This paper will explore three questions that emerged from reading chapter two of Aiden Kavanagh’s book The Shape of Baptism. First, what information was surprising, inspiring, or intriguing? Second, what insights does Kavanagh’s review of the process of initiation provide a Christian with when he thinks about Baptism? Third, is there an element of the Roman initiation that needs to be reflected upon more deeply?
A surprising piece of information from Kavanagh’s text is that despite “all the development of Christian initiation over the past two thousand years its core still centers upon proclamation, conversion, and baptism… just as the earliest churches” did in obedience to Jesus’ command. (Kavanagh, pg. 36) The fact that these fundamental
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As Kavanagh points out from the Didache, the Christian “initiatory practice was pluralistic and [continued] developing… [beyond] the beginning of the second century.” (Ibid., pg. 40) There is the East Syrian and Armenian liturgical sources (i.e. the Acts of Thomas and the Didascalia Apostolorum) which describe the Baptism sequence as 1.) anointing the catechumen with olive oil on the forehead; 2.) the triple water immersion with the Trinitarian formula; and 3.) the reception of the Eucharist. (40-41) The pneumatological emphasis of the Syrian initiation process is expressed quite clearly through the anointing that takes place before the washing ritual. (42) The emphasis in both the Greek-speaking church of Rome and the Latin-speaking church of Carthage was “the notion of [new] birth and cleansing for the remission of sins.” (Ibid., pg. 46) In the Graeco-Latin churches the initiation process began with 1.) a preparatory instruction; 2.) anointing with exorcised oil after renouncing Satan; 3.) the triple water immersion with the Trinitarian formula; 4.) the anointing with chrism oil; 5.) the laying on of hands along with the invocation of the Holy Spirit; and 6.) the reception of the Eucharist. However, despite the differences in emphasis
The Blessing and Invocation of God over Baptismal Water evokes the history of baptism. The sacred scripture of the Bible is the etymology of the prayer, as it accentuates the purpose; it illustrates the new birth and death the newly baptized are involved in. The prayer is structured in stanzas of four sections. The first section makes reference to God’s power and amplifies the faithful’s gratitude to God’s grace that is received, the second section relates to the Old Testament and portrays the power and role of water that baptised and immersed the evil to reveal the virtuous
Christianity stands as one of the most significant, and historically rich and relevant Religions ever to grace the Earth, especially given its status as a highly living and dynamic one, that being that it is a religion that is still very much alive and flourishing, in addition to being ever changing and evolving. (http://www.academia.edu/6386126/the_ways_in_which_the_four_characyeristics_of_religion_interact_to_create_a_dynamic_living_faith_tradition) It is thanks, in no small part to the significant figure of St. Paul of Tarsus and the foundation he laid for Christianity that has endured until today, as well as the message of Salvation through faith he preached. Another critical element of Christianity through the ages up to the current age of modern dynamism is Baptism, mainly how it impacts upon individuals and Christian communities. It is therefore clear that through these key aspects of Christianity, we may gain insight on what exactly contributes towards Christianity being a living and dynamic religion.
Christianity is considered to be a living religion especially in terms of the reach for salvation. In the present through the practice of Baptism, Christians believe they die to the life of Original Sin and are born again to Christ, thus able to achieve Salvation. Thus, the tradition and sacred ritual of baptism implies that in order to be active adherents in the Catholic church, one must be baptised, just as Jesus was in the New Testament, “Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ.” (Acts 2:38) Another way in which baptism demonstrate that Christianity is a living religious tradition, is through the teachings associated with the purpose of human existence. Through the act of Baptism, which is a direct display of the belief in Salvation through Jesus, the purpose of human life is presented in terms of adherent’s purpose to lov...
“In baptism every Christian has enough to study and to practice all his life. He always has enough to do to believe firmly what Baptism promises and brings – victory over death and the devil, forgiveness of sin, God’s grace, the entire Christ, and the Holy Spirit with his gifts. In short the blessings of Baptism are so boundless that if timid nature considers them, it may well doubt whether they could all be true.”
In this paper, I will be using Victor Turner’s concept of liminality to analyze the Christian rite of passage of baptism. Turner built upon Arnold van Gennep’s three-stage model of rites of passage, focusing on liminality rather than reaggregation and introducing the concept of communitas as the unstructured community during the liminal stage in which all members are equal. By using the anthropological lens of Turner to analyze baptism, specifically Jesus’ water baptism in the book of Mark, I hope to apply his concepts of liminality and communitas to the text to gain a deeper understanding of the model for modern Christian baptism rituals and interpretations, including Spirit baptism.
Baptism is one of the most important and popular rituals in Christianity. It is a simple process that requires an individual to be immersed into the water, blessed and pronounced “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (Christian
In this paper, I will be defending the view of believer’s baptism as I feel it gives a better understand of what baptism is suppose to be.
Many Christian denominations practice the tradition of baptism. However, many denominations differ widely on the meaning and significance of the sacrament or ordinance of baptism. Baptism in the Old Testament is used as a symbol of a believer’s devotion to God by washing with water as a sign of purification and consecration. There are many different meanings and techniques to baptism that have been observed by many faiths over thousands of years. Many of the customs and b...
distinguish themselves from those who are not baptized; but is also a signal which points to the act of regeneration encompassing being born anew. In addition, the baptism of children is
The second sacrament is the Holy Eucharist. Catholics also call this Communion. This Sacrament, just like baptism, was seen several times in the bible and was given to Catholics directly from Jesus. The ritual practice of the Eucharist comes from Christ at the last supper. According to the book of Matthew,
He discussed in depth about how Christological traditions emerged and developed over the decades (59). However, his focus leans towards the first five centuries of the church. As the church was beginning to grow the emergence of the canon was informing believers of the historical events of Jesus sacrifices. It was a wonderful era to study how the culture perceived the recently crucified Christ.
Baptism, one of the most prevalent signs of Christian faith, has, for a long time, been a highly debated topic within the community of the body of believers. There are many different ideas surrounding the different practices and views of baptism, even the reason of why we carry out the act of baptism. Just as the idea of a marriage ceremony is to profess your love and commitment to each other, a baptism ceremony has the same effect, but instead your commitment is to Christ. This essay will take a look at this topic, the philosophical ideas surrounding it, how the Bible address it, and also the historical context in which this theological topic falls into.
Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” This historical book of accounts formed by many miracles and obstacles that the early Church encountered, allows the new and coming generations to reflect back to their roots which chronicles the growth of the early
For the purpose of comprehending their religion, society integrated and annexed Christianity into their lives. In brief, whole societies were baptized to Christianity due to their superiors believing in Christianity. Furthermore, there weren’t much intransigence due to already corresponding similarities in Christianity and their indigenous
It is followed by years of catechesis before being completed late by Confirmation and the Eucharist, the summit of Christian initiation. Baptism is the Church 's way of celebrating and enacting the embrace of God and the promise of salvation. 'Peter replied, "Repent and be baptised..." ' (Acts 2: 38-39) Baptism happens not only to the individual, but also the wider Church. At the time of Christ it signified that the person being baptised became a follower of Christ and acquired a relationship with him. '... I (Paul) also baptised the household of Stephanas... ' (1 Corinthians 1:16) The rite is celebrated with the community present and actively participating. It is the community, who will journey with them throughout their