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A Treatise on Re-Baptism by an Anonymous Writer

Anonymous

Section 17

About this work

Author: Anonymous

17. Moreover, if a man of this sort should

‹ Section 16 Section 18 ›

again

return

to

thee

,

thou

wilt

assuredly

hesitate

whether

he

may

have

baptism

or

no

;

and

yet

it

will

behove

thee

,

in

whatever

way

thou

canst

,

to

aid

even

this

man

if

he

repent

.

For

of

this

adulterous

,

yea

,

murderous

baptism

,

if

there

is

any

other

author

,

it

is

then

certainly

a

book

devised

by

these

same

heretics

on

behalf

of

this

same

error

,

which

is

inscribed

The

Preaching

of

Paul

;

in

which

book

,

contrary

to

all

Scriptures

,

thou

wilt

find

both

Christ

confessing

His

own

sin

—

although

He

alone

did

no

sin

at

all

—

and

almost

compelled

by

His

mother

Mary

unwillingly

to

receive

John’s

baptism

.

Also

,

that

when

He

was

baptized

,

fire

was

seen

to

be

upon

the

water

,

which

is

written

in

neither

of

the

Gospels

.

And

that

after

such

long

time

,

Peter

and

Paul

,

after

the

collation

of

the

Gospel

in

Jerusalem

,

and

the

mutual

consideration

and

altercation

and

arrangement

of

things

to

be

done

finally

,

were

known

to

one

another

,

as

if

then

for

the

first

time

;

and

certain

other

things

devised

of

this

kind

disgracefully

and

absurdly

;

—

all

which

things

thou

wilt

find

gathered

together

into

that

book

.

But

they

who

are

not

ignorant

of

the

nature

of

the

Holy

Spirit

,

understand

that

what

is

said

of

fire

is

said

of

the

Spirit

Himself

.

For

in

the

Acts

of

the

Apostles

,

according

to

that

same

promise

of

our

Lord

,

on

the

very

day

of

Pentecost

,

when

the

Holy

Spirit

had

descended

upon

the

disciples

,

that

they

might

be

baptized

in

Him

,

there

were

seen

sitting

upon

each

one

tongues

as

if

of

fire

,

that

it

might

be

manifest

that

they

were

baptized

with

the

Holy

Ghost

and

with

fire

—

that

is

,

with

that

Spirit

which

was

,

whether

fire

,

or

as

fire

,

such

as

was

the

fire

which

burned

in

the

bush

,

and

did

not

consume

the

bush

;

and

such

as

is

that

fire

which

is

the

Spirit

of

the

Angel

,

as

saith

the

Scripture

,

“

Who

maketh

His

angels

spirits

,

and

His

ministers

a

burning

fire

;

”

whom

if

thou

shouldst

resemble

,

or

be

a

companion

or

sharer

with

,

thou

shalt

be

able

to

dread

no

fire

,

not

even

that

which

,

going

before

the

Lord

in

the

day

of

judgment

,

shall

burn

up

the

whole

world

,

save

those

who

are

baptized

in

the

Holy

Spirit

and

in

fire

.

Notes

53
Rigaltius says that Jerome mentions this document, and regards it as apocryphal. And Eusebius refers to the Περίοδοι Πέτρου, which, according to the common reading of Peter for Paul in the text, may point to the same document. [Vol. ii. 341, note 10; and vol. iv. p. 246.]
54
Ps. civ. 4.