HISTORY AND TRINE IMMERSION.
By James White
TESTIMONY OF MR. REEVES, APOSTOLICAL CANONS AND MUNNULUS.
The first name given by Bingham among those who held that trine immersion came from the appointment of the Saviour, is that of Chrysostom; but Chrysostom lived two centuries this side of Tertullian, in a day when traditions were more firmly established as authority in the church. In a review of the whole ground we shall refer to both Tertullian and Chrysostom again. We will briefly notice This is a witness of great importance to trine immersionists. It is his opinion which makes the "fair argument" that Justin Martyr believed in trine immersion! We think, however, that injustice is done to Mr. Reeves by Mr. Moore. He might speak in truth of "the confession of those early times," which is quite indefinite, and of trine immersion in early times, without ascribing that idea to Justin. Mr. Reeves has stated the strong argument, in his own mind, for that practice, in the following words:— "The ancients carefully observed trine immersion, insomuch that, by the Canons Apostolical, either Bishop or Presbyter who baptized without it was deposed from the ministry." That somebody believed in and practiced trine immersion at an early age in the Christian church, we do not deny. But we wish the reader to bear in mind that we are now searching for the authority for the practice. Mr. Reeves has been quoted with great confidence, and he refers to his authority. This same authority is elsewhere given by Eld. Moore, so we will now notice "THE APOSTOLICAL CANONS."
Of these Eld. Moore says: "These 'Canons, which consist of eighty-five ecclesiastical laws, contain a view of the church government among the Greek and Oriental Christians in the early centuries of the Christion religion' (Mosheim, vol. 4, p. 44), and can be relied upon in tracing Christian baptism back to a very early date. Some learned men, who have made profound researches respecting the origin of these Canons, have assigned to some of them a date much earlier than A. D. 200. "The fiftieth of the Apostolical Canons reads as follows: 'If any Bishop or Presbyter do not perform three immersions of one initiation, but one immersion which is given into the death of Christ, let him be deposed; for the Lord did not say, "Baptize into my death," but "Go ye, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Do ye, therefore, O Bishops, immerse thrice—into one Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost, according to the will of Christ by the Spirit.'—Quinter and McConnel's Debate, p. 114." This is to that which Mr. Reeves refers; but he does not say one word as to its date, origin, and authenticity. It was of course written by somebody, and that somebody believed in three immersions. But who it was, and when he wrote, nobody knows. It was a very common practice in those days of pious forgeries to label their writings apostolical, or to ascribe them to some worthy Christian, to give them weight among those who did not stop to discriminate between the true and the false. These Canons are from unknown sources. They did not all come into notice at one time. Notice that Mr. Moore says: "Some learned men . . . have assigned to some of them a date much earlier than A. D. 200." But of the one in question, the fiftieth, he says nothing. He must have known of the facts respecting it, and to endeavor to give authority to this by speaking a good word for "some of them," savors much of the same spirit which originated them. Of the Canons, Dr. Schaff says:— "They are evidently of gradual growth, and were collected either after the middle of the fourth century, or not till the latter part of the fifth, by some unknown hand, probably also in Syria." These Canons are found, with notes, in a "History of Christian Councils," by Bishop Hefele, of Germany. Appended to Canon 50, the one quoted above, is this remark:— "This Canon is among the most recent of the collection. It is not known from what source it is derived." For the present we dismiss the Canons Apostolical, willingly according to the trine immersionists all the honor they acquire by the use which they make of them. Preceding these Canons, in point of chronology, comes the testimony of MUNNULUS, BISHOP OF GIRBA.
His words, claimed in favor of three immersions, were spoken in the seventh Council of Carthage, held under Cyprian, A. D. 256. There were eighty-five bishops present. The sole object of this council was to settle the question of the validity of baptism administered by heretics; and the unanimous testimony was that those who had been baptized by heretics must be baptized again, if they would enter the Catholic or orthodox church. Not one word was spoken against their mode or form of administering it; only that it was invalid, or no baptism at all, because it was by the hands of a heretic. Cyprian preserved on record the decision of each member of the council. We give specimens, that the animus of the council may appear. Januarius of Muzzuli said:— "I am surprised, since all confess there is one baptism, that all do not perceive the unity of the same baptism. For the church and heresy are two things, and different things. If heretics have baptism, we have it not; but if we have it, heretics cannot have it. But there is no doubt that the church alone possesses the baptism of Christ, since she alone possesses both the grace and truth of Christ." Ahyunus of Ausvaga said: "We have received one baptism, and that same we maintain and practice. But he who says that heretics also may lawfully baptize, makes two baptisms." The following we copy from Eld. Moore’s book:— "A. D. 256, while at the famous Council of Carthage, Munnulus made use of the following language in one of his speeches, preserved by Cyprian: 'The true doctrine of our holy mother, the Catholic Church, hath always, my brethren, been with us, and doth yet abide with us, especially in the article of baptism, and the trine immersion wherewith it is celebrated; our Lord having said, "Go ye, and baptize the Gentiles, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."'—Works of Cyprian, part 1, p. 240." The following, as the words of Munnulus, we copy from Cyprian’s records of this council, in his Works, vol. 2, p. 204:— "The truth of our mother, the Catholic Church, brethren, hath always remained and still remains with us, and even especially in the Trinity of baptism, as our Lord says, 'Go ye and baptize the nations in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.' Since, then, we manifestly know that heretics have not either Father or Son or Holy Spirit, they ought, when they come to the church our Mother, truly to be born again, and to be baptized; that the cancer which they had, and the anger of damnation, and the witchcraft of error, may be sanctified by the holy and heavenly laver." We fear the same liberty was taken with the words of Munnulus that was with the history of Sozomen. That which was called by him "the Trinity of baptism," is by those who use his testimony to uphold a tradition, called "baptism," and "trine immersion," etc. The difference is among material, there is a reduplication of the term baptism, or immersion, and the duplicate thus becomes a word of explanation, just such as we find inserted in the words of Sozomen. But the query may arise, What did he mean by "the Trinity of baptism"? He explains this himself; we, says he, baptize in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Spirit, while heretics have neither Father, Son, nor Holy Spirit. Thus, instead of three immersions he refers to the three persons invoked in the act of baptism. And much of the same idea is still more clearly expressed by the other early authors. In Clement’s "Recognitions," book 3, chap. 67, as follows:— "But every one of you shall be baptized in the ever-flowing water, the name of the Trine Beatitude being invoked over him." And again twice in his "Homilies," thus:— "Washing in a flowing river, or in a fountain, or even in the sea, with the thrice blessed invocation, you shall not only be able to drive away the spirits which lurk in you," etc.—Hom. 9, chap. 19. "For there is something that is merciful from the beginning borne upon the water, and rescues from the future punishment those who are baptized with the thrice blessed invocation."—Hom. 11, chap. 26. We are well aware that the "trine beatitude," or "thrice blessed invocation," drawn directly from the words of the Scriptures, was soon made the foundation of three-fold baptism, not at all based on the Scriptures, but resting on tradition only. Thus do the facts of history completely demolish the claim of early practice of trine immersion, or of tracing it to the days of the apostles. We admit that it was early enough to be found among the superstitions which sprung up even in the days of Tertullian. We have little care to follow the historical testimony further, because volumes of tradition have no weight with us, and this is proved to have no other origin. The words of Dr. Miller, of Princeton College, are worthy of constant remembrance: "Even suppose you had found such declarations in some or all of the early fathers. What then? Historic fact is not divine institution."