Caesar and the Sacrament: Baptism: A Rite of Resistance

by R. Alan Streett, Walter Brueggemann (Foreword by)

Overview

When the earliest Christ-followers were baptized they participated in a politically subversive act. Rejecting the Empire's claim that it had a divine right to rule the world, they pledged their allegiance to a kingdom other than Rome and a king other than Caesar (Acts 17:7).   Many books explore baptism from doctrinal or theological perspectives, and focus on issues such as the correct mode of baptism, the proper candidate for baptism, who has the authority to baptize, and whether or not baptism is a symbol or means of grace. By contrast, Caesar and the Sacrament investigates the political nature of baptism.   Very few contemporary Christians consider baptism's original purpose or political significance. Only by studying baptism in its historical context, can we discover its impact on first-century believers and the adverse reaction it engendered among Roman and Jewish officials. Since baptism was initially a rite of non-violent resistance, what should its function be today?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498228411
Publisher:	Cascade Books
Publication date:	01/24/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	190
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

R. Alan Streett is Senior Research Professor of Biblical Theology at Criswell College, Dallas, Texas. He is author of Subversive Meals (Pickwick, 2013).

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Acknowledgments xv

List of Abbreviations xvii

1 Defining our Terms 1

1.1 Caesar 1

1.2 The Sacrament 2

1.3 And 5

1.4 Baptism 7

1.5 A Rite 7

1.6 Resistance 10

2 Baptism in its Historical Context 12

2.1 Israel's Troubled Past 12

2.2 The Assyrian Invasion of the North 15

2.3 The Babylonian Invasion of the South 16

2.4 The Rise of the Medo-Persian Empire 16

2.5 The Rise of Greece and Jewish Resistance 17

2.6 The Maccabean Era 19

2.7 The Roman Empire 19

3 Baptism and Roman Domination 22

3.1 The Roman Elites 23

3.2 Native Elites 25

3.3 The Vast Underclass 26

3.4 Slaves and Free Men, Citizens and Noncitizens 26

3.5 Pax Romana 27

3.6 The Military 28

3.7 Taxes and Tributes 29

3.8 Confiscation of Property 30

3.9 The Imperial Cult 30

3.10 Religious Syncretism 32

3.11 Honor and Patronage 33

3.12 Collegia 35

3.13 Jewish Resistance to Domination 35

3.14 John the Baptizer and Jesus 38

4 John the Baptizer 39

4.1 A Prophet among the Politicians 40

4.2 The Meaning of John's Message 41

4.3 The Reactions of the Political Power Brokers 47

4.4 John's Baptism of Jesus 50

5 The Baptism of Jesus 52

5.1 Jesus' Baptism from a Johannine Perspective 53

5.2 Jesus' Baptism from a Synoptic Perspective 55

5.3 The Prophetic Meaning of Jesus' Baptism 55

5.4 The Political Meaning of Jesus' Baptism 56

5.5 Jesus Commences his Mission 61

5.6 Jesus the King 63

5.7 Summary 64

6 Baptism, Resurrection, and Restoration of the Kingdom 65

6.1 Introduction 65

6.2 Resurrection and Kingdom Restoration in the Old Testament 66

6.3 Resurrection and Kingdom Restoration in the New testament 73

6.4 The Twelve 74

6.5 Jesus Demonstrates Kingdom Power 75

6.6 Jesus Before Pilate 79

6.7 Resurrection and Kingdom 80

6.8 The Risen King and Baptism 81

7 Baptism and Pentecost 83

7.1 Peter's Pentecostal Sermon and his Call for Baptism 86

7.2 The Human Side of Salvation 88

7.3 The Divine Side of Salvation 89

7.4 Water or Spirit Baptism? 90

7.5 A Message for the Nations 92

7.6 The Aftermath of Peter's Sermon 92

7.7 A Sociopolitical versus a Theological Approach to Baptism 93

8 Baptisms Beyond Jerusalem 95

8.1 Philip the Baptizer 95

8.2 The Baptism of Saul 103

8.3 Baptism of the Gentiles 105

9 Paul the Baptizer 112

9.1 Paul's Baptisms in Philippi 112

9.2 Paul's Baptisms in Corinth 118

9.3 Paul's Baptisms in Ephesus 119

10 Baptism in the Undisputed Pauline Epistles 123

10.1 Baptism in Romans 124

10.2 Baptism in First Corinthians 130

10.3 Baptism in Galatians 135

10.4 Summary 139

11 Baptism in Other Epistles and the Apocalypse 140

11.1 Baptism in Ephesians 140

11.2 Baptism in Colossians 142

11.3 Baptism in Titus 143

11.4 Baptism in James 145

11.5 Baptism in First Peter 147

11.6 Baptism in First John 153

11.7 Baptism in the Apocalypse 154

11.8 Postscript 157

Bibliography 159

Scripture Index 171

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“In this wide-ranging discussion across New Testament texts, Alan Streett locates baptism in the context of and in relation to Roman power. He argues that baptism was a believer’s sacramentum, a pledge of allegiance that sets up complex interactions with allegiance to Caesar and the imperial system. This is a significant and much-needed contribution to understandings of baptism.”

