The notion of baptism in the old testament

   As aforementioned it is believed that so baptism were ready in practice in the Jewish religion , before the Christian era, for Louis,  " The Jews has many ceremonial purification and washing, but this has no sacramental character, and thefore were no signs and seals of the covenant, " this is what differiantes it from Christian baptism. About whether the term baptism was used or not to refer to this ceremonial purification , Donal Dorr says, it was only in the old testament times that the word came into widespread use in Jewish circle. For Louis bekhorf, " bapto is frequently used in the old testament.. According to Nate Wilson , .  they are about twenty times when they Septuagint use the word for baptise to translate a Hebrew word in the old testament, the word most frequently translated baptize in Greek is the Hebrew, ( Tabal , which means dip , and one of the texts Nate Wilson quoted in the old testament where the Hebrew word  "Tabal was translated to be baptized in the Septuagint is in second kings 5 in which Naaman was told by the prophet Elijah was told to watch him self  in Jordan.

In the Jewish practice , therefore, baptism refers to the ceremonial washing  ( a synonym for dip) performed frequently for the removah of ritual uncleanliness. This ceremonial washing includes  either the washing of parts of the body or the whole of the body, for example, in leventicus 15:11 and 17 :18 Gods people were commanded to wash there body if there had been touched by an unclean person,. During the time of Jesus baptism came to have more meaning for the Jews, it came to refer to as the ritual of washing, which became an integral part of the reception rite for convert to Judiasm. It is also called an initiatory right and a proselyte baptism. According to mcbrien.

About the proselyte baptism Louis berkhorf says , " the Jews baptism of proselyte bore a greater resemblance to Christian baptism. "
Another practice of baptism in Jewish practice which Louis berkhorf mentions is infant baptism , he says in accordance with the Jewish authority , baptism is administered to infant in the presence of two or three witness, it was administered in the this manner.

This baptism is also a mere ceremonial washing with the other purification in isreal.
Among others there are two clear passage in scripture that bears witness to the old testament baptism. the first  one is hebrews 9:10 " various washings" were mentioned that were important part of the old testament system. For the Greek word used  for "washings" here is  "baptismos" , meaning "baptisms" as contains end in the bible. " only in victuals, and drinks and different baptisms and fleshly ordinances, till the time of reformation imposed upon them. " ( Hebrews 9:10) . Therefore , the author of  Hebrew is telling us that the old testament cleansing / purification ceremonies were called "baptism".

There is another passage of the bible that bear witness to old testament  written, especially in Leviticus 12 , that mentions the purification of women after child birth, the purification here is regarded as baptism in the old testament. Baptism , however , was not only practicesed among the Jews before Christians  era according to Louis berkhorf. He holds that  in the gentiles world. Especially among the Egyptians the Persians , and the hindu , they were religions purifications, which was done in the manner of a bath in the water or by sprinkle , the idea of baptism by sprinkle being practiced by Catholic church, is , then , not a new idea, let us now examine the idea of baptism in the new testament.