History Of Infant Baptism In The Church

GREENLIGHT THEOLOGY SERIES 2009

The History and Practice of Infant Baptism in the Church Today By Victor Chendekemen Yakubu The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it” [Prov. 22:6]. This brief article on infant baptism is an attempt to show that the practice has been in the Church since Apostolic times. But do the churches of today believe in it and practice it accordingly? This makes the topic controversial as to who is right and who is wrong. However, The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that “children also have need of the new truth of Baptism to b e freed from the power of darkness and brought into the realm of the children of God, to which all men are called.” In Ps. 51: 3 we read, “Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” This makes b aptism very important. But at which stage is the person to receive it? At inf ancy or adulthood?

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The History and Practice of Infant Baptism in the Church By Vict or Chendekemen Yak ubu Introdu ction

The Ea rly Church carrie d out fa ithfully the com mand of C hrist, “Go int o t he world and preach t he gos pel to the whole cre ation. He who be lieves a nd is bapt ized w ill be saved; but he who does not be lieve will be condemne d” [Mk. 16: 15 – 16]. The e nabling S pirit em powe red them and we are told the apostles conve rted 3,000 on Pe ntecost and ba ptiz ed them. They bega n the gospe l proclamation from Je rusa lem t o J udea and the n t o the whole world as Christ comma nded [cf. Acts 1:8]. The spre ad of t he gospe l t o othe r parts of the ea rth symbolizes the unive rsality of t he G ood news.

The adm ission of new membe rs int o the C hristian fold was through the rite of bapt ism. Scriptural analysis s hows t hat the bapt ism of adults is undisputable. In Acts, Corne lius was bapt ized wit h his w hole house hold and t he Ethiopia n eunuch was ba ptize d by Philip. Today all Christ ian de nom inat ions pra ctice a dult bapt ism. But what is dis puted am ong denominations is “ infant ba ptism.” The major Christ ian de nom inat ions –Catholic Church pa rticularly – pract ice t he bapt ism of infants. But w hat is disputed a mong denominations is “infa nt bapt ism”. Some maj or Christ ian de nom inations pract ice “infa nt bapt ism” today while othe rs re ject t he pra ctice. This divergent posit ion on this importa nt aspect of debate makes litt le diffe rences whether scripture has any actua l refe rences to the practice of “infa nt bapt ism” or not. The scripture does not possess explicit refe rences. But refe rence s are recorded in t he Bible that indicate that whole “households” w e re ba ptized [A cts 16: 1 5, 33; 18: 8; 1 C or. 1: 16]. Victor C. Yakubu is a pries t of the Catholi c Diocese of Zaria, Nigeria. He can be reached at [email protected]

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By im plicat ion it means t hese biblica l references support the pract ice of infant bapt ism in t he first a nd second centuries of t he C hristia n e ra. I shall dwell on these two s ources: the Bible a nd Tradition to treat this “ infant bapt ism cont rove rsy”.

Hi storical Over view of In fant Baptism C ontrovers y

The practice of ba ptiz ing infants is considered a rule of im memorial tra dit ion both in t he Eastern a nd in the Western Rites of the C hurch. Infa nt bapt ism developed out of an ent ire ly diffe rent circumstance in w hich Christia nity found itself whe n society departe d from pagan pract ices . I n other words , t he problem of infant ba ptism arose from t he question of who should be ba ptize d int o t he new fa ith. At what age should a new convert be ba ptize d int o t he Christian fold and become a full membe r?

Baptism is the public ritua l of rece iving new membe rs into the Mystica l Body of Christ , t he Church. This requires a pe rsonal fait h response, the willingness and readiness of the new me mbe r t o rece ive t he sacrament accom panied by t he grace of God. There is evide nce to show that infant bapt ism was pra cticed in the Church in the third century. In the se cond, St. P olyca rp, Bishop of Smyrna in about 177 A.D , was cha llenged to de ny his C hristia n fait h a nd rescue himse lf from ma rtyrdom. He refused and answe re d, “For e ighty a nd six yea rs, I have served Him , a nd He never did me a ny w rong. How can I blaspheme my K ing w ho saved me?” 1 Let’s suppose t hat P olyca rp lived for eig hty six yea rs, this statement would mea n t hat he was bapt iz ed as a n infant serving the Lord. However, opponents t o infant bapt ism a rgue t hat P olycarp me ant his biolog ica l age, the pe riod he ha d been alive. And this makes t he a rgument complicated on bot h s ide.

