the beloved Son, and the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the truth of the words (of the Father). Christ God, who appeared and enlightened the world, glory to You.
Kontakion
Thou hast appeared this day to the universe, and Thy light, O Lord, has appeared upon us, in the minds of those who sing Thee: Thou hast come and Thou hast appeared. The Unapproachable Light.
Today You, Lord, have appeared to the universe, and the light has revealed itself to us, who intelligently sing of You: “Unapproachable Light, You have come and shown Yourself to us.”
In canon on Matins tells the story of the Baptism of the Lord. The idea is that the Lord was baptized in order to cleanse us from sins, reveal His Divine dignity to the world and enlighten people with the light of the knowledge of God. The canon says that, having accepted in the flesh the burden of curse and death that weighs on us, he plunges into the stream of the Jordan in order to destroy sin and give us God's blessing. In baptism He strikes our enemy the devil in the very recesses of his innermost abyss.
In prokimna on Liturgies speaks of the appearance of the Lord on earth: “ Blessed is he who comes (walking) in the name of the Lord, the Lord has appeared to us" The apostolic reading on () says that with the coming of the Savior the grace of salvation was brought to earth. The Gospel reading () tells about the event of the Savior’s baptism.
Zadostoynik
Magnify my soul, Most honorable of the hosts on high, the Most Pure Virgin Mary.
Every tongue is perplexed when it comes to praising one’s wealth, but the mind and the worldly praise of Thee, Mother of God, are astounded; Otherwise, being a good being, accept faith, for our love is divine: You are the Representative of Christians, we magnify You.
Magnify my soul, the Most Pure Mother of God, Who is more honorable than the heavenly (angelic) armies.
No language is able to praise you at your true worth, and even the angelic mind is perplexed how to praise You, Mother of God; but, being Good, accept our faith, for You know our love. You are the Intercessor of Christians, and we magnify You.
Canon of Epiphany
St. Cosmas of Mayum
Song 1
Irmos: The Lord, mighty in war, opened the bottom of the deep sea, and led His people on dry land, covering the opponents in it, for He was glorified (ch.).
At the canon, the Irmos are sung and the troparia are read. Between the troparia of the canon it is said: “Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.”
The King of ages, the Lord, with the streams of the Jordan renews the corrupt and crushes the heads of the nesting snakes there, for He is glorified ().
The Lord, incarnate from the Virgin, having clothed the immaterial fire of the Divine in material flesh, is washed by the waters of the Jordan, for He is glorified.
The Lord, who washes away the uncleanness of people, is purified in the Jordan for their sake, whom He deigned to become like; remaining what He was, He enlightens those in darkness, for He is glorified.
Song 3
Irmos: The Lord, who gives strength to our kings and exalts the dignity of His anointed ones, is born of the Virgin and comes for baptism. We, the faithful, will exclaim to Him: there is none so holy as ours.
Having previously been barren and suffering from childlessness, now rejoice in Christ. For by water and by the Spirit sons have been born to you, who cry in faith: There is none so holy as our God.
Canto 4
Irmos: I have heard, O Lord, Your voice, which You called the voice of one crying in the wilderness (the prophet John); when You, bearing witness to Your Son, thundered over many waters (Jordan). Then the prophet, filled with the revealed Spirit, exclaimed: You are Christ, God's wisdom and power (,).
“Has anyone seen,” exclaims the preacher, “the bright sun by nature being purified? How can I wash You, the radiance of Glory and the image of the ever-present Father, with waters? And how can I, grass, touch the fire of Your Divinity? For You are Christ, God’s wisdom and power ().
Moses, approaching You, showed a sacred reverence with which he was overwhelmed: when he realized that You were speaking from the bush, he immediately covered his face. How can I openly look at You, or lay my hand on You? For You are Christ, God’s wisdom and power ().
