So this is odd:
“After stripping you of your robe, the priest himself leads you down into the flowing waters. But why naked? He reminds you of your former nakedness, when you were in paradise and you were not ashamed. For Holy Writ says, ‘Adam and Eve were naked and were not ashamed,’ until they took up the garment of sin, a garment heavy with abundant shame.”
John Chrysostom commenting on Gen 2.25 in Baptismal Instruction II.28, quoted in Andrew Louth (ed.) Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Old Testament I: Genesis 1-11. p. 72.
So if I understand this correctly the Byzantine church did baptisms in the nude? And I thought TSA screeners who get a little too close was uncomfortable!
the archives near Emmaus 
Also, it says “leads you down into the flowing waters…”
Does that mean that they were baptized by immersion and not by sprinkling?
Yep, flowing waters means immersion. The Didache says the same thing.
Immersion should be assumed. I think it is fairly stable to say that it was the earliest baptismal expression. Now nudity…
Why, yes indeed! The Byzantines were all about Baptism in the buff. This was, in fact, one of the chief liturgical functions of deaconesses in antiquity: to assist in the Baptism of women, since clearly it would have been immodest for the baptizing priest to lay eyes (and hand!) upon naked women.
Infants, who are still Baptized by (triple) immersion, are customarily Baptized naked. The naked Baptism of adults, however, has long fallen into disuse, and so when I myself was Baptized, I had the modest comfort of swimming trunks. Of course, it was something of a joke during my catechumenate to say, as often as possible, that I would be Baptized naked according to the strictest and most ancient tradition. It was my privilege to perpetuate this humorous bit during my Godson’s catechumenate.
I should mention, however, that the Russian Old Ritualists still customarily Baptize adults naked, and that I have heard of some of their communities in the United States where this has in fact occurred.
That’s just crazy, Esteban 😉 .
Bobby> I know, right? I mean, swim trunks! Alas for our lack of faith… 😉
Esteban, you heretic 😉 . And you claim to be “Orthodox” . . . whatever 😉 .
Swimming trunks? You’re so excommunicated, Esteban! As a baby I was baptised naked and by immersion in the Greek Orthodox Church.
There is no shame in nakedness, only in the observer for thinking anything shameful. In the words of Pope John Paul II:
“The human body can remain nude and uncovered and preserve intact its splendour and its beauty… Nakedness as such is not to be equated with physical shamelessness… Immodesty is present only when nakedness plays a negative role with regard to the value of the person…The human body is not in itself shameful… Shamelessness (just like shame and modesty) is a function of the interior of a person.”
@Brian: Maybe, but I don’t like being naked in front of people!
Bobby and Ari> But, but, even Ian Miller was Baptized in swimming trunks in My Big Fat Greek Wedding! And while the Miller-Portokaloses undoubtedly held many heretical beliefs, and while the canonical grounds for their excommunication may be innumerable, I’m pretty sure that’s not one of them. 😉
Brian> I commend you for managing to attract the attention of the Naturists. I think we should all write posts about Naked Baptism and throw them into a frenzy of activity!
@Esteban: Thank you. *takes a bow*
well, either that or roll in brambles naked to control lust problems like Benedict did… 🙂 (read Benedict’s rule).