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Tert ullian [150 – 230 AD] one of t he gre at African theologians and teache r from the West, devoted a w hole t reat ise on infant ba ptism . Te rtullian use d a lot of imageries that illustrated t he importance of bapt ism. 2 He he ld that while not denying that validity of infa nt bapt ism, t he sacrame nt should not be confe rre d upon childre n unt il they attain the age of reason. They s hould be bapt iz ed when t hey have le arned t o k now who Christ is.

He opposed t he v iew in Matt. 19: 14-15 w hich says, “Let t he childre n come to me, a nd do not hinde r t hem , for t o such belongs the Kingdom of heaven. Rathe r he propose d the following analysis of the text, “Le t t hem come the n, while they are g row ing up; let the m come while they are lea rning, w hile t hey a re ta ught whithe r t o come , let t hem become C hristians whe n they have become a ble to know Christ. Why does the innoce nt period of life hasten to the rem ission of sins?” 3

Tert ullian’s de nia l of infant bapt ism was on account of profa ning the ir bapt ismal prom ises as youth am id t he a llureme nts of pagan v ice. He liste d some ot her re asons for his de nia l of infant bapt ism as t hough t hey inherit a bias t owards evil, infants have not actua lly sinned, a nd thus “they have no need for rem ission of sins” “Ba ptism involves great respons ibilities , w hich should be unde rtaken only by pe rsons of mature intelligence and established character. Post-bapt ismal sin exposes the bapt ized and his sponsors to greate r condemnat ion.” In his t ime, “sponsors undertake se rious respons ibilit ies, be ing required to give assurance of the rea lity of t he candidate’s fa ith, repe ntance and re nunciat ion of sin, and a lso to prom ise to watch over the candid ate ’s life and direct his steps in the way of righteousness. 4

But Origen [185 – 254 AD ] a rgue d aga inst Tert ullian in de fense of the pract ice of infant ba ptism. He a rgue d strong ly tha t bapt ism is give n for the remission of 4

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sins to the conclus ion t hat if infa nts are baptized it is be cause t here is sin in them which m ust be rem itted. Origen de clare d, “ The C hurch rece ived from t he apostles the t radit ion of giving ba ptism also to infa nts’.

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He quoted Ps. 51: 3,

“Behold I was broug ht fort h in iniquity, a nd in s in did my mothe r conce ive me ,” as a scriptural support t o the pract ice. St. Irenae us [c.140 – c. 202] supporte d infant bapt ism as re ported by Origen, because this removes a stain inherited from birth, a nd the sin and guilt brought with it from a prev ious l ife.

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More support for Origen’s position came from his contempora ry St. Cyprian. Bishop of Ca rthage [248 – 258 AD ]. At t he Council of Ca rthage in 253, Cy prian and othe r C ouncil Fathe rs reprobated the opinion that t he bapt ism of infa nts should be de layed unt il the e ighth day a ft er birth. He declare d, “F rom ba ptism and from grace. ... must not be kept the infants w ho, beca use recent ly born, has cont racted the contagion of the ancie nt deat h in its first nativ ity; and it comes t o rece ive the re mission of sins m ore eas ily on this very account t hat is not its own, but a not her’s s ins a re forgiv en it.” 7 According t o Cyprian ba ptism is the church’s initiat ion rite, spiritua lly more significa nt that the Jew ish circum cis ion rit ual, and that is affects regenerat ion w here by the Holy Spirit is bestowed, “even upon infants , according to the ir ca pacity.” 8

Gregory of Naz ianz us [c. 325 – 390 AD] champione d infant ba ptism on the ground that it bestowed on childre n of God “seal and consecrat ion”. But Gregory also ma inta ine d t hat unless there was da nger of deat h, ba ptism of infants should be de ferred until t he child was three years old, for then it could bear and respond at t he ce rem onies. Such opinions were sha red by few a nd they conta in no de nial of the validity of baptism t o infants. 9

