Having been taught that we were the same church that Jesus started, I had (without ever having studied the matter) accepted uncritically that the Apostolic Church had a view of baptism that was consonant with ours. The other ideas about this subject were summarily relegated to the “Catholic accretions” closet.
When I actually dared to “take up and read” the Early Church Fathers, I was amazed at what I found. The ideas I had been taught were radically different from those espoused by these earlier saints. Although I will in no wise exhaust all the references from that period, I wanted to share a number of representative excerpts. I thought that I would just post these without intervening comments and let the texts speak for themselves. (All the quotes are from The Ante-Nicene Fathers)
Shepherd of Hermas (2:49)
"For,” he continued, “before a man bears the name of the Son of God he is dead; but when he receives the seal he lays aside his deadness, and obtains life. The seal, then, is the water: they descend into the water dead, and they arise alive. And to them, accordingly, was this seal preached, and they made use of it that they might enter into the kingdom of God.”
Clement of Alexandria The Instructor (2: 216-7)
Our transgressions being taken away by one Pœonian medicine, the baptism of the Word. We are washed from all our sins, and are no longer entangled in evil. This is the one grace of illumination, that our characters are not the same as before our washing.
Clement of Alexandria The Instructor (2: 215)
Being baptized, we are illuminated; illuminated, we become sons; being made sons, we are made perfect; being made perfect, we are made immortal.
Theophilus of Antioch Theophilus to Autolycus (2: 101)
Moreover, the things proceeding from the waters were blessed by God, that this also might be a sign of men’s being destined to receive repentance and remission of sins, through the water and laver of regeneration,—as many as come to the truth, and are born again, and receive blessing from God.
Irenaeus of Lyon (1:574 Fragment XXXIV)
“And dipped himself,” says [the Scripture], “seven times in Jordan.” It was not for nothing that Naaman of old, when suffering from leprosy, was purified upon his being baptized, but [it served] as an indication to us. For as we are lepers in sin, we are made clean, by means of the sacred water and the invocation of the Lord, from our old transgressions; being spiritually regenerated as new-born babes, even as the Lord has declared: “Except a man be born again through water and the Spirit, he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Justin Martyr (First Apology 1:183 ch. LXI)
As many as are persuaded and believe that what we teach and say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly, are instructed to pray and to entreat God with fasting, for the remission of their sins that are past, we praying and fasting with them. Then they are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated. For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water. For Christ also said, “Except ye be born again, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” …. And for this [rite] we have learned from the apostles this reason. Since at our birth we were born without our own knowledge or choice, by our parents coming together, and were brought up in bad habits and wicked training; in order that we may not remain the children of necessity and of ignorance, but may become the children of choice and knowledge, and may obtain in the water the remission of sins formerly committed….
Justin Martyr (Dialogue with Trypho 1:201 ch. XIV)
“By reason, therefore, of this laver of repentance and knowledge of God, which has been ordained on account of the transgression of God’s people, as Isaiah cries, we have believed, and testify that that very baptism which he announced is alone able to purify those who have repented; and this is the water of life."
Tertullian (On Baptism ch. XIII 3:676)
For the law of baptizing has been imposed, and the formula prescribed: “Go,” He saith, “teach the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The comparison with this law of that definition, “Unless a man have been reborn of water and Spirit, he shall not enter into the kingdom of the heavens,”
has tied faith to the necessity of baptism.
Cyprian (Book III 5:542)
Heading 25 That unless a man have been baptized and born again, he cannot attain unto the kingdom of God.
Heading 26 That it is of small account to be baptized and to receive the Eucharist, unless one profit by it both in deeds and works.
Epistle of Firmilian of Caesarea to Cyprian (5:393)
For the second birth, which occurs in baptism, begets sons of God.
Lactantius (The Divine Institutes Book V ch. 5 7:201)
Man is born mortal; but that he afterwards becomes immortal, when he begins to live in conformity with the will of God, that is, to follow righteousness, which is comprised in the worship of God, since God raised man to a view of the heaven and of Himself. And this takes place when man, purified in the heavenly laver, lays aside his infancy together with all the pollution of his past life, and having received an increase of divine vigour, becomes a perfect and complete man.
These quotes lead us to an understanding of baptism that is a far cry from anything I have been taught previously. And as I stated previously they are only a small sample of which many more examples could quickly be adduced.
