The Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus: Translated into English with Introduction and NotesHippolytus, Antipope
Religion
The Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus: Translated into English with Introduction and Notes
Hippolytus, Antipope
Canon law -- Early church, ca. 30-600; Church orders, Ancient
7. The anointing before baptism is derived from the ancient belief in
the curative powers of oil, from which its use in religious healing
(Mark 6. 13, James 5. 14) was developed. To Hippolytus this oil aids
in the final and supreme exorcism, and it is exorcised, not blessed,
and derives its name from its purpose. In later Latin usage it is
called “oil of the catechumens”.
The Constitutions note (VII, 22, 3) that if the oils are lacking “the
water is sufficient”. And this was the universal belief.
9. Some form of renunciation of Satan is a feature in all traditional
baptismal liturgies.
10. Cyril of Jerusalem (_Catechetical Lectures_ 20, 3) says that this
anointing is performed “from the very hairs of your head to your
feet”. By 22. 2 Hippolytus has probably the same conception.
11. The pronouns are ambiguous and confusing, but the sense seems to
be that the presbyter who performs the actual baptism stands on the
bank of the stream (or the edge of the font), while the deacon stands
in the water with the candidate, to instruct and assist him.
12-18. In the Jewish rites that require complete immersion (the
baptism of a proselyte, the cleansing of a woman, etc.) the ceremony
is performed entirely by the person concerned in the presence of a
proper witness; i.e., such a rite is simply an extension of the Old
Testament prescriptions[203] that certain impurities must be removed
by bathing. Early Christianity shared this conception, and in New
Testament Greek the middle voice is used for the act of baptism in
Acts 22. 16, 1 Corinthians 6. 11; 10. 2; compare the reading of D and
Old Latin manuscripts in Luke 3. 7, “to be baptized in his presence”.
In Hippolytus the presbyter acts to the extent of laying his hand on
the candidate’s head, but he uses no baptismal formula.[204] In the
Jewish rites the person after immersion utters a benediction; in
Hippolytus each immersion is preceded by a declaration of belief. In
the apostolic church this declaration certainly had the form “Jesus is
Lord” (Romans 10. 9, etc.) and there was only one immersion. The
additional confessions of the Father and the Spirit appear in Didache
7. 1,[205] and each was presumably accompanied by the corresponding
immersion that Hippolytus directs.
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