Having a rational soul and being honored by the gift of speech, I am ashamed of inanimate things. Because if I baptize You, I will be condemned by a mountain smoking with fire, a sea split in two, and this Jordan turning back. For You are Christ, God’s wisdom and power (Isa.,).
Song 5
Irmos: Jesus, the Head of life, comes to resolve the condemnation of the primordial Adam, and, like God, having no need for purification, for the sake of the fallen he is purified in the Jordan, where, having killed enmity, he gives peace that surpasses all understanding.
When countless people flocked to be baptized by John, he stood among them and exclaimed to those present: who inspired you, rebellious ones, to avoid the coming wrath? Bring worthy fruits to Christ; for, appearing now, He gives peace (,).
The Farmer-Creator, standing in the middle, as one of all, tests hearts; and, taking a winnowing shovel in his hands, he wisely cleanses the world's threshing floor, burning away sterility, and giving eternal life to the fruitful ().
Song 6
Christ, having been born incorruptible from God and the Father, is incarnated without defilement from the Virgin. And, as the Forerunner teaches, it is impossible to solve the thong of His shoes - the combination of the Word with our nature. He delivers earth-born from delusion ().
Christ baptizes with destructive fire those who resist and do not recognize Him as God, but with the Spirit, through water, He graciously renews those who confess His Divinity, delivering them from sins.
Song 7
Irmos: A noisy wind with dew and the descending Angel of God saved the pious young men, thrown into the fiery furnace, unharmed. Therefore, being watered in the midst of the flames, they sang with gratitude: Blessed are You, glorious Lord and God of the fathers.
As in heaven, with awe and wonder, the Angelic forces stood at the Jordan, contemplating the incomprehensible descent of God: How He, holding in His power the composition of the heavenly waters, stood with flesh in the waters of our fathers (,).
The cloud and sea, in which the legislator Moses baptized the once wandering people, prefigured the miracle of divine baptism. The sea was the image of water, and the cloud was the Spirit, by which, being sanctified, we cry: blessed are You, Lord God, forever ().
All of us, the faithful, theologically speaking about Him from whom we received sanctification, will incessantly glorify the Father, Son and Holy Spirit with the Angels; for this is the Trinity of Persons, consubstantial, for there is one God, to whom we sing: Blessed are You, Lord God, forever.
Song 8
Irmos: The Babylonian oven, having poured out dew, depicted that wonderful mystery in which the Jordan had to receive immaterial fire into its streams and embrace the Creator baptized in flesh, whom people bless and exalt for all ages.
“Abandon all fear,” said the Redeemer to the Forerunner, “and, obeying, come to Me, for I am essentially good; submit to My command and baptize Me, who came down, Whom people bless and exalt for all ages.
The Baptist, hearing the words of the Master, stretched out his hand with trepidation, but touching the top of the head of his Creator, he called out to the Baptized: Sanctify me! For You are mine, Whom people bless and extol forever.
On the Jordan the Trinity appeared: For the Father, highest in the Divinity, proclaimed: This one who is baptized is My beloved Son; and the Spirit rested upon His equal, whom men bless and exalt for all ages.
Song 9
Irmos: No language is able to praise You worthily, and even the heavenly mind is perplexed how to sing of You, Mother of God. But, as good, accept our faith: You know our love, warmed by God. For You are the representative of Christians. We magnify you.
Come with your spirit, David, to those who are enlightened and sing: come now to God and be enlightened by faith. Fallen Adam, this beggar, cried out, and the Lord who came heard him. He renewed the corrupted one in the streams of the Jordan (,).
“Wash yourselves and make yourselves clean,” says Isaiah, “cease from doing evil before the Lord. You who are thirsty, come to the living water.” For Christ sprinkles life-giving water on those who come running to Him in faith and baptizes with the Spirit into ageless life ().
