DOCSLIB.ORG

Baptismal Nudity As a Means of Ritual Purification in Ancient Christianity

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Baptismal Nudity As a Means of Ritual Purification in Ancient Christianity BAPTISMAL NUDITY AS A MEANS OF RITUAL PURIFICATION IN ANCIENT CHRISTIANITY GIOVANNI FILORAMO Introduction One of the most interesting and, at the same time, least investigated problems in the formation of the identity of ancient Christianity, is the transformation that the Hebrew system of the purity rules under­ went in the new religion. 1 We know the interpretation in which the original Christian message was an ethical message which had defini­ tively replaced the ritual system of the Judaism of the time of Jesus, beginning from its material conception of impurity (Mark 7, 13). But we must bear another possible explanation in mind, and more pre­ cisely, the possibility that what we are confronted with, is not the elimination but the substitution of a certain system of purity rules with another. To explain this passage and, therefore, following the aims of our workshop, to focus on the nature of the Christian "purification" better, I propose to analyse some aspects of the Christian initiation: baptism.2 Also as a consequence of its novelty, we can actually see the formation of a new practical and symbolic network in this rite. Through the construction of the new man by baptism, this symbol­ ism, without eliminating it, has transformed and reinterpreted the ancient concept of pollution, the material impurity. We must bear in mind the fact that, from its beginnings, the Christian baptism has shaped itself in an original way. While the rituals of the contemporary religions were lost in the history of time, the Christian initiation was an essentially new rite which aimed at the construction of a new social reality through a typical ritual of spiritual palingenesis. On the one hand, in a different way from the Jewish rituals of ablution, its aim was not the restoration of the previous I See A. Destro - M. Pesce, La normativa del Levitico: interpretazioni ebraiche e proto­ cristiane, in "Annali eli storia dell'esegesi" 13/1 (1996), 15-37, here 37. 2 On the Christian baptism, see A. Benoit, Le bapteme chretien au II' siecle, P. Lang, Bern - New York 1994 (1st ed., Paris 1953). 394 GIOVANNI FILORAMO condition of temporarily lost purity, but the restoration of the orig­ inal paradisiacal reality lost following the sin of Adam and Eve: an aim pursued not through ablutions repeatable in time and space, but through a unique and irrepeatable act, thought of as an escha­ tological act through which some thing definitive happened. On the other hand, in a different way from the pagan mystery rituals as those described in the book Xl of the Metamorphoses of Apuleius of Madaura, the Christian baptism implied a radical change of status, a conversion which involved the passage from a religion connected to a people and to an ancestry to a universal religion. This decisive passage is a complex ritual process, an initiation rite which had an essential characteristic: the need to form, through this unique and irrepeatable act, a new man, the basis and foundation of a new sec­ tarian society. 3 Even if we will concentrate on Christian texts of the 4th and 5th century, the problem of the particular nature of the purification involved in the baptismal ritual was already present in Paul. Actually, his letters betray two different concepts of purity-impurity. On the one hand, in the famous passages of Romans 14, 14 and 20, he affirms that he knows and is convinced by the LordJesus that "there is nothing unclean in itself. .. all things indeed are pure", under­ lining in this way, in relation to food and natural elements, that no source of impurity exists. Therefore, the problem of the ritual purity has been overcome. On the other hand, we can find other passages, such as 1 Corinthians 7, 12-14, which seem characterised by the ancient material concept of impurity. The members of the ekklesia have gone through the baptismal bath; they are, therefore, sanctified and justified, have gone from a state of impurity to that condition of sanctity which characterises the new man. But what happens in the particular case of mixed marriages, where a holy man, a purified Christian, lives with a pagan, with a non purified man or woman? Paul's answer is clear: only if the man and the woman are purified, will their children be holy, otherwise "your children were unclean" (akatharta). In other words, the impurity, that now resides only in the man and no longer in the things, for Paul too continues to be some­ thing concrete and material: the materiality of the ritual impurity, 3 See W.A. Meeks, 1he Moral World qf the First Christians, Westminster Press, Philadelphia 1986, 99. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Tuomas Toivonen of the Public Bath
    Ten Commandments Tuomas Toivonen of the Public Bath Bathing Together Is the Opposite of Warfare: The Public Bath as Evidence of Civilization as an Apparatus to Produce Pleasure and Health to the Social, Cultural, and Individual Body In the late 1940s, the Finnish Union of Commercial Saunas issued a single-page document titled “The Ten Commandments of the Bather,” to be displayed at all public saunas. The context: postwar Finland was rebuilding—modernizing through urbanization. Refugees and displaced people from lost territories were being absorbed into the rapidly growing cities, coalescing around state-orchestrated industrialization. It was a time of scarcity and rationing, with people living very close to one another, especially in urban centers. The sauna as an insti- tution for both pleasure and health has always been essential to Finnish culture, and in cities every neighborhood had its own public saunas, serving the influx of rural newcomers along with their established clientele. All were Finns, and thus accustomed to sauna practice, but not necessarily in the setting of the public bath. Hence, the guide for bathing together. 20 Harvard Design Magazine No. 40 / Well, Well, Well 21 I Behave well in the sauna at all times, as it is a “sacred” place III Take enough steam, but do not spoil the sauna of others by exces- according to the ways of our ancestors. sive “athletic” steam pouring. In the sauna, use as little water as possible—a “drier” steam is more pleasurable for you and your As the cleanest space in one’s home or village—disinfected co-bathers.
