Oriental customs: or an illustration of the sacred Scriptures, by an explanatory application of the customs and manners of the Eastern nations, and especially the Jews. Therein alluded to, together with observations on many difficult and obscure texts, collected from the most celebrated travellers, and the most eminent critics / by Samuel Burder.

  • Samuel Burder
Date:
1802
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Oriental customs: or an illustration of the sacred Scriptures, by an explanatory application of the customs and manners of the Eastern nations, and especially the Jews. Therein alluded to, together with observations on many difficult and obscure texts, collected from the most celebrated travellers, and the most eminent critics / by Samuel Burder. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    388/448 (page 360)
    No. 524.—xv. 29. Baptized for the dead.] Many interpretations have been given of this difficult passage, of which a few only will here be adverted to. Chrysostom says, that among the Marcionites, when any one of their catechumens die, they lay a living person under the bed of the deceased, and then advancing toward the dead body, ask, whether he be willing to receive bap- tism. The person under the bed answers for him, that he desires earnestly to be baptized, and accordingly he is so, instead of the dead person. Epiphanius asserts, that the Marcionites received baptism not only once, but as often as they thought proper ; that they procured themselves to be baptized in the name of such as died without baptism, and that St. Paul had these heretics in view. But this opinion Doddridge intirely discards, ob- serving, that it is more likely to have arisen from a mis- take of the passage, than thatthe custom spoken of should have been so early prevalent. He translates the passage, who are baptized in the room of the dead, and adopts the opinion of Sir Richard Ellys (see Fortuita Sacra, p. 137.) which is thus expressed in the paraphrase : Such are our views and hopes as Christians ; else, if it were not so, what should they do, who are baptized in token of their embracing the Christian faith, in the room of the dead, who are just fallen in the cause of Christ, but are yet supported by a succession of new converts, who immediately offer themselves to fill up their places, as ranks of soldiers that advance to the combat in the room of their companions, who have just been slain in their sight ? In this interpretation other commentators pf great eminence have likewise concurred. No. 525.—xvi. 9, A great door and effectual is opened unto me.] It is thought that here is an allusion to the door of the circus, from whence chariots were let out ydien the races were to begin ; and that the WQ!‘d