The baptism of Jesus with water by John the Baptist is described in the three synoptic Gospels of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). It is considered to have taken place at Al-Maghtas (also called Bethany Beyond the Jordan), today located in Jordan.
Modern biblical scholars view the baptism of Jesus as a historical event to which a high degree of certainty can be assigned. Along with the crucifixion of Jesus, biblical scholars view it as one of the two historically certain facts about him, and often use it as the starting point for the study of the historical Jesus.
The baptism is one of the events in the narrative of the life of Jesus in the canonical Gospels; others include the Transfiguration, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension.Essays in New Testament Interpretation by Charles Francis Digby Moule 1982 p. 63The Melody of Faith: Theology in an Orthodox Key by Vigen Guroian 2010 p. 28 Most Christian denominations view the baptism of Jesus as an important event and a basis for the Christian rite of baptism (see also Acts 19:1–7). In Eastern Christianity, Jesus's baptism is commemorated on 6 January (the Julian calendar date of which corresponds to 19 January on the Gregorian calendar), the feast of Epiphany, also referred in some Churches as the Feast of Theophany. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran Churches and some other Western denominations, it is recalled on a day within the following week, the feast of the baptism of the Lord. In Roman Catholicism, the baptism of Jesus is one of the Luminous Mysteries sometimes added to the Rosary. It is a Trinitarian feast in the Eastern Orthodox Churches.
In the Synoptic Gospels Mark, Matthew, and Luke depict the baptism in parallel passages. In all three gospels, the Spirit of God — the Holy Spirit in Luke, "the Spirit" in Mark, and "the Spirit of God" in Matthew — is depicted as descending upon Jesus immediately after his baptism accompanied by a voice from Heaven, but the accounts of Luke and Mark record the voice as addressing Jesus by saying "You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased", while in Matthew the voice states "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:13–17; Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–23).Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible by James D. G. Dunn, John William Rogerson 2003 p. 1010The Synoptics: Matthew, Mark, Luke by Ján Majerník, Joseph Ponessa, Laurie Watson Manhardt 2005 pp. 27–31
After the baptism, the Synoptic gospels describe the temptation of Jesus, where Jesus withdrew to the Judean desert to fast for forty days and nights.
Matthew Matthew's account is unique in several respects: He asserts that Jesus left Galilee for the purpose of being baptized by John (πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην τοῦ βαπτισθῆναι ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ). He includes a conversation between John and Jesus: In v. 14, John said: "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Nevertheless, Jesus convinces John to baptize him "to fulfill all righteousness" (v. 15).The word δικαιοσύνη ("righteousness"), missing in Mark and used only once in Luke, is characteristic of Matthew. See 5:6, 10, 20; 6:1, 33; 21:32. Matthew records that the voice from heaven says "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased", but does not indicate who is addressed.
Mark Mark's account is roughly parallel to that of Matthew, except for Matthew 3:14–15, which describes John's initial reluctance and eventual consent to baptize Jesus, which is not described by Mark. Mark uses an unusual word for the opening of the heavens, , , which means "tearing" or "ripping" (Mark 1:10). It forms a verbal thread (Leitwortstil) with the rending (, ) of the Temple veil in Mark 15:38, inviting comparison between the two episodes.David Rhoads, Joanna Dewey, and Donald Michie 2012, Mark as Story: An Introduction to the Narrative of a Gospel, 3rd ed. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 48.
Luke
Luke 1 begins with the birth of John the Baptist, heralded to his father, Zacharias, by the angel Gabriel. Six months later Gabriel appears to the Virgin Mary with an announcement of the birth of Jesus (the Annunciation). Gabriel also announces to Mary the coming birth of John the Baptist to her kinswoman Elizabeth, who is the wife of Zacharias. Mary immediately sets out to visit Elizabeth and stays with her until John's birth. Luke strongly contrasts the reactions of Zacharias and Mary to these two respective births; and the lives of John and Jesus are intertwined.
Luke uniquely depicts John as showing public kindness to tax collectors and encouraging the giving of alms to the poor (as in Luke 3:11). Luke records that Jesus was praying when Heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him. Luke clarifies that the spirit descended in the "bodily form" of a dove, as opposed to merely "descending like" a dove. In Acts 10:37–38, the ministry of Jesus is described as following "the baptism which John preached".
