Baptizing babies (or not) in the first century

I recently heard a Roman Catholic apologist make the statement below about infant baptism. He was referencing the lack of early historical evidence for infant baptism; and the possibility that the apostles’ did not institute the practice “because of how baptism is described in the writings of the first 150 years of church history.” He said:

“Most of the apostles would have died before most Christians were born from Christian parents rather than being converts to the faith as adults.” (Trent Horn)

I found that statement unbelievably astounding from an intelligent academic theologian and debater. I may be a little simple, but it seems to me within the realm of logic that any average Christian couple could have a baby within nine months of their conversion. No need for most of the apostles to be dead. (Certainly, this is not the sole argument he makes on the subject, but it was one that he made that I could not believe he made.)

Didache

This document—The Didache—(see link below) is generally divided into 16 chapters; it naturally falls into four parts.

Part One: The Two Ways—(Chapters 1-6) are moral instructions for the Christian life in order to prepare converts to receive the initial rite of baptism, and as the precursor to the continual rite of the Eucharist. Its stylistic approach reflect both ancient Greek philosophical literature and a classical Jewish wisdom-literature fashion.

Part Two: Christian rituals of baptism, food/fasting, and the Lord’s Supper—(Chapters 7-10). The teachings about the appropriate days to fast, how to conduct a proper baptism, and the prayer of thanksgiving are some of the earliest—if not the first—recorded liturgical manuals.

Part Three: Christian leaders—(Chapters 11-15) gives instructions regarding leaders in the early Christian Community—apostles, prophets, and teachers. This section represents a particular protocol for accepting authorities in an assumed preexisting Christian community.

Part Four—(Chapter 16) is eschatological in nature, containing exhortations of perseverance, warnings of end times and tribulation, as well as to the “Second Coming” of Jesus Christ. These apocalyptic overtones parallel similar language found in the gospels Matthew, Mark, 1 Thessalonians, and Revelation.

The links below are to a translation of The Didache of The Twelve Apostles translated by J. Louis Guthrie, as well as a biography of J. Louis Guthrie. The first document includes a Greek text of the Didache.

• The Didache of The Twelve Apostles
• Biography of J. Louis Guthrie

The writing culture of early Christians

How the First Christians Challenge Us to Be Bible Readers

According to Glenn Paauw, there about 14,000 examples preserved of ancient Roman papyrus letters. He says the average length of such letters was about 87 words.  “Even the more literary letters of someone like Cicero ranged only from 22 to 2,530 words.” This is a distinct contrast to Christian theological letters. Paul’s shortest preserved letter is the letter to Philemon. It has 339 words in Greek (TR, 429 in KJV). The letter to the church in Rome has over 7,000 words!

“…the use of letters in ancient Rome, which were common enough, yet almost always very short. In contrast, the early Christian letters were lengthy, seeking to provide whole congregations with a significant amount of instruction and teaching. Ordinary papyrus letters averaged about 87 words (we have about 14,000 examples preserved). Even the more literary letters of someone like Cicero ranged only from 22 to 2,530 words. In comparison, Paul’s shortest preserved letter, Philemon, is 395 words in Greek and his longer ones are off the charts (Romans is over 7,000 words…”

We should not anachronistically read our experience back into the Bible. We live in a day when every Christian family member likely has a Bible – even the youngest grandchildren who are yet too young to read. It was not like that in prior times. However, some have turned this around into an ahistorical world didn’t have books, even a Bible. That is a false understanding or expectation as well.

• Have ye not read (Matthew 12:3, 5: 19:4; 22:31; Mark 12:10, 26; Luke 6:3)
• And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. (Ecclesiastes 12:12)
• …a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28 was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. (Acts 8:27-28)
• Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. (Acts 19:19)
• The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments. (2 Timothy 4:13)
• These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:11)

Another related writing: Paul and First-Century Letter Writing

Fulgentius of Ruspe and Comma Johanneum

Fulgentius of Ruspe (circa AD 465 – 530) was a bishop in the 6th century in the city of Ruspe, in the Roman province of North Africa, in what is modern day Tunisia. His doctrinal writings include the polemic against the Arian doctrines of the Vandal rulers of Africa.

Responsio contra Arianos, or Against the Arians, replies to ten questions proposed by the Arian ruler King Thrasamund. Part of his response, below, seems to (1) say that John the apostle wrote, “There are three that bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, and these three are one,” and (2) that Cyprian believed that was authoritative Scripture.

