Epiphany, which is traditionally celebrated on January 6 (or the Sunday closest to it), commemorates, with some variations, the visitation of the Magi to the baby Jesus and his recognition as King, which constitutes his appearance/manifestation to the Gentiles.  Furthermore, Eastern Christians celebrate on this day the baptism of Jesus, which was his manifestation (Theophany) as the Son of God.

Some early Christians celebrated three important events on January 6th — Christ’s birth, his baptism, and the marriage at Cana (four events, if you include the visit of the Wise Men).  I find it very interesting that these events were all celebrated conjointly on the one holy day — baptism, birth, acclamation as king, and marriage.  (On this topic, see also my notes from Dr Laurence Hemming’s presentation at SBL here (you have to scroll down), where he connects the 40 days between Christmas and Candlemas (Feb. 2) with the 40-day post-Resurrection ministry of Christ).

While Epiphany marks the end of the Christmas season for many people (many take down their Christmas decorations today), it should also mark a beginning. It celebrates the appearance, the Theophany, the “shining forth” of the Son of God in the world — the manifestation of God’s love for his children here on Earth. Although many of us, who are, alas, not so connected to ancient tradition, generally let this day go by without any special notice, the Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ is certainly a concept worth celebrating!

PSEUDEPIGRAPHA WATCH: The Pope cites a couple of Old Testament Pseudepigrapha in his Easter Vigil homily. First, from the Life of Adam and Eve:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

An ancient Jewish legend from the apocryphal book “The life of Adam and Eve” recounts that, in his final illness, Adam sent his son Seth together with Eve into the region of Paradise to fetch the oil of mercy, so that he could be anointed with it and healed. The two of them went in search of the tree of life, and after much praying and weeping on their part, the Archangel Michael appeared to them, and told them they would not obtain the oil of the tree of mercy and that Adam would have to die. Subsequently, Christian readers added a word of consolation to the Archangel’s message, to the effect that after 5,500 years the loving King, Christ, would come, the Son of God who would anoint all those who believe in him with the oil of his mercy. “The oil of mercy from eternity to eternity will be given to those who are reborn of water and the Holy Spirit. Then the Son of God, Christ, abounding in love, will descend into the depths of the earth and will lead your father into Paradise, to the tree of mercy.” This legend lays bare the whole of humanity’s anguish at the destiny of illness, pain and death that has been imposed upon us.

This story is from L.A.E. 35-42. There’s been much scholarly discussion of the Life of Adam and Eve in recent years and the current consensus is that it is a Christian work. I don’t know that that affects the Pope’s point, though.

Second, a citation from 2 Enoch:

Once again, an ancient Jewish text can help us form an idea of the mysterious process that begins in us at baptism. There it is recounted how the patriarch Enoch was taken up to the throne of God. But he was filled with fear in the presence of the glorious angelic powers, and in his human weakness he could not contemplate the face of God. “Then God said to Michael,” to quote from the book of Enoch, “‘Take Enoch and remove his earthly clothing. Anoint him with sweet oil and vest him in the robes of glory!’ And Michael took off my garments, anointed me with sweet oil, and this oil was more than a radiant light … its splendour was like the rays of the sun. When I looked at myself, I saw that I was like one of the glorious beings” (Ph. Rech, Inbild des Kosmos, II 524).

The quotation is from 2 Enoch 22. Again, it is debatable whether 2 Enoch is a Jewish or a Christian work. It may well have ancient Jewish elements in it but later Christian elements may well also be present. And in this case, that may make some difference, in that the baptismal connection may be even closer than the Pope posits, which perhaps would add support to his comparison.

Although Prof. John Hall’s presentation was next after Dr. Barker’s, I am still working on the notes for his talk, so I will now post my notes from the esteemed Archimandrite Ephrem’s presentation covering the use of the anointing oil in the Orthodox Church, or, as he termed it, in the Byzantine tradition.  My notes are not a complete rendition of Father Ephrem’s comments and contain many of my own additions. FYI — Father Ephrem has a great website with many helpful patristic and liturgical texts at www.anastasis.org.uk.

