They both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. (Acts 8:38-39)
To many non-Jews, and perhaps to the Ethiopian, baptism was a new concept. Even today, many struggle with the definition and purpose of baptism. In part, this is because of a translation matter. The original Greek word is baptizo which means dip, immerse, wash. However, when the Bible was translated into English, state religions in Europe no longer immersed. Rather than offend officials, the scholars transliterated the word, meaning they placed the Greek word into English without translating it. Consequently, many English readers do not know what “baptize” meant in the New Testament. The Ethiopian had no such problem. He knew the meaning, as did anyone familiar with Greek. In cases like ours today, we begin by looking to the Bible. It often defines its own terms by usage. Acts 8 is an example of the text bringing clarity for readers like us. Sprinkling and pouring can be done conveniently with a cup or a jar of water—something surely available to the Ethiopian on a long journey. But it was when they reached water that the Ethiopian saw an opportunity. He and Philip “both went down into the water.” Then Philip “baptized him” and “they came up out of the water.” Other passages agree, contributing to the clarity we seek (Mark 1:5, 9-10; John 1:31; 3:23).