New Testament evidence. / Beasley-Murray first discusses the various rites that precede Christian baptism historically, then analyzes the relationship between these earlier rites and baptism. From these antecedents — Old Testament ritual washings, Jewish proselyte baptism, the lustrations practiced at Qumran, and the baptism of John the Baptist — Beasley-Murray proceeds to the foundations of Christian baptism in the career of Jesus, its emergence as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, and its development in the New Testament epistolary literature. / Throughout this work, Beasley-Murray continually focuses on the necessity of baptism and its relationship to grace, faith, the Spirit, the church, ethics, and hope. He also presents a careful, well-balanced examination of the rise and significance of infant baptism — one of the most debated elements in the doctrine of baptism today.

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