Baptism was not an invention of Christianity; both Judaism and the pagan mystery religions

recognized the natural symbolism of ceremonial washings and utilized baptism as a rite of
initiation into their circle.

Baptism first appears in the New Testament in the narratives concerning John the Baptist.
John's preaching ushered in the Messianic Age; as he spoke of the imminent breaking in of the
Kingdom of God, urging his hearers to "flee from the wrath to come," crowds were "baptized of
him the river of Jordan, confessing their sins." (Mark 1:5). His baptism was symbolic of and
accompanied by repentance. Jesus himself was baptized of John, making clear the continuity
between their ministries. The effect of John's preaching was so widespread that his baptism was
still being administered thirty years later in Alexandria and Ephesus (Acts 18:25, 19:1-7).