Blessing of water
After the Gospel, the deacon pronounces a litany with special water-blessing petitions. The priest reads a prayer in which he asks the Lord to grant purification, sanctification, health and blessing to all who receive communion and anoint with holy water. After the prayer, the priest immerses the Holy Cross in water three times, while singing the troparion: “I am baptized in You, O Lord, in the Jordan.” Then the priest sprinkles blessed water on the temple, all those present and their homes.
The custom of blessing water on the day of baptism existed already in the 3rd century. St. John Chrysostom calls Epiphany water “agiasma” - a shrine. Since ancient times it has been known that Epiphany holy water does not spoil. Epiphany water is sprinkled on icons, liturgical vessels, vestments and pectoral crosses during the rite of consecration. It is also used to consecrate houses, food, cars and other objects. Accepted with faith, it has the power to heal ailments, both mental and physical. Without replacing Communion, it can serve instead of Communion to someone who, for some reason, is deprived of this consolation. When despondency, embarrassment or upset of spirit, it gives peace and relief. For this reason, Christians keep holy Epiphany water at home in a holy corner and drink it with prayer in the morning on an empty stomach.
So, let us joyfully celebrate the bright holiday of the Baptism of the Lord, thanking the Savior for reviving us with water and the Spirit in the sacrament of baptism and for opening the way to the Kingdom of Heaven for us!
At that time he came from Galilee to the Jordan River. He came to John because he wanted John to baptize Him. But John tried to restrain Him, saying: “I must be baptized by You, so why did You come to me?” In response, Jesus said to him: “Let it be so for now, for it is appointed upon us to do everything that God has appointed.” Then John allowed Him to be baptized. Jesus was baptized, and when He came out of the water, the heavens opened before Him and He saw the Spirit of God descending on Him like a dove. And a voice from heaven proclaimed, “Behold my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17)
Why was Jesus baptized? This is a very good question. Jesus Christ actually answered our question, although the answer is a little mysterious. In the words of Matthew 3:15, “Do not hold Me back, for in this way we ought to accomplish all that is righteous.” Of course, the question is, what did Jesus mean? Notice that He didn't say He did this to gain righteousness. Jesus was already righteous, as a man without sin. He did this to accomplish everything righteously. I see a parallel to Jesus' statement in that He will fulfill (fulfill, complete, complete) the Law of Moses (Matthew 5:17). I'm honestly not sure how exactly Jesus fulfilled the requirements of righteousness, although I will give some guesses below. One thing we can be sure of, and what is implied in your question, is that Jesus was not baptized in order to have His sins forgiven. Let me suggest a few reasons why Jesus submitted to the need to be baptized.
Why was Jesus Christ baptized? Four reasons.
- Baptism marked the “anointing” of Jesus Christ. The moment when the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus in a special way. We don't know exactly what this means. In other words, it does not clearly say how exactly Jesus changed when He was baptized by John and the Holy Spirit came upon Him, but we must assume that this was a very important moment in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. As Matthew 3:16 says, at that moment the Spirit of God came upon Jesus in the form of a dove. This marked the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus Christ. This idea is reinforced in John 1:32-34. John the Baptist told the people that God had shown him that the One upon whom the Spirit would fall was the Son of God. This anointing of Jesus was evidence to John the Baptist, if not to others, of who Jesus was.
- Jesus was baptized so that the prophecies in the type would be fulfilled. The type was the event that occurred in 1 Samuel 16:13. When Samuel anointed David, an event occurred that prefigured the baptism of Jesus Christ. Just as David was a type of the Messiah upon whom the Spirit rested during his anointing, the Spirit fell upon Jesus when He was anointed at baptism.
- Jesus Christ was baptized and this served as a gesture of Jesus' humility and submission to God and the ministry of John the Baptist. This showed the humanity of Jesus and His submission to the will of God.
- Jesus Christ was baptized to set an example for others. Jesus asked all those who would follow Him to be baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Jesus didn't ask us to do anything He wasn't willing to do. He did not need forgiveness, but He did have to demonstrate His submission to God, and He had to set an example for us all in baptism.
