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A Note on Baptism for ProselytesAuthor(s): Solomon ZeitlinSource: Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 52, No. 1 (Apr., 1933), pp. 78-79Published by: The Society of Biblical LiteratureStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3259481 .

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78 JOURNAL OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE

A NOTE ON BAPTISMFOR PROSELYTES

SOLOMONZEITLIN

DROPSIE COLLEGE

TNan Essay entitled "The Halaka in the Gospels and its Relationto the Jewish Law at the Time of Jesus" which was published

in the HebrewUnion CollegeAnnual, I, 1924, I endeavored to show

that up to a few years before the second Temple was destroyed,

baptism was not required of converts to Judaism. In a recentnumber of JBL. Mr. Starr says:

"S. Zeitlin in HebrewUnion CollegeAnnual, I (1924),pp. 358-363,has attempted to prove that tebilahcould not have been prescribedfor proselytes before 65--66 C.E. But his argument rests on the

assumption that this rite was a special form of the Taharah-bath,which is questionable (see Moore, supra, n. 14). Moreover,his evid-

ence is not exhaustive. Prof. L. Finkelstein calls to my attention that

he has overlookedat least one passage which demands consideration,

viz., Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, T. L. 14 6."'

It is surprisingthat in such an important question as to whether

baptism was required for converts to Judaism, Mr. Starr did not

find it necessary to quote the text of T. L. 14 6, and merely relied

upon what he was told. The text reads as follows: "and the

daughters of the Gentiles shall ye take to wife, purifying them with

an unlawful purification." KaOaplovres ati-d. [eav-ra]KaGapt1'Y-

7rapavo••,.

The word baptism which occurs quite often in the New

Testament in reference to the new converts to the ideas of Jesus(comp. Mark 16 16and Acts 8 12-38, 2 38) is not found in the text

of T. L. The words:"KaOaptr•aW

7Trapavoiprefers most likely to

1 Vol. LI, p. 231, n. 16.

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ZEITLIN:A NOTEON BAPTISMFORPROSELYTES 79

thepurification

after the menses.Comp.

Luke 2 22

Kal0'6e

'7rXr/-Or-ravateewiepatToF KaOaptaLO.OVavTr-v Kar TVrov vodJovMWo-ewr•.2Mr. Starr continues: "From Yoma III, 3, moreover, it appears

that there was at least one known case in which the requirementof tebilahheld, regardlessof one's levitical status." Mr. Starr againdoes not deem it necessary to give the text of the Mishnato supporthis statement. The text of this Mishna reads as follows: WIN14

5~1.10)V llIb * fl37y12571"I9 935 1.

The meaning of

the Mishna is quite evident. No one must enter the Azarah for

worship, not even a man who believes he is clean, before taking a

bath. The purpose of this regulation is to prevent anyone, who

might be levitically unclean and not aware of this, from enteringthe Azarah. The laws of the Pentateuch prohibits any person, who

is in the state of levitical uncleanliness to enter the Azarah for

worship under the penalty of death. The Tannaim, therefore,instituted this precautionary measure, namely, that anyone enter-

ing the Azarah, regardless as to whether he considers himself

levitically clean, should first take the prescribed bath.There is nothing in the Tannaitic literature, or in the Hellenistic

literature before the destruction of the Temple to indicate that

baptism was a requisite for conversion to Judaism. (See also

S. Zeitlin, An Historical Study of the Canonization of the Hebrew

Scriptures,p. 33, note 114.)

2 See, also, Josephus, B.J., 5, 227.