# Summary Of Baptism In The Seventh Century. · Page 3 of 5 [Previous page: SUMMARY OF BAPTISM IN THE SEVENTH CENTURY.](/en/stories/mm-summary-of-baptism-in-the-seventh-century/part-2/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: SUMMARY OF BAPTISM IN THE SEVENTH CENTURY.](/en/stories/mm-summary-of-baptism-in-the-seventh-century/part-4/) About A. D. 646.—As the doctrine of faith in Jesus Christ was now greatly spreading, and the believers increased in many places, so that the church, which at times, on account of persecution, had been wont to hide in dens and caverns, began to arise here and there, as herbs spring up from the earth in spring-time, her growth was seen to proceed not only from those who, born of Christian parents, accepted the faith, nor only from heathen who became converted to the faith, but principally from the Jews, who had previously been very bitter against the Christians, but who now came in multitudes, as occurred not long since, to be baptized in the name of Christ, upon faith; an example of which is given by Gregory of Turon (lib. 5, Chron. Franc., cap. 11). Some Jews who desired baptism, said with one accord to the teacher: “We believe that Jesus is the Son of the living God, promised unto us for a Prophet and Messiah; therefore we pray to be 208 washed by baptism, that we may not abide in our sins.” The teacher rejoiced at this confession, and, in the night before Whitsuntide, when it was customary to watch and to pray, he went to the place of baptism, situated without the city walls; where the whole multitude fell down before him and prayed to be baptized. Bapt. Hist., page 499. About A. D. 658.—D. Joseph Vicecomes quotes from Zeno of Verona, a certain address which the latter was accustomed to direct to the candidates, saying, when they were about to be baptized: “Rejoice (beloved friends); it is true, in baptism you are divested of your clothes, but adorned in the heavenly robe, you shall soon ascend again, white as snow; whosoever will not defile it, shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.” Bap. Hist., page 501, from Vicecom., lib. 4, cap. 10, from Zeno’s second homily on baptism. All these are certainly expressions that relate to intelligent persons, and are not in the least applicable to infants; for, when, in the first place, it is said here: “Rejoice,” this is the opposite of sorrow, which sorrow the candidates previously were wont to feel on account of their manifold sins, over which they wept and mourned; but now, being washed in baptism, through faith and the blood of Christ, they had reason to rejoice, even as the jailer, who, having been baptized, rejoiced with all his house, Acts 16; and as the Ethiopian, who, after baptism, went on his way rejoicing, Acts 8:39. The putting off of the bodily clothes before baptism, and the putting on of the snow-white robe of righteousness in baptism, as well as the solicitude not to defile it with sin after baptism, referred to in the above address to the candidates, is no work for infants, but only for adult persons; hence, the baptism spoken of there, is not infant baptism, but a baptism peculiar solely to the adult and those of reasonable minds. About A. D. 670.—At this time, the holy baptismal ordinance of Christ was still rightly observed in Egypt; namely, the doctrines of the faith were preached to the candidates before baptism; yea, this practice was so highly regarded there, that some in other countries, separating from the Roman church in this article resolved to restore the Christian religion according to the example of the Egyptian Christians; hence they were styled beginners in the Christian religion. In allusion to this, quotation of Vicecomes (lib. 2, cap. 3), from Jacob Pamelius’ book on Tertullian, is no doubt made, saying that the beginners in the Christian religion (that is, those who, separating from the Roman church, established the Christian religion upon the original apostolical foundation), adopted the practice of catechization (that is, teaching the doctrines of the faith), before baptism from the Egyptian divines. Bap. Hist., page 501. About A. D. 682.—As the believers who strictly observed the baptismal ordinance of Jesus Christ, increased in no small degree, as can be inferred, in many countries, yea, even in the Roman church, so that, in regard to the time when baptism should be administered, they had, here and there, settled on a fixed time; namely, that it should take place on one of the two feasts, Easter or Whitsuntide, and that to this end, the catechumens should previously be notified and, in the weeks preceding said feasts, instructed in the faith; those of the Roman church, as may easily be judged, were not well satisfied with this, seeing it was a means to completely set aside infant baptism; and not only this, but to abolish entirely all other superstitions and human inventions, which, with so great labor and costs, by councils and otherwise, had been introduced into the Roman church, ostensibly for the best. It was therefore—in order to prevent this, it seems—deemed expedient to renew and republish the import of what had previously, A. D. 610, been decreed in the second Bracerensian council, namely: “That infants should be baptized, as necessary to their salvation,” that is, on pain of damnation. But what was really done in this matter, is not expressed in all its particulars; however, it has not been passed by unnoticed, seeing Pope Leo II., according to the Roman notation, the 82d, who then occupied the chair, ordained: That during mass the kiss of peace should be offered to the people, and that baptism might be administered any day. P. J. Twisck, Chron., page 233, col. 1, from Hist. Georg., lib. 4. Chron., S. F., fol. 19. ## Original source [Read this passage on Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/65855/pg65855-images.html#Page_208) [Edition details](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65855) [Previous page: SUMMARY OF BAPTISM IN THE SEVENTH CENTURY.](/en/stories/mm-summary-of-baptism-in-the-seventh-century/part-2/) · [Book contents](/en/sources/martyrs-mirror/#book-contents) · [Next page: SUMMARY OF BAPTISM IN THE SEVENTH CENTURY.](/en/stories/mm-summary-of-baptism-in-the-seventh-century/part-4/) --- Page: https://history.truechristian.church/en/stories/mm-summary-of-baptism-in-the-seventh-century/part-3/ [Contribute a correction or addition](https://github.com/trueChristian/history.truechristian.church/issues/new?title=Correction%3A+Summary+Of+Baptism+In+The+Seventh+Century.+%C2%B7+Page+3+of+5&body=%23%23+Page+or+topic%0ASummary+Of+Baptism+In+The+Seventh+Century.+%C2%B7+Page+3+of+5%0A%0APage%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhistory.truechristian.church%2Fen%2Fstories%2Fmm-summary-of-baptism-in-the-seventh-century%2Fpart-3%2F%0A%0ARecord%3A+mm-summary-of-baptism-in-the-seventh-century--b00055-o000000%0A%0ADate+currently+shown%3A+7th+century+%28source+section%29%0A%0A%23%23+Correction+or+addition%0A%0A%0A%0A%23%23+Sources+and+evidence%0APlease+include+book%2Fpage+references%2C+archive+links%2C+or+first-hand+documentation.%0A%0A%0A%0A%23%23+Image+credit+%28if+applicable%29%0ACreator%2C+source%2C+and+permission+or+public-domain+basis.%0A%0A%0A%0ASubmitted+for+review%3B+this+issue+does+not+publish+changes+automatically.)