Baptismal Rites

Scripture does not give the details of baptismal rites, simply saying that water was used and that believers needed to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 27:19). Beyond that, we cannot be too dogmatic.

Having said this, however, the early church developed liturgies for baptismal rites, and it would be good to learn about them. This would help us think about baptismal rites the church might use today.

Anglicanism is a Reformed Catholicism, a reformation that returns to the teaching and practice of the church of the first five centuries. Anglicanism holds this position because the first five centuries brought the faith to flower in both doctrine and practice, and further, in subsequent centuries, a number of non-biblical doctrines and practices entered into the life of the church. With this in mind, let us consider aspects of the ancient baptismal liturgies, but first, a theological comment as preface to these liturgies.

The Christian religion is an incarnational religion. God’s acts of revelation are visible and audible, things you can touch, see, and hear. In the Old Testament, the primary revelation was the Exodus and gift of the land, something experienced through the senses. In the New Testament, God revealed himself in Jesus. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life” (1 John 1:1).

Further, when this revelation is set forth in preaching, teaching, worship, and ministry, it is also conveyed by words, deeds, and surroundings that are received through the senses. For this reason the fundamental realities of the Christian faith need to be represented physically, something that one can hear, touch, and see. This is especially important in worship. The Eucharist, for example, conveys the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ through things that are heard, seen, and touched.

Scripture presents a range of meanings for baptism, and when the early church developed baptismal liturgies, these liturgies reflected these various meanings. According to the incarnational nature of the faith, these meanings were represented in actions, words, and surroundings that reflected the meaning. This can be seen in the development of the early baptismal rites. To show this, I will give an extended quotation from the excellent book by Maxwell E. Johnson, The Rites of Christian Initiation. This will be followed by a description of the pattern of baptismal rites that were developed in both the East and the West. It will be seen that these rites reflected the meanings attributed to baptism in Scripture. Here are some of the ways baptism was understood by the church of the first few centuries,

…. forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38); new birth through water and the Holy Spirit (John 3:5; Titus 3:5-7); putting off the “old nature” and “putting on the new,” that is, “being clothed in the righteousness of Christ” (Gal 3:27; Col 3:9-10); initiation into the “one body” of the Christian community (1 Cor 12:13; see also Acts 2:42); washing, sanctification, and justification in Christ and the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:11); enlightenment (Heb 6:4, 10: 32; 1 Peter 2:9); being “anointed” and/or “sealed” with the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 1:21-22; 1 John 2:20, 27); being “sealed” or “marked” as belonging to God and God's people (2 Cor 1:21-22; Eph 1:13-14, 4:30; Rev 7:3); and, of course, being joined to Christ through participation in his death, burial, and resurrection (Rom 6:3-11; Col 2:12-15).(1)

By the fourth and fifth centuries, the baptismal rites of both East and West had assumed a similar shape. Since the catechumenate was so closely connected to the baptismal rites, I will repeat aspects of what was said in a prior essay, The Believer’s Baptismal Promises, to give a picture of the whole.

Here is how the catechumenate and baptismal rites developed in the Eastern Church in the fourth and fifth centuries.(2)

1. The adoption of Easter as the time of baptism and the season of Lent as the time for final baptismal preparation.

2. The use of scrutinies and exorcisms throughout the final period of the catechumenate, the period when those to be baptized were taught and exorcised.

3. The development of the rites of renunciation and adherence as demonstrating a “change of ownership” for the candidates. These rites were developed in conjunction with the baptismal service itself.

4. The development of ceremonies like the solemn traditio symboli, the teaching of the Creed to the catechumens prior to baptism, and within the baptismal rite itself, the redittio symboli, the public proclamation of the Creed by those to be baptized.

5. Prior to the baptism itself, there was a pre-baptismal anointing as a final rite of exorcism and purification in preparation for the spiritual combat which characterizes the Christian life.