The first systematic tre atise on infa nt ba ptism came from St. August ine of Hippo [354 – 430] A ugustine had arguments with t he D onat ists and Pe lagia ns – 5

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two he retica l m ovements at his tim e. The Pelag ians denied the the ology of original sin,

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hence infa nt bapt ism was irrelevant. Original sin, according t o

Augustine , is t he here dita ry s infulness a ll men inhe rite d from A dam. It is t his sin w hich makes the ba ptism of infa nts le gitimate beca use they too need bapt ism to rest ore the ir state of g race with Christ and the Church. He de cla red that “this the Church always held, a lways held, this she rece ived from the fa ith of our ancestors, this she pe rseveringly guards even t o t he e nd. 11 The Donatists were aga inst lapse d Christ ians or cle rgy who escape d pe rsecution as “unworthy ministers” t o confe r bapt ism. August ine a rgued that t he e ffica cy of t he sacrament does not depe nd on the unworthiness of the ministe r.

The infa nts at bapt ism a re reborn int o ne w life and free d from the guilt of Adam. Ba ptism makes the child a be lieve r in the sense t hat whe n it attains to reason it unde rstands the sa crame nt a nd accepts its t ruth. Alt hough he is not yet a be liever in the sense of assenting a nd perceiv ing fa ith, A ugustine asserts that the fa ith of the sponsors a nd of the pare nts will suffice. Behind the pare nts and the sponsors is the fa ith of t he Church and betwee n them is the force of the Holy Spirit. 12 Since the pa rents inhe rite d original sin through ca rna l procre ation, so a lso do they have t he right to free the in fa nt from origina l sin by the ir fa ith or of the sponsor? The ir fait h is of the Church w hich the Holy Spirit brings about through regene ration in the ba ptisma l rite. 13

The argume nts of St. August ine won ove r the Pe lagia ns who accepte d a nd pract ice d infant ba ptism. By the fift h ce ntury t he pract ice ha d become a genera l norm throughout the C hurch. At t he Middle Ages, Christian the ologia ns like St. Thomas Aquinas [1225 – 1274] supported infa nt bapt ism. What t he theologians deride d was t he lack of pre -baptisma l a nd post-ba ptisma l instruct ions. Howeve r, Aquinas sa id t hat all men rece ive a g reater or lesser share in the grace of bapt ism depe nding on t he disposit ion at which they 6

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rece ive the sacrament. S ince infants are baptized not in the ir ow n fait h but in the fa ith of t heir parents a nd of the church, they rece ive a ll the graces of bapt ism. 14 This brie f a rticle on infant ba ptism is a n attem pt to show that the pract ice has been in t he C hurch since Apostolic t imes. The fa ith of the Church is present w here the pe rsonal fa ith of t he infa nt is la cking.

Opposition at the Period of the Reformation

The P rotestant reformat ion in the sixteenth ce ntury le d Ma rt in Luthe r [1483 – 1546], a former Aug ustinian cle ric, supported by Ulrich Zw ingli [1484 – 1531] and John Ca lvin [1509 – 64], broug ht fundamental points on t he tea ching of infant bapt ism. Luthe r sa id t hat bapt ism is the sig n a nd t he w ork of God, not of men, he nce infants could be bapt ized. But Thomas M unze r a nd Zw ickau in 1521 attacked ma ny of the doctrines of Lut her, especially his position on infant bapt ism. They were ca lled Ana bapt ists.

This sixteent h century name “ Anabapt ists” was applied to a w ide diverge nt group of re form-m inded pe ople w ho dissociated t hemselves from Luthe r and Zwingli a nd t heir followe rs as we ll as t he Roman Catholic Church. The Anaba ptists de nied t he va lidity of infant bapt ism and t here fore re-bapt ized adults who had been ba ptize d in infa ncy.

