Ænon

Aenon (, ''Ainṓn''), distinguished as Aenon near Salim, is the site mentioned by the Gospel of John ) as one of the places where John was baptising people, after baptizing Jesus in Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan.Nichols (2009), p. 12.Sloyan (1987), p. 11.

Aenon is the Hellenized form of the term for 'spring' or 'natural fountain' in many Semitic languages, including Hebrew ''ayn'' () and Arabic ''ain'' or ''ein'' (). In the water-poor Middle East, places owning a spring tend to be named after that water source, so that toponyms consisting of or containing the construct element are common. The particular site mentioned in the Gospel of John is therefore distinguished as "Aenon near Salim".

The name Aenon is commonly used amongst Baptist organizations and churches.

Identification attempts

Information from the Gospel

Neither "Aenon" nor "Salim" is a unique name, and the Gospel text offers only two additional hints about where Aenon might be located: the most direct information is that "there was plenty of water there" (), and the second is that it was west of the River Jordan because at Aenon John's disciples talk of the site where John first encountered Jesus as being "on the other side of the Jordan" () which is taken to mean east of the river. We also know from that that first encounter happened at "Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan", named relative to the entrance of the Hebrews from the desert during the Exodus.

'Ainun in Wadi Fara

One possible location is near the upper source of the Wadi Far'a, an open valley extending from Mount Ebal to the Jordan River, which is full of springs. There is a place called 'Ainun four miles north of the springs. Easton's Bible Dictionary

Eusebius: Saloumias south of Scythopolis

Another possible location, which is by Eusebius' description in his '' Onomasticon'' (written before AD 324), is at "a village in the (Jordan) valley, at the eighth milestone from Scythopolis (Beit She'an), ... called Salumias."Piccirillo et al. (2000) This view was already supported by the 19th-century Smith's Bible Dictionary and the 1915 International Standard Bible Encyclopedia and is still favoured by some.Noort (2004), p. 229.Gibson (2004)
quote
"About twelve kilometres (or eight miles according to Eusebius) to the south of Beth Shean (Scythopolis), there is a region which would fit Aenon perfectly. This location has numerous springs: I have counted thirteen of them in a small area four by four kilometres and, interestingly, Ambrose in his writings (II, 1432) claimed that there were twelve springs at 'Ennon'. On the north side of this area is Tell Shalem, which undoubtedly must be Salim/Salumnias (map ref. 2098-1998), and so the place where John baptised at Aenon may have been at any of the springs in the vicinity of Tell Shalem."Bernard (2000) 928 p. 128.

Madaba Map: east of the Jordan near Jericho

In addition to Aenon near Salem, the 6th-century Madaba Map shows a second Aenon right across the Jordan from Bethabara, near Jericho. In the Gospel of John, " Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan" is indicated as the place where Jesus was baptized by John; in some translations of the Bible, the name ''Bethany'' is instead transcribed as "Bethabara" (). On the Madaba Map, Bethabara is on the right bank of the Jordan, while this Aenon is on the left.

See also

* Al Maghtas, the traditional site of Jesus' baptism
** Qasr el Yahud, the western (West Bank) side of Al Maghtas
* Baptism of Jesus
* Bethabara, a name used by some versions of the New Testament for the site of Jesus' baptism
* Chronology of Jesus
* Ministry of Jesus
* New Testament places associated with Jesus

References

Citations

Bibliography

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*Nichols, Lorna Daniels (2009). ''Big Picture of the Bible: New Testament''. . page 12.
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*Sloyan, Gerard Stephen (1987). ''John''. . page 11.

External links

Jewish Encyclopedia: Salem

UNESCO: The Baptismal Site (Bethany beyond the Jordan)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aenon
John the Baptist
Gospel of John
Baptism
New Testament places
Jordan River