1 Corinthians Chapter 10 and Marqe

If anyone out there can point to a JEWISH text that can explain where the Christian apostle got his understanding of baptism I defy them to post it here in the comments section. The Christian understanding of water immersion as being related to the crossing of the Red Sea came from the Samaritans and Marqe in particular.

Here are some citations of the critical opening lines of chapter ten in the Letter to the Corinthians in various Church Fathers:

We know that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud, and in the sea. [Origen Against Celsus Book IV]

And that that sea was a sacrament of baptism, the blessed Apostle Paul declares, saying, "Brethren, I would not have you ignorant how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; "and he added, saying, "Now all these things were our examples." [Cyprian Epistle LXXV]

Consider also:

Our Lord himself after baptism was immediately beset with temptations when he had fasted forty days. 'In that case', some one will say, 'we also ought by preference to fast after baptism.' And who is stopping you - except the need for joy, for thankfulness for salvation? But our Lord, in my small judgement, was using Israel as a type, so as to cast back a reproach against them. For that people, when they had crossed the sea and had been brought over into the wilderness, though nourished there with supplies from God for forty years, none the less had more remembrance of their belly and their gullet than of God: whereupon our Lord, having gone apart into desert places after his baptism, filled up the measure of forty days' fasting, and thereby proved that the man of God is not kept alive by bread but by the word of God, and that the temptations attached to repletion and excess of gluttony are struck down by abstinence. [Tertullian, On Baptism Conclusion]

The point of course is that most scholarship just assumes that the Apostle just 'got this idea' that baptism was 'like' the crossing of the Red Sea out of his own imagination. This is clearly wrong. The Samaritans had already learned that the crossing of the sea was an act of cleansing. We just saw it in this chapter:

Their entry [into the Red Sea] is like entry into water that purifies, sanctifying and cleansing from all impurity

I am always cautious about citing anything from MacDonald's translation so I checked it myself and have - as an added precaution - emiled Ruairidh Boid at Monash University to confirm the English translation.

Yet the idea that the ancient Israelites were 'purified' in the Sea - and Moses in particular - is hardly isolated to this particular section. You'll see it again in the next chapter over and over again. Here also are some examples from the rest of the text:

Prophethood led him [Moses] to the waters of life, purifying his soul so that it made every soul great [II.9]

This is the purity of holiness, chosen water that purifies all who are unclean [ibid]

Indeed if we look closely at all the references in the Mimar Marqe there is repeated mention of a specific seven day period associated with this ritual immersion exactly as we read in Secret Mark.

As I have noted many times already at this post, the Samaritans always venerate the crossing of the sea in the prayers that accompany the 'going out of the Sabbath' into the eighth day because the ancient Israelites crossed at this exact time. Notice how closely the second part of Saturday evening prayer - developed from Ex. 14:10, 13 - was developed from what we just read in Marqe:

וישאו בני ישראל את עיניהם ויראו והנה מצרים נסעים אחריהם וייראו מאד.
ויאמר משה אל העם אל תיראו, התיצבו וראו את ישועת ה'.
ה' ילחם לכם ואתם תחרישון:

14:10b: And the son of Israel raised their eyes and they saw, and behold the Egyptians were driving after them, and they became very frightened.
14:13a: And Moses said to the people, do not fear, stand by and see the salvation of my Name (shehmaa).
14:13b: My name (shehmaa) will fight for you while you keep silent.

Marqe expresses the same idea in terms of 'the glory' of Israel:

It was as though Moses said to it, "Their entry is like entry into water that purifies, sanctifying and cleansing from all impurity." Thereupon the sea fell silent at these words and recognized that he was an apostle. So then the True One (said) to Israel, "You will be safely borne for me, and I will exalt you."

It was as though mercy said to them, "I will not shun you, but I will glorify you whither you go. The pillar of cloud will magnify your camps, so that no blemish will be seen in you. The pillar of fire will shine on them, that every spy may be discovered among them. The angels too will go with them, destroying the evil ones who would oppose them. The great glory will fight for them and manifest their greatness among all the nations."

THE SEA began to address Israel with words that benefit those who seek to learn. "Come safely, O holy people. Cross over me in safety, for before you are mighty and exalted heralds. Come safely, you who are like your fathers. God revealed Himself to and redeemed them with His power. There are excellent signposts leading the way before you, that you may cross over safely and be guided aright. Come safely and do not be hesitant, for I am now going to let you cross me."

Notice the key ideas here. Three things will happen to the Israelites as they cross the sea - (1) purification, (2) glorification and (3) magnification.

It is obvious that the water 'purifies' but notice that the mercy 'glorifies' Israel and the cloud 'glorifies.' In the writings of the Christian apostle there is another figure with follows Israel - usually translated as 'Christ' in English but the original Greek just has two letters - XC.

I have already noted that the Marcionites DID NOT think that XC stood for 'Christ' but 'Chrestos.' Marqe will ultimately confirm my hypothesis by the eighth chapter of this present book. The reader will just have to wait ...