A Temple Theology of Baptism ‘In the Name’

ABSTRACT The New Testament often speaks of baptism ‘in the name’. Older studies focus primarily on the prepositions used by the New Testament authors. Wilhelm Heitmüller suggests that the phrase is an economic metaphor describing the ‘account’ to which the baptized person is transferred. More recently, Lars Hartman proposes that the phrase simply means ‘with respect to’: the person baptized ‘in the name’ is baptized ‘with respect to’ the one named. Both interpretations overlook the significance of the divine name in the Old Testament, particularly in cultic settings. This essay argues that the significance of baptism ‘in the name’ is to be found in Jewish cultic traditions that associate the divine name with sacrifice and with the presence of the Lord in Israel’s midst. The use of the ‘name’ in baptism points to a temple theology, according to which those baptized become a part of the new temple.