Bapti-piphany Sunday

Christians are still technically observing Christmas, a 12 day season that begins December 25th and ends January 5th. Tomorrow, January 6th (which will live in American infamy), is known as Epiphany. The first Sunday after Epiphany is also the feast of the Baptism of our Lord. Listen to my latest First Formation episode, or scroll on for additional reflections on this day of two feasts in one.

Epiphany

In ancient Greek culture, through which Gentiles received the Hebrew scriptures, an epiphaneia was a dramatic moment of divine intervention… on the battlefield. The protagonists are on their heels and cannot see a clear path to victory, so the gods intervene to make sure the good guys win.

The apostle Psaul uses epiphaneia in a similar way, to indicate the “appearance” of the Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:8 is overtly militarized; “the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Joshua will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by his epiphaneia and his coming.”

Baptism

In the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), Epiphany is conjoined with the Baptism of Our Lord, in which God appears in the shape of a dove. For the Gospels, the epiphaneia of YHWH appears as a dove, descending to identify Mary’s son Joshua as the Christ. The “appearance” of YHWH’s Messiah represents a turning point in a cosmic battle between good and evil.

But if christos is the same as the Hebrew māšîaḥ, then why is Joshua never “anointed” in the Gospels? Because baptizō is the new christening, the new way YHWH is raising up officers in the fight against (the forces of) evil. You know how we know? The only person baptized in the Hebrew Bible is Naaman (2 Kings 5:14), a 👏 foreign 👏 military 👏 commander. By establishing a new protocol, God is shaking up the same old script. After all, its sōmatikos (embodiments, cf. Luke 3:22) like the Jerusalem temple and the high priesthood, have become irretrievable corrupt.