In the Gospel of John
In John 1:29–33, rather than a direct narrative, John the Baptist bears witness to the Spirit descending like a dove.Jesus of History, Christ of Faith by Thomas Zanzig 2000 p. 118
The Gospel of John (John 1:28) specifies "Bethabara beyond Jordan", i.e., Bethany in Perea as the location where John was baptizing when Jesus began choosing disciples, and in John 3:23 there is mention of further baptisms in Ænon "because there was much water there".Big Picture of the Bible – New Testament by Lorna Daniels Nichols 2009 p. 12John by Gerard Stephen Sloyan 1987 p. 11
John 1:35–37 narrates an encounter, between Jesus and two of his future disciples, who were then disciples of John the Baptist.New Testament History by Richard L. Niswonger 1992 pp. 143–46 The episode in John 1:35–37 forms the start of the relationship between Jesus and his future disciples. When John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God, the "two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus".Jesus of Nazareth by Duane S. Crowther 1999 p. 77The Life and Ministry of Jesus: The Gospels by Douglas Redford 2007 p. 92A Summary of Christian History by Robert A. Baker, John M. Landers 2005 pp. 6–7 One of the disciples is named Andrew, but the other remains unnamed, and Raymond E. Brown raises the question of his being the author of the Gospel of John himself.The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved by J. Phillips 2004 pp. 121–23 In the Gospel of John, the disciples follow Jesus thereafter, and bring other disciples to him, and Acts 18:24–19:6 portrays the disciples of John as eventually merging with the followers of Jesus.The Gospel and Epistles of John: A Concise Commentary by Raymond Edward Brown 1988 pp. 25–27
In the Gospel of the Nazarenes According to the non-canonical Gospel of the Nazarenes, the idea of being baptized by John came from the mother and brothers of Jesus, and Jesus himself, originally opposed, reluctantly accepted it.Jerome, quoting "The Gospel According to the Hebrews" in Dialogue Against Pelagius III:2. Benjamin Urrutia suggests that this version is supported by the criterion of embarrassment, since followers of Jesus would not have invented an episode in which Jesus changes his mind and comes to accept someone else's plan. Plus, the story came from the community that included the family of Jesus, who would have guaranteed the authenticity of the narrative.Guy Davenport and Benjamin Urrutia, The Logia of Yeshua / The Sayings of Jesus (1996), p. 51.
Location
The Gospel of John (John 1:28) states that John was baptising in "Bethany Beyond the Jordan", generally considered to be the town of Bethany, also called Bethabara in Perea, on the eastern bank of the Jordan river, near Jericho. In the 3rd century, Origen, who moved to the area from Alexandria, suggested Bethabara as the location.Jesus and Archaeology by James H. Charlesworth 2006, Eedrsmans pp. 437–39 In the 4th century, Eusebius of Caesarea stated that the location was on the west bank of the Jordan, and following him, the early Byzantine Madaba Map shows Bethabara as ().
The biblical baptising is related to springs and a Wadi (al-Kharrar) close to the Eastern site of the Jordan River,The Synoptics by Jan Majernik, Joseph Ponessa and Laurie Manhardt 2005 p. 29 not the Jordan itself. The pilgrimage sites, important for both Christians and Jews, have shifted place during history. The site of Al-Maghtas (baptism, or immersion in Arabic) on the East side of the River in Jordan has been deemed the earliest place of worship. This site was found following UNESCO-sponsored excavations. Al-Maghtas was visited by Pope John Paul II in March 2000, and he said, "In my mind I see Jesus coming to the waters of the river Jordan not far from here to be baptized by John the Baptist". The Muslim conquest put an end to the Byzantine buildings on the east bank of the Jordan River. The later reverence took place just across the river in the West Bank at Qasr el Yahud. The valley around the Dead Sea, which the Jordan River flows into from the north, is also the lowest place on planet Earth.
Chronology
The baptism of Jesus is generally considered as the start of his ministry, shortly after the start of the ministry of John the Baptist.Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey by Craig L. Blomberg 2009 pp. 224–29Christianity: An Introduction by Alister E. McGrath 2006 pp. 16–22The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament by Andreas J. Köstenberger, L. Scott Kellum 2009 po. 140–41 Luke 3:1–2 states that:Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible 2000 Amsterdam University Press p. 249The Bible Knowledge Background Commentary: Matthew-Luke, Volume 1 by Craig A. Evans 2003 pp. 67–69
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea[...] the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
There are two approaches to determining when the reign of Tiberius Caesar started. The traditional approach is that of assuming that the reign of Tiberius started when he became co-regent in AD 11, placing the start of the ministry of John the Baptist around AD 26. However, some scholars assume it to be upon the death of his predecessor Augustus Caesar in AD 14, implying that the ministry of John the Baptist began in AD 29.Luke 1–5: New Testament Commentary by John MacArthur 2009 p. 201
The generally assumed dates for the start of the ministry of John the Baptist based on this reference in the Gospel of Luke are about AD 28–29, with the baptism of Jesus and his ministry following shortly thereafter.The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament by Andreas J. Köstenberger, L. Scott Kellum 2009 p. 114Christianity and the Roman Empire: Background Texts by Ralph Martin Novak 2001 pp. 302–03
Historicity
Nearly all scholars believe that John the Baptist performed a baptism on Jesus, and view it as a historical event to which a high degree of certainty can be assigned.The Gospel of Matthew by Daniel J. Harrington 1991 p. 63Christianity: A Biblical, Historical, and Theological Guide by Glenn Jonas, Kathryn Muller Lopez 2010, pp. 95–96Studying the Historical Jesus: Evaluations of the State of Current Research by Bruce Chilton, Craig A. Evans 1998 pp. 187–98 James Dunn states that the historicity of the baptism and crucifixion of Jesus "command almost universal assent".Jesus Remembered by James D. G. Dunn 2003 p. 339 Dunn states that these two facts "rank so high on the 'almost impossible to doubt or deny' scale of historical facts" that they are often the starting points for the study of the historical Jesus. John Dominic Crossan states that it is historically certain that Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan.Who Is Jesus? by John Dominic Crossan, Richard G. Watts 1999 pp. 31–32