Contents
Introduction ix
1. The Beginning of the Gospel: The Scriptures 1
The Boundary Event 3
Should the Event be Psychologized? 5
The Universalizing Content 6
The Spirit Remains on the Pre-Existent Son 7
The Spirit and Messiah 10
Backward Christology 12
2. Sinlessness and Liturgy 15
Matthew's Apologetic Answer 16
The Fourth Gospel's Indirect Report 18
How Embarrassing! 19
A Datum of Faith 22
Not Baptized for His Own Sins 24
The Early Liturgical Witness 25
3. An Article of the Creed and the Ordo of Salvation 29
Ignatius-The Witness from Antioch 30
The Authority of Antioch? 33
The Syrian Pedigree 35
"We Believe in the One Who Descended into the Jordan"
38
Adoptionists and Arians as Abusers of Jesus' Baptism 41
Jesus First Revealed Who He Is at the Jordan: Justin 42
Hilary-Jesus Fully Realizes the Mystery of Salvation 44
Jordan: Icon of the Trinitarian Identity 45
Revelation of the Consubstantial Mystery 47
4. The Cosmic Baptism 50
The Gospel of the Hebrews 52
Jordan Anchored in Cosmic Creation 55
The Father Anoints the Whole Cosmos 57
From Chaos to Cosmos 60
The Cosmic Mysteries Begin at the Jordan 63
Who Sanctifies the Waters? 67
5. "Come to Me by My Road:
Put on Poverty and Freedom"-Asceticism 69
The Baptism as Limit 71
Crossing the Frontier to the Spiritual Country 73
"No River Is Good but the Jordan" 75
Resting at the Jordan 78
Knowing at the Jordan 80
The Glorification of Jesus Begins at the Jordan 82
6. The Lukan Variant and the Jordan as Birth Event 85
The Gospel of the Ebionites 88
Jordan Event: The Day of Jesus' Birth 90
The Jordan: "The Economic Perfection" 91
The Jordan Establishes Order 94
Arguing from Christian Baptism to Jesus' Baptism 96
Birth of the Perfect Son: True Man, True God 97
"Today Is Forever" 98
The Feminine Spirit Gives Birth at the Jordan 99
7. The Jordan as Womb and the Great Fire/Light 101
Ephrem-The Three Wombs 103
The Jordan Is Ablaze with Fire 106
The Splendor of Light on the Jordan 108
8. The Messianic Anointing of Jesus with the Spirit 111
Justin-Committed but Uneasy 111
Theophilus-No Reference to the Mysteries 113
Tertullian-From Literary Meaning to the Jordan 114
Clement-"The Anointing of Joy That Is Always
Young" 116
Irenaeus-Eternity, the Jordan, and the Cosmos 116
The Triune Anointing 118
At the Jordan the Spirit Becomes Accustomed to the Human
Race 119
From Church to the Whole Earth 120
The Cosmic Anointing 122
Cyril-"The Exact Image of Christ's Anointing" 123
The Anointing Succession 124
The Jordan as Imitation 126
9. Taking the Robe of Glory from the Jordan-Divinization
128
Harnack and the Secularization of the Gospel 129
If Divinization Is Greek, What About the Syrians? 131
The Trinitarian Cosmology 133
Re-clothing Adam with "the Best Garments" 135
When the Spirit "Mingles" the Spirit Divinizes 137
The Adamic History 139
Adam Steals Divinity 140
Putting on Light from Within 141
Christ Deposits the Robe of Glory in the Jordan 142
10. The Cosmic Jordan and the Robe of Glory- Divinization
and Eschatology 145
The Jordan as Stress-Point Between Two Edens 146
The Cosmic Jordan Flows from Paradise into Paradise 148
The Odes of Solomon-"My Crown Is Living" 149
The Jordan Flows Out of Paradise Past and Into Paradise
Future 153
11. The Descent into the Jordan and the Descent into Hell
156
Why Did Christ Descend into Sheol? 157
Cosmos as Instrument of Salvation 160
The Symbolic Journey Through Sheol 162
The Waters Were in Dread 164
The Combined Descent into the Jordan/Sheol 165
Jordan: A Prophecy of Calvary 167
The Four Bridges to the Kingdom 168
12. Contemplation and Initiation- Institution of
Christian Baptism 171
What Are the Criteria? 172
Does the New Testament Link Jordan and Christian Baptism?
174
The Witness of Luke and the Fourth Gospel 179
Does the Command to Baptize Come from Jesus? 180
Falling Through the Hole in the Memory 183
Paul Becomes Suspect Because of Marcion? 184
Institution by Efficacy 186
13. The Principle: Jesus' Baptism Constitutes Our
Baptism— Institution 188
Images of Extravagance at the Jordan 190
Aphrahat-The Two-Source Theory 191
Ephrem "The Aesthetic Truth of Symbols" 194
Jesus Wraps Our Baptism in His Baptism 198
14. Calvary Threatens the Dominance of Jordan-Institution
201
The Cosmos of Symbols and the Jordan Event 203
Philoxenus-"He Was Baptized and Immediately He Gave It
to Us" 206
Jacob of Serugh-"Jesus Opened Up Baptism on the
Cross" 209
Blood and Water or Water and Blood? 211
Theodore of Mopsuestia-The Move Away from the Ancient
Tradition 213
Narsai-The King Walks the Road to Jordan for Us 215
15. The Threat of Sacramental Imagination and the
Jordan's Tenacity-Institution 218
Cyril-Jerusalem Becomes the Place of "Seeing and
Feeling" 220
The Remarkable Resistance of the Jordan Under Threat 223
John Chrysostom-The Turn to Calvary 225
Severus of Antioch-"I See Jesus Standing in the River"
227
Baptism Is Meant for Real Life in the World 228
Why the Transfer from Jordan to Calvary? 230
Middle Ages and Beyond: An Uncertain Tradition 232
16. Conclusion 236
Trinity 236
Ordo of Salvation 238
Divinization 239
Preaching and Catechesis 240
Sinless 241
Pauline Theology of Romans 242
Sheol 242
Cosmic 243
Institution 244
Theological Weight 246
Index 248
