The Greek word for baptism itself means “immersion.” In the early Church no other means of administering water was spoken of as baptism. In W. E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, we are told: Baptisma: baptism, consisting of the process of immersion, submersion and emergence (from Bapto, to dip), is used of (a) John’s baptism; (b) of Christian baptism; and (c) of the overwhelming judgments to which the Lord voluntarily submitted on the Cross, e.g., Luke 12: 50. Baptizo (verb): to baptize, primarily a frequentative form of Bapto, to dip, was used among the Greeks to signify the dyeing of a garment, or the drawing of water by dipping a vessel into another, etc. Plutarchus uses it to describe the drawing of wine by dipping the cup into the bowl. Plato used the term metaphorically when he said he was overwhelmed with questions.