    [Show full text]
  • Public Nudity
    Public Nudity Also referred to as “Social Nudism: Men and women (both married and unmarried) and their children being together completely naked for non-sexual social and recreational purposes. “ rev. 9-11-02 Doctrinal Conviction of Pastor-Teacher Paul B. Phair and Elder Team Policy Elder Board Policy Moral Conviction of Dr. Paul B. Phair, Senior Pastor Policy: We admonish those who profess Summary of Biblical & Logical faith in Jesus Christ and are identified Rationale: with the life and ministry of our congregation to never participate in any • There are “naturalists” who contend form of public nudity, including nudist that they are adopting an attitude communities. and practice that was originally ordained by God before the fall. We do not regard public nudity as a However, we are not yet living in “gray issue” in which Christians are free paradise regained; the Lord will to develop their personal convictions inaugurate the new heavens and and adopt their own practice. Those earth. Until then, we are still living in who are unwilling to forgo such a fallen world. The biblical evidence practices are not eligible for is quite clear that in this present membership. Members who engage in world, public nakedness, even if it this activity will be graciously yet clearly could be completely “non-sexual” is taught and warned to display modesty; still a shameful practice. See the those who will not are eligible for the attached sheet that provides several church discipline process. Though we Biblical examples of the have no formal authority over non- shamefulness of public nakedness.
    [Show full text]
  • Muslim Ritual Practices and Their Multilayered Mes- Sages in a Non-Muslim Environment: Examples from the Dutch Context
    Muslim Ritual Practices and their Multilayered Mes- sages in a Non-Muslim Environment: Examples from the Dutch Context HERMAN L. BECK Tilburg University Abstract Many Muslims in the Netherlands want to live according to the prescriptions of their religion, but are trying at the same time to accommodate themselves to Dutch society in everyday life. Accom- modation also seems to occur in the area of Muslim ritual practices, even though most orthodox and orthoprax Muslims are convinced of the ‘unchangeability’ of Islamic rituals. The study of Islamic rituals and changes in them in a non-Muslim Western environment have therefore become very popular among Western researchers. Most studies have focused on the relation between ritual, social cohesion and group identity. By focusing on certain Muslim ritual practices in the non-Muslim environment of the Netherlands, this article draws attention to the role of ritual as an expression of faith on part of the individual believer, thus stressing the multilayered messages con- veyed by ritual practices. Keywords: religious studies, rituals, Muslims in a non-Muslim environ- ment At the start of a course on ‘The Ritualisation of Islam in the Netherlands’, a Muslim student of Turkish origin asked me whether the course was not totally pointless.1 The central question of the course was the following: given the impact on both Christianity and Islam in the Netherlands of a variety of social and cultural factors – modernisation and secularisation, emancipation and feminism, religious pluralism and inter-religious contacts – are Muslim rituals in the Dutch context subject to change? If so, what is the cause of 1 In using the concept of ritualisation in the course, I more or less link up with Grimes’ ritual- izing: ‘… the activity of deliberately cultivating rites’ (Grimes 1990, 10).