6. The use of Romans 6 as the dominant metaphor for interpreting the baptismal immersion.

7. The introduction of a post-baptismal anointing associated with the gift of the Holy Spirit.

This led to the following form of the baptismal service itself:

1. Renunciation of Satan and allegiance given to Christ (change of ownership from Satan to Christ).

2. Anointing of the body, representing exorcism and preparation for spiritual combat.

3. Stripping of clothing, representing complete surrender of the old life and preparation for the new.

4. Interrogations (asking the candidate to affirm the principle Christian beliefs found in the Creeds).

5. The baptism itself in the name of the Trinity.

6. Anointing, representing the receiving of the Spirit.

7. The kiss, representing the new fellowship.

8. The white garment, representing being clothed in the purity of Christ.

9. The Eucharist, participating in the holy rite which brings believers into one body before the throne of God.

In the East, children and infants were baptized, and once baptized, were given the bread and wine of communion. The practice of giving bread and wine to the newly baptized infants has continued in the East into the present, and in the West, for at least the first millennium of the Christian era.(3)

Here are the common features found in the Church of Rome which became normative for the West.(4)

1. Enrollment in the catechumenate for unspecified length of time, with instruction, exorcism and exsufflation (blowing). Exsufflation, blowing upon a candidate in conjunction with exorcism, had its origin in John 20:22 where Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit, …”

2. Accepted for baptism, with a final baptismal preparation during the 40 days of Lent.

3. Three scrutinies during the time of final preparation, on the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent.

4. Pre-baptismal anointing of the senses. This crowned the catechumenical process which cleansed the senses so believers could hear and see God.

5. Baptism in the triune name by triple immersion corresponding to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

6. Vested in white.

7. Post-baptismal anointing on the crown of the newly baptized head with chrism, associated with the priesthood of Christ and administered by a presbyter.

8. The laying-on-of-hands and a second anointing on the forehead with chrism by the Bishop, associated with the gift of the Spirit.

9. Reception of first communion including the cup of milk and honey.

This led, after the catechumen had completed the pre-baptismal rites (sections 1-3 just given), to the following baptismal service:

1. Anointing of the senses associated with the priesthood of Christ.

2. Renunciation of the devil.

3. The water baptism itself in the name of the Trinity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

4. Anointing on the head by a presbyter associated with the priesthood of Christ.

5. Clothed in a white garment representing the purity of Christ.

6. Hand-laying and anointing by the bishop representing the gift of the Spirit as well as connecting baptism with the ministry of the apostles since the bishop was understood as a successor to the apostles.

8. Eucharist, including the cup of milk and honey.

The Christian East did not require the bishop to be present for the anointing for the Spirit immediately after the baptism. The West, however, reserved this anointing for the bishop. Since the bishop could not always be present for every baptism, the custom arose to reserve the anointing until later. Eventually, this separate anointing became the rite of Confirmation and First Communion.(5) The period of exorcism and teaching prior to baptism was discarded, leaving only the bare rite of infant baptism followed some years later by Confirmation and First Communion. This led to a distortion of what had originally been a single rite of baptism. The East kept the ancient practice of anointing by the priest immediately after baptism, leading at once to Eucharist for the baptized, including children. By the tenth or eleventh century, the West had already separated baptism from the anointing, thereby not giving children communion until after their confirmation.

A number of comments are in order. These comments are given with the goal of arriving at a general pattern for liturgies of today.

First, it can readily be seen that the period of spiritual formation was integrally connected to the baptismal rite itself. This must be emphasized. Baptism is a covenant, and on the human side, an important part of the covenant is for the local church to provide the teaching and ministry needed to enable Christians to grow in grace. God works in all circumstances to fulfill his covenant promises, but he normally works through the ministries of his body. For that reason, he calls the church to become enablers of his grace by preaching and teaching, worship and sacraments, and the many ministries including the scrutinies and the exorcisms. I have described this process in the essay A New Heart and Soul. The church today, at least the Anglican wing of the church, needs to be strengthened in the area of spiritual formation.

We may also note that baptism was in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In obedience to Matthew 28:19, this was the universal practice of the ancient church. In modern times, certain groups of Christians have baptized in the name of Jesus only, quoting passages in Acts (Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5), but the great tradition of the church from the beginning has been to baptize in the full triune name of God -- Father, Son, and Spirit. When interpreting Scripture, on issues where there is uncertainty, it is best to hold to the traditional interpretation.

Among other things, it is not clear that the Acts passages mentioning baptism in the name of Jesus, or of Jesus Christ, are baptismal formulas. According to the book of Acts, the apostles did many things in the name of Jesus, especially preaching and healing, with some thirteen references other than baptism. The phrase, “in the name of Jesus,” means simply done under his authority and by his personal presence. The baptismal command of Matthew 28:19 is much more definite, being a direct command of the Lord and therefore binding.

