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A Treatise on Re-Baptism by an Anonymous Writer

Anonymous

Section 11

About this work

Author: Anonymous

11. And what wilt thou determine against the person

‹ Section 10 Section 12 ›

of

him

who

hears

the

word

,

and

haply

taken

up

in

the

name

of

Christ

,

has

at

once

confessed

,

and

has

been

punished

before

it

has

been

granted

him

to

be

baptized

with

water

?

Wilt

thou

declare

him

to

have

perished

because

he

has

not

been

baptized

with

water

?

Or

,

indeed

,

wilt

thou

think

that

there

may

be

something

from

without

that

helps

him

to

salvation

,

although

he

is

not

baptized

with

water

?

Thy

thinking

him

to

have

perished

will

be

opposed

by

the

sentence

of

the

Lord

,

who

says

,

“

Whosoever

shall

confess

me

before

men

,

him

will

I

also

confess

before

my

Father

which

is

in

heaven

;

”

because

it

is

no

matter

whether

he

who

confesses

for

the

Lord

is

a

hearer

of

the

word

or

a

believer

,

so

long

as

he

confesses

that

same

Christ

whom

he

ought

to

confess

;

because

the

Lord

,

by

confessing

him

,

in

turn

Himself

graces

His

confessor

before

his

Father

with

the

glory

of

his

martyrdom

,

as

He

promised

.

But

this

assuredly

ought

not

to

be

taken

too

liberally

,

as

if

it

could

be

stretched

to

such

a

point

as

that

any

heretic

can

confess

the

name

of

Christ

who

notwithstanding

denies

Christ

Himself

;

that

he

believes

on

another

Christ

,

when

Christ

avows

that

it

cannot

avail

him

at

all

;

forasmuch

as

the

Lord

said

that

He

must

needs

be

brought

to

confession

by

us

before

men

,

which

cannot

be

done

without

Him

,

and

without

veneration

of

His

name

.

And

therefore

both

ought

to

stand

by

the

confessor

,

sound

,

and

sincere

,

and

uncontaminated

,

and

inviolated

,

without

any

choice

being

made

of

the

confessor

himself

,

whether

he

is

righteous

or

a

sinner

,

and

a

perfect

Christian

or

an

imperfect

one

,

who

has

not

feared

to

confess

the

Lord

at

his

own

greatest

peril

.

And

this

is

not

contrary

to

the

former

discussion

,

because

there

is

left

therein

time

for

the

correction

of

many

things

which

are

bad

,

and

because

certain

things

are

conceded

to

the

very

name

only

of

our

Lord

;

while

martyrdom

cannot

be

consummated

except

in

the

Lord

and

by

the

Lord

Himself

,

and

therefore

nobody

can

confess

Christ

without

His

name

,

nor

can

the

name

of

Christ

avail

any

one

for

confession

without

Christ

Himself

.

Notes

30
By him who hears the word is meant a catechumen (Rigaltius). [Bunsen, vol. ii. p. 317. He quotes the Apostolical Constitutions (Alexandria), “Let the catechumens be three years hearing the word,” etc.]
31
Matt. x. 32.
32
The original interpolates “non.”
33
[Scil. baptisms (?) i.e., of water and of blood.]