Water as a symbol of life as well as a means of cleansing or
purification is of particular importance in the Old Testament. Water
was created on the first day of the creation poem in Genesis 1:2 as the Spirit
of God hovered over the water. God also commanded that water bring forth an
abundance of life in Genesis 1:20-21.
In some sense the
element of water is associated with God (cf. Psalms 17; 28:3; 76:17, 20; 103:3;
148:4). God is compared with the rain (Hosea 6:3). Water brings life (cf.
Exodus 15:23-35; 17:2-7; Psalms 1:3; 22:2; 41:2; 64:10; 77:20; Isaiah 35:6-7;
58:11) and joy (Psalm 45:5). Water is a powerful purifying element and can
destroy evil as well as enemies. This is witnessed in the stories of the Flood
and the flight of Israel from Egypt (Genesis 3:1-15; Exodus 14:1-15:21).
Water can also cleanse the
repentant from defilement according to Old Testament Law (Leviticus 11:32;
13:58; 14:8, 9; 15-17; 22:6; cf. Isaiah 1:16). Water also seems to heal as can
be seen in the story of Naaman the Syrian cured from his leprosy in the
waters of Jordan (2 Kings 5:1-14).
The New Testament also
emphasizes a particular importance on water (probably drawing on some its Old
Testament roots). John the Baptist used the waters of the Jordan to cleanse
people’s sins (Matthew 3:1-6; Mark 1:4-5; Luke 3:2-16; John 1:26-33). Even
Christ came to be baptized in water (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10). Acts 2:38 and
Acts 8:36, just to mention a few citations, speaks of water baptism as a concrete method
of purification, a connection to Christ as a follower of his, a sign of repentance and
sanctification.
The apostle Paul speaks
of the importance of water in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 when he states:
For I do not want you to be ignorant of
the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they
all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and
in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual
drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that
rock was Christ.
In 2 Peter 2:17 a great
lack of “water” in the lives of the false teachers shows a great lack of
obedience to the teachings of Christ among other consequences. The importance of water is not only
witnessed in Scripture it is also witnessed within the liturgy of the Church.
Water not only plays a
role in Biblical story is also plays a role in the life and liturgy of the
Church. However, Saliers regretfully suggests that
“The loss of our experience of the primary symbols in our daily lives – water,
bread, light, fire, earth, oil, touch, sounds, silence, and gestures – is a
loss of our humanity”.[1]
While a loss of symbols
and the symbolic has occurred within the Church not all has been lost. Jones
can still correctly claim that “Though human language is used in worship,
Christians believe that this language becomes a sign and medium of a reality
that goes beyond the purely human, viz. the encounter between man and God.”[2]
Thus within the liturgy and language of the Church water plays an important
symbolic role. For example within some Christian traditions there is a rite by
which water is “made” holy. This “holy water” can be used in a variety of
symbolic manners within the liturgy of the Church. This can be seen within the Prayer
of the Consecration of Water:[3]
Thou, our God, hast appeared on earth
and dwelt among men, thou hast sanctified the streams of Jordan, sending down
from on high the most Holy Spirit, and Thou hast broken the heads of the
dragons hidden therein. Therefore, O King who loves mankind, do Thou Thyself be
present now as then through the descent of Thy Holy Spirit, and sanctify this
water, and confer upon it the grace of redemption, the blessing of the Jordan.
Make it a source of incorruption, a gift of sanctification, a remission of
sins, a protection against decease, a destruction to demons that all who draw
from it and partake of it may have it for the cleansing of their soul and body
Water can be used symbolically
in the life of the Church to stand for new life and purification. The rite of
baptism may be practiced in a variety of methods yet, is it certainly
considered a method of purification, sanctification and connection with the
Kingdom of God.
The Christian
scriptural idea of water preserves a certain symbolism reflected in the liturgical
tradition. The use of water in the liturgy of the Church can transmit a number
of symbolic ideas.[4] Perhaps the language of
Christian communities might need further reflection and thus reclaim the deep
symbolic meaning of water in the liturgy of the Church.
[1] Don
E. Saliers, Worship as Theology: Foretaste of Glory Divine (Nashville:
Abingdon Press, 1994), 150
[2] Cheslyn
Jones, Edward Yarnold SJ, Geoffrey Wainwright and Paul Bradshaw, eds., The
Study of Liturgy, Revised ed. (London: Oxford University Press, USA, 1992),
520
[3] Prayer
of the Consecration of Water, the Eve of Epiphany, January 6
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