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 hands, and should yet die before having received the Holy Spirit, should you judge him to have received salvation or not? Because, indeed, both the apostles themselves and the disciples, who also baptized others, and were themselves baptized by the Lord, did not at once receive the Holy Spirit, for He had not as yet been given, because that Jesus had not as yet been glorified. And after His resurrection no small interval of time elapsed before that took place,—even as also the Samaritans, when they were baptized by Philip, did not receive the gift until the apostles invited from Jerusalem to Samaria went down to them to lay hands upon them, and conferred on them the Holy Spirit by the imposition of hands. Because in that interval of time any one of them who had not attained the Holy Spirit, might have been cut off by death, and die defrauded of the grace of the Holy Spirit.  And it cannot be doubted also, that in the present day this sort of thing is usual, and happens frequently, that many after baptism depart from this life without imposition of the bishop’s hands, and yet are esteemed perfected believers. Just as the Ethiopian eunuch, when he was returning from Jerusalem and reading the prophet Isaiah, and was in doubt, having at the Spirit’s suggestion heard the truth from Philip the deacon, believed and was baptized; and when he had gone up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no more. For he went on his way rejoicing, although, as thou observest, hands were not laid on him by the bishop, that he might receive the Holy Spirit. But if thou admittest this, and believest it to be saving, and dost not gainsay the opinion of all the faithful, thou must needs confess this, that even as this principle proceeds to be more largely discussed, that other also can be more broadly established; that is, that by the imposition of hands alone of the bishop—because baptism in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ has gone before it—may the Holy Spirit also be given to another man who repents and believes. Because the Holy Scripture has affirmed that they who should believe in Christ, must needs be baptized in the Spirit; so that these also may not seem to have anything less than those who are perfectly Christians; lest it should be needful to ask what sort of a thing was that baptism which they have attained in the name of Jesus Christ. Unless, perchance, in that former discussion also, about those who should only have been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, thou shouldst decide that they can be saved even without the Holy Spirit, or that the Holy Spirit is not accustomed to be bestowed in this manner only, but by the imposition of the bishop’s hands; or even shouldst say that it is not the bishop alone who can bestow the Holy Spirit.

IV. Cum ita invenitur, quid tibi, frater, videtur? Si quis non ab episcopo baptizatus, ita ut si in continenti etiam manus ei imponatur, priusquam tamen 1187D accipiat Spiritum sanctum fuerit defunctus, 1188A utrum censeas salutem percepisse eum, nec ne: quoniam quidem et ipsi Apostoli et discipuli, qui etiam alios baptizabant, qui etiam a Domino baptizati, non statim Spiritum sanctum acceperint qui nondum erat, quia Jesus nondum fuerat clarificatus (Joan. VII, 39): sed post resurrectionem ejus nec modicum intervallum temporis quo id gestum est, intercesserit. Sicuti et cum baptizati sunt a Philippo Samaritani, donec Samariam rogati ab Hierusalem Apostoli descenderent ad illos, ut eis manum imponerent et Spiritum sanctum per manus impositionem in eos conferrent: quoniam illo intervallo temporis aliquis eorum non adeptus Spiritum sanctum, morte potuit intercipi, et defraudatus gratia Spiritus sancti defungi. Quod hodierna quoque die non potest 1188B dubitari esse usitatum et evenire solitum, ut plerique post Baptisma sine impositione manus episcopi de saeculo exeant, et tamen pro perfectis fidelibus habentur. Sicuti Aethiops eunuchus cum rediret ab Hierusalem et legeret prophetam Esaiam et haesitarat, suggerente Spiritu, audita veritate a Philippo diacono credidit et baptizatus est (Act. VIII): et cum ascendisset de aqua, Spiritus Domini rapuit Philippum, et non vidit eum jam nunc amplius eunuchus. Abibat enim viam suam gaudens quoniam, ut animadvertis, imposita ei manus non est ab episcopo ut Spiritum sanctum acciperet. Quod si hoc admittis et salutare esse credis, nec opinioni omnium fidelium refragaris, necesse est confitearis, proinde autem atque que hoc latius tractatu procedit, etiam illud aliud 1188C latius posse consistere: id est, ut per solam manus impositionem episcopi, quia Baptisma in nomine Jesu Christi Domini nostri praecessit, possit alio homini poenitenti atque credenti etiam Spiritus sanctus tribui; quoniam eos qui in Christum credituri essent, Scriptura sancta praedixit: Oportere in Spiritu baptizari: ita ut et hi quoque non videantur minus aliquid habere quam illi qui perfecti sunt christiani, ne necesse sit quaeri quale illud baptisma fuerit quod in nomine Jesu Christi sunt consecuti. Nisi forte in illo quoque superiore tractatu circa eos qui tantummodo in nomine Christi Jesu baptizati fuerint, statuas etiam sine Spiritu sancto posse salvos fieri, aut non hac sola ratione, sed si per manus impositionem episcopi Spiritum sanctum consuesse praestari, aut etiam non episcopum dicas 1188D Spiritum sanctum solitum esse largiri.