Baptism In The Early Church

From the very beginning of the Christian church, baptism was the path for entering the church, whether as adults, children, or infants. Although the precise origins of baptismal rituals are not entirely clear, the entire process involved extensive ritual action: from the catechumenate (the period of preparation) to the actual baptism with water and anointing with the oil of chrism during the great Easter Vigil service.

A proper understanding of baptism in the ancient church requires a broad perspective that encompasses the whole initiation pattern in early Christianity. The term baptism in this period often refers not only to the water bath, but to the whole complex of preparation and ritual actions that marked the entrance of a new member into the community of faith. Thus, the history of baptism is really the history of the whole pattern of initiation and the various components of that process. We know little about the rites of initiation or preparation for them in the New Testament period. The Scriptures do indicate that baptism was conferred in the name of the Trinity (e.g., Matt. 28:19) and perhaps sometimes in the name of the Lord Jesus (e.g., Acts 8:16). Romans 6 suggests that baptism may have been conferred through immersion in a pool, which was seen as going down into the tomb with Christ and rising to new life. We know from archaeological evidence that this is how baptism was celebrated in the following centuries, but it is possible that this particular manner developed after Paul's symbolic description of it in the New Testament. Christian baptism developed in the context of a culture with a variety of baptismal rituals. Baptism accompanied the circumcision of male proselytes (converts) and was the primary ritual for female converts. Although the ancient nature of this practice is questioned, its use in the first century is most probable. The Essene communities used a variety of ritual ablutions, and they seem to be part of a widespread baptist movement in Palestine and Syria. John the Baptist stands as an obvious precedent to Christian baptism, since Jesus himself was baptized by John. Yet this baptism was clearly of a different character than Christian baptism, as the Gospels often point out. The contrast is often couched in terms of a baptism of water (John's) versus a baptism in the Spirit (Jesus'), a fact that indicates the importance of the Spirit in Christian baptism. The Gospels are unclear about whether Jesus himself ever baptized. In one place, John seems to indicate that Jesus did baptize (3:22), while in the next chapter he says, "?It was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples?" (4:1–2). In either case, this baptism is still distinct from later Christian baptism, which is understood as the way to enter into the experience of Christ's death and resurrection. Baptism and the Holy Spirit Clearly evident in the New Testament is a link between baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Reception of the Spirit is a result of joining the Christian community of believers, but the exact relation between the water bath and the reception of the Spirit is not clear. Sometimes the Spirit precedes the water ritual (Acts 10:44–48), sometimes the Spirit accompanies it (Acts 2:38), and sometimes the Spirit follows it (Acts 8:14–17; 19:1–7). It was natural that the community would soon develop rituals that expressed the gift of the Spirit in connection with baptism. Chief among these were the laying on of hands (Acts 8:14–17) and the anointing with oil (2 Cor. 1:21). Anointing was a common Jewish symbol of the Spirit's power (1 Sam. 16:13), and also a common accompaniment to bathing in the ancient Mediterranean world. The shifting relationship between the water bath itself and the rituals expressing the gift of the Spirit provides a helpful thread for understanding the history of initiation in succeeding centuries. Baptism of Children and Infants Baptism in the early centuries of the church's life was primarily baptism of adults. From the day of Pentecost on, the early Christians preached the gospel to adults and called them to a conversion which was celebrated in baptism. At the same time, significant evidence indicates that the ancient church also baptized children. Though we have no explicit New Testament reference to infant baptism, infant initiation was a practice in Jewish proselyte baptism and circumcision, both of which are cultural antecedents for Christian baptism. Since Jewish practice included infant baptism, the fact that the New Testament mentions no prohibition of it when speaking of Christian baptism is significant. It seems probable that children were baptized when whole households converted (Acts 16:15, 33; 18:8; 1 Cor. 1:16). Polycarp (c. 150 c.e.), Hippolytus (c. 215 c.e.), and various funeral epitaphs provide more explicit evidence of infant baptism in the second and third centuries. By the fifth century, infant baptism was clearly an accepted practice, since Augustine uses it as a proof for the existence of original sin in his arguments against the Pelagians. By about the sixth century, infant baptism had become the dominant pattern. Preparation for Baptism: The Catechumenate Early church fathers refer to various types of preparation for initiation in their writings. In the third, fourth, and fifth centuries, this preparation developed into a complete structure called the catechumenate. Designed as a support and stimulus to the process of conversion, the catechumenate was a long-term experience. The church examined the intentions and the way of life of those who sought to join. If these were in accord with the gospel, the inquirers were admitted to the order of the catechumens. The church then instructed them over a period of two or three years, while they joined in prayer, the Christian life, and noneucharistic worship with the community. Their sponsors, who had brought them to the community and vouched for them, accompanied them throughout the process of their preparation and also served as their sponsors for the celebration of the initiation sacraments. Various liturgical rites were celebrated with the catechumens as they continued their journey toward baptism. When the candidates, their sponsors, and the community agreed that the catechumens were ready for the sacraments, their names were enrolled for baptism, and they were called the enlightened ones. This enrollment began a period, generally lasting forty days, of intensive spiritual preparation for the reception of the sacraments at Easter. As the whole community began to share with the initiates this time of preparation, it developed into the season we call Lent. The culmination of the catechumenate came at the Easter Vigil, when the initiates were baptized, anointed by the bishop, and brought to the eucharistic table for the first time. The Easter Vigil was the night of nights, the church's annual celebration of the death and resurrection of the Lord, manifested concretely in the new Christians who died and rose in baptism. The whole community rejoiced with them as it welcomed them into the order of the faithful. Following the reception of the sacraments, the new Christians entered a period of mystagogia, a time for reflection and meditation on the mysteries, the early church's term for the sacraments. This was also a time for them to adjust to their new responsibilities as full members of the community.