Eckhard Schnabel, «The Meaning of Baptizein in Greek, Jewish, and Patristic Literature.» filologia-neotestamentaria, Vol. 24 (2011) 3-40 page 3

Vol 24 (2011)

Eckhard Schnabel, «The Meaning of Baptizein in Greek, Jewish, and Patristic Literature.», Vol. 24 (2011) 3-40

The treatment of the Greek term Baptizein in the standard English lexicons is unsystematic. The use of the English term ‘to baptize’ for the Greek term Baptizein in English versions of the New Testament is predicated on the assumption that the Greek verb has a technical meaning which warrants the use of a transliteration. Since the first fact is deplorable and the second fact is unsatisfactory, an investigation into the meaning of the Greek term in Greek, Jewish, and patristic literary and documentary texts is called for in order to define the meaning of the term in classical and Hellenistic Greek with more precision than usually encountered in New Testament research, with a view to construct a more helpful lexicon entry for Baptizein.

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3 The Meaning of βαπτίζειν in Greek, Jewish, and Patristic Literature ECKHARD J. SCHNABEL The treatment of the Greek term βαπτίζειν in the standard English lexi- cons is unsystematic. The use of the English term ‘to baptize’ for the Greek term βαπτίζειν in English versions of the New Testament is predicated on the assumption that the Greek verb has a technical meaning which warrants the use of a transliteration. Since the first fact is deplorable and the second fact is unsatisfactory, an investigation into the meaning of the Greek term in Greek, Jewish, and patristic literary and documentary texts is called for in order to define the meaning of the term in classical and Hellenistic Greek with more precision than usually encountered in New Testament research, with a view to construct a more helpful lexicon entry for βαπτίζειν. Keywords: Lexicography; lexical semantics; physical (literal) and metaphorical meanings; standard lexicons; New Testament; Christian water baptism. Introduction English translations of the New Testament uniformly ‘translate’ the Greek term βαπτίζειν with the English term ‘baptize’ which is, obviously, not a translation but a transliteration. It is rather curious that New Testa- ment scholars, content to use ‘baptize’ as translation, rarely discuss the lexical meaning of the Greek term. The following study aims at surveying the meaning of βαπτίζειν by investigating the use of the verb in Greek literature outside of the New Testament. The more common verb βάπτειν is included in the study as well since the two verbs have essentially identi- cal meanings–the intensive force of βαπτίζειν is not always present; the tendency is for intensive forms of Greek verbs to replace the root form, loosing the intensified meaning in the process. This development is prob- ably related to the fact that βάπτειν became the standard term for dip- ping textiles in dyes of various colors (gloss: ‘to dye’).1 We will first look at the treatment of βαπτίζειν (and βάπτειν) in the standard lexicons in the 1 Cf. Everett Ferguson, Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008), p. 47; he treats βαπτίζειν and βάπτειν separately. Filología Neotestamentaria - Vol. XXIV - 2011, pp. 3-40 Facultad de Filosofía y Letras - Universidad de Córdoba (España)