 |
|
     |
|
|
|
Tertullian wrote "The Passover provides the day of most solemnity for baptism, for then was accomplished our Lord's baptism, and into it we are baptized . . . After that, Pentecost is a most auspicious period for arranging baptisms, for during it our Lord's resurrection was several times made known among the disciples, and the grace of the Holy Spirit first given. . . . For all that, every day is a Lord's day: any hour, any season, is suitable for baptism. If there is any difference of solemnity, it makes no difference to the grace."
Maxwell Johnson comments that "the modern assumption that 'the' early Church regularly baptized at Easter finds support only in Tertullian's marked preference for the practice and in Hippolytus of Rome's Commentary on Daniel 13:15, both of which are Western sources." And even Tertullian acknowledges that baptism may be done anytime.
Johnson also suggests that "third-century sourrces also show that infant baptism, including infant communion, was being practiced widely. When the question of infants is considered in this period of history, it is not simply their baptism but their complete initiation, including the reception of communion, that is implied."
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Saturday, April 15, 2006 at 01:42 PM
Permission is given to use material on this site, provided the source is cited, blog entries are republished in full, and the author is notified in advance.
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