    [Show full text]
  • The Effect of Naturism on Body Image and Interoceptive Awareness
    The Effect of Naturism on Body Image and Interoceptive Awareness Robert J Hargreaves Birkbeck College, University of London License: Attribution-Non-commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Research considering the benefits of Naturism on body image recently re-emerged after decades of neglect. The present study continued prior work assessing positive body image and went further adding an instrument used to assess Eating Disorder treatment efficacy expecting to benchmark naturists with very low symptomatology scores. Self-report Interoceptive testing was also employed to consider neurological underpinnings and benefits of their exceptional resilience. 43 naturists (37 male), average age 57, and 36 controls (21 male), average age 38, British origin, participated online. Utilizing the Body Appreciation Scale 2 and The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, naturists consistently, significantly achieved higher positive, and lower negative body image scores across all measures. Naturist results on the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness 2 across all dimensions were also persistently higher than controls. Naturist results confirm their position as a unique population demonstrating exceptionally high negative body image resilience, this coupled with potential advantageous neurological benefits that with further investigation could lead to naturism becoming a proactive mind-body therapy to help prevent eating disorders. Comprehensive future philosophical, phenomenological and longitudinal research options were also put forward. 2 Introduction A Body Image Dissatisfaction Epidemic Body and appearance dissatisfaction in the Western world have reached epidemic proportions with general population estimates of between 23-56% for women, and 15-43% for men, leading to the term ‘normative discontent,’ meaning it has become normal for the general population to feel dissatisfied with their body (Fallon, Harris & Johnson, 2014).
    [Show full text]
  • Writing the Naked Body: Sex and Nudity in Nuala Ní Chonchuír's Nude
    Estudios Irlandeses, Number 11, 2016, pp. 1-11 __________________________________________________________________________________________ AEDEI Writing the Naked Body: Sex and Nudity in Nuala Ní Chonchuír’s Nude Máximo Aláez Corral University of Oviedo, Spain Copyright (c) 2016 by Máximo Aláez Corral. This text may be archived and redistributed both in electronic form and in hard copy, provided that the author and journal are properly cited and no fee is charged for access. Abstract. This essay looks into the deconstruction of the male gaze and the objectification process around the concepts of nudity and nakedness. Starting from the review of some of Martha Nussbaum’s, John Berger’s, or Laura Mulvey’s main ideas on the topic of the gaze and objectification, a practical analysis of some of the short stories contained in Nuala Ní Chonchúir’s Nude (2009) is provided. By so doing, I intend to examine the ways in which conventional objectification phenomena can be turned upside down, challenged or parodied in order to reveal cultural discriminatory undercurrents and offer a new non-objectifying visual and written representation of the naked body. Key Words. Ní Chonchúir, Objectification, Male Gaze, Nude, Naked Body, Feminism. Resumen. Este ensayo analiza la deconstrucción de la mirada masculina y el proceso de reificación en torno al concepto de desnudez en toda su extensión. Tras plantear un breve repaso de algunas de las ideas planteadas por Martha Nussbaum, John Berger o Laura Mulvey acerca tanto de la mirada como de la reificación del cuerpo, realizo un análisis práctico de algunos de los relatos contenidos en Nude (2009), de la autora irlandesa Nuala Ní Chonchúir.
    [Show full text]
  • British Naturism Written Evidence
    Written evidence submitted by British Naturism [MISS0067] British Naturism written evidence Executive summary 1. Little or no progress has been made in improving body image over the past decade indicating that a radical rethink is necessary; 2. There is substantial evidence that a more relaxed attitude towards the body would result in significant improvements and there is no evidence of any deleterious effects; 3. Policy is not going to work unless firmly evidence-based and that must take precedence over fear of causing offence; 4. Significant improvements are possible at little or no cost. British Naturism 5. Naturism is everyday life without any requirement for clothing. There are many motivations for practising Naturism including freedom, convenience, comfort, health, and belief.1 6. British Naturism (BN) is the internationally recognised UK national naturist organisation. We exist to unite and support naturists, to protect, and provide more naturist venues, to make social nudity acceptable in the UK and to provide comprehensive information on naturism and naturists around the world. We have over 9000 active members and represent over 4 million naturists nationwide. BN is a member of the International Naturist Federation which covers 37 countries worldwide. 7. We have been working on body image and body knowledge related issues for at least twenty years. 8. We are grateful to the Committee for accepting a late submission from us. Overview 9. The seriousness of the poor body image problem is now better appreciated than it was, but comparisons with past government reports2 show that disturbingly little progress, if any, has been made. It is unlikely that continuing with the same strategies will produce the significant improvements necessary, and a radical rethink is required.