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They als o denied orig ina l s in as

well. To meet the difficulty brought a bout by the Anaba ptists rebe ls that saving fait h could not be excited in infant ba ptis m. Luthe r he ld t hat infant s s upplied him wit h stre ngth t o w ork against his opponents. The Church could not have been permitte d by God to rem ain in error for s o long a time. To de ny t his bapt ism is clearly stated in t he C onfess ion of A ugsburg in 1530. 16

In Zurich, Zw ing li de fended t he t radit iona l pra ctice of t he Church on infant bapt ism wit hout stressing hy pot hetical analysis like Lut her. Zw ingli simply 7

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believed t hat bapt ism is covena nt-sign w hich belongs t o the family rathe r t han to the individua l. 17 Calvin summe d up both Luthe r a nd Zw ingli in his t heolog ica l treatise I nstitutes of the Christian Religion, whe re he he ld that ba ptism should be rece ived in the light of the prom ise of Mk. 16: 16, “ He who be lieves a nd is bapt ized w ill be saved.” The refore the s acrame nts pa rticularly bapt ism a re useful rathe r t han essentia l. St. Augustine had de fined a sa crame nt as “a visible s ign of sacre d t hings, as a v isible form of the invis ible g race.”

Infants w hen ba ptized sha red in t he inv isible grace of God, a nd regene rated since ba ptism is a sacrament of regeneration a nd fa ith. Ca lvin a nswers that the seed of fait h is pla nted in them by the se cret w ork ing of the Holy Spirit. The error of t he A naba ptists was clea rly re jected by the C ouncil of Tre nt [1545 – 1563]. But the dilemma w ith which the A naba ptists dwe lt on still pe rsists in the Protestant churches a nd accounts for the divers ity of t he pra ctice of infa nt bapt ism. The Waldenses a nd Catha ri sects reje cted infant ba ptism which today has an influe nce in som e secta ria n pos ition at m ode rn t imes.

Res olution fr om Chur ch C ouncils

The im portance of C ouncils or Synods in t he life of the C hurch ca nnot be overemphasize d. At C ouncils t he officia l teaching of the church is a lways uphe ld and heret ics re pudiate d. The ques tion of t he bapt ism of infa nts has had a wide coverage at Church Councils especially at Trent.

The C ouncil of Tre nt proba bly ha d the most difficult task any C ouncil in history could have ha d. Doctrina lly the Council F athers like a ll prede cessors professed reverence for bot h S cript ure and Tra dit ion as inte rpreted in t he liv ing a uthority of t he C hurch. But be fore t he Council of Trent , othe r Councils had passed a resolut ion re-a ffirm ing the im portance of infa nt ba ptism. The Late ran Councils 8

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were of im portance as regards this subject. For example at the Second Latera n Council [1139] it was de cla re d that “. . . t hose w ho stimulat ing a kind of religiosity, condemn the sacram ents of t he Lord’s Body and Blood, the ba ptism of children . . . We a lso bind up the ir defende rs i n t he fetters of the same condemnat ion.” 18 At the Fourt h Late ran Council [1215] t he C ouncil Fathe rs declare d, “We firmly be lieve and simply confess . . . the sacrament of bapt ism is consecrated in wate r at the invocat ion of t he undiv ided Trinity namely Father, S on and Holy S pirit – and brings s alvation to bot h childre n a nd adults.” 19

The Ca nons of t he C ouncil of Tre nt were most forceful and new insights were promulgated: ba ptism once confe rre d cannot be repeate d, the re is no nee d of repeat ing t he sacrame nts whe n the child attains t he age of discretion or of defe rring t he sacrame nt until a mat ure ag e. The Canons of Trent were promulgated in a negative form and directed against specific teachings of the reforme rs espe cia lly Luthe r. For instance , conce rning infant ba ptism the Council promulgated that , “If any one says that little children beca use they make no act of fait h, should not afte r t he rece ption of bapt ism be numbe re d among t he fait hful. . . Let him be a nathe ma.” 20

Modern The ological Viewpoints on the Infant Baptism Controversy

Among P rotesta nt the ologia ns who attack the doctrine of infant bapt ism is Ka rl Barth. In his le cture published as Teachin g of the Church Concern ing Bapt ism in 1948, he ca lls the pract ice “a w ound in the life of the church.” His a n alysis mainly concerned itse lf with the historica l context. Bapt ism requires a pe rsona l fait h response, the w illingness and re adiness of t he bapt ized pe rson to re ceive the promise of God. The child cannot do a ll these hence Barth describes t he churches’ practice as “arbit ra ry and despotic.” 21 9