The anointing oil has a number of uses in the Byzantine tradition.  Father Ephrem discussed, principally, its use in light (candles), baptism, healing, confirmation/chrismation, the consecration of tsars, and the anointing of holy objects.

Unless I misunderstood, there are two types of anointing oil.

1. The first is the basic pure olive oil, used in burning candles and lamps, for the anointing of catechumens (those preparing for baptism), and for the anointing of the sick for healing. It is also used in the waters of baptism.
2. The second type of oil is the “myron”, otherwise known as chrism. Myron is a myrrh-scented oil that is very complicated to make. It can only be made and consecrated during Holy Week and is composed of 43 different ingredients (incl. olive oil, wine, spices, and perfumes). They myron is used in confirmation/chrismation, coronation (the anointing of kings), and the anointing of altars, etc. “Myron” is a name for Christ (and also his Mother).

Oil of Healing

The anointing of the sick must be done by seven elders of the Church. After consecrating the olive oil, the person is anointed for the purpose of both healing and the forgiveness of sins (the two are thought to be related).

From a handout provided by Father Ephrem, I cite the following considering the rite of the Oil of Healing, emphasis in italics from original, bold is mine.

• The Priest says the Prayer of the Oil in front of the lamp.
• Note, that in the Great Church, instead of water, they put wine into the lamp of the Euchelaion.
• Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
• Reader: Lord, have mercy.
• Priest: Lord, who in your mercy and pity heal the afflictions of our souls and bodies, sanctify this oil, Master, that it may be for those who are anointed with it for healing and relief of every passion, bodily disease, stain of flesh and spirit and every evil; that through it your all-holy Name, of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, may be glorified now and for ever, and to the ages of ages.
• Reader: Amen.
• Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
• Reader: Lord, have mercy.
• And the Priest says this Prayer: O God without beginning and without end, Holy of Holies, who sent forth your Only-begotten Son to heal every disease and every weakness of our souls and bodies, send down your Holy Spirit and sanctify this oil; and cause it to be for your servant N. who is anointed for complete deliverance form his sins, for inheritance of the Kingdom of heaven. For you are God, great and wonderful, who keep your covenant and your mercy to those who love you. Through your holy child Jesus Christ you give deliverance from sins; you have given us new birth from sin, you give light to the blind, set upright those who are cast down; you love the righteous and are merciful to sinners; you have called us back from darkness and the shadow of death, saying to those in chains: Come forth, and to those in darkness reveal yourselves. For in our hearts has shone the light of the knowledge of your Only-begotten Son, since for us he appeared on earth and lived among men. And to as many as received him he gave power to become your children, O God, granting us the grace of sonship through the washing of rebirth, causing us to have no part in the tyranny of the devil. Since he did not consider it good for there to be cleansing by blood but by holy Oil, he has given us the sign of his Cross for us to become Christ’s flock, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, having purified us by water and sanctified us by the holy Spirit. Do you, Master and Lord, give grace for this your service, as you gave Mose your servant, Samuel your beloved, John our chosen one and all those who in each generation have bee well-pleasing to you. So make us too servants of the New Covenant of your Son for this oil, which you have made your own by your precious Blood, so that having put off worldly desires we may die to sin and live to righteousness, having put on our Lord Jesus Christ through the anointing of sanctification of the Oil which is about to be applied. May this oil, Lord, be an oil of gladness, an oil of sanctification, a royal garment, a breastplate of power, a protection against every operation of the devil, an inviolable seal, joy of heart, eternal delight, that all who are anointed with this oil of rebirth may become fearsome to their enemies and shine brightly with the brightness of your Saints, without spot or wrinkle, and that they may be received into your eternal rest and receive the prize of their high calling. For yours it is to have mercy and to save us, O God, our God, and to you we give glory, to Father, Son, and holy Spirit, now and forever, and to the ages of ages.
• Reader: Amen.
• And after the Prayer the Priest takes some of the holy Oil and anoints the person making the Euchelaion, saying the following Prayer: Holy Father, physician of souls and bodies, who sent your Only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to heal every disease and to deliver from death, heal also your servant N. from the weakness of body and soul which holds him fast and give him life through the grace of your Son, at the prayers of our most holy Lady, Mother of God and ever-virgin Mary, by the might of the precious and life-giving Cross, at the protection of the honoured, heavenly and bodiless powers, of the honoured and glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, of the holy, glorious and victorious Martyrs, of our venerable and God-bearing Fathers, of the holy and healing Unmercenaries Kosmas and Damian, Kyros and John, Panteleimon and Hermolaos, Sampson and Diomedes, Mokios and Akinitos, Thalalaios and Tryphon, of the holy and righteous Forebears of God, Joachim and Anne, and of all the Saints. For you are the fount of healings, O God, our God, and to you we give glory, to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and to the ages of ages.
• Reader: Amen.
• The Prayer is said by each of the Priests, after reading the Gospel and the Prayer, while anointing the sick.

