ABSTRACT
This chapter continues the work of the previous one, situating baptism in as full as a context as possible. Corinth remains the focal point because of the rich archaeological record we have for the city and its environs in the first century CE and because Paul’s Corinthian correspondence tells us much about the early church there relative to other places. The Corinthian church warrants continued attention because it practiced a form of baptism that was little known elsewhere in the early church: baptism on behalf of the dead (1 Cor 15:29). If a ritual critical approach can illuminate this application of baptism, it will go a long way to proving its value for New Testament studies.
