The feast of the baptism of Jesus is the second most ancient liturgical celebration and is among the major mysteries of Christ. The synoptics mention Jesus' baptism in the Jordan, and John's Gospel gives a report of it, indicating its importance.
The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, a systematic study, isolates those themes (Trinitarian, cosmic, sinlessness, liturgical, messianic, divinization, orientation to a future paradise, descent into Sheol/hell, institution of the sacrament of baptism) with which the early Church proclaimed and celebrated the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. Drawing on Latin, Greek, and Syrian sources, Father McDonnell shows the Jordan event as the dominant paradigm of Christian baptism in the earliest centuries, and also presents its relation to growing interest in the Pauline death and resurrection themes in the fourth century.
Because it was widely looked upon as the institution of Christian baptism, this history is relevant to contemporary theology and to the liturgical celebration of Christian baptism. The way the early Church used the baptism of Jesus to communicate the central truths of the faith, especially proclaiming the call to holiness the vocation to participate in the divine life is still valuable today.
Liturgists and systematic theologians teaching the sacraments will be particularly interested in this patristic, systematic work.
Includes chapter summaries.
| Format: | Paperback book |
|---|---|
| Product code: | LP5307 |
| Dimensions: | 6" x 9" |
| Length: | 272 pages |
| Publisher: |
Liturgical Press
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| ISBN: | 9780814653074 |
| 1-2 copies | $30.75 each |
|---|---|
| 3-9 copies | $29.35 each |
| 10-49 copies | $27.96 each |
| 50-99 copies | $27.26 each |
| 100+ copies | $26.21 each |
Praise
Kilian McDonnell's demonstrated mastery of patristics has enabled him to write the most comprehensive theology of baptism I have come across in years of work on Christian initiation. . . . Must reading for anyone interested in the historical and theological setting of baptism in early Christianity.
The John Courtney Murray medalist has demonstrated once again the powerful link patristic writing is between the Bible and systematic theology. The Greek, Syrian, and Armenian probings of this biblical mystery that he lays bare are rich indeed.
Here we are led in a lucid manner by a brilliant scholar into those symbolic, highly poetic, and deeply spiritual patristic writings of the Syrian East, a tradition in which Baptism as a pneumatic 'new birth' in the Jordan continues to play a central role. Indeed, this study is required reading for anyone seeking to understand the rich diversity and implications of early Christian theology.
. . . this is a clear, concise, balanced, illuminating, and monumental work that is a "must" buy for libraries and those interested in the development of baptism and/or seeking to learn how the early Fathers preached and catechized the themes contained in Jesus' baptism in order to instill a greater participation in Christ's prophetic mission.
Kilian McDonnell's career certainly has been stellar, however, from the perspective of a student of Eastern Christianity and Early Christianity, even those significant achievements of the past fall dim in the shadow of this magnificent contribution to our knowledge of both the baptism of Jesus and the formation of Trinitarian theology.
Author
Kilian McDonnell, OSB, is president of the Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research, Collegeville, Minnesota, co- chair of the international classical Pentecostal Roman Catholic dialogue, and a participant in the international Disciples of Christ/Roman Catholic and the national Lutheran/Roman Catholic dialogues. His ground breaking Christian Initiation and Baptism in the Holy Spirit, co-authored with George Montague, SM, has been published in seven languages.