Oil in Baptism

The standard oil is breathed upon by the priest and the water is blessed with oil by pouring the oil into the water. This rite of baptism is originally designed for the baptism of adults and is more difficult to perform on babies as the one baptized is then anointed on forehead, back, breast, senses — the whole body. Baptism is done by immersion — person is immersed three times — with the naming of the three Persons of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).

• The Priest breathes on the container of oil three times and signs the oil three times as it is held by the Deacon [or Godparent].
• Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
• People: Lord, have mercy.
• The Priest says the following prayer quietly: Master, Lord God of our fathers, who sent out a dove to those in Noe’s ark, with a branch of olive in its beak as sign of reconciliation and salvation from the flood, and through these things prefigured the Mystery of grace; who have given the fruit of the olive for the completion of your holy Mysteries; who through it both filled those under the Law with the Holy Spirit, and make perfect those under grace; do you yourself bless this olive oil also by the power, operation and descent of your Holy Spirit, so that it may become an anointing of incorruption, a weapon of righteousness, renewal of soul and body, a driving away of every operation of the devil, for the removal of all evils from those who are anointed with it in faith, or who partake of it to your glory and that of your Only-begotten Son and your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages.
• People: Amen.
• Deacon: Let us attend.
• The Priest, chanting Alleluia three times with the People, makes three Crosses with the oil in the water. Then he proclaims: Blessed is God, who enlightens and sanctifies everyone who comes into the world, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages.
• People: Amen.
• The one to be baptized is brought forward. The Priest takes some of the oil and makes the sign of the Cross on the forehead, breast and back of the candidate, saying: The servant of God, N., is anointed with the oil of gladness, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. As he signs their breast and back he says: For healing of soul and body. On the ears: For the hearing of faith. On the feet: For your feet to walk. On the hands: Your hands made me and fashioned me. And when the whole body has been anointed the Priest baptizes the person, holding them upright and facing East, as he says: The servant of God N. is baptized, in the name of the Father. Amen. And of the Son. Amen. And of the Holy Spirit. Amen. At each invocation the Priest immerses them and raises them again.