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But Cullman has argue d aga inst Bart h t ha t the e pis odes of Christ blessing childre n [Matt. 19: 13; Mk. 10: 13; Lk. 18: 15] w ould not have found the ir way int o the gospe ls if the e arly church had not bee n fam ilia r w ith t he pra ctice of child ba ptism. It is sa id that the re is no m ention of infa nt bapt ism in the bible, yet phrases that im ply this pract ice abound. The use of phrases such as “house” or “household” in “S he was bapt ized and her household” [Acts 16: 33] a nd “I bapt ized t he household of Ste pha nus [1 C or. 1: 16].

The debate was furthe r ca rrie d out betwe en two schola rs of Protestant stock: Joachim Jere mia h a nd Kurt A land. Both of them we re conce rne d w ith t he historicity of the question. They agreed t hat the re is no dire ct evidence of this pract ice until t he t hird cent ury , but hold that the re a re hints in the New Testament itself espe cia lly in t he refe rences made to “house” a nd “house holds”. The prefa ce t o A land’s book entit led Did the Early Church Baptize Infants? says, “. . . t he quest ion of infa nt’s ba ptism is a question of theology. It w ill not be settled fina lly by historica l de monstration, for it is ult imately a t heolog ica l question.”

Anothe r s chola r of S. H. Childs gives a n insight on t he posit ion of infa nt bapt ism. “The difficulty is ca used by t hinking t oo much of our side of bapt ism, and not enough of God’s.” 22 He g oes on t o add: “ While t he infant is not able to make any response t o G od, God is a ble to give gra ce t o t he infant , a nd the Church has sure ly bee n r ight in finding an answer to any objection in C hrist’s blessing of litt le children [Mk. 10: 13-16]. While t hey could not give an adequate response to him , we da re not suggest that His blessing was ine ffect ual.”

“Infant ba ptism te lls us more a bout God,” w rote David J. Randolph, “than it does a bout infants.” He goes on to say that, “ This act tells us that the God of 10

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the Christ ian reve lation is a God of grace , who re aches towa rds us and draws us to himself, while we are yet he lpless. A little baby k ick ing in his crib is love d by God. Ba ptism shows us that God’s love is poured out upon us, not because we are w ort hy, but be cause we are nee dy.” 23

Catholic the ologia ns favour t he pra ctice of infa nt bapt ism in the Church. Afte r the Second Vatican Council, the rite of infants has been rev ised t o m eet up with m ode rn nee ds. No w onder the n that Karl Ra hne r, one of the greatest mode rn Catholic t heologians said that it is a long solve d issue in the Catholic Church. 24

Practice of Infant Baptism in the Chur che s Today

[a]

The Catholi c Chur ch:

The Second Vat ica n C ouncil [1963 -65] ordered the revis ion of the two bapt ismal rites for adults and for infants. In 1980, the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of Fa ith and o f the Doctrine issued an instruction on t he bapt ism of infants w hich vindicated the Christian tradition of infant bapt ism and s umma rize d contem pora ry difficultie s especia lly from plura listic societies. In the 1980 instruct ion, the C ong regation advise d that infa nt bapt ism should never be defe rre d a nd that the re ought to be a dialogue between pa rents and pastors of churches. Two past ora l principles are proposed; first is that the childre n a re God’s gift and t hus t heir baptism should not be de ferred, and secondly; that “gua rantees a re to be made that t his gift can so grow through genuine upbringing in the fa ith and Christ ian life that the sacram ent m ay atta in its tota lity – “t rut h”. The guara ntees a re regularly to be offe red by the parents or re lat ives, even if t hey ca n be supporte d in va rious ways in t he Christian community. If however these guara ntees are not truly se rious , t here ca n be 11

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reason to de fer the sacra ment if finally they are certa inly not serious the sacrament is to be denied.” 25

The 1983 Code of Canon Law supplie d s ome re quirem ents for the ba ptism of infants. Canon 868 says that t he pare nts must give t heir consent a nd prom ise to bring t he infant in the Catholic re ligion. If these two conditions a re la cking, the ba ptism should be put off a ccording t o the prescriptions of pa rticular laws and t he pare nts a re t o be informed of the reason. Whe n t he pare nts are prepare d t o profess the fa ith or t o undert ake the duty of bringing up childre n as Catholics, 26 then the pastor must determ ine the t ime for the bapt ism o f the infant according to the regulat ions of t he Confere nces of Bishops. It is the duty of t he priests to educate pa rents on the importance of infant ba ptism.

