BASIC
TEXT: “Therefore
leaving the
[first, Heb. 5:12]principles of the
doctrine of Christ,...Of
the doctrine of baptisms”
(Hebrews 6:1, 2,
KJV)
A
common but erroneous belief is that the expression “in the name
of” is a Biblical formula to call upon God to perform. If one
does not get the formula correct then God does not do His miracle of
rebirth upon your soul.
As
a teenager I had taken a Bible correspondence course that taught a
special way to contribute to the poor: “I do this in the
name of Jesus!” It was downtown Dyersburg. Passing by a
blind man who sat on the side walk in front of a barber shop while
soliciting with a hat full of pencils, I stopped. I had a dollar
bill and I wanted to donate it to the man. I proudly recited “In
the name of Jesus” and dropped the dollar into the hat.
It startled the man so much that he opened his eyes and
visibly shook so that I thought he’d rise up. That was the
first and last time I did such a thing.
One
time I
was
somewhat surprised to hear
an
unusual
complaint against the recently hired preacher. A member was upset
because the
preacher
had baptized a new member without quoting Matthew 28:19. Indeed, the
preacher had not even raised his hand which
was customary before
immersing
the person. Was
that member’s baptism valid?
A
MAGICAL
FORMULAS
A
friend of mine once confessed to me that he could find a free parking
space by circling
the block twice
while
crossing the fingers of his left hand. “It
works”, he said. The
street magi
of the first century called
sorcerers
(like
the Samaritan Simon
in
Acts 8)
were reported in secular writings as ostentatiously
waving
palm fonds
and using
foreign language quips for incantations.iSerenus
Sommonicus, a
Gnostic
healer
under
Emperor Caracalla, prescribed for
his
“patients”
amulets containing the word “abracadabra”
written in the form of a triangle. Onetheoryfor
the origin of
this
word is
the
“Hebrew words” for “father, son and holy spirit”
(“ab,
benandruach
hakodesh”).ii
A
Magic “Law” For
Names
Just
as our childhood
teachings affect our viewpoints, folk tales color our thinkings. In
western
folklore, magic is an
ingredient.
Among
theso-called
magic
“laws”
that
thread these
stories, there is
the
belief that knowing the
“true” name
of an object, being, or process willgive
one complete control over it.iiiIf
one
believes that “true”
names
have power, then knowing the name of a god should grant the greatest
power of all.ivThe
greatestdesired
name
of power is the Hebrew
‘personal’
name of God, –
YHVHvwhose
true pronunciation “unfortunately”
has
been lost. If
one can determine how to pronounce the
“true”
Name
of God, onewouldhave
powerful
magical
powers.viSubsequently,
a
kindred
feeling is that it
isimportant
to
invoke
the “true”
name
of Deity
when
baptizing.
Hence,
there
isaprevailing
controversy over how to pronounce the
Savior’s “true” name. The
contention is that “Jesus” is not that name. Is
His name a
Hebrew version, the Chaldean or Aramaic versions, Greek or English?
The
Name
That Saves
The
massive copies of Greek
manuscripts of the New Testament writers are the only “New
Testament” that we have. Ancient
copies of “the church fathers” have quotations from most
if not all of the Greek New Testament.viiThe
internal evidence indicates the Septuagint, the
Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible,is
profusely
quoted and
that the narrativesindicate
that Jesus spoke the language.Greek
had
become
the language of the
Greco-Roman world: its government,
commerce, and education throughout the East.viiiIf
the writings of Jesus’ ministry is reporting literal events,
then Jesuswould
have spoken
Greek as well as Aramaic.ix
Jesus’ encounters in His
ministry is
in Greek territories (Decapolis, Mark 5:6f, 18-20; Tyre, Mark
7:24-29; Bethsaida, Matthew 11:21; a Roman household,
Luke 7:ff; etc.).
His
home town Nazareth,
by
the way,
had been a Greek-dominated region for over three centuries.x
Regardless,
the inspired text
of Scripture available to man is in Greek.
“Every Scripture is God-breathed [inspired] and profitable
for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in
righteousness, that each person who belongs to God may be complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16,
17). The writings are addressed to the church (Jews and Gentiles) in
the “Greek” world. The writers intended the Greek text
to be understood by the original readers, who evidently spoke Greek
and not Aramaic. Thus, knowledge of Aramaic or original Hebrew is
not necessary to understand the meaning the writers intended. Jesus,
by the way, is name written in Greek in the inspired texts.
Jesus,
the
transliteratedGreek
form
forIēsousand
not the
HebrewYeshuais
the name
revealed to us. "Let
it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that by
the name of Jesus
Christ
the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead--by
this name this man stands here before you in good health. . . .
And
there is salvation in no one else; for there
is no other name
under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be
saved."
(Acts 4:10-12). The
New Testament uses only
the
Greek name.
