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Throughout history, the Jordan has been an essential
natural feature in a land marked by political and religious conflict - the
modern Christian fascination with the Jordan River as a place of baptism is
apparent, especially at certain baptismal sites near the Sea of Galilee and,
more recently, east of Jericho
by Daniel
Schowalter
The course of the Jordan River begins in the northeast corner of
the Hulah Valley of
Israel, running south to the Sea of Galilee (also called the Kinneret) and then
on to the Dead Sea near Jericho.
The river is approximately 250 kilometers long.
Throughout history, the Jordan has been an essential natural
feature in a land marked by political and religious conflict.
In modern times, the river serves as both a geopolitical
boundary and a source of religious fascination, especially for Christians.
Was the Jordan River an important geopolitical border in
biblical times?
Throughout the Hebrew Bible,
the Jordan River serves primarily as a regional indicator and a boundary, both
real and symbolic.
Early in the biblical narrative, Lot
discovers that the “plain of the Jordan was well watered everywhere like the
garden of the Lord” (Genesis 13:10) and decides to settle there.
The book of Numbers discusses the distribution of
populations, including Canaanites who “live by the sea and along the Jordan”
(Numbers 13:29).
Later, after Moses leads them out of the wilderness, the
Israelites are so successful in conquering land east of the Jordan that the
Reubenites, Gadites, and
half the tribe of Manasseh prefer
to stay on the east side of the Jordan and establish their tribal territories
there (Numbers 32).
Moses is allowed to gaze across the Jordan River at the Promised Land,
but he is not allowed to cross the river (Deuteronomy 3).
This idea of crossing over the Jordan later becomes a metaphor
for liberation, mentioned explicitly in African American spirituals such as
“Michael Row Your Boat Ashore.”
Crossing the Jordan becomes a pivotal motif in Israelite self-understanding
(Deuteronomy 31:13).
After the death of Moses, the majority of the tribes cross over
the Jordan under Joshua, with the priests holding the ark of the covenant
midstream to stop the flow of the river (Joshua 3).
This miraculous crossing is remembered symbolically (Joshua 4) and is said to strike fear in the hearts of the kings
west of the Jordan, to the point that “their hearts melted, and there was no
longer any spirit in them, because of the Israelites” (Joshua 5:1).
In the rest of the book of Joshua and in Judges, the Jordan
frequently serves as a geographical marker —
in stories of conquest (Joshua 12),
distribution of the territories (Joshua 13-20), and
conflict between the Israelite tribes (Joshua 22).
According to the text of Judges, the fords of the Jordan become
famous as the place where 42,000 Ephraimites (probably an exaggerated number)
are slain by the Gileadites when they are unable to pronounce the famous
password “Shibboleth” (Judges 12:6).
Under the monarchy, the
Jordan continues to be a significant border and a place where God demonstrates
his power.
In 2 Samuel 19,
David crosses the Jordan and returns to his kingdom after the death of his son
Absalom.
In 2 Kings 2,
Elijah strikes the Jordan with his cloak and causes the water to back up so
that he and Elisha can cross over on dry land.
After Elijah is taken up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11), Elisha assumes the authority of Elijah and uses his
cloak to again stop the river and cross on dry land.
Is the modern Christian fascination with baptism in the
Jordan River justified?
In the New Testament,
the Jordan River continues to serve as a territorial marker (Matthew 4:25,
Matthew
19:1, Mark 10:1).
However it is featured mainly as the site where baptisms take
place, conducted first by John (Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, John 1) and then by Jesus and his disciples (John 3:26).
This last reference suggests that some kind of competition
developed between the ministry of
baptism by Jesus and that of John (John 4:1-2).
Interestingly, the account of Jesus' own baptism in Luke's gospel does
not mention John, who is put into prison right before it occurs (Luke 3:20-21).
Although John's gospel mentions John, and uses language
reminiscent of Jesus’ baptism in the synoptic Gospels,
it never explicitly says that Jesus was baptized (John 1:29-34).
After the initial flurry of baptismal activity at the Jordan,
action in the Gospels shifts to other regions (the Galilee and Jerusalem) and
activities (preaching, miracles, suffering).
Baptism returns as a significant theme in the book of Acts and
the Letters.
Although baptism continues to be a significant rite of passage
into the community of Jesus’ followers, it is also connected to controversy — over
believers’ allegiance to the person who baptized them and to “baptism by
the Holy Spirit”
(1 Corinthians 1:13-17, Acts 19:1-7).
This later discussion of baptism is entirely removed from the
Jordan River.
The modern Christian fascination with the Jordan River as a
place of baptism is apparent, especially at certain baptismal sites near the
Sea of Galilee and, more recently, east of Jericho.
Though this practice captures the spirit of one important period
of activity within the earliest Palestinian Jesus
movement, the biblical traditions associated with the Jordan go far beyond this
particular ritual.
In biblical tradition, the Jordan River serves as an important
geophysical and symbolic boundary as well as a place for demonstrations of the
Lord's power and for ritual immersion,
or baptism.
Did you know…?
· The Canaanites are
said to occupy "land by the sea, and along the Jordan."
· Moses leads the
Israelites to the land east of the Jordan but is not allowed to cross over.
· The tribes of
Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh help with the conquest of the promised land
west of the Jordan but settle on the east side of the river.
· At the fords of
the Jordan, the Gileadites are said to slay 42,000 Ephraimites.
· Like Matthew and
Mark, Luke's gospel refers to Jesus being baptized in the Jordan, but unlike
the first two Gospels, John the Baptist is not mentioned.
· John's gospel
suggests that there was a competition between the disciples of John and the
disciples of Jesus over who was baptizing the most people.
· Although John's
gospel mentions John the Baptist and uses some language reminiscent of Jesus'
baptism in the synoptic Gospels, it never says that Jesus was baptized.
Daniel
Schowalter
Professor, Carthage College
Professor, Carthage College
Dan Schowalter is
professor of classics and religion at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
He codirects excavations of a Roman temple site at Omrit in northern Israel. He
is coauthor of Horvat Omrit: An Interim Report (Archeopress, 2010).
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