HOLMES Baptism: Patristic Resources 259
Alongside those baptized at Easter after preparation, and those to
whom clinical baptism was administered, John notes that children are
also baptized: '[w]e baptise even infants' (3.6). Why so? Origen, it
appears, wanted infants baptized to wash away the stain of original sin.
John, by contrast, thought that children are born innocent ('free from
sins'; Augustine and Julian, the Pelagian, argue over what Chrysostom
meant by this in their debate on original sin^8 ), but nonetheless he saw
many benefits which baptism conveys apart from the forgiveness of sins:Before yesterday you were captives, but now you are free and citizens of
the Church; lately you lived in the shame of your sins, but now you live in
freedom and justice. You are not only free, but also holy; not only holy, but
also just; not only just, but also sons; not only sons, but also heirs; not only
heirs, but also brothers of Christ; not only brothers of Christ, but also joint
heirs; not only joint heirs, but also members; not only members, but also the
temple; not only the temple, but also instruments of the Spirit (3.5).John saw no good reason to deny these benefits to children born within the
family of faith, and so followed earlier practice in allowing them to come
to baptism. They were unable to make the appropriate renunciations and
confessions, but in that they did not differ from some who underwent
clinical baptism, and so that could be no bar.
What is interesting here is John's theological account of the variety of
practice. Baptism, for John, is understood to be the rite of entry of new
(believing) converts into the Church after a period of instruction and prepa-
ration. Having understood baptism this way, however, John is prepared to
admit a variety of practice into what he has understood. We might com-
pare some current Baptist and Congregationalist thinking about ordination:
ordained ministry is understood to be the ministry of word and sacrament
within the context of a local church; reflection on that role, however,
allows us to regard other callings as proper to this ministry, albeit deriva-
tively. We would not seek to understand what ministry means by looking
at the role of a tutor within a theological college, or a translocal pastorpastorum (an Area Superintendent, in British Baptist terms), but we do not
deny that these are proper ways of exercising the ministry that we under-
stand from elsewhere. Just so, John will not understand baptism by look-- For Augustine' s side of the argument, see his Answer to Julian 1.21-28. (The
best current translation is found in John E. Rotelle [ed.], The Works of St Augustine: A
Translation for the 21st Century. 1.24 Answer to the Pelagians II [trans. Roland J.
Teske; Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 1998]).