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A Treatise on Re-Baptism by an Anonymous Writer

Anonymous

Section 15

About this work

Author: Anonymous

15. And since we seem to have divided all

‹ Section 14 Section 16 ›

spiritual

baptism

in

a

threefold

manner

,

let

us

come

also

to

the

proof

of

the

statement

proposed

,

that

we

may

not

appear

to

have

done

this

of

our

own

judgment

,

and

with

rashness

.

For

John

says

of

our

Lord

in

his

epistle

,

teaching

us

:

“

This

is

He

who

came

by

water

and

blood

,

Jesus

Christ

;

not

by

water

only

,

but

by

water

and

blood

:

and

it

is

the

Spirit

that

beareth

witness

,

because

the

Spirit

is

truth

.

For

three

bear

witness

,

the

Spirit

,

and

the

water

,

and

the

blood

:

and

these

three

are

one

;

”

—

that

we

may

gather

from

these

words

both

that

water

is

wont

to

confer

the

Spirit

,

and

that

men’s

own

blood

is

wont

to

confer

the

Spirit

,

and

that

the

Spirit

Himself

also

is

wont

to

confer

the

Spirit

.

For

since

water

is

poured

forth

even

as

blood

,

the

Spirit

also

was

poured

out

by

the

Lord

upon

all

who

believed

.

Assuredly

both

in

water

,

and

none

the

less

in

their

own

blood

,

and

then

especially

in

the

Holy

Spirit

,

men

may

be

baptized

.

For

Peter

says

:

“

But

this

is

that

which

was

spoken

by

the

prophet

;

It

shall

come

to

pass

in

the

last

days

,

saith

the

Lord

,

I

will

pour

out

my

Spirit

upon

all

flesh

:

and

their

sons

and

their

daughters

shall

prophesy

,

and

their

young

men

shall

see

visions

,

and

their

old

men

shall

dream

dreams

:

and

upon

my

servants

,

and

upon

my

handmaidens

,

will

I

pour

out

of

my

Spirit

;

”

—

which

Spirit

we

discover

to

have

been

communicated

in

the

Old

Testament

,

not

indeed

everywhere

nor

at

large

,

but

with

other

gifts

;

or

,

moreover

,

to

have

sprung

of

His

own

will

into

certain

men

,

or

to

have

invested

them

,

or

to

have

been

upon

them

,

even

as

we

observe

that

it

was

said

by

the

Lord

to

Moses

,

about

the

seventy

elders

,

“

And

I

will

take

of

the

Spirit

which

is

upon

thee

,

and

will

put

it

upon

them

.

”

For

which

reason

also

,

according

to

His

promise

,

God

put

upon

them

from

another

of

the

Spirit

which

had

been

upon

Moses

,

and

they

prophesied

in

the

camp

.

And

Moses

,

as

a

spiritual

man

,

rejoiced

that

this

had

so

happened

,

although

he

was

unwillingly

persuaded

by

Jesus

the

son

of

Nave

to

oppose

this

thing

,

and

was

not

thereby

induced

.

Further

,

also

in

the

book

of

Judges

,

and

in

the

books

of

Kings

too

,

we

observe

that

upon

several

,

there

either

was

the

Spirit

of

the

Lord

,

or

that

He

came

unto

them

,

as

upon

Gothoniel

,

Gideon

,

Jephthah

,

Samson

,

Saul

,

David

,

and

many

others

.

Which

comes

to

this

result

,

that

the

Lord

has

taught

us

most

plainly

by

them

the

liberty

and

power

of

the

Holy

Spirit

,

approaching

of

His

own

will

,

saying

,

“

The

Spirit

breathes

where

He

will

;

and

thou

hearest

His

voice

,

and

knowest

not

whence

He

cometh

or

whither

He

goeth

.

”

So

that

the

same

Spirit

is

,

moreover

,

sometimes

found

to

be

upon

those

who

are

unworthy

of

Him

;

not

certainly

in

vain

or

without

reason

,

but

for

the

sake

of

some

needful

operation

;

as

He

was

upon

Saul

,

upon

whom

came

the

Spirit

of

God

,

and

he

prophesied

.

However

,

in

later

days

,

after

the

Spirit

of

the

Lord

departed

from

him

,

and

after

a

malign

spirit

from

the

Lord

vexed

him

,

because

then

he

had

come

,

after

the

messengers

whom

he

had

previously

sent

before

with

care

,

with

intent

to

kill

David

;

and

they

therefore

fell

into

the

chorus

of

the

prophets

,

and

they

prophesied

,

so

that

they

neither

were

able

nor

willing

to

do

what

they

had

been

bidden

.

And

we

believe

that

the

Spirit

which

was

upon

them

all

effected

this

with

an

admirable

wisdom

,

by

the

will

of

God

.

Which

Spirit

also

filled

John

the

Baptist

even

from

his

mother’s

womb

;

and

it

fell

upon

those

who

were

with

Cornelius

the

centurion

before

they

were

baptized

with

water

.

Thus

,

cleaving

to

the

baptism

of

men

,

the

Holy

Spirit

either

goes

before

or

follows

it

;

or

failing

the

baptism

of

water

,

it

falls

upon

those

who

believe

.

We

are

counselled

that

either

we

ought

duly

to

maintain

the

integrity

of

baptism

,

or

if

by

chance

baptism

is

given

by

any

one

in

the

name

of

Jesus

Christ

,

we

ought

to

supplement

it

,

guarding

the

most

holy

invocation

of

the

name

of

Jesus

Christ

,

as

we

have

most

abundantly

set

forth

;

guarding

,

moreover

,

the

custom

and

authority

which

so

much

claim

our

veneration

for

so

long

a

time

and

for

such

great

men

.

Notes

48
1 John v. 6.
49
Acts ii. 17, 18.
50
Num. xi. 17.
51
John iii. 5. [Greek, πνευμα. Syriac as here rendered.]