medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
You've got it slightly backwards. Originally (and officially in canon
law until the 12th century) initiation (the full works) was only
permitted at Easter and Pentecost, with Lent being used for preparation.
This was designed for the adult catechumenate, of course, and with
infant mortality and the pernicious invention of 'limbo' the practice of
infant baptism rapidly spread. In the 13th century it was stated that
only those children born with a week of Easter and Pentecost needed to
wait until those feasts. Various later decrees stated that Baptism
should take place "immediately" after birth, "within a day" or "as soon
as possible" - Confirmation taking place "within a year", etc.
John Briggs
On 16/07/2010 16:57, George Brown wrote:
>
> The questions I've been posting come from a friend working in early
> Slavic and German history, so they're not otiose, and your help may be
> important.
> A final query in this series: Was Baptism permitted during Lent during
> the Middle Ages?
> Can you put me onto the canonical diocesan, or papal mandates on the issue?
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