28. Let no one be misled by the fact of the apostle’s frequently omitting the name of the Father and of the Holy Spirit when making mention of baptism, or on this account imagine that the invocation of the names is not observed. “As many of you,” he says, “as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ;”  1  Gal. iii. 27, R.V. and again, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death.”  2  Rom. vi. 3, with change to 2d person. For the naming of Christ is the confession of the whole,  3  cf. note on p. 17. shewing forth as it does the God who gave, the Son who received, and the Spirit who is, the unction.  4  “ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προσηγορία …δηλοῖ τόν τε Χρίσαντα Θεὸν καὶ τὸν Χρισθέντα Υἱ& 232·ν καὶ τὸ Χρίσμα τὸ Πνεῦμα.” So we have learned from Peter, in the Acts, of “Jesus of Nazareth whom God anointed with the Holy Ghost;”  5  Acts x. 38. and in Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me;”  6  Is. lx. 1. and the Psalmist, “Therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”  7  Ps. xlv. 7. Scripture, however, in the case of baptism, sometimes plainly mentions the Spirit alone.  8  No subject occurs in the original, but “Scripture” seems better than “the Apostle” of the Bened. Tr. “Videtur fecisse mentionem,” moreover, is not the Latin for φαίνεται μνημονεύσας, but for φαίνεται μνημονεῦσαι.

“For into one Spirit,”  9  Sic. it says, “we were all baptized in  10  Sic. one body.”  11  1 Cor. xii. 13, loosely quoted. And in harmony with this are the passages: “You shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost,”  12  Acts i. 5. and “He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.”  13  Luke iii. 16. But no one on this account would be justified in calling that baptism a perfect baptism wherein only the name of the Spirit was invoked. For the tradition that has been given us by the quickening grace must remain for ever inviolate. He who redeemed our life from destruction  14  cf. Ps. ciii. 4. gave us power of renewal, whereof the cause is ineffable and hidden in mystery, but bringing great salvation to our souls, so that to add or to take away anything  15  cf. Deut. iv. 2, and Rev. xxi. 18, 19. involves manifestly a falling away from the life everlasting. If then in baptism the separation of the Spirit from the Father and the Son is perilous to the baptizer, and of no advantage to the baptized, how can the rending asunder of the Spirit from Father and from Son be safe for us?  16  cf. note on p. 17. Faith and baptism are two kindred and inseparable ways of salvation: faith is perfected through baptism, baptism is established through faith, and both are completed by the same names. For as we believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, so are we also baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost; first comes the confession, introducing us to salvation, and baptism follows, setting the seal upon our assent.

[28] Καὶ μηδένα παρακρουέσθω τὸ τοῦ ἀποστόλου, ὡς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ βαπτίσματος μνήμης πολλάκις παραλιμπάνοντος, μηδὲ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπαρατήρητον οἰέσθω τὴν ἐπίκλησιν εἶναι τῶν ὀνομάτων. «Ὅσοι, φησίν, εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε.» Καὶ πάλιν: «Ὅσοι εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, εἰς τὸν θάνατον αὐτοῦ ἐβαπτίσθητε.» Ἡ γὰρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προσηγορία τοῦ παντός ἐστιν ὁμολογία: δηλοῖ γὰρ τόν τε χρίσαντα Θεὸν καὶ τὸν χρισθέντα Υἱὸν καὶ τὸ χρῖσμα τὸ Πνεῦμα, ὡς παρὰ Πέτρου ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι μεμαθήκαμεν: «Ἰησοῦν τὸν ἀπὸ Ναζαρέτ, ὃν ἔχρισεν ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ.» Καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἠσαΐᾳ: «Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμέ, οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέ με.» Καὶ ὁ ψαλμῳδός: «Διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέ σε ὁ Θεὸς ὁ Θεός σου ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως.» Φαίνεται μέντοι ποτὲ καὶ μόνου τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐπὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος μνημονεύσας. «Πάντες γάρ, φησίν, ἐν ἑνὶ σώματι εἰς ἓν Πνεῦμα ἐβαπτίσθημεν.» Συμφωνεῖ δὲ τούτῳ καὶ τό: «Ὑμεῖς δὲ βαπτισθήσεσθε ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ»: καὶ τό: «Αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ.» Ἀλλ' οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο τέλειον ἄν τις εἴποι βάπτισμα, ᾧ μόνον τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐπεκλήθη. Χρὴ γὰρ ἀπαράβατον μένειν ἀεὶ τὴν ἐν τῇ ζωοποιῷ χάριτι δεδομένην παράδοσιν. Ὁ γὰρ λυτρωσάμενος ἐκ φθορᾶς τὴν ζωὴν ἡμῶν, ἔδωκε δύναμιν ἡμῖν ἀνακαινώσεως, ἄρρητον μὲν ἔχουσαν τὴν αἰτίαν καὶ ἐν μυστηρίῳ κατεχομένην, μεγάλην δὲ ταῖς ψυχαῖς τὴν σωτηρίαν φέρουσαν. Ὥστε τὸ προσθεῖναί τι ἢ ἀφελεῖν, ζωῆς ἐστι τῆς ἀϊδίου προδήλως ἔκπτωσις. Εἰ τοίνυν ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι ὁ χωρισμὸς τοῦ Πνεύματος ἀπὸ Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ ἐπικίνδυνος μὲν τῷ βαπτίζοντι, ἀνωφελὴς δὲ τῷ δεχομένῳ, πῶς ἡμῖν ἀσφαλὲς ἀπὸ Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ διασπᾶν τὸ Πνεῦμα; Πίστις δὲ καὶ βάπτισμα, δύο τρόποι τῆς σωτηρίας, συμφυεῖς ἀλλήλοις καὶ ἀδιαίρετοι. Πίστις μὲν γὰρ τελειοῦται διὰ βαπτίσματος, βάπτισμα δὲ θεμελιοῦται διὰ τῆς πίστεως, καὶ διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν ὀνομάτων ἑκάτερα πληροῦται. Ὡς γὰρ πιστεύομεν εἰς Πατέρα καὶ Υἱὸν καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, οὕτω καὶ βαπτιζόμεθα εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Καὶ προάγει μὲν ἡ ὁμολογία πρὸς τὴν σωτηρίαν εἰσάγουσα: ἐπακολουθεῖ δὲ τὸ βάπτισμα ἐπισφραγίζον ἡμῶν τὴν συγκατάθεσιν.