Pope John P aul II me ntione d the we ll founded hope of infant ba ptism w hile addressing a group of prelates from five American States in June 1993. He emphasize d t hat t he child must be ra ised a Catholic and a llow t he sacrament to bear fruits. He sa id, “Alt hough inte nde d neithe r t o discourage infant bapt ism nor to rende r its cele brat ion unduly difficult , such diocesa n or pa ris h guide lines have somet imes been applied in some rest rictive ways t han prescribed by t he Holy See. On occasion Baptism has been unw isely denie d t o pare nts re quest ing it for their child. Past ora l cha rity would bid us to we lcome those who st rayed from the practice of their fa ith [cf. Lk. 15: 4 -7] a nd t o refrain from making dema nds not re quire d by Church doct rine or law.” 27

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[b]

Protestant Chur ches:

The practice of infa nt bapt ism is followed by few P rotestant churches w ho believe that children in infancy a re included in t he e lect ion of grace , regenerated and saved by Christ. 28 I should not ment ion t hem here.

But t he Ba ptist Church does not acce pt t he pract ice of infa nt bapt ism on t he grounds t hat there is no refe rence in t he Gospels or in t he New Testament as a whole. The Bapt ists’ posit ion is t hat bapt ism is a volunta ry profession of fait h and only pers ons old e nough t o com pre he nd its sig nificance and symbolism should be acce pted for ba ptism. The refore the Bapt ists give t heir childre n t he right to decide for the mselves whet her or not they w ish to be bapt ized. 29

Effe cts of Baptism on Chil dren

In ba ptism we be come sons of God [Rom. 8: 14 – 16; Gal. 4: 6], be nefa ctors in Christ ’s S onship. The gift of the Holy S pirit in ba ptism is re lated to the com ing of t he New Age. 30 Through bapt ism the he redita ry sinfulness of A dam is restitute d w ith t he new life of Christ. Infa nts share in t his saving act of Christ. Jesus himself said, ‘Allow the little children to come t o me , for t o t hem belong the K ingdom of Heaven ’ [Matt. 19: 14-15]. Ba ptism g ives them a share in t he heavenly gifts and be come pa rtake rs of t he Holy Spirit.

The necessity of ba ptism for infa nts a rise s from t he fate of the infants who die un-bapt ized. Where do their souls go t o a fter death? S ince infants dying without bapt ism have origina l sin on t heir souls, fa ith forces us t o conclude that they ma y not e nter heaven. At the sa me time , t hey ca nnot be punishe d in hell as adult sinners. Cat holic doct rine teaches that these infa nts go t o a specia l place of rest for infa nts. The Church create d a specia l name k nown as 13

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Limbo, 31 a place that infants without ba ptis m go t o a fter deat h. The doctrine of Limbo is dism issed as “ erroneous” outside Catholic circles. Eve n w ithin the Catholic circles it is not clear that this is an officia l Catholic dogma.

However, bapt ism of infa nts is necessary for the salvat ion of souls [cf. Can. 1752]. The rece ipt of bapt ism beg ins a pe riod of t ransform ation into the like ness of the glorified Lord. That is w hy pare nts must take the education of their childre n very im portant. “Tra in up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he w ill not de part from it” [P rov. 22:6]. Infants belong t o t he Christ ian community t hroug h bapt ism and thus places them as be lieve rs “in Christ” or “ in the body of Christ” , throug h the Spirit. They als o becom e a pa rt of t he “ chosen race , a roya l priesthood, a holy nation, G od’s own people ” [1 Pet. 2:9].

Infant ba ptism s ignifies rege nerat ion, an action of God’s g race to mank ind. The world is a world of sin, and childre n need bapt ism as adults t o fight sin w ith the support of the Holy Spirit. J ust as adults seek goodness for t hemselves, so too do infa nts ne ed g oodness which we m ust assist in a chieving.

