"We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins." These
words, found in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, simply and
yet boldly declare Orthodox teaching on baptism. The baptismal
experience is often considered the fundamental Christian
experience. The word baptize derives from baptizo, the
transliterated form of the Greek word βάπτειν or baptivzw. In a
historical context, it means "to dip, plunge, or immerse"
something entirely, e.g. into water. Although commonly
associated with Christian baptism, the word is known to have
been used in other contexts. For instance, a 2nd century author
named Nicander wrote down a pickle recipe which illustrates the
common use of the word. He first says that the pickle should be
dipped (bapto) into boiling water, followed by a complete
submersion (baptizo) in a vinegar solution. The word was also
used to explain the process of submerging cloth into a colored
dye. The Christian ritual of water baptism traces back to Saint
John the Forerunner, who the Bible says baptiz