In the Father, therefore, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we acknowledge unity of substance, but dare not confound the persons.

For St. John the apostle, testifieth saying, “There are three that bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, and these three are one.” Which also the blessed martyr Cyprian, in his epistle de unitate Ecclesiae (Unity of the Church), confesseth, saying, Who so breaketh the peace of Christ, and concord, acteth against Christ: whoso gathereth elsewhere beside the Church, scattereth. And that he might shew, that the Church of the one God is one, he inserted these testimonies, immediately from the scriptures; The Lord said, “I and the Father are one.” And again, “of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, it is written, ‘And these three are one.’ (1 John 5:7).”

In the book on the Lord’s Prayer as well, to show that the Trinity is of one divinity and does not have any separateness among itself, he mentioned Daniel and the three boys who would say a prayer every three hours. Thus, by the course of three hours and the service of one prayer, he evidently showed that the Trinity is one God. We, therefore, do not worship one God, [consisting] of three parts; but retaining without beginning, of the perfect and eternal Father, not unequal in power, and equal in nature; and we also confess, that the Holy Spirit is no other than God, neither different from the Father, nor the Son, nor confounded in the Son, nor in the Father. (Fulgentius, Against the Arians; Translated by Thomas Hartwell Horne,1825; Horne, “IV. Sect. V. On the First General Epistle of John” in Introduction to the Critical Study and Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, 1825, Volume 4, page 448.

In Latin:

In Patre ergo et Filio et Spiritu sancto unitatem substantiae accipimus, personas confundere non audemus.

Beatus enim Ioannes apostolus testatur, dicens: Tressunt qui testimonium perhibent in coelo, Pater, Verbum, et Spiritus; et tres unum sunt (I Ioan. V, 7) . Quod etiam beatissimus martyr Cyprianus, in epistola de Unitate Ecclesiae confitetur, dicens: Qui pacem Christi et concordiam rumpit, adversus Christum facit; qui alibi praeter Ecclesiam colligit, Christi Ecclesiam spargit. Atque ut unam Ecclesiam unius Dei esse monstraret, haec confestim testimonia de Scripturis inseruit. Dicit Dominus: Ego et Pater unum sumus. Et iterum: De Patre et Filio et Spiritu sancto scriptum est: Ettres unum sunt. 

Nam et in libro de Oratione dominica, ut ostenderet Trinitatem unius deitatis,esse nec inter se aliquam diversitatem habere, Danielem et tres pueros, ternarum horarum circulis revolutis, orationem fundere solitos memoravit. Ubi et in trium horarum curriculo, et inunius orationis officio, unum Deum esse Trinitatem evidenter ostendit. (0224C) Non ergo extribus partibus unum colimus Deum, sed apostolicae fidei regulam retinentes, perfectum et consempiternum Filium, de perfecto et sempiterno Patre, sine initio genitum, et potestate non imparem, et natura fatemur aequalem. Sanctum quoque Spiritum non aliud fatemur esse quam Deum, nec a Filio nec a Patre diversum, nec in Filio nec in Patre confusum. (Fulgentius, Responsio contra Arianos; Migne Latina, PL 65.224)

De Trinitate ad Felicem, or, Of the Trinity to Felix, also mentions the three heavenly witnesses.

See, in short you have it that the Father is one, the Son another, and the Holy Spirit another, in Person, each is other, but in nature they are not other. In this regard He says: “The Father and I, we are one.” He teaches us that “one” refers to Their nature, and ”we are” to Their persons. In like manner it is said: “There are three who bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Spirit; and these three are one.” Let Sabellius hear “we are” [plural], let him hear “three", and let him believe that there are three Persons.

