The Cost of Baptism? The Case for Paul’s Ritual Compensation

Abstract

Historical materials offer evidence for the compensation of ritual workers in antiquity: individuals offering ritual services were compensated in various ways, including through monetary payment. Paul’s letters document his expertise in ritual activities such as the performance of baptisms, offerings of ritual prescriptions, and various pneumatic practices. Given Paul’s statements regarding the free proclamation of the gospel in the Corinthian and Thessalonian correspondence, scholars have not examined the idea of compensation for ritual activity. Compensation for gospel and ritual should not, however, be conflated, as Paul distinguishes between the gospel and baptism (1 Cor. 1.17). The lack of explicit mentions of compensation for rituals in the Pauline correspondence does not negate rewards received, as references to compensation in antiquity are often framed in different forms of exchange, such as in the language of friendship and gifts. The larger evidence for the compensation of ritual workers in antiquity suggests that Paul would have been compensated for ritual services such as baptism.