In The Name Of
“And
a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid
daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask
alms of them that entered into the temple; . . . Then Peter said,
Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee:In
the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
rise up and walk . . . And he leaping up stood, and walked, and
entered with them into the temple”
(Acts 3:2-8). Readers of this text may
attribute
the phrase “in the name of Jesus” as
a formula for the miracle.
Hence,
a next step would be that they would extrapolate this meaning to
associate baptizing with such a formula “in the name of.”
It
would appear that they can prove their point by quoting the incident
of casting out an evil spirit in Ephesus. “Then
certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over
them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We
adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth”
(Acts 19:13). Jesus apparently alludes to these exorcists in Matthew
12:27 and Luke 11:19. The exorcists (from
exorkizō,
to exact an oath), were those who administered and used an oath they
claimed being from Solomon and they used it as a spell or charm.xi
Does this prove that Paul and the apostles used “in the name
of Jesus” as a formula or charm in
miracles and hence applying the same to a baptism formula?
Rather,
than proving such
a
formula, it proves the contrary. If the expression, “in the
name of Jesus” had indeed been a set
formula
for
the miracle then
the exorcists would have been successful. However, they weren’t.
The evil spirit according to the text (Acts 19:15), “answered
and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?”
The recorded response proves that it was the Heavenly
authority
invested in Paul that performed the miracle and not a mere citing of
a formula. Hence, the real power was the
faith or logos of
Jesus (Hebrews
6:1) who
wrought special miracles by the hands of His apostle Paul so that
“fromhis
body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the
diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them”
(Acts 19:11, 12). The citing of “in the name of” was not
then
a
magical formula but served
a different purpose.
The
purpose of using
Jesus name would have been
for the benefit of those hearing which
eventually
included the ruling
council
in
Acts 4.
Peter in healing the lame man drew
attention to the one of Nazareth, crucified, rejected,
“And
on
the faith of his name,
this one whom ye see and have known, his
name made
strong, even
the faith
that is through him did give to him this perfect soundness before you
all”
(Acts 3:16, YLT). It
was not the lame man’s believing
in Jesus.
The
name of Jesus did
make the man strong
but as Peter points by the name he means the
belief,
the
faith,that
he is preaching.
As
the vagabond Jews claimed, “We
adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.” As
Jude writes,
[I]
“exhort
you that ye should earnestly contend for
the faith which was
once delivered unto the saints.”
The
word “Name” is not limited to a title or nomenclature
that someone wears. The
Greek scholar A.T. Robinson tells us, ‘In
the papyri* "name" (onoma)
often is used for the person or the authority of the person. It
occurs frequently in the Septuagint in this sense. An
example is in Acts
1:15:
"The
number of the names (persons) together were about one hundred and
twenty.”’xii
*papyri
shows how the public understood the word.
In the book of Acts, the instruction for the audience is not always the same
preposition “in” for the name. It is “upon” the name (Acts 2:38), “concerning” the name (Acts 8:12),
and “into” the name (Acts 19:5). Each bears its respective meaning.
The fact that no consistent preposition exists in the conversions in the book of Acts should
settle for us that there is no formula in baptizing. Notice that the expression “in the name” is always for the audience, not the baptizer.
The fact that no consistent preposition exists in the conversions in the
book of Acts should settle for us that there is no formula in
baptizing. The fact that the baptizer is never mentioned using any
phrase in baptizing, much less a repetitive phrase, should set our
minds at rest concerning the issue. There is no formula that must be
used in order for a baptism to be recognized by Heaven. However,
this does not except the necessity of being a qualified candidate;
i.e., believing the gospel in order for the baptism to be effective.
It is not “He that is baptized according to a verbal formula.”
But it is, “He that believes and is baptized shall be
saved.”
This
should not be construed as being against quoting Scripture, such as
Matthew 28:19 or any appropriately explanatory words during the
baptizing.
This
is the first part of a two part article. The second part will deal
with the difference between the Matthew 28:19 and Acts 2:38 “in
the name of.”
- --- ---GAYLON
WEST
THROW
OUT THE LIFELINE
- For
Further Study -
Baptisms
“[preposition]The
Name Of Jesus.”
Two
things: (1)Is
“In”Always
The
Same
Meaning?(2)Investigation
ForIncantations
Definition
of incantation: “a
use of spells or verbal charms spoken or sung as a part of a ritual
of magic” (Merriam-Webster
Dictionary Online).
Baptisms
in the Book of Acts:
(1) Pentecost, after cross - epi
G1909
the
name of Jesus Christ.
Both
“on” + “in” in Acts 2:21, 38 areepi.
2:21
is accusative “movement upon”;
2:38 is dative “occurs when done.”
upon
the name
of the Lord shall be saved.” xiii
“movement upon”
Acts 2:38, People commanded to
be baptized (plus repent) “inthe name of
Jesus Christ.”– uses dativeepi:
upon
the name
Acts
2:41 “Then
they that gladly received his word were baptized”.
