4 Eckhard J. Schnabel context of lexical semantics and lexicography, before we survey the use of βαπτίζειν and of βάπτειν in literary and documentary texts outside of the New Testament. 1. Lexical semantics, lexicography, and the traditional rendering of βαπτίζειν The English term ‘baptize’ is not a translation of the Greek term βαπτίζειν, but a transliteration. Translators of the New Testament who ‘translate’ βαπτίζειν with ‘baptize’ have to assume that the readers of their translation are familiar with the meaning of the English term—a technical religious term that is not used in contemporary English in non- Christian or non-religious contexts.2 The meaning of the English verb ‘to baptize’ can be defined, with the standard Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, as “to use water in a rite for purpose of renewing or establishing a relationship with God”, in most cases denoting ″the Chris- tian sacrament of initiation after Jesus’ death⁇.3 Merriam-Webster’s New Encylopedic Dictionary captures the popular understanding of ‘baptize’ in the definition ″to administer baptism to⁇ (while defining ‘baptism’ as “a Christian sacrament signifying spiritual rebirth and admitting the re- cipient to the Christian community through the ritual use of water”).4 The College Dictionary Edition of Merriam-Webster attempts to integrate etymological information into its definition: “to immerse (an individual) in water, or pour or sprinkle water over (the individual), as a symbol of admission into Christianity or a specific Christian church”.5 The Oxford English Dictionary seeks to include in its definition the meaning of the Greek term more consistently, while reflecting the sense of the word in ecclesial practice in the Christian traditions that practice infant baptism by sprinkling water on the newborn child: “to immerse in water, or pour 2 Only the noun ‘baptism’ is used in a non-religious sense, albeit rarely; note the ex- pression ‘baptism of fire,’ understood as ″the undergoing of any severe ordeal or painful experience⁇ or ″a soldier’s first experience ‘under fire’ in battle⁇ (Oxford English Dictionary [OED] s.v. ‘Baptism’ 2b). 3 Walter Bauer, Frederick W. Danker, William F. Arndt, and Wilbur F. Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature [BDAG] (Third Edition Revised and Edited by F. W. Danker, based on Walter Bauer’s Griechisch- deutsches Wörterbuch zu den Schriften des Neuen Testaments und der frühchristlichen Literatur, Sixth Edition Edited by K. Aland and B. Aland, 1988; Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), s.v. βαπτίζω 2 and 2c. The standard Greek-English Lexicon gives ‘baptize’ as the third meaning of βαπτίζειν, with reference to New Testament texts (LSJ s.v. βαπτίζω 3). 4 Webster’s New Encylopedic Dictionary, New Revised Edition 1996. 5 Webster’s New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition, 2000.