Baptistery

This is a baptistery from a church in Dion built in the early 400s. Baptisms moved away from rivers but in these fonts, people could step down into the cross.



How is this significant for understanding the world of Paul?

The shape of the baptismal font, that of a cross, reflects Pauline theology regarding baptism. Paul viewed baptism as a means of connection ourselves not only to Christ's life, but also to Christ's death.

This baptismal font, like the one in Philippi, is located near the entrance to the church, but is not in the main sanctuary.

As Paul writes:

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Letter to the Romans, chapter 6:3-11)