No
incantation.
Recipient [not the baptizer] is the one “calling
upon”. The audible requirement [if any]
would have been by the one being baptized (2:21). This is
contrary to the position for a baptism formula.
(2) Samaria. periG4012the
name of Jesus Christ.
Acts 8:12 “But
when they believed Philip preachingthe thingsconcerningthe
kingdom of God, and
the name of Jesus Christ,
they were baptized, both men and women.”
(genitiveperiG4012,
means “Concerning
the name.”
Acts 8:13 “Then
Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized . . . ”
No
incantationby baptizer or
Simon.
(3) Ethiopian
Eunuch.
Acts 8:38 “And he
commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into
the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.”
Baptized upon the eunuch’s confession
of faith,
“And he
answered and said, I
believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God”
(8:37). Cf. Romans
10:10.
No
incantation.
(4) Paul’s Conversion. epi
G1909the name of
the Lord.
Acts 9:18 “And
immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he
received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.”
Acts
22:16 Ananias: “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be
baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of
the Lord.” -- uses
accusative
epi:
“movement
upon”Same as Acts 2:21.
No
incantation
(5) The Gentile Cornelius’ Group. ἐνG1722the
name of the
Lord.
Acts 10:47,48
“Can any man
forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received
the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized
inthe
name of the Lord.
(dative
enG1722–
“in, “with”, “by”,
“during”, “on”, “among”,
in
a
person, nature, soul”
)
No
incantation.
(6) Lydia’s
Household.
Acts 16:15 “And
when she was baptized, and her household, she
besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord,
come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.”
No
incantation.
(7) PhilippianJailer.
Repented. Baptized.
Acts 16:33 “And he
took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and
was baptized, he and all his, straightway.”
No
incantation.
(8) Corinthians.
Acts 18:8 “And
Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with
all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were
baptized.”
No
incantation.
(9) Ephesians.
eisG1519the
name of the Lord.
Acts 19:5 “When
they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus.”
– uses
accusativeeisG1519
:
“into,
in, to (indicating
point reached or entered)”
No
incantation.
There
are at least three different prepositions used in the Greek for “in
the name”. There
is a
distinction to be drawn between "epithe
Name of Jesus Christ"
(Acts 2:38)
and “ev
the
Name of the Lord”(10:
48) and "eis
the Name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 19:5).
The
prepositions have different meanings of
relationship.No
direct quotation of an incantation during or before baptism. The
point is, the
apostles did not use or authorize a set formula for baptizing.
Therefore, anyone using such
a
formula today will be guilty of “will
worship”
(Colossians 2:23). Jesus
said, “For
it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only
shalt thou serve.”
Gaylon West
iMatthew
W.Dickie. MAGIC AND MAGICIANS IN THE GRECO-ROMAN WORLD. Pdf at
https://eclass.uoa.gr/modules/document/file.php/ARCH310/Readings%20for%2022%20Dec%20and%2012%20Jan/Dickie%20Magic%20and%20Magicians%20in%20the%20Greco-Roman%20World.pdf.
ii
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/03/31/the-interesting-origins-of-the-word-abracadabra/;
v
Richard Cavendish, The
Black Arts,
Putman Publishing, 1967.
http://www.ccg.org/weblibs/study-papers/p240.html
vi
G. Schloem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, p. 133, Schocken
Publishing, 1941.
http://www.ccg.org/weblibs/study- papers/p240.html
viiThe
New Testament in the Greek Fathers,
series
edited by Gordon Fee
viiiAaron
Tresham. The Languages Spoken By Jesus. pp. 78ff.
https://www.tms.edu/m/tmsj20e.pdf
ixNote:
Scholars
have fairly well established that the Septuagint text is in many
ways older than the later medieval Masoretic text (Hebrew).
Sources from the early Christian era indicate that revisions were
made to the Masoretic text from the 2nd century onwards.
Just
as our childhood
teachings affect our viewpoints, folk tales color our thinkings. In
western
folklore, magic is an
ingredient.
Among
the
so-called
magic
“laws”
that
thread these
stories, there is
the
belief that knowing the
“true” name
of an object, being, or process will
give
one complete control over it.iii
If
one
believes that “true”
names
have power, then knowing the name of a god should grant the greatest
power of all.iv
The
greatest
desired
name
of power is the Hebrew
‘personal’
name of God, –
YHVHv
whose
true pronunciation “unfortunately”
has
been lost.
If
one can determine how to pronounce the
“true”
Name
of God, one
would
have
powerful
magical
powers.vi
Subsequently,
a
kindred
feeling is that it
is
important
to
invoke
the “true”
name
of Deity
when
baptizing.
Hence,
there
is
a
prevailing
controversy over how to pronounce the
Savior’s “true” name. The
contention is that “Jesus” is not that name. Is
His name a
Hebrew version, the Chaldean or Aramaic versions, Greek or English?