The Myron in Baptism

• After the newly-baptized is clothed:
• Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
• People: Lord, have mercy.
• And the priest says this prayer: Blessed are you, Lord God almighty, the source of blessings, the Sun of righteousness, who have made the light of salvation shine for those in darkness through the appearing of your Only-Begotten Son and our God, and have granted us, unworthy though we are, the grace of blessed cleansing by holy Baptism, and divine sanctification by life-giving Anointing. And you have now been well-pleased to make your newly-enlightened servant to be born again through water and Spirit, and have granted him/her forgiveness of sins both voluntary and involuntary. Do you then, Master, compassionate, universal King, grant him/her also the Seal of the gift of your holy, all-powerful and adorable Spirit and the Communion of the holy Body and precious Blood of your Christ. Keep him/her in your sanctification; confirm him/her in the Orthodox Faith; deliver him/her from the evil one and all his devices, and by your saving fear guard hi/her soul in purity and righteousness; so that being in every deed and word well-pleasing to you, he/she may become a child and heir of your heavenly Kingdom.
• Aloud: Because you are our God, a God who has mercy and who saves, and to you we give glory, to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages.
• People: Amen.
• After the prayer he anoints the newly baptized with the holy Myron, making a sign of the Cross on the forehead, the eyes, the nostrils, the mouth, the two ears, the breast, the hands and feet saying: Seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

At the Consecration of Tsar Nicolas II

• The Tsar, followed by the Tsarina, descends from the dais. Walking on the floor, which is covered with crimson velvet bordered with gold lace, the Tsar, and after him the Tsarina, step for a moment onto the golden brocade to be anointed with the holy Myron by Metropolitan Palladius with the words: “Seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit” [same as at baptism, but this is post-baptism]. And the bells and a salute of 101 salvoes herald the perfection of the Anointing. The Eucharist concludes the rite.

Note: the ordination of priests is not done by oil, but only by the laying on of hands.

Apparently baptism constituted a much larger role in ancient Israel than is readily apparent from the scriptures, although the form might have varied. 

The article from the Jewish Encyclopedia  [on baptism] is very interesting.

I pulled up Tvedtnes’ book on GospeLink, “The Church of the Old Testament,” and in it he said (pages 5-9):

Baptism, then, was nothing new in the time of Christ. In fact, this ancient ordinance was established in the days of Adam, as is evidenced in the Book of Moses, a revelation of great importance received by Joseph Smith in 1830:

“And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water. And thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man.” (Moses 6:64–65.)

We find a vague reference to this event in 1 Adam & Eve, a pseudepigraphal work that exists in part in the Koran, the Talmud, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and old Greek and Ethiopic texts. In chapter 1, verses 2-5, of this work we read:

And to the north of the garden there is a sea of water, clear and pure to the taste, like unto nothing else; so that, through the clearness thereof, one may look into the depths of the earth. And when a man washes himself in it, becomes clean of the cleanness thereof, and white of its whiteness-even if he were dark. And God created that sea of His own pleasure, for He knew what would come of the man He should make; so that after he had left the garden, on account of his transgression, men should be born in the earth, from among whom righteous ones should die, whose souls God would raise at the last day; when they should return to their flesh; should bathe in the water of that sea, and all of them repent of their sins. But when God made Adam go out of the garden, He did not place him on the border of it northward, lest he should draw near to the sea of water, and he and Eve wash themselves in it, be cleansed from their sins, forget the transgression they had committed, and be no longer reminded of it in the thought of their punishment. (Rutherford H. Platt, The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden, pp. 4-5.)

In chapters 32 and 33 of 1 Adam & Eve, we find a long account of how Adam and Eve went to the waters and stood in them and prayed God to forgive them of their sins. They were separated by quite some distance. Satan appeared to Adam, telling him to come out of the water, for his sins had been forgiven him. But Adam recognized Satan, though he appeared in the form of an angel of light. (See D&C 128:20.) Adam knew that forgiveness of his sins could not come until he had been immersed in the water, and he rebuked Satan, who went henceforth to tempt Eve. For her part, she was deceived by his masquerade as an angel, and she left the water to find Adam and tell him that their sins had been forgiven. When she came to where Adam was standing in the water, her husband realized that she had once again given in to temptation, and “he saw her, and smote upon his breast; and from the bitterness of his grief, he sank into the water. But God looked upon him and upon his misery, and upon his being about to breathe his last. And the Word of God came from heaven, raised him out of the water, and said unto him, ‘Go up the high bank to Eve.’” (Platt, p. 23.) It is possible that we have here a reference to the baptism of Adam, which the Lord explained to him in these words:

If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you.