Theologically, baptism means entering into a relationship with the living God. This God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The modalist heresy was the belief that the persons of the Trinity were not distinguished by real inner-triune relations, and therefore, the manifestations of God in creation, Christ, and the Spirit, were manifestations of one God as one person. Baptizing into the one name of Jesus does not guard against modalism, but reinforces the belief that God is only one person, not three, with the three differing names simply being interchangeable for the one person. In fact, this modalistic heresy is held by some groups that baptize in the name of Jesus only. Baptizing in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit introduces one to the dynamic, living reality of God as one comes before the throne of the living Father through the veil of Christ’s crucified and risen flesh as made alive in our present experience by the Spirit. For that reason, the church has always taught that baptism with water and the triune name were both necessary for a valid baptism.

Another feature of the ancient baptismal liturgies is that immediately after the water baptism the person was anointed as a sign of receiving the Holy Spirit. This is not to say that the baptism itself does not convey the Spirit. The name, “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” includes the Holy Spirit, and given the biblical understanding of name, conveys what the name signifies.

On the other hand, the living, triune God reveals himself by Word and Spirit, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. These two persons are distinct, distinguished by the inner-triune relations, yet related by these relations and by sharing the one essence of God. Reflective of this distinction and relatedness, the ancient liturgies baptized with water and anointed with oil to represent the coming of the Spirit, all within the one rite. This reflected Christ’s own baptism in which the Spirit, after Christ had come out of the water, descended upon Jesus as a dove.

Among the Hebrews it was customary to anoint with oil those who began a new office, such as the anointing of priests or kings. This anointing represented the authority of God to carry out their commissions. Jesus understood his receiving the Spirit at his baptism as an anointing. In Luke 4:18, he says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” According to Acts 10:38, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” In 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Paul describes how believers, by virtue of the relation to Christ, are anointed by the Spirit. In light of these biblical references, it is appropriate to anoint those baptized with oil for the anointing of the Spirit. Given that the Spirit is promised in baptism, this needs to occur within the rite of baptism, immediately after the washing by water. In this respect, in reference to the early baptismal liturgies, McDonnell and Montague will say, “No initiatory rite, East or West, could claim baptism without it.”(6)

The baptismal bath and the anointing of the Spirit belong together since the Son and the Spirit cannot be separated within the triune life. Nor can they be fused into one as occurs in modalism. Baptism with water and anointing with oil in the one rite of holy baptism, rather than a rite of water baptism and another rite of confirmation by anointing with oil, reflect the ancient tradition and theological truth. Having said this, however, Scripture does not command that believers be anointed with oil at their baptism, and therefore, it cannot be required as an article of faith. Though not specifically commanded by Scripture, it is consonant with the deep structure of the biblical revelation and appropriate at baptism.

As described in the text referred to above, that of Johnson, the early sources for the Roman Rite of baptism do not mention the renunciation of Satan and the affirmation of Christ as part of the Roman baptismal liturgies. Generally speaking, however,

renunciations and affirmations have been a part of the baptismal rites from the beginning. J.N.D. Kelly in his excellent study of the ancient creeds believes that the affirmations and renunciations of baptism led to the development of some of the creedal forms found in the New Testament.(7) As seen above, the renunciations and affirmation of Christ were included in the Eastern Rites, and in the West, although not mentioned in the early sources for the Roman liturgies, were found in other western liturgies.(8) The Sarum Rite, the primary source for the Anglican Prayer books, and the Anglican books themselves, contain the renunciations and affirmations. Here are the words of the 1662 Prayer Book.

Minister

DOST thou, in the name of this Child, renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the carnal desires of the flesh, so that thou wilt not follow, nor be led by them?

Answer

I renounce them all.

Minister

DOST thou believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth?

And in Jesus Christ his only-begotten Son our Lord? And that he was conceived by the Holy Ghost; born of the Virgin Mary; that he suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; that he went down into hell, and also did rise again the third day; that he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; and from thence shall come again at the end of the world, to judge the quick and the dead?

And dost thou believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Catholick Church; the Communion of Saints; the Remission of sins; the Resurrection of the flesh; and everlasting life after death?

Answer

All this I stedfastly believe.

