The Didache: Chapter VII – Concerning Baptism

               The chapters ahead are more practical in nature than those before – teaching the Christian and their leaders on how to perform particular Christian rites. Many in the modern age have belittled liturgy and sacraments as ritualistic nonsense and a distraction to the center of the Faith, Jesus Christ. I would caution them with 2 things. First, these sacramental rites are not an end in themselves, and in fact each has Christ at the center. Secondly, the very purpose of our study of this text is to see how the early Christians practiced their faith, and what they believe; if Christians in the early second century felt the importance of following particular teachings on how to baptize, how to pray, how to take communion, etc, then it goes without saying, we may want to follow suit[1]. Thus we begin with Chapter Seven on Baptism:

Icon of Theophany, The Baptism of Christ

 

7:1 Concerning baptism, you should baptize this way: After you have reviewed all these things, baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in flowing water.
7:2 But if you have no running water, baptize in other water; and if you cannot do so in cold water, then in warm.
7:3 If you have very little, pour water three times on the head in the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit.
7:4 Before the baptism, both the baptizer and the candidate for baptism, plus any others who can, should fast. The candidate should fast for one or two days beforehand.

Most modern Christians would agree (most traditions) that Baptism is one of the most important steps a Christian can take is his or her life. For those being baptized as adults the opening verse of this chapter is important. For an adult baptism, one must understand “all these things,” referring to the prior chapters, and must agree to unite himself to Christ and be baptized for the remission of sins[2]. For those baptized as infants[3] it is the beginning of a life lived in the church, learning the path from the Church, their parents, and their godparents – by the time the child is of age, they will have learned the path of Christ and must take it upon themselves to continue living the baptized life of a Christian[4] (more on infant baptism in my other blog, Light from the Christian East). This chapter reveals to us how the earliest Christians practiced this rite; it involves primarily 3 things: Being baptized in the name of the Trinity and thus immersed three times i.e. triple immersion, Baptism through water, and fasting beforehand.  

Firstly, when being baptized, the person will be immersed three times, each time invoking the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The most common and well known reference to this is the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Interestingly enough, most Catholics have given up triple immersion though they still invoke the Trinity, and many Protestants have given up on using the name of the Trinity and triple immersion all together;[5] some even going as far as to say water baptism is unnecessary; which leads to our next point. 

Secondly, Baptism is to be by water. The Greek word for baptism (baptizo[6]) means to dip, to submerge, to sink. The text states this should occur in running water (ie, river, “living water”), but if running water is not available, than any other water is acceptable; likewise, if there is no cold water, warm water will suffice. This shows us not only that there are preferred methods of baptism, but also that the process is very practical. The use of baptismal founts cropped up very early as many locations did not have running rivers for baptism; areas that did have a river near by utilized them consistently. And even if there is no fount, you can pour some water over the head three times; the Church goes out of their way to make sure that baptism is accessible to anybody, even in the desert. Some groups prefer to not use water baptism in lou of “baptism of the Holy Spirit.” This seems to go against the teaching of Christ when Jesus tells Nicodemus that “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of heaven.[7]” This is where the Orthodox derive the difference between the sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation[8] (Gift of the Holy Spirit). There are also other New Testament verses that refer to baptism as “washing away” our sins; this would be an accurate description when referring to water baptism[9].

Lastly, because the early church believed that baptism held an existential change in the person (John 3:5, Acts 2:38), the text ends with an instruction of preparation for both the person being baptized and the clergy who is baptizing. The candidate should fast 1-2 days beforehand. For the early church, and those Christians who practice it today, fasting is a method of learning how to deny ones passions and desires for worldly things; this does not mean that food or eating is bad, just that it’s a good tool to help learn self denial and to refocus the time we would spending eating on prayer or other spiritual activities. Thus, the instruction for fasting before participating in a sacrament is given so that the candidate for baptism can refocus their mind and heart towards the things of God in preparation for such a wonderful event. Additionally, the text states that “any who can” should also fast in preparation for the event. This shows how extremely communal the early church was. The spiritual growth and well being of a Christian involves the whole Church community; this is why modern Christians who refuse to be a part of a larger Church organization are more apt to spiritual decay and easily swayed by heresy[10].

I am extremely encouraged when I read this text on baptism; for one, the Orthodox Church is the only church that still practices baptism as instructed by the early church. Secondly, it makes me feel that I have a direct connection with my brothers and sisters in Christ from the earliest centuries of the church – which is a common theme for me. If entering the Kingdom of God means I need to be “born of water and the Spirit,” sign me up!

With Love,
Athanasios (Devin) Green

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[1] Acts 2:42

[2] Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16

[3] Though Orthodox & Catholics practice Pedobaptism, there are still many Protestants that also still practice infant baptism – though many Protestants would be aghast to learn this.

[4] Galatians 3:27

[5] Some have often noted that baptizing in the name of Jesus Christ is the same as in the name of the Trinity since they are unified as one; though the Orthodox would not reject this understanding of the name of Jesus, most believe it is in direct conflict with Matthew 28:19, and thus such a baptism is not one in the name of the Triune Trinity.

[6] Strong's 907 NT

[7] John 3:5

[8] While Roman Catholics wait until the child reaches a certain age for Chrismation (or Christening), the Orthodox conduct both sacraments at the same service, both adult and infant; to be baptized and chrismated is to fulfill both categories in John 3:5

[9] Titus 3:5, Hebrews 10:22

[10] 1 Peter 5:8