Let him not blaspheme in his sacrilegious heart by saying that the Father is the same in Himself as the Son is the same in Himself and as the Holy Spirit is the same in Himself, as if in some way He could beget Himself, or in some way proceed from Himself. Even in created natures it is never able to be found that something is able to beget itself. Let also Arius hear one; and let him not say that the Son is of a different nature, if one cannot be said of that, the nature of which is different.” (Fulgentius, On the Trinity, chapter 4; Translated by William A. Jurgens, 1970, vol 3, p. 291-292)

In Latin:

En habes in brevi alium esse Patrem, alium Filium, alium Spiritum sanctum: alium etalium in persona, non aliud et aliud in natura; et idcirco Ego, inquit, et Pater unum sumus (Ioan. X, 30). Unum, ad naturam referre nos docet, Sumus, ad personas. Similiter et illud: Tres sunt, inquit, qui testimonium dicunt in coelo, Pater, Verbum, et Spiritus, et hitres unum sunt (I Ioan. V, 7). Audiat Sabellius sumus, audiat tres, et credat esse tres personas, et non sacrilego corde blasphemet, dicendo ipsum sibi esse Patrem, ipsum sibi Filium, ipsum sibi Spiritum sanctum: tanquam modo quodam seipsum gignat, aut modo quodam a seipso ipse procedat; cum hoc etiam in naturis creatis minime invenire possit, ut aliquid seipsum gignere valeat. Audiat scilicet et Arius, Unum, et non differentis Filium dicat essenaturae, cum natura diversa unum dici nequeat. (Fulgentius, De Trinitate, chap iv; Migne Latina, PL 65.500)

Other notes about Fulgentius of Ruspe.

• Fulgentius wrote frequently against Arianism and Pelagianism.
• Eight of the doctrinal treatises ascribed to him are solidly considered to be authentic (i.e., ascribed correctly).
• Pseudo-Fulgentius, by an anonymous Nicene author, was incorrectly attributed to Fulgentius of Ruspe in the17th century.
• De fide ad Petrum was formerly attributed to Augustine, but now understood to be by Fulgentius.

The important point to take away from Fulgentius of Ruspe is not whether he was “doctrinally sound all around,” but that he, in the 6th century, knew of and is witness to Scripture (manuscripts) that contained what we call the Johannine Comma, Comma Johanneum, or the Three Heavenly Witnesses.

Early church writers and Mark 16

When someone tells you that Mark 16:9-20 was not originally in Mark, think about this. Notice a little of the chronology, geography, and variety of early church writers who mention or quote from it. Or as James Snapp, Jr. put it, “From Patrick in Ireland, to Irenaeus in Gaul, to Augustine in North Africa, to Epiphanius in Cyprus, to Aphrahat in Syria, to Eznik in Armenia, the support for these 12 verses is early, abundant, and widespread.” Here are six recognizable names of early church writers, from Mesopotamia to Britain.

• Justin Martyr, Asia Minor. Written circa AD 160. First Apology, Chapter 45.
• Tatian of Adiabene (northern Mesopotamia). Compiled circa AD 170. Diatessaron (a harmony of the Gospels).
• Irenaeus of Lyon (present-day France). Written circa AD 175-185. Against Heresies, Book 3, Chapter 10.5.
• Hippolytus of Rome (Italy). Written circa AD 220. Apostolic Traditions, 36.1 (allusion to Mark 16:18).
• Augustine of Hippo (North Africa). Lived AD 354 – AD 430. On the Soul and Its Origin, Book 2, Chapters 17, 23; Homily 4 on the First Epistle of John; The Harmony of the Gospels, Book III, Chapter 24.
• Patrick of Ireland (British Isles). Lived probably 4th century AD. Confessions (paragraph 40); Letter to Soldiers of Coroticus (paragraph 20).

Didache, the Model Prayer and the Received Text

The Didache (aka The Doctrine/Teaching of the 12 Apostles) is an early Christian instructional text. There appears to be little dispute that its origin should be dated in the mid-to-late first-century AD.  A manuscript of it was discovered in 1873, which copy dates to around AD 1050. The accuracy of this copy has been demonstrated by comparisons to much earlier quotations from it. The Didache (as well as many writings of early church fathers) stands as testimony of the early date of the Byzantine/Majority group of manuscripts. This is important in contrast to claims that this text type is of late origin and therefore inferior to the Alexandrian/Critical text type.

Beneath is an example of how the English translations of The Didache corresponds more closely to the King James translation from the Byzantine Received text than the New International translation from the Alexandrian Critical text. Below that is given a comparison of the Greek Didache text with the Stephanus Greek text of 1550.

KJV Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come . Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

NIV Matthew 6:9 "This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'

Didache 8:2 Roberts-Donaldson English Translation
Do not pray like the hypocrites, but rather as the Lord commanded in His Gospel, like this: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily (needful) bread, and forgive us our debt as we also forgive our debtors. And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (or, evil); for Thine is the power and the glory for ever.