Minister

WILT thou be baptized in this faith?

Answer

That is my desire.

Minister

WILT thou then obediently keep God's holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of thy life?

Answer

I will.

Minister

Answer

I renounce them all.

Minister

DOST thou believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth?

And dost thou believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Catholick Church; the Communion of Saints; the Remission of sins; the Resurrection of the flesh; and everlasting life after death?

Answer

All this I stedfastly believe.

Minister

WILT thou be baptized in this faith?

Answer

That is my desire.

Minister

WILT thou then obediently keep God's holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of thy life?

Answer

I will.

Baptism is a covenant, and biblical covenants have three parts, God’s mighty acts, mutual commitments, and a solemn act. The renunciations and affirmations of baptism are part of the mutual commitments of the covenant, and therefore, it is vital that they be included in the baptismal rite. Of course, at times, such as baptizing someone about to die, or under other difficult circumstances, the full rite cannot be implemented, simply baptizing with water in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit is sufficient. Under normal circumstances, however, the renunciations and affirmations belong to the baptismal rite.

Since baptism is a covenant between God, the person being baptized, and the church, it is important to baptize in the church at a time when the community is accustomed to worship. Easter Eve is the traditional time, but other Sundays are often used. Such matters depend, in part, upon time and circumstances. It is also appropriate that the entire congregation have some role to play in the baptism since baptism is a covenant between the baptized, the congregation, and God. They can, for example, affirm the Apostles’ Creed together with the baptized. Ending the baptismal service with the Holy Eucharist not only conforms to ancient practice, but, given that Eucharist is a covenant renewal service, it is appropriate for the congregation to solemnize the renewal of their baptismal covenant by the body and blood of Christ.

There is some disagreement among the churches as to how baptism should be administered, whether by immersion, or sprinkling, or dipping into the water. Scripture nowhere states how baptism is to be administered, simply saying that water is required. Further, those that affirm immersion as the only option, often claim that it reflects the death and resurrection of Christ and is therefore the only valid form. Death and resurrection are certainly one meaning of baptism, but as has been affirmed in these essays on baptism, there are many other meanings as well. Throughout the centuries a number of forms have been used, immersion, sprinkling, dipping, and pouring. Scripture emphasizes the work of God and the human response of repentance and faith, saying nothing about the exact form. John Rodgers sums up the Anglican position in these words,

Some want to make a particular mode of the application of water in baptism to be essential to genuine baptism. This is hard to defend, either from the word baptize or from the practice of Scripture. All of the modes – sprinkling, pouring, or immersion – emphasize some part of the meaning of salvation in Christ that is signed and sealed in baptism. Immersion highlights the significance of dying and rising in Christ. Pouring emphasizes being cleansed in the blood of the Lamb. Sprinkling recalls the sprinkling of the blood of the sacrifice on the Altar and upon the believer, providing atonement and justification. Anglicans have said that whatever mode of application of water in the baptism the person to be baptized desires should be made available.(9)

Other features of the ancient liturgies such as the stripping of clothes and clothing with the white robe, the anointing of the senses, the kiss, and the cup of milk and honey reflect biblical realities, but are not as close to the heart of baptism. Also, when the Eucharist is celebrated, the kiss is given in the passing of the peace. Be that as it may, these further customs may be incorporated into the baptismal liturgy according to the various traditions which depend in part upon the various times, places, and cultures. They are neither commanded by Scripture nor explicitly denied, and therefore, can be used if they are edifying in a particular cultural context.

Endnotes

1 Maxwell E. Johnson, The Rites of Christian Initiation, p. 30.
2 Johnson, The Rites of Christian Initiation, pp. 122-123.
3 Johnson, The Rites of Christian Initiation, p. 69.
4 Johnson, The Rites of Christian Initiation, pp. 133-4.
5 Johnson, The Rites of Christian Initiation, pp. 83, 201-3.
6 Kilian McDonnell and George T. Montague Christian Initiation and Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1991), p. 342.
7 J.N.D. Kelly, Early Christian Creeds, third edition (New York: David McKay Company, Inc., 1972). p. 13.
8 Johnson, The Rites of Christian Initiation, p. 157.
9 John Rodgers, Essential Truths for Christians (Blue Bell: Classical Anglican Press, 2011), p. 496.