And our father Adam spake unto the Lord, and said: Why is it that men must repent and be baptized in water? And the Lord said unto Adam: Behold I have forgiven thee thy transgression in the Garden of Eden. (Moses 6:52–53.)

The descendants of Adam also received the ordinance of baptism and were permitted to become sons of God. This practice existed in the postdiluvian era as well, even among the Israelites:

Israel was admitted into covenant by three things; namely, circumcision, baptism, and sacrifice. Circumcision was in Egypt…. Baptism was in the wilderness before the giving of the Law, for it is said: ‘Thou shalt sanctify them…and let them wash their garments….’ So, whenever a Gentile desires to enter the Covenant of Israel and place himself under the wings of the Divine Majesty, and take the yoke of the Law upon him, he must be circumcised and baptized, and bring a sacrifice. (Origin of Jewish-Christian Baptism -Maimonides.)

This passage bears directly upon the baptism of Gentile Christians [author's note: in other words, Christian baptism was practiced in the same manner as Jewish baptism]; but it casts light also on the genesis of Jewish Christian baptism; for, apart from circumcision, the cases were largely parallel. Sinful Israelites, too, needed to re-enter the covenant in a deeper sense…so placing themselves ‘under the wings of the Shekinah’ for Baptism was practised in ancient Judaism, first as a means of penitence, as is learned from the story of Adam and Eve, who, in order to atone for their sin, stood up to the neck in the water, fasting and doing penance. (Jewish Encyclopedia 2:499.)

To receive the spirit of God, or to be permitted to stand in the presence of God (His Shekinah), man must undergo Baptism. (Ibid.)

This is precisely what Jesus said:

“Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5.)

He was speaking to Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, who had come to him by night to ask concerning salvation. His response to Jesus’ statement was one of surprise: “Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?” (John 3:9–10.) Jesus was evidently amazed at Nicodemus’s ignorance concerning the important subject of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. These ordinances existed long before Jesus, and it was to be expected that any learned Jew knew of them. Even present-day authorities admit the use of the ordinance of baptism in ancient days:

“Modern researches have shown positively that Judaism sent forth apostles….Sincerity of motive in the proselyte was insisted upon….from the law that proselyte and native Israelite should be treated alike (Numbers XV: 14 et seq.) the inference was drawn that circumcision, the bath of purification, and sacrifice were prerequisites for conversion.” (Jewish Encyclopedia 10:222.)

 

Ablutions in the temple of Jerusalem were also important to the Israelite community. This is especially significant to Latter-day Saints, for our modern temples are equipped with baptismal fonts resembling that of Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 7:23–26; Jeremiah 52:20), i.e., normally on the backs of twelve oxen. The font in Solomon’s temple was called the “brazen sea.” We read that “the sea was for the priests to wash in.” (2 Chronicles 4:6.)

The word wash often served in the Old Testament text in the same manner as did baptize (from a Greek word, baptizo, to immerse) in the New Testament. We have already seen that Jewish scholars sometimes refer to baptism as the “bath of purification.” It was not merely skin-deep purification; it referred to the overt sign of an inward repentance on the part of the proselyte: “To sum up: as baptism had in Judaism come to mean purificatory consecration, with twofold reference-from an old state and to a new-so was it in Christianity. It denoted…the convert’s attitude towards his past sinful state with its ‘dead works,’ or towards God as sinned against-repentance…. The practical effect was remission of past sins.” (Hastings’ Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics 2:377.)