    [Show full text]
  • Nudity Rider Basics
    Nudity and Simulated Sex For actors new to the industry, actors Rider Basics without representation, background actors, and day players Nudity Riders A nudity rider, or simulated sex rider, is a contract between an actor and the production they are hired by that defines what will happen onset when filming nude, intimate, simulated sex, or simulated sexual assault scenes. It might also be called a nudity waiver, simulated sex act rider, simulated sex waiver, intimate scene rider, or proposed written consent. Any actor filming a nude, intimate, simulated sex, or simulated sexual assault scene, or appearing nude or simulating a sex act onset, even if not depicted in the film, shouldnegotiate terms for a nudity rider before filming begins. The casting professional who hires you will tell you if the role requires intimacy or nudity. The Basics Below are the basic terms that should be included in a nudity sex rider. Under SAG-AFTRA rules, producers are required to provide principal performers with proposed riders at least 48 hours in advance of call time. The SAG-AFTRA rules governing nudity riders differ for background actors. It falls on the casting agencies hiring background actors to obtain as much information as possible from the producer regarding nudity or simulated sex acts in the role and inform you prior to booking. If you are NOT notified of nudity or simulated sex in advance of your call time, you may refuse to engage in the performance and still get paid for the day. You (or your representative, if you have one) should discuss the terms with the person the production has designated to manage nudity riders.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mysteries of Purity for Teens
    The Mysteries of Purity for Teens FONS VITAE Book 3 The Secret Dimensions of Ritual Purity Praise be to Allah, who has treated His servants gently, for He has called them to serve with cleanliness. The Prophet said: “The religion was based on cleanliness,”……….and he has said,” Ritual Purity is half of the faith.” As understood by those endowed with faculties of discernment, these outward signs indicate that the most important of all matters is the purification of the innermost beings, since it is highly improbable that what is meant by his saying “Ritual purity if half of faith” could be the cultivation of the exterior by cleansing with the pouring and spilling of water, and the devastation of the interior and keeping it loaded with rubbish and filth. How preposterous, how absurd! Purity is central to our faith. So what then is purity? Is it a physical state of the body or is it more? Before we discuss this matter further, let us use the following metaphor. Think of a house that looks very nice from the outside. It has fresh paint, sparkling windows and a nice lawn. At first you might think well of this house. After seeing the inside, however, you realize that this house is actually in poor condition. The foundation is damaged, the wood is rotting and the whole interior is filthy. What is your opinion of the house now that you have seen its interior? Would you want to live in such a house? Of course not! This same rule can be applied to understanding purity in Islam.
    [Show full text]
  • Religious Traditions at End of Life
    Religious Traditions at End of Life Table of Contents Judaism ......................................................................................................................................................... 2 Catholic ......................................................................................................................................................... 7 Protestant ................................................................................................................................................... 10 Eastern Orthodox Church ........................................................................................................................... 13 Muslim ........................................................................................................................................................ 16 Hindu ........................................................................................................................................................... 19 Buddhism .................................................................................................................................................... 22 pg. 1 Religious Traditions at End of Life Judaism While there are many denominations within Judaism that hold differing views, Jews commonly believe that holiness can be attained through following the laws and commandments laid out in the Torah (the Old Testament) and interpretations by the Rabbis of the Talmud and later eras (Posqim). When Death is Immanent It is traditional
    [Show full text]
  • Page 1 of 22 Regulating Adult Entertainment Establishments in Maine January 10, 2005 Maine State Planning Office Matthew Nazar
    Regulating Adult Entertainment Establishments in Maine January 10, 2005 Maine State Planning Office Matthew Nazar, Director, Land Use Program Last year, Maine’s Legislature made it under the broad home rule authority, and be legal for municipalities to regulate “adult unrelated to zoning discussed below. If you entertainment establishments” through zoning intend to adopt this type of ordinance, make without an adopted, consistent comprehensive sure that the State Legislature or Federal plan,. However, if a municipality has a Constitution has not preempted the local comprehensive plan, the regulations must be authority to do so. For additional information consistent with that plan. Towns may regulate on the preemption, read “Preemption the operation of adult amusement stores, adult Doctrine,” Maine Townsman, June 1991. video stores, adult bookstores, adult novelty Zoning. A “zoning ordinance” is a stores, adult motion picture theaters, on-site type of land use ordinance that divides a video screening establishments, adult arcades, municipality into districts and that prescribes adult entertainment nightclubs or bars, adult and reasonably applies different regulations in spas, establishments featuring strippers or each district. Many adult business regulations erotic dancers, escort agencies or other are zoning ordinances, regulating the location sexually oriented businesses. For the rest of of the businesses within the municipality. this article these are jointly referred to as Unlike most zoning ordinances, 30-A “adult businesses”. M.R.S.A. § 4314 and 30-A M.R.S.A. § 4352 So what does this mean for Maine exempt zoning that regulates adult businesses towns? What can towns legally regulate? It’s from having to exist within the context of a not as simple as it may sound, so let’s explore comprehensive plan.