—Warren Carter, Professor, Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University



“Centuries of comfortable Christendom have tended to domesticate baptism to a benign religious ritual entirely at home within the empire. But Caesar and the Sacrament awakens us to the true radical nature of Christian baptism. Alan Streett’s latest book is an important and timely work that calls Christians to live out their baptismal identity in fidelity to Christ and resistance to empire.”

—Brian Zahnd, Pastor, Word of Life Church, St. Joseph, Missouri



“Alan Streett’s fascinating Caesar and the Sacrament places the meaning and practice of baptism in early Christianity into a full and nuanced context . . . Streett’s carefully researched and well written book joins a number of other studies that have appeared in recent years rightly underscoring the importance of knowing well the Roman world in which Jesus and his movement emerged.”

—Craig A. Evans, Professor of Christian Origins, Houston Baptist University



“In this bold, comprehensive, and compelling study, Alan Streett makes a convincing case that the earliest Christians understood baptism as their pledge of allegiance to Christ and his kingdom, which involved renouncing all other allegiances . . . when most view baptism as nothing more than an innocuous ‘religious’ sacrament, it would be hard to overstate the importance of digesting this remarkable work.”

—Gregory A. Boyd, Senior Pastor, Woodland Hills Church, St. Paul, Minnesota



“Streett does nothing less than show that the understanding of baptism in Constantinian Christianity that privatized and spiritualized baptism was a gross misinterpretation that we, at the end of Christendom, may now unlearn. One may hope that Streett’s study will awaken the church to the wide and deep accents of baptism that is both a gift from God and mandate to an emancipated transformed public life.”

—Walter Brueggemann, Professor Emeritus, Columbia Theological Seminary

Editorial Reviews

In this wide-ranging discussion across New Testament texts, Alan Streett locates baptism in the context of and in relation to Roman power. He argues that baptism was a believer’s sacramentum, a pledge of allegiance that sets up complex interactions with allegiance to Caesar and the imperial system. This is a significant and much-needed contribution to understandings of baptism.”

—Warren Carter, Professor, Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University



“Centuries of comfortable Christendom have tended to domesticate baptism to a benign religious ritual entirely at home within the empire. But Caesar and the Sacrament awakens us to the true radical nature of Christian baptism. Alan Streett’s latest book is an important and timely work that calls Christians to live out their baptismal identity in fidelity to Christ and resistance to empire.”

—Brian Zahnd, Pastor, Word of Life Church, St. Joseph, Missouri



“Alan Streett’s fascinating Caesar and the Sacrament places the meaning and practice of baptism in early Christianity into a full and nuanced context . . . Streett’s carefully researched and well written book joins a number of other studies that have appeared in recent years rightly underscoring the importance of knowing well the Roman world in which Jesus and his movement emerged.”

—Craig A. Evans, Professor of Christian Origins, Houston Baptist University



“In this bold, comprehensive, and compelling study, Alan Streett makes a convincing case that the earliest Christians understood baptism as their pledge of allegiance to Christ and his kingdom, which involved renouncing all other allegiances . . . when most view baptism as nothing more than an innocuous ‘religious’ sacrament, it would be hard to overstate the importance of digesting this remarkable work.”

—Gregory A. Boyd, Senior Pastor, Woodland Hills Church, St. Paul, Minnesota



“Streett does nothing less than show that the understanding of baptism in Constantinian Christianity that privatized and spiritualized baptism was a gross misinterpretation that we, at the end of Christendom, may now unlearn. One may hope that Streett’s study will awaken the church to the wide and deep accents of baptism that is both a gift from God and mandate to an emancipated transformed public life.”

—Walter Brueggemann, Professor Emeritus, Columbia Theological Seminary

From the Publisher