Greek Didache prepared by Wieland Willker from the critical edition of Funk/Bihlmeyer (1924). Unicode version by Thomas Thackery.
8:2 μηδε προσευχεσθε ως οι υποκριται, αλλ' ως εκελευσεν ο κυριος εν τω ευαγγελιω αυτου, ουτω προσευχεσθε, πατηρ ημων ο εν τω ουρανω, αγιασθητω το ονομα σου, ελθετω η βασιλεια σου, γενηθητω το θελημα σου ως εν ουρανω και επι γης, τον αρτον ημων τον επιουσιον δος ημιν σημερον, και αφες ημιν την οφειλην ημων, ως και ημεις αφιεμεν τοις οφειλεταις ημων, και μη εισενεγκης ημας εις πειρασμον, αλλα ρυσαι ημας απο του πονηρου, οτι σου εστιν η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας.

Stephanus 1550 Greek New Testament Matthew 6:9 Οὕτως οὖν προσεύχεσθε ὑμεῖς· Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου·
10 ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου· γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· 11 Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον· 12 καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν· 13 καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοῦς αἰῶνας ἀμήν

Saint Patrick a Baptist?

Around this time every year, thoughts turn to “Saint Patrick”. Now, most people are thinking of parades and wearing green, but some Baptists wonder “Was St. Patrick a Baptist?” Here are links to some sites that discuss it, another Baptist site with St. Patrick quotes and other items. I do not know whether or not he was. I have read his writings and am convinced he was not Roman Catholic. Regardless, perhaps this will entertain through another St. Patrick’s Day season of the year.

St. Patrick a Baptist! by L. K. Landis
St. Patrick was a Baptist, by John Summerfield Wimbish
Was Saint Patrick A Baptist? by W. A. Jarrel
St. Patrick was a Baptist preacher, by W. A. Criswell
The Real St. Patrick, by Ted Olsen
The “Confessio” of Saint Patrick
St. Patrick quotes

The Lollard Bible

The Significance of the Lollard Bible by Margaret Deanesly, 1951

Early church quotes

Polycarp: "O Lord God Almighty, the Father of the beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, by Whom we have received the knowledge of Thee, the God of angels and powers, and of every creature, and of the whole race of the righteous who live before Thee, I give Thee thanks that Thou hast counted me worthy of this day and this hour, that I should have a part in the number of Thy martyrs, in the cup of thy Christ, to the resurrection of eternal life, both of soul and body, through the incorruption by the Holy Spirit. Among whom may I be accepted this day before Thee as a fat and acceptable sacrifice, according as Thou, the ever-truthful God, hast foreordained, hast revealed beforehand to me, and now hast fulfilled. Wherefore also I praise Thee for all things, I bless Thee, I glorify Thee, along with the everlasting and heavenly Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Son, with Whom, to Thee, and the Holy Spirit, be glory both now and to all coming ages. Amen."

Minucius Felix said, "That many of us are poor is not our disgrace but our glory."

Tertullian said, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church."

"I could wish nothing better for you than this, gentlemen, that you may come to the same opinion as ourselves and believe that Jesus is the Son of God." – Justin Martyr, from The Answer to Trypho.

Justin Martyr said, "Wherever there is truth it comes from Christ and so it belongs to us."

Tertullian: "What then has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What has the academy to do with the church? What have heretics to do with Christians? Our instruction is from the porch of Solomon who himself handed down that the Lord is to be sought in simplicity of heart. Away with those who produce Stoic, Platonic, and Dialectic Christianity. We have no need of curiosity after we have Christianity, nor of inquisitiveness after we have the Gospel. Since we believe we desire nothing else to believe. For the first thing we believe is that there is nothing else we ought to believe."

Tertullian: "I believe because it is absurd. God's Son has died. That is credible because it is foolishness. And He was buried and is risen. That is certain because it is impossible."

If it happens, it's their fault!

Early Christians in the Roman Empire were a favored scapegoat. They were blamed for almost everything. Tertullian wrote, "If the Tiber reaches the walls, if the Nile does not rise to the fields, if the sky does not move so that there is drought, or if the earth does move so that there is an earthquake, if there is a famine, if there is a plague, the cry is at once, 'Send the Christians to the lions!'"