Re: BAPTISMOS

From: Edward Hobbs (EHOBBS@WELLESLEY.EDU)
Date: Tue Jan 12 1999 - 15:22:16 EST


Colleagues:

Mark Goodacre, who has put us in touch with many valuable sites, has
in this instance demonstrated the perils of using a search engine to
produce a concordance for texts in which fixed spelling does not exist.

In such texts (which include even the Authorized Version of 1611 prior to
late 18th century printings), only the eyes of an intelligent reader can do
the job.

If Denny Diehl had asked when the SPELLING "baptism" first occurred, then
the computerized approach would help. But in fact Wycliffe DOES use
the word "baptism" 20 times. In the MSS., it is spelled:

        bapteme
        baptem
        baptim
        baptime
        baptym
        baptyme

-----------------------

During the next century, it is also spelled (note appearance of "s"):

        baptisme
        baptesme
        batesme
        baptysme
        baptism (At last! The "right" spelling!)

Now, does the first printed English translation use "baptism"?
        Tyndale uses:

"baptim in Matt. 3:7; Luke 7:29; Acts 18:25; 19:3,4; Rom. 6:4;
        Eph. 4:5; Col. 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21
"baptime" in Matt. 21:25; Mark 10:38
"baptyme" in Mark 1:4; Mark 10:39; 11:30; Luke 3:3; 12:50; 20:4;
        Acts 1:22; 10:37; 13:24;

Thus he (or his printer-typesetter) seems to prefer "baptim" and "baptyme"
equally (9 times each), and "baptime" very little (only twice). Notice
the changed spelling from one verse to another (Mark 10:38-39).

[Above was done by examining every passage where BAPTISMOS occurs, against
the 1534 printing of Tyndale's New Testament, with original spelling.]

I believe, therefore, that my first post on this topic was correct:
"baptism" is used (whatever the spelling during pre-dictionary years)
in all English translations from the beginning (Wycliffe 1382) on,
until modern Baptist versions which use "immersion."

Edward Hobbs

-------------------------------------------

Mark Goodacre wrote ------>>>>>>>>>>>>

> Second, when was the transliteration BAPTISM
> from BAPTISMOS first used in translation?

The first hit that "baptism" gets in the above resource is in the Bishops
Bible, 1568. In other words, it does not occur in Wycliffe or the Great Bible.
Baptis* generates many more hits, however, from old English onwards. Figures
appended.

BAPTISM:

1.
   Bishops' Bible, 1568
                                1

 2.
   Daniel Mace (NT), 1729
                                30

 3.
   Richard Challoner, 1750-1752
                                29

 4.
   John Wesley (NT), 1755
                                74

 5.
   John Worsley (NT), 1770
                                23

 6.
   Noah Webster, 1833
                                27

 7.
   Leicester Ambrose Sawyer (NT), 1858
                                23

 8.
   Twentieth Century New Testament (NT), 1904
                                33

 9.
   New English Bible, 1970
                                37

BAPTIS*

 1.
    West Saxon I (Gospels), c.990
                                      3

 2.
    West Saxon II (Gospels), c.1175
                                      1

 3.
    John Wycliffe (Early), c.1384
                                      58

 4.
    John Wycliffe (Late), c.1395
                                      86

 5.
    William Tyndale (Pentateuch, Jonah & NT), 1530-1534
                                      86

 6.
    Miles Coverdale, 1535
                                      36

 7.
    Great Bible, 1540
                                      53

 8.
    Thomas Matthew, 1549
                                      88

 9.
    Bishops' Bible, 1568
                                      55

 10.
    Rheims Douai, 1582-1610
                                      242

 11.
    Geneva Bible, 1587
                                      96

 12.
    King James Bible, 1611
                                      54

 13.
    Daniel Mace (NT), 1729
                                      49

 14.
    Richard Challoner, 1750-1752
                                      73

 15.
    John Wesley (NT), 1755
                                      108

 16.
    John Worsley (NT), 1770
                                      41

 17.
    Noah Webster, 1833
                                      47

 18.
    Leicester Ambrose Sawyer (NT), 1858
                                      46

 19.
    Twentieth Century New Testament (NT), 1904
                                      60

 20.
    New English Bible, 1970
                                      52

--------------------------------------
Dr Mark Goodacre mailto:M.S.Goodacre@bham.ac.uk
  Dept of Theology, University of Birmingham

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