Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries

by Everett Ferguson

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2009

Overview

In Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries, Everett Ferguson provides a comprehensive survey of the doctrine and practice of baptism in the first five centuries of Christian history, arranged geographically within chronological periods. Baptism in the Early Church covers the antecedents to Christian baptism and traces the history of Christian doctrine and practice from the New Testament through the writings of the church fathers of the fourth and fifth centuries. The book deals primarily with the literary sources, though it also gives attention to depictions of baptism (primarily of Jesus) in various art forms and to the surviving baptismal fonts.

In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Provides a comprehensive survey of the doctrine and practice of baptism
• Traces the history of Christian doctrine and practice
• Focuses primarily on literary sources

Contents

Top Highlights

“The Greek phrase ‘into the name of’ (εἰς τὸ ὄνομα) occurs mainly in commercial or legal documents and carries the idea of ‘into the ownership or possession’ of someone. The Hebrew phrase ‘into the name of’ (לֵשְׁם) carries the idea of ‘with reference to,’ defining the intention or purpose of the act, or even in some instances ‘in worship to.’” (Pages 135–136)

“The water and the cross are linked by their relation to the forgiveness of sins. The negative statement about Jewish baptism not bringing forgiveness (11.1) implies that Christian baptism does, and this is made explicit at the end of the discussion: ‘we go down into the water full of sins and uncleanness,’ but we come up full of reverence and hope (11.11).” (Page 211)

“Continuing with Plutarch, we find that he represents classical usage of baptizō not only in a literal sense with reference to ships sinking, persons drowning, objects submerged, and dipping in a liquid (water, blood, or wine), but also in a metaphorical sense of being overwhelmed whether with drunkenness, affairs of life, or debts.” (Page 52)

“He joins a host of earlier Christian writers in the affirmation of the innocence of children,⁷ a condition making infant baptism inconsistent in his view with the generally recognized meaning of baptism as bringing the forgiveness of sins.” (Page 365)

“The basic meaning of βάπτω is ‘to plunge,’ ‘to dip’ in a yielding medium, usually a liquid. From this basic sense comes a use that emphasizes the result, ‘to wet.’” (Page 38)

Product Details

• Title: Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries
• Author: Everett Ferguson
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Print Publication Date: 2009
• Logos Release Date: 2014
• Pages: 975
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Baptism › History--Early church, ca. 30-600
• ISBNs: 9780802827487, 0802827489
• Resource ID: LLS:BPTSMRLYFVCNTRS
• Resource Type: text.monograph.church-history
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-01-16T19:05:09Z

About Everett Ferguson

Everett Ferguson (1933–) received his Ph.D. from Harvard University and served on the faculty of Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas, beginning in 1962, where he taught church history and Greek. He is now professor emeritus in its College of Biblical Studies and distinguished scholar-in-residence. Although he retired from full-time teaching in 1990 to devote himself to research, he occasionally teaches a few classes at ACU. He is the author of many books, including Backgrounds of Early Christianity.