The Bloody Theatre, or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians: who baptized only upon confession of faith, and who suffered and died for the testimony of Jesus, their savior, from the time of Christ to the year A.D. 1660Braght, Thieleman J. van (Thieleman Janszoon)
History
The Bloody Theatre, or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians: who baptized only upon confession of faith, and who suffered and died for the testimony of Jesus, their savior, from the time of Christ to the year A.D. 1660
Braght, Thieleman J. van (Thieleman Janszoon)
Anabaptists -- Europe -- Biography; Christian martyrs -- Biography; Persecution
In _Bapt. Hist., page 374_, we read the following: “Jerome writes in
the 78th epistle, that he received his baptism and white garment at
Rome, though we know that he was born of Christian parents, at Syridon,
in Dalmatia. Hence, says the author, the Christians of that age must
not have hastened so much with infant baptism, as is the case in the
present time.” This Jerome, though some pedobaptists, yea, the Papists
themselves, declare him a good and upright teacher, nevertheless wrote
several things of such a nature, that at the present day they would be
pronounced heresy by many of these same pedobaptists, especially by the
Roman church; hence he is classed among the Roman heretics, that is,
among those whose views are at this day pronounced heresy by the Roman
church. _Chron. Seb. Franck, letter H; P. J. Twisck, Chron., 5th book,
page 138, col. 1._
Touching as to how it stood with baptism at the time of Jerome, I find,
in substance, this annotation, _Bapt. Hist., page 335_: “It is certain,
that in the time of Jerome adults were still baptized in the occidental
churches, as may be seen in his epistle against the errors of John of
Jerusalem.”
He, in _Epist. ad Pammach_, and Ambrose, in Epistle 83, testify that
those who desired baptism were called _fellow-desirers_.
H. Montanus writes thus: “Jerome, who also lived about that time, and,
as some say, was an elder at Rome, or, much earlier, as others suppose,
at Jerusalem, also testifies that in his time it was a prevailing
custom, to baptize adults who had been brought up in the Christian
faith, when they desired baptism, for which reason they were called
_Competentes_, as Jerome states in his letter to Pammachius.” _H.
Montan. Nietigh., pages 74, 75._
Having now shown how it stood with baptism at the time of Jerome, and
that the same was administered in the occidental churches to adults, we
shall proceed to Jerome’s individual views and what he has written on
this subject, according to ancient writers.
In _Bapt. Hist., page 373_, Jerome writes to Pammachius: “It is
customary with us, publicly to instruct for forty days, those who are
to be baptized, and enjoin them to pray to the Holy Trinity.”
D. Vicecomes finally shows, _page 375, chap. 41_ and _44_, that Jerome
wrote, that in his time they gave those who were baptized, milk and
honey to eat, which, the annotator remarks, is no food for new-born
infants. Moreover, he shows what is required for true baptism; namely,
regeneration, consisting in the mortifying of the old, and resurrection
of the new man. This he expresses in the following two passages:
Jerome further writes, _page 323, lib. 12, Comment. in Ezechiel._: “We
need not only the first birth, but also the second, in order that we,
who are born in the flesh, may be born again after the Spirit.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account