Anonymous Treatise on Re-baptism.

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 A Treatise on Re-Baptism by an Anonymous Writer. That They Who Have Once Been Washed in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Ought Not to Be Re-Baptized

 1. I observe that it has been asked among the brethren what course ought specially to be adopted towards the persons of those who, although baptized i

 2. To such, then, as approach to a discussion of saving and modern, that is, of spiritual and evangelical baptism, there occurs first of all the annou

 3. And to these things thou perchance, who art bringing in some novelty, mayest immediately and impatiently reply, as thou art wont, that the Lord sai

 4. And this being found to be so, what thinkest thou, my brother? If a man be not baptized by a bishop, so as even at once to have the imposition of h

 5. And if this be so, and the occurrence of any of these things cannot deprive a man who believes, of salvation, thou thyself also affirmest that the

 6. And this also,—looking at it from the opposite side of this discussion,—those disciples of our Lord themselves attained, upon whom, being previousl

 7. Neither must you esteem what our Lord said as being contrary to this treatment: “Go ye, teach the nations baptize them in the name of the Father,

 8. But these things thou wilt, as thou art wont, contradict, by objecting to us, that when they baptized, the disciples were baptized perfectly, and r

 9. By which things, and by many deeds of this kind tending to His glory, it appeared to follow as a consequence, that in whatever manner the Jews thin

 10. Besides, what wilt thou say of those who are in many cases baptized by bishops of very bad character, who yet at length, when God so wills it, con

 11. And what wilt thou determine against the person of him who hears the word, and haply taken up in the name of Christ, has at once confessed, and ha

 12. Wherefore the whole of this discussion must be considered, that it may be made clearer. For the invocation of the name of Jesus can only be an adv

 13. For any one of us will hold it necessary, that whatever is the last thing to be found in a man in this respect, is that whereby he must be judged,

 14. And even to this point the whole of that heretical baptism may be amended, after the intervention of some space of time, if a man should survive a

 15. And since we seem to have divided all spiritual baptism in a threefold manner, let us come also to the proof of the statement proposed, that we ma

 16. But since the first part of this argument seems to be unfolded, we ought to touch on its subsequent part, on account of the heretics because it i

 17. Moreover, if a man of this sort should again return to thee, thou wilt assuredly hesitate whether he may have baptism or no and yet it will behov

 18. And the Spirit, indeed, continues to this day invisible to men, as the Lord says, “The Spirit breathes where He will and thou knowest not whence

 19. I think that we have fully followed out the announcement of John the Baptist, whence we began our discourse, when he said to the Jews, “I indeed b

11. And what wilt thou determine against the person of him who hears the word,33    By him who hears the word is meant a catechumen (Rigaltius). [Bunsen, vol. ii. p. 317. He quotes the Apostolical Constitutions (Alexandria), “Let the catechumens be three years hearing the word,” etc.] and haply taken up in the name of Christ, has at once confessed, and has been punished before it has been granted him to be baptized with water? Wilt thou declare him to have perished because he has not been baptized with water? Or, indeed, wilt thou think that there may be something from without that helps him to salvation, although he is not baptized with water?  Thy thinking him to have perished will be opposed by the sentence of the Lord, who says, “Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father which is in heaven;”34    Matt. x. 32. because it is no matter whether he who confesses for the Lord is a hearer of the word or a believer, so long as he confesses that same Christ whom he ought to confess; because the Lord, by confessing him, in turn Himself graces His confessor before his Father with the glory of his martyrdom, as He promised. But this assuredly ought not to be taken too liberally, as if it could be stretched to such a point as that any heretic can confess the name of Christ who notwithstanding denies Christ Himself; that he believes on another Christ, when Christ avows that it cannot avail him at all; forasmuch as the Lord said that He35    The original interpolates “non.” must needs be brought to confession by us before men, which cannot be done without Him, and without veneration of His name. And therefore both36    [Scil. baptisms (?) i.e., of water and of blood.] ought to stand by the confessor, sound, and sincere, and uncontaminated, and inviolated, without any choice being made of the confessor himself, whether he is righteous or a sinner, and a perfect Christian or an imperfect one, who has not feared to confess the Lord at his own greatest peril. And this is not contrary to the former discussion, because there is left therein time for the correction of many things which are bad, and because certain things are conceded to the very name only of our Lord; while martyrdom cannot be consummated except in the Lord and by the Lord Himself, and therefore nobody can confess Christ without His name, nor can the name of Christ avail any one for confession without Christ Himself.

XI. Quid autem statues in personam ejus verbum audientis qui forte apprehensus in nomine Christi statim confessus, ac priusquam baptizari aqua permitteretur ei, fuerit punitus; utrum perisse eum pronuntiabis quia non est aqua baptizatus, an vero aliquid extrinsecus patrocinari ad salutem existimabis, licet non sit aqua baptizatus? Quod 1195D perisse eum existimabis, obviam tibi veniet sententia Domini dicentis: Quicumque me confessus fuerit coram hominibus, confitebor illum et ego coram Patre meo qui in coelis est (Matth. X, 32): quia nihil interest utrum hic verbum audiens an fidelis sit qui confitetur Domino, dummodo ipsum Christum quem confiteri oportet, confiteatur; quia Dominus pari vice confitendo et ipse confessorem suum apud Patrem, honore eum martyrii sui, ut pollicitus est, exornet. Quod utique non debet latius accipi, quasi possit usquequaque porrigi, quia potest 1196A Christi nomen etiam haereticus aliquis qui tamen ipsum Christum negat, confiteri; quia in alium Christum credit, cum Christus confiteatur quod ei prodesse minime possit: siquidem Dominus non se ipsum in confessionem a nobis coram hominibus deduci oportere dixit, quod sine ipso et sine venerando nomine ejus non potest fieri. Et ideo integrum ac sincerum et incontaminatum et inviolatum utrumque debet consistere confitenti, nullo delectu habito ipsius confessoris, sive ille justus, sive peccator, perfectusque Christianus, an vero etiam nunc imperfectus, qui summo discrimine suo Dominum confiteri non timuit. Nec est hoc contrarium superiori tractatui: quia illic quidem tempus superat ad corrigenda quae multa vel prava sunt, 1196B et quoniam quaedam concessa sunt ipsi tantummodo nomini Domini nostri, martyrium autem nonnisi in ipso et per ipsum Dominum possit consummari; et idcirco neque Christum sine ipsus nomine quis possit confiteri, neque nomen Christi sine ipso Christo ad confessionem cuiquam possit patrocinari.