Page - 89 - in The Power of Urban Water - Studies in premodern urbanism

6 Water in Early ChristianRitual: BaptismandBaptisteries inCorinth 89 haveplayedan important rolehere.35Paulhimselfmentionshimagain in 1Cor 3, 4–6.Acts 18, 25 relates that Apollos knew only the baptism of John. If this notice is reliable, it might imply that, apart from the new Christian baptismal ritual, another ritual was propagated and even practised inCorinth that resembled thebaptismof John,but includedneither the confession to Christ nor the transfer of the spirit.36 Apollos might have underlined the importance of his person inconnectionwithbaptismormighthavebaptised inadifferentwayandhemighthave beenaneloquentpreacher.Paul thereforecounteracts thegrowing importanceofApollos–and possibly other leading Christians – by underlining that he himself did not baptisemany peo- ple,37because thecrucial elementofhismissionaryworkwaspreaching thegospelof thecross, apreaching thatwasauthorisedbyGod.38 The linkbetween thegroup-building-processandbaptism isdisputed,but it is evident that Paulconnectshiscritiqueofgroup-buildingwithbaptism.Thegroups inCorinth thusmayhave beenrelated todifferentwaysofbaptismandpossiblyevendifferentunderstandingsof spirit.39 Later in his letter, Paul refers to baptismagain to point out the importance of unity instead of divisions in theChristian community: baptismgives participation inChrist (1 Cor 12, 13:For in one Spirit wewere all baptized into one body, […]andall weremade to drink of one Spirit). The communityof Christ believers forms the ‘body’ ofChristwhichcannotbedivided intodifferent groups.Group-buildinginanycasecontradictedtheaimofbaptismofcreatingunityandthreat- ened the stability of the community of Christ believers.40 Therefore, baptism had obviously started to play an important role in the early Corinthian community of Christ believers. They took baptism quite seriously, and it might be that even different forms of baptismwere per- formed. This assumption is confirmedby 1Cor 15, 29. This verse shows that Christ believers inCor- inthapparentlynotonlycametobebaptised themselves,but theyasked for theirdeadrelatives tobebaptised, too. Theversehas tobe read in the context of 1Cor 15, 12–28. In 1Cor 15, 12–19, PaulstronglycriticisesCorinthianswhodenyresurrectionanddescribes theprocessof resurrec- tion indetail (1 Cor 15, 23–28). Then, in 1Cor 15, 29, Paul asks:Otherwise,whatdopeoplemean bybeingbaptizedonbehalfof thedead? If thedeadarenot raisedatall,whyarepeoplebaptized on their behalf?. Paul refers here tobaptismonbehalf of thedead,whichapparentlywasprac- tisedbysomeCorinthianswhoat thesametimedenied resurrection.Theverse ishighlydisput- ed,41 but it seems that baptismwas understood by some of the Corinthian believers not as an assurance for participating in resurrection, but probably as simply improving the status of the deceased.RichardE.DeMaris explains this concernwithageneral focusondeathand thedead in RomanCorinth, and interprets baptism on behalf of the dead as a kind of support to enter thecommunityof thedead.42 Ifweadd theconsiderationbyKathleenWarnerSlane thatCorin- 35 Cf.Horn 1992, 165; Pascuzzi 2009. 36 Cf. Avemarie 2002, 429–432. 443–452;Wolter 1987. Cf. Acts 19, 1–7, where Paul is said to have baptised anew disciples who only received the baptism of John (Avemarie 2002, 443). In Acts 8, 26–40 Philippus baptises the Ethiopianeunuchwithout transferring thespirit. This storypossibly reflectsa special riteofbaptismperformedby Philippus. 37 Hementions Crispus, Gaius, Stephanas, and his house by name, then downplays baptismby saying I do not knowwhether I baptised anyone else (1 Cor 1, 16). 1 Cor 10, 1–13 seems to emphasise the critique. Paul recalls the fate of the Israelites in thedesertwith allusions tobaptism.Cf.Ostmeyer 2000. 38 Cf. 1 Cor 3, 5–9. 39 Cf. 2 Cor 11, 4. 40 Clement, the bishop of Rome, in his letter to the Corinthians,written at the beginning of the 2nd centuryAD, repeats this Pauline argument in stressing that the one spirit (pneuma) given to all (in baptism) ismeant to keep the ‘body’ of Christ, theChristian community together (1 Clem46, 6). 41 DeMaris 1995, 661f. 42 DeMaris 1995; DeMaris 2008, 57–71. DeMaris argues that excavations on the north cemetery show a ‘steady interest in supplying thedeadwithadequategoods’ (DeMaris 2008, 66) andheunderlines the importanceof cults connectedwith death in Roman times (DeMaris 2008, 66–69: Palaimon, Demeter). ‘Differences in burial customs mighthaveheightened the concernabout thedispositionof thedead’ (DeMaris 2008, 70).