THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
practised baptism (Acts ii, 38; viii, 36, 38; x, 4S; I Cor. xii, 13; Gal. iii, 27; Eph. iv, 5; John iii, 5), and must therefore have been convinced that it was acting according to the will of the Lord. The origin of baptism may perhaps be explained as follows: the word of Jesus in Acts i, 5 repeats John the Baptist's prophecy of spiritual baptism (Mark i, 8). Moreover, the farewell discourses in John and the expression epangelia tou pneumatos, which occurs like a technical term in Acts ii, 33; Gal. iii, 14; Eph. i, 13, postulate an utterance of Jesus concerning the gift of the Spirit to the disciples. But Jesus had spoken of baptism as a symbol of the gift of the Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit was for him the antitype of the baptism of John. When the disciples, after the completion of the Messianic work, took up again the baptismal rite which they had formerly practised at his command (John iii, 22; iv, 1, 2) as a preparation for admission into the Messianic congregation, and the Holy Spirit descended upon the baptized, they came to the conviction that they were acting according to the will of their Master and now combined the abovementioned words concerning the Spirit and Christian baptism. Christian baptism has its real root in the baptism of John, not in the sphere of mysterious initiations and lustrations of Greek religious societies, or in the great wave of Babylonian baptism which poured over the civilized countries of that time from the East.
2. Significance of Christian Baptism: The Greek phrase baptizein en or epi toi onomati lesou means that the act of baptism takes place with the utterance of the name of Jesus; baptizein eis to onoma lesou means that the person baptized enters into the relation of belonging to Christ, of being his property. All three formulas are alike in so far as the baptized are subjected to the power and efficacy of Jesus, who is now their Lord. According to Paul (Rom. vi, 1-11; Col. ii, 11, 12; Gal. iii, 26, 27; I Cor. xii, 13; vi, 11; Eph. v, 26; Tit. iii, 5), baptism secures purification from sins, the putting off of the sinful body of the flesh, mortification of sin, renewal of life, regeneration, the power of the Holy Spirit, communion with the life of Christ, incorporation into the mystical body .of Christ, the Church. Everywhere baptism is represented as the mediating agency of real objective effects, with God as their cause, and not as a merely symbolical act. PauFsJ^eachijig- on baptism is not a transition from pagan cults, but his mystical doctrine concerning Christ and the Spirit are to be explained from his^ rejig^ious, experience, which he objectifies in a manner conditioned by the history of his time. The Book of Acts does not contain theological reflections on baptism like those of Paul's epistles, but simple views of the congregations, and the connection with the baptism of John is here plainer (Acts xxii, 16; ii, 38) than in Paul. It is true, we find also in Acts the relation of the gift of the Spirit to baptism (Acts ii, 38; viii, 13-17; xix, 6; in ix, 17-18; x, 44-48 the gift of the Spirit precedes baptism), but this connection is looser than in Paul, and in some passages (viii, 13-17; xix, 6) it is only external. Baptism is mentioned in the New Testament also in I Pet. iii,
21; Heb. x, 22; vi, 2; John iii, 5; xiii, 10. The act was often performed immediately after the recognition of the Messiahship of Jesus and the decision to join the Messianic congregation without further preparation (Acts ii, 41; viii, 38; ix, 18; x, 33-48; xvi, 33). A detailed baptismal profession of faith was still wanting; but baptism in the name of Jesus was equivalent to such a profession. P Feine.
II. Church Doctrine — 1. Patristic Teaching-: The expressions of the Fathers on the subject are very indefinite, the symbolical and realistic features not clearly distinguished. It is perhaps not to be taken seriously when Justin (/ Apol., lxi) compares regeneration by the water of baptism with natural generation as its proper counterpart; but with
Tertullian speculation concerning the
i. Primitive general cosmic signification of the
Period. water, its inner natural relation to the
spirit of God (Gen. i, 2), goes so far that he undoubtedly thinks of some sort of real connection of the Spirit with the water of baptism. He probably imagines that the Holy Spirit after the invocation of God makes his " abode " in the water (De baptismo, iii-v). But it is not clear how God or the Spirit is supposed to act upon man through the water or out of the water, how far through the agency of the body or how far through will and thought.
Since the earliest days two ideas have been characteristic of the estimate of baptism — the view that it forms the sure, and, as a rule, the only entrance to the congregation of Christ and its blessings, i.e., to salvation; and the belief that while its effects may be lost, it can not be repeated. To the former view there was only one exception, the belief that martyrdom, the baptism of blood, could replace baptism with water. Baptism of blood was even to be preferred in so far as it admitted directly and irrevocably into the heavenly congregation of Christ. Why it was considered impossible to repeat baptism with water is not quite intelligible. It is certain, however, that this view was soon felt to be a heavy burden. The more highly baptism was valued, the more was the loss of its grace dreaded, and thus a tendency grew up to postpone it to the end of life. None the less, as early as the second century the custom developed of baptizing children, if not infants in arms at least those of " tender age " (see below, IV, 2). Tertullian disapproved of this, being of the opinion that baptism should be postponed to the period of a fuller development. He is also the first to mention the institution of sponsors (see below, III, 7). All the blessings of the Church are brought into connection with baptism — forgiveness of sins, renewal of life (regeneration), reception of the Holy Spirit, proper knowledge of God (" illumination "), assurance of eternal life (incorruptibility of soul and body). In course of time, the different acts of baptism were separated — the immersion in water from the anointing and laying on of hands, which had been added, it is uncertain how early. It was then thought that immersion or ablution signified purification from sin, and the other acts equipment with the Spirit and bestowal of eternal life. In