04 — The Baptism of Christ
The center of the Forerunner’s vocation: the coming of Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John, John’s protest “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” and the Lord’s answer “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness” (Matt. 3:13–15); the Theophany — the opening heavens, the Spirit descending as a dove, and the Father’s voice (Matt. 3:16–17), kept at the Synaxis of the Forerunner (Jan. 7); and John’s witness, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
Tradition: Pan-Orthodox (Forerunner)
Everything John is for converges on this moment. This section treats the Baptism of Christ from the Forerunner’s side: his reluctance and the “fulfilment of all righteousness,” the manifestation of the Holy Trinity at the Jordan that gives the feast of Theophany its name, and the Synaxis of John the following day in which the Church honors the hand that baptized the Lord. The companion file gathers John’s testimony in the Fourth Gospel — the Lamb of God, the pre-existent One “who was before me,” the Spirit seen descending and remaining — the witness for which John exists.
Files in This Section
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| The Theophany | The Baptism of Christ (Matt. 3:13–17; Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22); John’s protest and “to fulfil all righteousness”; the manifestation of the Trinity — the Spirit as a dove, the Father’s voice; the feast of Theophany and the Synaxis of the Forerunner (Jan. 7). |
| Behold the Lamb of God | John’s witness in the Fourth Gospel (John 1:19–34): “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (1:29, 36); “after me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me” (1:30); the descent and abiding of the Spirit as the sign by which John knows Christ (1:32–34). |
See Also
- The Baptism of John — the baptism of repentance that becomes the occasion of the Lord’s baptism
- The Friend of the Bridegroom — John’s continued witness and self-effacement after the Jordan
- The Holy Trinity — the Trinity manifested at the Theophany
- The Great Feasts — Theophany among the Twelve Great Feasts
References
- The Gospel According to Matthew 3:13–17; Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22; John 1:19–34. Revised Standard Version.
- John Chrysostom. Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew, Homily 12; Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homilies 17–18. Trans. in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series I, Vols. 10 and 14.
- The Festal Menaion. Trans. Mother Mary and Kallistos Ware. London: Faber & Faber, 1969 (the service of Theophany and the Synaxis of the Forerunner).