C onclusi on

The infa nt ba ptism controversy w ill continue a mong the ologia ns and a mong churches as long as biblica l schola rship is conce rne d. However, the Catholic Church considers t he sa lvation of souls ve ry pa ram ount a nd essent ia l. The Catechism o f the Catholic Church says t ha t “children also have nee d of the new truth of Bapt ism to be freed from the power of da rkness and brought into the realm of t he childre n of God, t o w hich all men are called.” 32 The t radit ion of t he Church is undoubtedly right in pract icing infant bapt ism.

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I recommend t he pra ctice in othe r churches outside t he Cat holic Church for the sake of assisting the he lpless young souls find fullness of grace a nd re dempt ion right from infa ncy. I be lieve that t here is no othe r way to salvation tha n through C hrist.

Whe n infants a re in the font of ba ptism , a fa ith life is im planted in t hem through t he death and resurre ction of Jes us. If Christians be lieve in this proposition of saving souls , t hen there’s no need to be select ive a nd exclude the infa nts. Let us initiate them in t he faith we rece ive a nd ba ptize our children “in the name of the Father and of t he S on and of t he Holy Spirit .” ---

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Endn otes 1

The m ater i al used i n thi s wor k i s par ti al l y fr om the wor k of Bayo O bi jol e, “I nfant Bapti sm : a c r i ti c al r evi ew.” Afri ca n E ccl esi a l R ev i ew [AFE R], 30[O c tober 1988]5 , pp. 299 -312. 2

For exam pl es, 1] the fi sh ( i c thus) was fr om the ini ti al s of “ Jesus Chr i st, Son of G od Savi our . ” Ter tul li an says “ But we l i ttl e fi sh as Jesus i s our g r eat fi sh, bor n i n the water , and onl y whi l e we rem ai n i n the water are we safe” [de Bapt. 1]; 2] I n E x. 15: 23 -25, the tr ee that thr ew i n, Ter tul l i an says, “ That tr ee was Chr i st who form wi thi n him sel f heal s the spr i ng of that natur e whi c h was for m er l y poi soned and bi tter , c hang i ng them i nto the m ost heal th g i vi ng water of bapti sm ” [De Bapt. 9]; 3] Bl ood – ‘sec ond washi ng ’. Ter tul l i an m eant the “ washi ng of bl ood” by m ar tyr dom ; 4] Thr eefol d i mm er si on. Ter tul l i an l i nked wi th the Tr i ni ty for not once onl y but thr ee ti m es ar e we bapti z ed i nto eac h of the thr ee per sons at eac h of the nam es [Adv. P r ax. 26]. 3

L or na Br oc kett, The Theol og y of Bapti sm , No 25. E dwar ds Yar nol d [G en. ed. ]. Th eol og y To d a y , [Cor k: The Merc i er P r ess, 1971] 25. Cf. Hans Kung , Th e Ch u rch . [New Yor k: Im ag e Books], 19 75: 42 5ff]. 4

O bi jol e, ar t. c i t. , pp. 301.

5

Th e Ca tho l i c E n cy cl op ed ia . L ondon: The E nc ycl opedi a P r ess, I nc . 1907, p. 270; P astor al i s I nstr uc ti on on I nfa nt Bapti sm , 20 O c tober 1980 in Austi n Fl anner y, O . P. [G en. ed. ] Va ti ca n Co u n ci l I I , Vo lu me 2: Mo re P o st Co n ci l ia r Do cu men ts. [New Yor k: Costel l o P ubl i shi ng Com pany, 1980] , n. 4. 6

Jor asl av P el i c an [ed. ] Twen ti eth Cen tu ry Th eol og y in th e Ma ki n g , Vol . 1: Them es of Bi bli c al Theol og y. [L ondon: Wi l l i am s Col l i ns L td. , 1969] 3. 313. 7

Ca tho l i c E n cy cl o p ed i a , l oc . c i t.

