We went on a trip to Israel this summer with our temple. My wife and kids are Jews. I’m born Catholic, raised nothing. I grew up in a Jewish house because my mom remarried.
Anyway, my wife asked the rabbi if I could convert on the trip.
The only barrier was we needed three rabbis to do a ceremony in a body of water. I didn’t get the low down on whether I needed to be dipped, like a baptism. We couldn’t get three together at once so it didn’t matter.
It did get me thinking about the origins of baptism and the Jewish ceremony. They must be related through history. Is it possible that baptism is an age old declaration of faith that was practiced before Jesus? Did Jews appropriate the ceremony after him?
I will need to ask a rabbi and one of the priests at the local catholic school (where I coach HS lacrosse) one of these days.
“They must be related through history.”
They are.
“Is it possible that baptism is an age old declaration of faith that was practiced before Jesus?”
In a sense, yes, but more of a declaration of repentance and purification.
“Did Jews appropriate the ceremony after him?”
No, they had it BEFORE Jesus walked the earth in His three years of ministry. http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2456-baptism
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/asktheexpert/mar14.html