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NASB | John 3:5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 3:5 Jesus answered, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. [Ezek 36:25-27] |
Bible Question:
While this verse isn't about water baptism ... What was Nicodemus' view of water baptism? Was Nicodemus' view of water baptism different that John's? What was the influence of Jews views (plural?) on baptism? When did they start? Did it change over time, including their captivity? |
Bible Answer: Hi, Searcher... Baptism has its roots in pre-Christian Judaism. It is called "mikvah." When I asked the Rabbi at my local Aish Hatora, the told me there were three kinds. (I've never witnessed any of them.) 1. Rishama mikvah 2. Tamasha mikvah 3. Maswetta mikvah I'm trying to remember the details. I only wrote down the names... sorry. The first kind is daily and done by oneself. The second kind is weekly. The third kind is used once a year, but is particually associated with gaining cleansing from some serious sin. The third kind has to be done in a river or stream (no pumps or buckets). One thing I remember clearly was that the immersion had to be done three times. I'll dig around if you're interested. Or maybe you can use the phrases above to search it out yourself. Sorry... but work and studies have really monopolized my time lately. In Him, Doc |