Baptism For the Dead, an Ancient Christian Mystery

John Chrysostom, a Christian commentator who lived in AD 400, while commenting on 1st Corinthians 15:29, said "I desire now expressly to utter it, but I dare not because of the uninitiated. These add a difficulty to our exposition, compelling us either not to speak clearly or to declare to them the unutterable mysteries. Nevertheless, as I am able, I will speak as through a veil." (Homily XL)

The "uninitiated" were those people who had not received the secret teachings or mysteries. Athanasius, the 4th century bishop of Alexandria, taught "One must not recite the mysteries to the uninitiated, lest outsiders who do not understand make fun of them while they perplex and scandalize investigators." (Since Cumorah, p. 120)

This veil of secrecy is well attested by Christian historians.

Dr. Angus, a Christian historian, wrote "An awful obligation to perpetual secrecy as to what was said and transacted behind closed doors in the initiation proper was imposed - an obligation so scrupulously observed through the centuries that not one account of the secrets of the Holy of Holies of the mysteries has been published to gratify the curiosity of historians." (The Mystery Religions and Christianity, p. 78)

The mysteries were never published, or made public, but the tradition was handed down from the apostles by word of mouth and by ritual.

Basil of Caesarea wrote "Secret doctrines and public teachings have been preserved in the church and some of them we have from written teaching and others we have received handed down to us in a mystery from the tradition of the apostles." (Tradition in the Early Church, p.32)

The mysteries were taught in the form of a drama or play.

Dr. E.S. Drower, a Chrstian historian, wrote that "Each raza, "each mystery", is a drama,... but they are so couched in the language of parable and symbol, so obscure in expression that none but a true "Nasorean" can interpret its meaning." (The Secret Adam, p.66)

This calls to mind the parables taught by Jesus; they too were a type of drama, or story, although related by just one man.

"His disciples came and asked him, 'Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?' "

Jesus answered...

“You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not." (Matthew 13:11)

Paul was teaching the concept of resurrection to the Corinthian saints.

"And the last enemy to be destroyed is death." (1 Corinthians 15:26)

As Paul pointed out, there would be no point in performing baptism for the dead, if there was no resurrection. Baptism itself is a mini-drama, where a person dies and is reborn or resurrected. The person is lowered into the water, as a corpse is lowered into the ground. Coming out of the water represents new life, both spiritually and physically.

The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is also a drama, where members of Christ's church act as though they are eating the very body and blood of Jesus. It represents the willingness of the members of the church to accept the great and last sacrifice of Jesus Christ on their behalf. It was also once hidden from the eyes of non-members, and can be thought of as one of the Christian mysteries. It wasn't until about 700 AD that the Catholic church ordered that the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper be made public, and suppressed all other secret or hidden ceremonies.

Just as in baptism or the taking of the Lord's Supper, these other mysteries were interactive. The audience participated. These sacraments were very personal, and required the participants to make declarations of faith. These declarations were known as oaths and covenants.