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On Baptism

Tertullian

Chapter 13

About this work

An early Latin treatise defending Christian baptism, interpreting its biblical patterns, discussing preparation and administration, and warning against a teacher who rejected water baptism in the church.

Author: Tertullian
Date: c. AD 198–203
Origin: Carthage, North Africa
Genre: Theological Treatise

Chapter XIII.—Another Objection: Abraham Pleased God Without Being Baptized. Answer Thereto. Old Things Must Give Place to New, and Baptism is Now a Law.

Here, then, those miscreants provoke questions. And

‹ Chapter 12 Chapter 14 ›

so

they

say

,

“

Baptism

is

not

necessary

for

them

to

whom

faith

is

sufficient

;

for

withal

,

Abraham

pleased

God

by

a

sacrament

of

no

water

,

but

of

faith

.

”

But

in

all

cases

it

is

the

later

things

which

have

a

conclusive

force

,

and

the

subsequent

which

prevail

over

the

antecedent

.

Grant

that

,

in

days

gone

by

,

there

was

salvation

by

means

of

bare

faith

,

before

the

passion

and

resurrection

of

the

Lord

.

But

now

that

faith

has

been

enlarged

,

and

is

become

a

faith

which

believes

in

His

nativity

,

passion

,

and

resurrection

,

there

has

been

an

amplification

added

to

the

sacrament

,

viz

.

,

the

sealing

act

of

baptism

;

the

clothing

,

in

some

sense

,

of

the

faith

which

before

was

bare

,

and

which

cannot

exist

now

without

its

proper

law

.

For

the

law

of

baptizing

has

been

imposed

,

and

the

formula

prescribed

:

“

Go

,

”

He

saith

,

“

teach

the

nations

,

baptizing

them

into

the

name

of

the

Father

,

and

of

the

Son

,

and

of

the

Holy

Spirit

.

”

The

comparison

with

this

law

of

that

definition

,

“

Unless

a

man

have

been

reborn

of

water

and

Spirit

,

he

shall

not

enter

into

the

kingdom

of

the

heavens

,

”

has

tied

faith

to

the

necessity

of

baptism

.

Accordingly

,

all

thereafter

who

became

believers

used

to

be

baptized

.

Then

it

was

,

too

,

that

Paul

,

when

he

believed

,

was

baptized

;

and

this

is

the

meaning

of

the

precept

which

the

Lord

had

given

him

when

smitten

with

the

plague

of

loss

of

sight

,

saying

,

“

Arise

,

and

enter

Damascus

;

there

shall

be

demonstrated

to

thee

what

thou

oughtest

to

do

,

”

to

wit

—

be

baptized

,

which

was

the

only

thing

lacking

to

him

.

That

point

excepted

,

he

had

sufficiently

learnt

and

believed

“

the

Nazarene

”

to

be

“

the

Lord

,

the

Son

of

God

.

”

Notes

1
i.e. probably the Cainites. See c. ii.
2
i.e. the sacrament, or obligation of faith. See beginning of chapter.
3
Matt. xxviii. 19: “all” omitted.
4
John ii. 5: “shall not” for “cannot;” “kingdom of the heavens”—an expression only occurring in Matthew—for “kingdom of God.”
5
i.e. from the time when the Lord gave the “law.”
6
i.e. not till after the “law” had been made.
7
See Acts ix. 1–31.