“Christian baptism is of uncertain origin,” wrote Vergilius Ferm. “Possibly the baptism of Jewish proselytes furnished the model followed by the early Christian missionaries.” (Encyclopedia of Religion, p. 53.) Other scholars also see a Jewish origin in this New Testament ordinance:

The exhortations of this respectable messenger (John the Baptist) were not without effect; and those who, moved by his solemn admonitions, had formed the resolution of correcting their evil dispositions, and amending their lives, were initiated into the kingdom of the Redeemer by the ceremony of immersion, or baptism. Christ himself, before he began his ministry, desired to be solemnly baptized by John in the waters of Jordan, that he might not, in any point, neglect to answer the demands of the Jewish law. (Johann Lorenz von Mosheim, Ecclesiastical History, vol. 1, Cent. I, p. 27.)

According to rabbinical teachings, which dominated even during the existence of the Temple (Pes. viii. 8), Baptism, next to circumcision and sacrifice, was an absolutely necessary condition to be fulfilled by a proselyte to Judaism. (Jewish Encyclopedia 2:499.)

The only conception of Baptism at variance with Jewish ideas is displayed in the declaration of John, that the one who would come after him would not baptize with water, but with the Holy Ghost (Mark 1:8; John 1:27). Yet a faint resemblance to the notion is displayed in the belief expressed in the Talmud that the Holy Spirit could be drawn upon as water is drawn from a well (based on Isaiah 12:3; Yer. Suk. v. 1, 55a of Joshua b. Levi). And there is a somewhat Jewish tinge even to the prophecy of the evangelists Matthew (3:11) and Luke (3:16), who declare that Jesus will baptize with fire as well as with the Holy Ghost; for, according to Abbahu, true Baptism is performed with fire (Sanh. 39a). Both the statement of Abbahu and of the Evangelists must of course be taken metaphorically. (Ibid.)

Circumcision, baptism, and sacrifice, then, were necessary in order to enter the covenant of Israel. Circumcision, as we know, was declared by the apostles at Jerusalem to be unnecessary to salvation (Acts 15), for it had not existed from the beginning, but was a special covenant-token beginning with Abraham. Baptism, however, began with Adam, as we have seen, and is to exist for all men at all times; it is thus necessary for salvation. Sacrifice also began with Adam. Early portions of the Old Testament demonstrate the practice of sacrifice by Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:3–7), Noah (Genesis 8:20–21), and Abraham (Genesis 22:1–14). After the Exodus, Moses, his father-in-law Jethro, and Aaron and his sons sacrificed (Exodus 17:15; 18:12). Many altars were built in the wilderness by the Israelites for the purpose of offering sacrifices unto the Lord (Exodus 20:24–26; 24:4-8).

I thank Bryce for the great research he did on this topic and also to John Tvedtnes for his great insights on gospel ordinances in the Old Testament that he has passed on.  I do not believe that Margaret Barker would agree with some of these conclusions, as it was her purpose to show that Christian baptism was a restoration of the priestly initiation (washing and anointing).  However, as Latter-day Saints we believe that baptism has existed as an ordinance since the time of Adam and that it has been a requirement for entering the Kingdom of God in all dispensations.  So I will leave it to you, the reader, to sort out in your mind how it all works!

Resurrection of Jesus-- He Lives by Simon Dewey

A great insight that Barker gives us that I did not include in my last post has to do with both the resurrection and the priesthood. In my last post, I cited a portion of the Gospel of Phillip:
The Tree of Life is in the midst of Paradise, and from [it] comes chrism, and from chrism comes resurrection. People who say they will die first and then arise are mistaken. If they do not first receive resurrection while they are alive, once they have died they will receive nothing (CG II:3:73).

 The Gospel of Phillip is making a contrast here between the notion of the resurrection of the body after death and the idea that the resurrection, in reality, begins before death. Perhaps we could say the resurrection necessarily involves priesthood ordinances involving anointing to be effectuated.

On this note, it is interesting that in Temple Themes, Margaret Barker sees the power of resurrection as the difference between the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods (p. 112). This distinction is seen in the Epistle to the Hebrews, where the Aaronic priests are described as receiving their priesthood by “descent,” whereas the Melchizedek priesthood is received by “ascent.” The author explains that Jesus “arises” (Barker notes that the original Greek denotes resurrection) “after the power of an endless life” (Heb 7:16).