8

G il m or e, A. , Ch ri sti a n Ba p ti sm. L ondon: L utherwor th P r ess, 1959 , p. 205. The per sonal r esponse wi l l c om e i n l ife as expr essed i n, “ Bapti sm , E uc har i st and Mi ni str y,” Fai th O r der P aper No. 111, W. C. C. G eneva i n I n terna ti on a l Rev i ew o f Mi ssi on s , Vol . L X X II No. 286, Apr i l 1983 , p. 165. 9

Th e Ca tho l i c E n cy cl op ed ia , l oc . ci t. Cf. Huber t Jedi n [ed. ] Hi sto ry o f th e Ch u rch , Vol . I I : The I m peri al Chur c h fr om Constanti ne to the E arl y Mi ddl e Ag es. [L ondon: Bur ns & O ats, 1980] , p. 296. 10

For m ore i nform ati on on O r ig i nal Si n, c hec k Geor g e J. Dyer , “ Or i g i nal Si n: Theol og i c al Abstr ac ti on or Dar k R eal i ty?” Ch i ca go Stud i es, 7[Fal l , 1978]3 , pp. 385 -398. 11

Th e Ca tho l i c E n cy cl op ed ia , l oc . ci t.

12

P el ic an, op. c i t. p. 314.

13

I bi d.

14

Br oc kett, op. ci t. , p. 65.

15

New En cy cl o p edi a , Vol. II . New Yor k: McG r aw Hil l Book Com pany, 1966, p. 70. 16

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16

I bi d.

17

Br oc kett, op. ci t. , p. 69.

18

Nor m an P . Tanner , [ed. ] Decrees o f th e E cu menica l Cou n ci l s. Vo l. 2 [L ondon: Sheed & War d, 1990] , p. 20. Cf. Counc i l of Toul ouse [1119, Can. 9]. 19

I bi d. p. 230.

20

Som e hereti c s ar g ued that bapti sm c oul d onl y be r ec ei ved at the ag e of 30 l i ke Jesus Chr i st. The Counc i l of Tr ent i ssued out thi s dec ree sayi ng suc h per sons shoul d be anathem ati z ed” “ Si qui s di x er i t, nom i nem esse bapti z andum ni si ea aetate, qua Chr i stus bapti z antus est, vel i n i pso m or ti s ar ti c ul o: a. s. ” Cf. Can. #12 as quoted i n Tanner , op. c i t. , p. 689. 21

Br oc kett, op. c i t. p. 78.

22

S. H. Chil ds, Th e G o sp el in E xp eri en ce : L ondon: SP CK, 1963 , p. 109.

23

D. J. R andol ph, Com pani on to the Book of Wor shi p, the Uni ted Methodi st Chur c h, USA, [E d. By E. W. Dunkl e, Jr . and Joseph D. Qui l li an, Jr . ], 1970 , p. 46. 24

Cf. Karl R ahner , Th eo l og i ca l I nv esti g a tio n s, Vol . 15, p. 230.

25

Ac ta Apostol i c ae Sedi s 72 [1980] 1 151 a s quoted i n Th e Co d e o f ca n on L a w: A Text an d Co mmen ta ry , L ondon: Chapm an, 1985 , p. 627. 26

I bi d. p. 626. Cf. G eor g e D. Smi th. [ed. ] The Teachi ng of the Cathol i c Chur c h. L ondon: Bur ns & O ates, 1950 ed. , 79ff. 27

Kel l y Joseph, “ Man –Made O bstac l es to I nfant Bapti sm ” AFE R , [1994], p. 125.

28

New Ca th o li c E n cy cl op ed ia , i bi d.

29

I bi d.

30

Br oc kett, op. ci t. , p. 19.

31

The wor d L im bo i n our tim es r efer s to the pl ace or state i n whi c h dyi ng i nfants g o to, those who di e wi thout the S ac r am ent of Bapti sm and who suffer p ai n o f l o ss but not the p a in of sen se. The term was devel oped by Theolog i ans of the Sc hol asti c Ag e. I t i s a pl ac e of r est for i nnoc ent c hi l dr en who c om mi tted no si n and who c annot be g i ven a pl ac e i n heaven for the stai n of or i g i nal si n. 32

Th e Ca tech i sm o f th e Ca th o li c Ch u rch . I badan: St. P aul ’s, 1992 , p. 323.

17

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