RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Baptism
is baptized," says John Calvin (" Institutes," IV, xv, 19 end), " be wholly immersed, or whether thrice or once, or whether water be only poured or sprinkled upon him, is of no importance." " The mode of applying water as a purifying medium," says Charles Hodge (Systematic Theology, iii, 526), " is unessential."
This is the position occupied also by Thomas Aquinas, Summa, III, lxvi, 7; Catechismus ex decreto Concilii Tridentini, Leipsic ed., 1853, p. 136 (Eng. transl. by J. Donovan, London, 1833, p. 155); Dominicus a Soto, Distinc, III, i, 7; Durandus, In sententias, IV, iii, 4; William Lyndwood, Provinciate, iii, 25; Giovanni Perrone, Prcelectiones theologicce, vi, 10; C. Pesch, Prcelectiones theologicce, vol. vi, Freiburg, 1900, pp. 150-151; T. M. J. Gousset, Theologi'e dogmatique, vol. ii, Paris, 1850, p. 412; H. von Hurter, Theologies dogmaticce compendium, vol. iii, p. 210, § 324; P. Minges, Compendium theologies dogmaticce specialis, part ii, Munich, 1901, p. 45; J. Dalponte, Compendium theologies dogmaticce specialis, Trent, 1890, VII, i, 814, p. 565; R. Owen, Dogmatic Theology, London, 1887, p. 405; Darwell Stone, Holy Baptism, Oxford, 1899, pp. 135 sqq.; H. E. Jacobs, Summary of Christian Doctrine, Philadelphia, 1905, pp. 329 sqq.; H. L. J. Heppe, Dogmatik der evangelischreformirten Kirche, Elberfeld, 1861, p. 441; B. de Moor, Commentarius in J. Marckii compendium theologies, 7 parts, Leyden, 1761-78, XXX, ix, vol. v, p. 413; J. J. van Oosterzee, Christian Dogmatics, New York, 1874, p. 749; H. Bavinck, Gereformeerde Dogmatiek, vol. iv, Kampen, 1901, p. 273; A. Gre'tillat, Expose de theologie systematique, vol. iv, Neuchatel, 1890, p. 493; R. L. Dabney, Syllabus and Notes, p. 764; E. D. Morris, Theology of the Westminster Symbols, Cincinnati, 1901, pp. 678 sqq.; R. V. Foster, Systematic Theology, Nashville, 1898, pp. 749 sqq.; W. B. Pope, Compendium of Christian Theology, vol. iii, London, 1879, p. 322; Miner Raymond, Systematic Theology, vol. iii, Cincinnati, 1877, p. 359; John Miley, Systematic Theology, vol. ii, New York, 1894, p. 397; N. Burwash, Manual of Christian Theology, vol. ii, London, 1900, p. 359; H. C. Sheldon, System of Christian Doctrine, Cincinnati, 1903, pp. 520 sqq.; J. W. Etter, Doctrine of Christian Baptism, Dayton, Ohio, 1888, p. 121; J. Weaver, Christian Theology, Dayton, Ohio, 1900, p. 250.
It is important to keep in mind the exact point which is in debate. This is not whether the Greek word which was adopted to designate this sacrament, and which has passed into English as "to baptize," means " to immerse." Nor is it whether the early Christians, or even the apostles, baptized by immersion. It is whether so slender a circumstance as the mode of applying the water can be so of the essence of baptism that nothing can be baptism except an immersion.
The contention that immersion alone can be baptism is usually based on the presumption that baptism was originally administered by immersion. It does not appear, however, that, granting the fact, the inference from it is stringent. Its assumption throws baptism out of analogy with all other Christian usages, with the sister sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and with itself in other i. Immer- particulars. Probably no one imsion, even agines that the validity of the Lord's if the Supper depends upon painfully con- Original forming in the mode of its celebration Form, a to all the circumstantial details of Circumstan- its first celebration. The Lord's Suptial Detail, per was instituted at an evening meal, as a part of a household feast which was itself the culminating act of an annual festival, from which it derived deep significance; in a private gathering, of men alone, who received the elements in a reclining posture. No one seeks to reproduce any of these things in the manner of
its celebration. Even the use of unleavened bread, which might be thought a more intimate circumstance, is treated as a matter of indifference by a large part of Christendom. If primitive baptism were by immersion, it will scarcely be doubted that it was administered to completely nude recipients. The Jews, in their parallel rite of proselyte baptism, insisted upon this to such an extent that " a ring on the finger, a band confining the hair, or anything that in the least degree broke the continuity of contact with the water, was held to invalidate the act " (C. Taylor, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, Cambridge, 1886, pp. 51, 52). The allusions of the early Fathers imply a like nudity in their method of celebrating the Christian rite (Bingham, Origines, XI, xi, 1; DCA, i, 160). Few would demand that this usage should be imitated. In the midst of so much freedom in the circumstantials of Christian ordinances, it is not obvious that the mode of applying the water must be treated as of the essence of the sacrament.
Nor is it easy to be sure what the mode of applying the water employed by the apostles was; or whether indeed it was uniform. No 2. The mode of applying the water is pre- Apostolic scribed in the New Testament. In Practise not the record the New Testament gives Certain. of acts of baptism, the mode in which the water was applied is never described. It is never even implied with a clearness which would render differences of interpretation impossible. Nor does what we may think the most natural suggestion seem in all instances to be to the same effect. If we are inclined to fancy the phrase " to baptize in water " (Gk. baptizein en hydati, Matt, iii, 11; John i, 26, 31, 33) suggestive of immersion, we can not fail soon to recall that it may just as well mean " with water " and that it is varied, even in parallel passages, to the simple dative of cause, manner, means, or instrument (Mark i, 8; Luke iii, 16; Acts i, 5; xi, 16). If " baptizing in the river Jordan " (Matt, iii, 6; Mark i, 5), varied even to what some unidiomatically render " baptizing into Jordan " (Mark i, 9), strikes us as intimating immersion, we are bound to bear in mind that both phrases may just as well be translated " at Jordan " (Thayer's Lexicon, s.v. h, I, l,c; cf . esp. Luke xiii, 4, and F Blass, Grammar of New Testament Greek, Eng. transl., London, 1898, p. 122); just as we are bound to bear in mind of those passages which, in our English Bible, speak of going " down into the water " to be baptized and coming " up out of the water " after baptism (Mark, i, 10; Acts viii, 38, 39), that they may just as well be rendered going " down [to the water " and " coming up from the water "; and just as we are bound to bear in mind in the presence of all such passages that there are other manners of baptizing besides immersion, which require for their accomplishment going into and coming out of the water. If we read of a locality being selected for baptizing " because there was much water," or, possibly better, " because there were many waters," that is, numerous pools, or springs, or rivulets there (John iii, 23), we read also of the
Baptism