Baptism

gentile religions also brought in meanings that are often not recognized by us.
¢¡¤£¦¥¨§©¢ £¦ ¡¦
Baptizo sometimes means bathing the whole body - as when Naaman, at
Elisha's direction, "went down and dipped (abal) himself seven times in the
Jordan" (2 Kgs. 5:14). The Hebrew word for immersion
is tevilah and means literally immersing in a ritual bath
known as a mikvah
Sometimes it means washing up, as in Luke 11:38 where
Jesus went to dine with a Pharisee and "The Pharisee was
astonished to see that he did not first wash [the Greek
word for "washed" is baptizo] before dinner." No one in
ancient Israel practiced immersion before dinner, but the
Pharisees "do not eat unless they wash their hands"
(Mark 7:3). In fact some early manuscripts of Mark 7:4 state that the Jews
baptized (bapto) couches. We can be sure that Jews never immersed couches;
they were only ritually sprinkled.
These are ritual purification methods that are still practiced by the Kerala
Brahmins called Nampoothirees. (St. Thomas Christians of Malankara claim
their descend from this group) Though no real research had been done into
these similarities they are astonishingly similar.
In essence, the word does not define a definite mode. Its meaning is spread
over several possible modes and practices. But they have all two things in
common.
1. It was a ritual ceremony
2. It was indicative of purification in all cases and sudden change – a rebirth –
in many cases
5