Again, what Barker and the author of Hebrews are referring to is not just the resurrection of the body, but of the heavenly ascent, the return to the presence of God. Bodily resurrection is only a part, and not necessarily the most important part.

The legends of Enoch, which the Christians held dear, describe this aspect of the resurrection. Enoch, a high priest of the ancient patriarchal order, was taken up into Heaven, where he was transformed into a celestial/angelic figure. According to 2 Enoch 22:

• Enoch ascended to the Highest Heaven and stood before the Throne of God in the Heavenly Temple
• The archangel Michael removed Enoch’s earthly clothing, anointed him with oil (or “dew”), and clothed him in garments of divine glory
• As a result of this anointing and investiture, Enoch saw himself transformed into “one of the glorious ones” (2 Enoch 22:4-10)

The stories of Enoch express the belief that a mortal human being can be raised up to heaven, transformed/transfigured into a celestial being, and still return to Earth without tasting death.  Enoch returned to Earth and lived among his people for a time before being taken back up to Heaven. As we learn from the Prophet Joseph Smith, he was able to prepare his whole city to be translated and taken up (Moses 7:21).

Being raised up to the presence of God and becoming transfigured into an angel was an important issue for the inhabitants of the Qumran community. Barker notes that although the date of 2 Enoch is uncertain, it is significant that many of the Dead Sea Scrolls express this same belief:

“May you be as an angel of the Presence…May you attend upon the service in the temple of the Kingdom” (The Blessings, 1QSb IV); “Thous hast cleansed a spirit of great sin. that it may stand with the host of the holy ones, and that it may enter into community with the congregation of the sons of heaven” (1 QH XI); “Thou hast purified a man of sin that he may be holy for thee. that he may partake of the lot of the holy ones” (1 QH XI); “I am reckoned with the ‘elohim and my glory is with the sons of the King” (4Q 491.11).

 Another document, The Odes of Solomon, an early Christian document that James Charlesworth dates to the first or early second century A.D. (The Anchor Bible Dictionary, v. 6, p. 114), contains very similar expressions:

The Lord renewed me with his garment/ And possessed me by his light/ … My eyes were enlightened,/ And my face received the dew/ and my sould was refreshed/ By the pleasant fragrance of the Lord (Ode 11:11, 14, 15)

I rested on the Spirit of the Lord/ And she lifted me up to heaven/ … [She] brought me before the face of the Lord …/ And he anointed me with his perfection/ And I became one of those who are near him (Ode 36.1, 3, 6).

Barker notes that this transformation, which she calls theosis, can be detected in Luke’s account of Jesus’ transfiguration:

As [Jesus] was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white…Now Peter and those who were with him were heavey with sleep, and when they wakened they saw his glory… (Luke 9: 29, 32).

 Barker sees this as Jesus appearing to the apostles in his “resurrected” state before his death. For Latter-day Saints, I believe we would simply refer to this as a transfigured state, the state that one needs to be in to withstand the presence of God, and that when our bodies are resurrected we will have a different state, but I think Barker is not incorrect to make a connection between these states.

Back to Baptism: In the Name vs. Into the Name

We now return to the subject of baptism. Again, I don’t fully agree with Barker’s efforts to connect Christian baptism to the initiatory washing and anointings of the ancient priesthood, but I wish to post here some other important insights that she provides about baptism.

Barker analyzes an interesting dichotomy that exists in the New Testament when it speaks of baptism. She notes that the first Christians were baptized “in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” according to the final words of Matthew’s gospel (Matt 28:19). The words “in the name of”, however, can be used when translating both the Greek phrases “in (en) the name of,” and “into (eis) the name of.” She suggests that baptizing “in the name of” likely has reference to the status of the person baptizing, while baptizing “into the name” is referring to the changing status of the individual being baptized.

