Jewish Cultural and Religious Practices

Washings/Baptism: Clarification of Rituals

 

Ritual anointings were a prominent part of religious rites in the biblical world. Recipients of the anointing included temple officiants (Ex. 28:41), prophets (1 Kgs. 19:16), and kings (1 Sam. 16:3; 1 Kgs. 1:39). In addition, sacral objects associated with the Israelite sanctuary were anointed (Ex. 30:22-29). Of equal importance in the religion of the Israelites were ablutions or ceremonial washings (Ex. 29:4-7). To ensure religious purity, Mosaic law required that designated individuals receive a ritual washing, sometimes in preparation for entering the temple (Ex. 30:17-21; Lev. 14:7-8; 15:5-27).

The washings and anointings of the biblical period have a parallel today in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In response to a commandment to gather the saints and to build a house "to prepare them for the ordinances and endowments, washings, and anointings" (TPJS, p. 308), these ordinances were introduced in the Kirtland Temple on January 21, 1836 (HC 2:379-83). In many respects similar in purpose to ancient Israelite practice and to the washing of feet by Jesus among his disciples, these modern LDS rites are performed only in temples set apart and dedicated for sacred purposes (D&C 124:37-38; HC 6:318-19).

Purification - In Torah and Talmud, the laws of purification are many,each with its own Hebrew root. The basic root covering all purification rituals is Toharot (purities). The Hebrew people practiced these rites because of a command of Torah that includes a set of purification laws for women, priests, converts to Judaism, and general purification for spiritualcleansing. Spiritual cleansings were also associated with physical cleansings and atonement for sin or for the desire to have oneness with God, and ONLY with God. Levite priests, before making ritual sacrifice, used the lavers or fonts in the east court of Solomon’s temple to wash themselves before each step in offering animal sacrifice on the yearly Day of Atonement.

Yom Kippur - Various forms of washing of the outward body to symbolize inner, spiritual cleansing were common (tavilah =immersion). A purpose for the cleansing act is for the purpose of communing with God and becoming closer to Him, expressing thanks, love and gratitude. It is true that no references to baptism appear in Torah, but it is common knowledge among Orthodox Jews through their Torah laws and commentaries that Jews did ritual washings in seas and in fonts to come before God as faithful followers of the Law of Moses. The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible notes that there were baptisms from Adam’s time to that of Enoch, but that it had ceased among the apostate people of Avraham’s time.

These so-called baptisms were actually spiritual cleansings–they may or may not have included immersion–to call the righteous to the study of and reverence for the canon of the Law of Moses and for repentance of various sins. There is no record or indication through Hebrew scripture that there was a baptism by immersion with regard to a Messiah in the modern sense, though they preached of a coming Messiah. In the Book of Mormon there were baptisms for repentance upon conversion before the Christ visited the Nephites (3NE7:21-25).

See www.peopleofthebook-judaica.com - the Historical References link - LDS articles on Judaic subjects relevant to Old Testament studies.

The pimary verb bapto, as used in the Old Testament, means to overwhelm, to cover with a fluid (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible,1996). In all cases, baptism refers to a single occasion. It may or maynot include presenting the gift of the Holy Ghost or assuming the entranceof a holy presence into the person being baptized. Ancient Judaism often practiced a form of what Christianity calls baptism, as noted above, in a special sense. They used Hebrew words that had somewhat different meanings than the Greek word.
Donald W. Parry wrote: