Did Jesus baptize people? YES
“…according to the unique tradition preserved in the gospel of John, we could properly speak of “Jesus the Baptizer” in parallel with the better known designation of “John the Baptizer,” notice: “After this Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judea; there he remained with them and baptized. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people came and were baptized (John 3:22).“
Here we find that Jesus has teamed up with John and together they carried out a joint baptizing campaign. Jesus went south to the area of Judea, while John was working in the Galilee, in the north, along the Jordan River. Our Synoptic gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke) know nothing of this tradition and I have argued that because of its difficulty theologically–namely having Jesus administering baptism at all–it has a high probability of being authentic. James Tabor
From ChatGPT – Prompt: Where was “Aenon near Salim” as cited in John 3:22 where John the Baptist also was baptizing? Note that the response below appears to differ from what Tabor says “along the Jordon river”.
Response – The Jordan Valley near Shechem (modern-day Nablus) is the most widely accepted by modern scholars.
- Aenon (Greek: Ainōn) comes from the Semitic root for “springs”, indicating multiple water sources — aligning with the “much water” in the text.
- Salim is identified with the modern village of Salim, about 5 miles east of Nablus (ancient Shechem) in the West Bank.
- There are numerous springs in this region — such as Tell Balata (ancient Shechem) and Wadi Farah — supporting the idea of a water-rich area.
Supporting Evidence:
- The area is accessible from Judea and Galilee, fitting John’s ministry of preparing Israel.
- Early Christian tradition (e.g., Eusebius’ Onomasticon) also places Aenon east of Shechem.
Some references in the Gospels
Mark 1:4—John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Matthew 3:11— “I [John the Baptizer] baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” NRSV
Matthew 28:19-20—Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.
Luke 3:16—John [the Baptizer] answered all of them: “I baptize you with water, but One more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
John 1:33—I myself [John the Baptizer] did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Paul said (only from his authentic letters):
1 Corinthians 1:17—For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. NRSV
Ephesians 4:4-6 — There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
The Author of Acts relates what he was told:
Acts 11:15-16 – 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ NRSV
Acts 19:1—And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland[a] country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in[b] the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all. NRSV
Acts 9:17-19 – So Anani’as departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized, and took food and was strengthened. For several days he was with the disciples at Damascus. NOTE – Paul’s baptism must have been John’s as Paul would not have devised his baptism at that time.
See Cross References at BibleHub.com where in Matthew, John is unworthy to CARRY the sandals of the one to come. Whereas in Luke, John it is unworthy to UNTIE sandals.
Was Paul’s Baptism Different? Dr. James D Tabor
Extracts below are from Tabor’s response to Strange’s review of The Jesus Dynasty. Why Jesus and his Apostles Never Received a “Christian Baptism” (Tabor’s Part 3).
BOOK REVIEW MAY 11, 2017 – This is the third installment of my response to the review of my book, The Jesus Dynasty, by my friend and colleague Prof. James F. Strange published in the Biblical Archaeology Review (November/December, 2006, pp. 72-76). You can read Parts 1 and 2 here and here.
First, according to the unique tradition preserved in the gospel of John, we could properly speak of “Jesus the Baptizer” in parallel with the better-known designation of “John the Baptizer,” notice: “After this Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judea; there he remained with them and baptized. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people came and were baptized (John 3:22).“
Here we find that Jesus has teamed up with John and together they carried out a joint baptizing campaign. Jesus went south to the area of Judea, while John was working in the Galilee, in the north, along the Jordan River. Our Synoptic gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke) know nothing of this tradition and I have argued that because of its difficulty theologically–namely having Jesus administering baptism at all–it has a high probability of being authentic.
Second, it is clear that Jesus and these apostles, which included Peter, Andrew, James, John, Thomas, Phillip–the whole lot of them–were only baptized into “John’s baptism,” and the baptism Jesus and his disciples were administering was also “John’s baptism.” It goes without saying that Jesus himself, whom John baptized, was not baptized in his own name! But what this means is that none of them were ever initiated into a baptism “in the name of Jesus Christ,” or ” into “Christ,” as Paul subsequently develops it (Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 12:12, Romans 6:3-4). Even after the day of “Pentecost,” when the book of Acts begins to record people being baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ,” there is no indication whatsoever that Peter, James, John, or any of the other apostles were re-baptized into this new “Christian” form of the ritual. In fact, the author of Acts himself cites the “baptism of John” as marking the beginning of their “apostleship” (Acts 1:21-22). I do indeed think many readers will find that idea to be somewhat disturbing and shocking. First that Jesus baptized at all, and second that “his” baptism was not “Christian” in any sense that would distinguish it from what John was preaching and practicing.
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I am convinced that Paul’s teaching in this case has so clouded things that it is difficult to imagine John and Jesus living and dying without ever knowing anything about “Christian baptism.” What I seek to do in my book is put them both against the context of an apocalyptic Judaism, and a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, to prepare one for the imminent judgment that was expected. In the case of John’s baptism we also have a source outside the New Testament gospels, namely that of the historian Josephus. Not only does he record that John administered the rite of baptism, but he offers a bit of theological analysis of its purposes–surely a rare and valuable bit of data. Josephus’s description makes clear that the activities of John fit comfortably within the Judaism of his time and have no connections with Pauline baptism or subsequent Christian formulas.