Baptizing “in the Name”

The fact that an individual could baptize another “in the Name” can be explained by the concept found in Psalm 118:26, which Christians often used:

Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!

Triumphal Entry

The Hebrew word used here is b’ , which can mean both “in” and also “as.” Thus, we are speaking of “baptizing in the Name” or “baptizing as the Name.” “In the name of” can also mean “as a representative of.” So, when one is baptizing “in the Name of,” they are most likely speaking of baptizing someone as a representative of/with the authority of the Name, or baptizing as the Name (as if they were the Name). The Name can be a title for Christ, and is similar to terms like the Word/Logos. Baptizing “in the name of the Lord” could mean “with the authority of the Lord” (p. 119).

Regarding this last interpretation, Barker notes:

When someone came b’shem, “in/with the name of” Yahweh, it meant more than simply coming as a representative, because the Davidic king, as we shall see, “was” the LORD (footnote: See below, p. 160). One of his titles was Immanuel, “God with us” (Isa 8:8). Sometimes the Name meant the LORD himself: “Behold, the Name of the LORD comes from far, burning with his anger and in thick rising smoke” (Isa 30:27). Sometimes the Name was “in” an angel, as when an angel guided Israel from Sinai: “my Name is in/within him” (Exod 33:14). The LORD was known to be a pluriform presence: those who had his Name had his presence and were his presence.”

I think Latter-day Saints can relate to this idea when we read passages like Doctrine and Covenants 1:38:

38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

Barker cites Josephus as he explains the story of the three men who appeared to Abraham at Mamre (Gen 18):

…[H]e did not mention Yahweh even though he had the same version of Genesis as we do. Josephus described three angels appearing to Abraham “and they declared they were angels of God” (Antiquities 1:196). This shows that an educated Palestinian Jew in the first century CE, coming from a high priestly family, thought of Yahweh as present in his angels. Josephus would also have declared as the fundamental of his faith: “The LORD our God (‘elohim, a plural noun) is One LORD” (Deut 6:4). The plurality of Yahweh was a Unity, but the plurality could be perceived and described as his angels. Coming “with the Name of the LORD” meant coming as his presence, one of his presences (p. 121).

As we have discussed, the high priest wore the Name of the LORD over his forehead, and so the LORD was present in him. The high priest was, with the Name, enabled to act as if he were Yahweh himself.  The high priest wore the Name so that he could take upon himself any guilt in the sacrifices offered and thus cleanse them from their sins (Exod 28:38).  According to Barker, this was a dangerous task, and the high priest warned that if he wore the Name “lightly” he would not be protected from the guilt that he bore. Barker argues that this is the original meaning of the commandment: “Thou shalt not take the Name of the LORD thy God in vain/lightly” (Exod 20:7).  This is something that modern priesthood holders should keep in mind.

For Christians, the baptizer had to have the proper authority. Tertullian, writing around 200 AD, commented: “The supreme right of giving baptism belongs to the high priest, that is, to the bishop, and then to presbyters and deacons with the bishop’s permission” (On Baptism 17).

Baptized “into the Name”

“Into (‘eis) the Name” occurs in Matt 28:19, Acts 8:16, and in the Didache. Paul described baptism into Christ Jesus (Rom 6:3). Baptism transfers the convert into the body of Christ, the Church.

When the royal high priest was vested and anointed, he bcame an angel, a son of God (p. 123). Just as the high priest became a son of Yahweh, the person being baptized “into Christ” also became a son of Christ. They “put on Christ” and became integrated into his Body. They became a part of Him. Barker explains:

“Putting on Christ” was drawn from the imagery of vesting, and so being baptized “into the Name” implied that the new Christian became part of the Name, one of the ‘elohim that were the unity of the Lord (p. 124).

In this new unity, the convert now “cleaves” to the Lord, and the Lord is “bound” to the convert (p. 124-125). Just like the high priest who bore the Name was protected by it, so the baptized Christian is protected by virtue of the Name which he now bears.