medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
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On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 22:55:05 +0000, I wrote:
>On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 13:25:30 -0900, you wrote:
>
>>medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
>>culture
>>>>
>>Baptism by SPRINKLING? Or by DRIPPING? I have never heard of such a
>>practice!
>>
>>Baptism may be validly conferred by dunking/immersion or by pouring. But
>>"sprinkling" or "dripping"? No way!
>
>According to the Oxford Dictionary of the Church:
>
>"aspersion. The method of baptism whereby the candidate is merely
>sprinkled with the baptismal water. It is a variant of affusion (in which
>the water is actually poured on the candidate), and is held to be
>admissible only in exceptional circumstances."
>
>No references or dates are given.
>
>I've never heard of this happening, but I would guess it might be
>considered for the baptism of very sick babies.
>
>Gordon
Then again, there's the Catholic Encyclopedia:
The proximate matter of baptism is the ablution performed with water. The
very word "baptize", as we have seen, means a washing. Three forms of
ablution have prevailed among Christians, and the Church holds them all to
be valid because they fulfill the requisite signification of the baptismal
laving. These forms are immersion, infusion, and aspersion. The most
ancient form usually employed was unquestionably immersion. This is not
only evident from the writings of the Fathers and the early rituals of
both the Latin and Oriental Churches, but it can also be gathered from the
Epistles of St. Paul, who speaks of baptism as a bath (Ephes., v, 26;
Rom., vi, 4; Tit., iii, 5). In the Latin Church, immersion seems to have
prevailed until the twelfth century. After that time it is found in some
places even as late as the sixteenth century. Infusion and aspersion,
however, were growing common in the thirteenth century and gradually
prevailed in the Western Church. The Oriental Churches have retained
immersion, though not always in the sense of plunging the candidate's
entire body below the water. Billuart (De Bapt., I, iii) says that
commonly the catechumen is placed in the font, and then water is poured
upon the head. He cites the authority of Goar for this statement.
Although, as we have said, immersion was the form of baptism that
generally prevailed in the early ages, it must not thereby be inferred
that the other forms of infusion and aspersion were not also employed and
held to be valid. In the case of the sick or dying, immersion was
impossible and the sacrament was then conferred by one of the other forms.
This was so well recognized that infusion or aspersion received the name
of the baptism of the sick (baptismus clinicorum). St. Cyprian (Ep. lxxvi)
declares this form to be valid. From the canons of various early councils
we know that candidates for Holy orders who had been baptized by this
method seem to have been regarded as irregular, but this was on account of
the culpable negligence supposed to be manifested in delaying baptism
until sick or dying. That such persons, however, were not to be rebaptized
is an evidence that the Church held their baptism to be valid. It is also
pointed out that the circumstances under which St. Paul (Acts, xvi)
baptized his jailer and all his household seem to preclude the use of
immersion. Moreover, the acts of the early martyrs frequently refer to
baptizing in prisons where infusion or aspersion was certainly employed.
Gordon
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Dr. Gordon Arthur | Orthodoxy is my doxy; heterodoxy is
[log in to unmask] | another man's doxy. (Bishop Warburton)
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