Baptism

The first mystery of Christian initiation: the death and resurrection of the believer with Christ in the water, by which a person is born again, cleansed of sin, and made a member of the Body of Christ.

Tradition: Pan-Orthodox

Baptism is the door of the mysteries — “the gate,” in Cabasilas’ image, through which the life in Christ begins (Cabasilas, The Life in Christ, Book 2). This section treats its theology and its rite. The first file, the-theology-of-baptism.md, reads baptism through Romans 6 as a real dying and rising with Christ, and takes up the triple immersion, the remission of sin, regeneration, and the renunciation of Satan. The second file, the-rite-and-its-history.md, follows the shape of the rite from the ancient catechumenate and the exorcisms through the blessing of the font to the immersion and the giving of the white garment, and links the hub essay on Baptism and Chrismation.

Contents

File Description
the-theology-of-baptism.md Death and resurrection with Christ (Rom 6); triple immersion; regeneration and the remission of sin; the rejection of Satan
the-rite-and-its-history.md The catechumenate, the exorcisms, the blessing of the font, and the historical development of the rite

See Also