B — Baptême

BAPTISM, a Greek word meaning immersion. Human beings, always guided by the senses, readily imagined that what washed the body washed the soul too. There were great vats in the underground chambers of the temples of Egypt for the priests and for the initiates. The Indians, from time immemorial, have purified themselves in the water of the Ganges, and that ceremony is still much in vogue. It passed to the Hebrews; there all strangers were baptized who embraced the Jewish law and did not wish to submit to circumcision; women especially, on whom that operation was not performed, and who underwent it only in Ethiopia, were baptized; it was a regeneration; it gave a new soul, as in Egypt. See on this subject Epiphanius, Maimonides and the Gemara.

John baptized in the Jordan, and even baptized Jesus, who nevertheless never baptized anyone, but who deigned to consecrate that ancient ceremony. Every sign is indifferent in itself, and God attaches his grace to the sign it pleases him to choose. Baptism soon became the first rite and the seal of the Christian religion. Yet the first fifteen bishops of Jerusalem were all circumcised; it is not certain that they were baptized.

This sacrament was abused in the first centuries of Christianity; nothing was more common than to wait for the death agony to receive baptism. The example of the Emperor Constantine is a good enough proof of it. This is how he reasoned: “Baptism purifies everything; I can therefore kill my wife, my son and all my relatives, then have myself baptized and go to heaven”—which in fact he did not fail to do. This example was dangerous; little by little the custom was abolished of waiting for death to enter the sacred bath.

The Greeks always kept baptism by immersion; the Latins, toward the end of the eighth century, having extended their religion into Gaul and Germany, and seeing that immersion might kill children in cold countries, substituted simple sprinkling, which often caused the Greek church to anathematize them.

Saint Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, was asked whether those were really baptized who had merely had the whole body sprinkled with water. He answers in his 76th letter that several churches did not believe these sprinkled persons to be Christians; that for his part he thinks they are Christians, but that they receive infinitely less grace than those who have been immersed three times according to custom.

Among Christians one was initiated as soon as one had been plunged; before that time one was only a catechumen. To be initiated one had to have sponsors, guarantors, called by a name corresponding to godparents, so that the church might be assured of the fidelity of the new Christians and the mysteries might not be divulged. That is why in the first centuries the gentiles were generally as poorly instructed in the mysteries of the Christians as the Christians were in those of Isis and Eleusis.

Cyril of Alexandria, in his work against the Emperor Julian, expresses himself thus: I would speak of baptism if I did not fear that my discourse might reach those who are not initiated.

From the second century children began to be baptized; it was natural that Christians should desire that their children, who would have been damned without this sacrament, should be provided with it. It was concluded at last that it must be administered to them after eight days, because among the Jews it was at that age that they were circumcised. The Greek church still follows that usage. Yet in the third century the custom prevailed of being baptized only at death.

Those who died in the first week were damned, according to the most rigorous fathers of the church. But Peter Chrysologus in the fifth century invented Limbo, a kind of mitigated hell, properly the edge of hell, the suburb of hell, where little children who die without baptism go, and where the patriarchs were before the descent of Jesus Christ into hell. So that the opinion that Jesus Christ descended into Limbo and not into hell has prevailed since.

People have debated whether a Christian in the deserts of Arabia could be baptized with sand; the answer was no. They asked whether rose water could be used for baptism, and it was decided that pure water was required, though muddy water was permitted. One sees easily that the whole of this discipline depended on the prudence of the first pastors who established it.

Baptism comes from Greek and means being put under water. People always follow their senses. It was easy for them to imagine that washing the body washed the soul too. Below Egypt’s temples were great tubs for priests and people admitted to the mysteries. Indians have washed themselves pure in the Ganges since time beyond memory. The ceremony remains very popular. It reached the Hebrews. Any foreigner who took up Jewish law but refused circumcision was baptized. Women especially received baptism. Circumcision wasn’t performed on them, except in Ethiopia. Baptism was a new birth: it gave them a new soul, just as in Egypt. See Epiphanius, Maimonides, and the Gemara on this.

John used the Jordan for baptism. He even baptized Jesus. Jesus himself never baptized anybody, but he chose to make this old ceremony sacred. No sign is good or bad in itself. God gives his grace through whichever sign he chooses. Before long, baptism was Christianity’s first rite and its seal. Yet all of Jerusalem’s first fifteen bishops had been circumcised. We don’t know for sure whether they’d been baptized.

In Christianity’s first centuries, people misused this sacrament. It was extremely common to put off baptism until they were dying. Emperor Constantine gives us a fairly good example. Here’s his reasoning: “Baptism washes everything away. I can kill my wife, my son, and all my relatives. Then I’ll get baptized and go to heaven.” And that’s just where he went. That example was dangerous. People gradually gave up waiting for death before entering the sacred bath.

The Greeks never stopped baptizing by putting people under water. The Latins had taken their religion into Gaul and Germany by the late eighth century. In cold countries, they saw that immersion could kill children. So they switched to simply sprinkling water. The Greek Church often put them under a formal curse for it.

People asked Carthage’s bishop, St. Cyprian, about those who’d merely had water sprinkled all over them. Had they really been baptized? His 76th letter says several churches didn’t regard these sprinkled people as Christians. He himself thinks they are Christians. But they have infinitely less grace than people dipped three times, as custom requires.

For Christians, being dipped meant being admitted to the mysteries. Until then, you were just preparing for baptism. To be admitted, you needed people to answer for you and guarantee your conduct. They had a name corresponding to godparents. The Church could then be sure new Christians would stay faithful and wouldn’t reveal its mysteries. That explains why the Gentiles generally knew so little about Christian mysteries in the early centuries. Christians knew just as little about the mysteries of Isis and Eleusis.

Writing against Emperor Julian, Cyril of Alexandria says: “I’d discuss baptism, but I’m afraid my words would reach people who haven’t been admitted to the mysteries.”

Baptizing children began in the second century. Naturally, Christians wanted this sacrament for their children, who’d be damned without it. Eventually, people decided to give it after eight days. That was the age for circumcision among Jews. The Greek Church still does this. Yet during the third century, waiting until death for baptism became the dominant custom.

The strictest Church Fathers said children dying in their first week were damned. Then, in the fifth century, Peter Chrysologus came up with limbo. This was a milder sort of hell. Properly speaking, it was hell’s edge, a suburb of hell. Unbaptized babies who died went there. So had the patriarchs, before Jesus Christ went down into hell. Since then, the prevailing view has been that Jesus Christ descended into limbo, not hell.

Could a Christian out in the Arabian deserts receive baptism with sand? People debated it and answered no. What about rosewater? The decision was that water had to be pure. Muddy water, though, was allowed. Clearly, all these rules depended on the judgment of the early church leaders who set them up.