The main Scripture passages concerned are Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16, and John 3:5, of which Matthew 28:19 is the central piece of evidence for the traditional view of the institution of baptism by Christ. It describes the risen Lord as saying to his Disciples, ‘Go ye and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’ If it were undisputed, this would, of course, be decisive, but its trustworthiness is impugned on the grounds of textual criticism, literary criticism, and historical criticism.
(a) Textual Criticism. In all extant MSS and versions the text is found in the traditional form, though it must be remembered that the best manuscripts both of the African Old Latin and of the Old Syriac versions are defective at this point. The evidence of Patristic quotations is not so clear. It was formerly thought to be as unanimous as that of the MSS and Versions, but F.C. Conybeare (ZNTW, 1901, p. 275 ff.) has shown that this is not true, at least in the case of Eusebius of Caesarea.
“The facts are in summary that Eusebius quotes Matthew 28:19 twenty-one times, either omitting everything between1 “nations” and “teaching” or in the form “Go ye and make disciples of all the nations in my name, teaching them…”, the latter form being the more frequent. He also quotes it four times in the ordinary text; but it is significant that these four quotes are all in the latter writings of Eusebius [once in the Syriac Theophany, lv. 8 (Lee’s tr. P.223) once in contra Marcellum, p. 30, once in the de Ecclesiastica Theologia, v. p. 174a, and once in the letter of Eusebius to the Church at Caesarea quoted by Socrates, H E i. 8.38; it should be noted that there is reason to think that the Syriac translator is giving, not the text of Eusebius, but the version to which he is accustomed (cf. Burkitt, Evangelion da Mepharreshe, ii. 171), and that the authorship of the contra Marcelluan and the de Ecclesiastica Theologia is doubtful (cf. Conybeare, NZTW, 1905, p. 250 ff., and a reply by Gerhard Loeschocke, ib. 1906, p. 69 ff.)] At first sight this evidence seems to prove that Eusebius, in his earlier writings at all events used MSS of the Gospels which omitted the command to baptize in Matthew 28:19, but Riggenbach (‘Die trinitarische Taaufbefehl, Beitrage zur Fordsrung christl. Theol. 1903) and Chase (JThSt, 1905, p.481 ff.) have argues that his method of quotation is due to the influence of the arcani disciplina. This suggestion does not seem to bear examination, for the quotations in Eusebius are not found in works intended for unbelievers or for catechumens. The most reasonable view seems to be that Conybeare has shown that the quotations in Eusebius point to a text which omitted the baptismal formula, though it is still open to question whether Eusebius knew also the traditional form. It is naturally important to ask whether there is any other evidence for the ‘Eusebian’ type of text. Conybeare thinks that he can see traces of it in Justin Martyr, Dial. 39:258, and 53:272, and in Hermas, Simil. 9 17.4; but none of these passages is convincing, and perhaps more striking than any of them is a passage in which Justin gives a description of the regeneration of Christian converts in connection with baptism (Apol. I. 61). Here he quotes a saying of Christ (‘Except ye be born again ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven’) as a proof of the necessity of regeneration, but falls back upon the use of Isaiah and Apostolic tradition to justify the practice of baptism and the use of the triune formula. This certainly suggests that Justin did not know the traditional text of Matthew 28:19.”
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Author: Kirsopp Lake
Keywords: trine immersion, triune immersion, trine baptism, trine baptismal formula, triune baptism, threefold name, baptism formula, baptismal formula, Water baptism, Sprinking, Baptism necessary, Baptism necessary for salvation, Baptism saves, Baptism salvation, Water immersion, Immersion, Immersion water, Affusion, pedo baptism, paedo baptism, pedobaptism, paedobaptism, Baptism by pouring, Baptize by pouring, Pouring water, Baptism immersion, Baptize immersion, Baptize, Baptise, Baptist, Adult baptism, credobaptism, Infant baptism, Child baptism, Baptize children, Baptize infants, Sprinkling water, Sprinkle baptism, John the Baptist, John the baptizer, Water submersion, Submersion, Submersion baptism, Baptize submersion, Believer's baptism, baptized in water, water baptized, water baptised, baptised in water, John's baptism, mikveh, ritual cleansing, washing, ritual washing
Bible reference(s): Matthew 3:6, Matthew 3:7, Matthew 28:19, Mark 1:5, Mark 16:16, Luke 3:3, Luke 3:7, Luke 3:12, Luke 3:21, Luke 7:30, Luke 12:50, John 1:25, John 1:31, John 3:22, John 4:2, Acts 2:41, Acts 8:12, Acts 8:13, Acts 8:16, Acts 8:36, Acts 8:38, Acts 9:18, Acts 10:48, Acts 16:15, Acts 16:33, Acts 18:8, Acts 19:3, Acts 19:5, Acts 22:16, Romans 6:3, Romans 6:4, 1 Corinthians 1:13, 1 Corinthians 1:14, 1 Corinthians 1:15, 1 Corinthians 1:16, 1 Corinthians 1:17, 1 Corinthians 10:2, 1 Corinthians 15:29, Galatians 3:27, Ephesians 4:5, Colossians 2:12, 1 Peter 3:21, Hebrews 6:2
Source: ed. James Hastings, The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, vol. 2, 1926, p. 380 ff.
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