Historical Development of the Ritual's Structure
With the first Baptism being carried out by John the Baptist, there has been many developments over time within the ritual’s structure. There are four accounts evident within the scripture of Jesus’s own baptism; as Matthew 3:1-17, Mark 1:4-11, Luke 3:1-22 and John 1:1-34 all provide evidence of Jesus’ repentance and forgiveness of his sins as well as in welcoming into God’s life. (Coffey, 2000) Within the Acts 2:38 it is clear that baptism was predominately a ritual carried out on adults as it talks of the forgiveness of sins and repentance.
According to Coffey (2000), adults were baptised in the early church as a sign of a marked and thoughtful conversion. Within this the person was immersed in water, which now the ritual involves water being poured over the person’s head with some churches still participating in the immersion. Although adults are still baptised today, it is seen as ‘the norm’ for an infant to be baptised as a sign of their new life within the church and the beginning of their receivership of the seven sacraments. Coffey (2000) also states that some of the same “symbolic actions” that are used in baptisms today were also evident in the early church. These include:
· The baptism pool and the person being baptised entering it
· The anointing
· The presence of a white garment being worn by the person being baptised
· Lighting a candle
The ritual was also carried out in secret as many people risked their lives to become a Christian, however by the fourth century becoming a Christian became legal and the baptism of infants became more popular as a part of the beginning of life. (Coffey, 2000)
According to Coffey (2000), adults were baptised in the early church as a sign of a marked and thoughtful conversion. Within this the person was immersed in water, which now the ritual involves water being poured over the person’s head with some churches still participating in the immersion. Although adults are still baptised today, it is seen as ‘the norm’ for an infant to be baptised as a sign of their new life within the church and the beginning of their receivership of the seven sacraments. Coffey (2000) also states that some of the same “symbolic actions” that are used in baptisms today were also evident in the early church. These include:
· The baptism pool and the person being baptised entering it
· The anointing
· The presence of a white garment being worn by the person being baptised
· Lighting a candle
The ritual was also carried out in secret as many people risked their lives to become a Christian, however by the fourth century becoming a Christian became legal and the baptism of infants became more popular as a part of the beginning of life. (Coffey, 2000)