Page "Baptism" Paragraph 4

The usual form of baptism among the earliest Christians was for the naked candidate to be immersed totally ( submersion ) or partially ( standing or kneeling in water while water was poured on him or her ).

While John the Baptist's use of a deep river for his baptism suggests immersion, pictorial and archaeological evidence of Christian baptism from the 3rd century onward indicates that a normal form was to have the candidate stand in water while water was poured over the upper body.

Other common forms of baptism now in use include pouring water three times on the forehead.