    [Show full text]
  • Nudity in Jean Calvin and Michel De Montaigne
    The Impossible Striptease: Nudity in Jean Calvin and Michel de Montaigne nora martin peterson University of Nebraska-Lincoln This essay examines the writings of Jean Calvin and Michel de Montaigne, two figures not commonly considered together. The article seeks to highlight a certain fascination with nudity, not only in these texts, but in sixteenth-century culture as a whole. Though it is a bodily phenomenon, I argue, repre- sentations of nudity are more than skin-deep; they go beyond the capacity of what the body is able to express. Writings about nudity, whether religious or secular, reflect a widespread anxiety about the relationship between truth and representation in early modern discourse. The preoccupation with surfaces in the texts of both writers highlights the continued epistemological crisis in sixteenth- century religion, culture, and writing. Cet essai examine les œuvres de Jean Calvin et de Michel de Montaigne, deux auteurs rarement étudiés dans leur rapport. Cet article cherche à souligner une certaine fascination pour la nudité, non seulement dans ces textes mais dans l’ensemble de la culture du seizième siècle. Bien que la nudité soit observable au niveau corporel, je soutiens que les représentations de la nudité sont bien plus profondes : elles vont au-delà de ce que le corps est capable d’exprimer. Les écrits sur la nudité reflètent une angoisse collective quant à la relation entre vérité et représentation dans le discours des débuts des temps modernes. Le souci lié aux surfaces, présent dans les textes de ces deux auteurs, souligne une crise épistémologique prolongée dans la religion, la culture et la littérature du seizième siècle.
    [Show full text]
  • SIN, PURIFICATION and SACRIFICE: Analysis and Comparison of Texts from the Book of Leviticus and Malagasy Traditional Rituals
    SIN, PURIFICATION AND SACRIFICE: Analysis and Comparison of Texts from the Book of Leviticus and Malagasy Traditional Rituals Submitted by Olivier Randrianjaka In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) VID Specialized University, Stavanger February 2020 i ABSTRACT This study is an analysis and comparison of rituals in two different settings. Due to its ancient content, the book of Leviticus has been negatively received or is simply ignored by most western Churches. They see the book of Leviticus as irrelevant to today’s Christians. This research grows out of the interest to find why Malagasy Christians feel at home when reading the book of Leviticus. My research starts from the hypothesis that there might be some identifiable correspondences between ancient rituals in the book of Leviticus and some traditional Malagasy rituals. These correspondences might be the rationale behind the familiarity of Malagasy readers with the book of Leviticus and hence their positive acceptance. All these rituals have to do with sin, purification and sacrifice. My research is divided into two main parts. In Part One, I study three rituals from the book of Leviticus, namely, the ritual purification relating to intentional and unintentional sins in Lev 4:1– 5:13, the postpartum ritual purification in Lev 12 and the global ritual purification on the Day of Atonement in Lev 16. Part Two is devoted to the study of three seleted traditional Malagasy rituals, namely, the ritual purification relating to violation of taboo (fady), the eighth day postpartum ritual purification of the Malagasy northern ethnic groups and the New Year royal bath ritual of purification called fandroana.
    [Show full text]