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The First Apology
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Chapter 61: Christian Baptism.
I WILL ALSO EXPLAIN HOW WE DEDICATED OURSELVES TO GOD WHEN WE WERE MADE NEW THROUGH CHRIST: so that we don’t seem unfair in our explanation by leaving this out. All who are convinced and believe that what we teach and say is true, and commit to living accordingly, are instructed to pray and ask God for the remission of their past sins with fasting, while we pray and fast with them.
Then, they are brought by us to water and are regenerated in the same way we were.
In the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they receive the washing with water. Christ also said, “Unless you are born again, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.” It’s clear to everyone that those who have been born once cannot enter their mothers' wombs again. How those who have sinned and repent shall escape their sins is declared by the prophet Isaiah, as I wrote before; he says: “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your deeds from your souls; learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow: and come, let us reason together, says the Lord.
Even though your sins are as scarlet, I will make them white like wool; and even though they are as crimson, I will make them white as snow.
But if you refuse and rebel, the sword will devour you: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.”
And for this [rite] we have learned this reason from the apostles. Since at birth we were born without our own knowledge or choice, due to our parents coming together, and were raised with bad habits and wicked training; so that we may not remain children of necessity and ignorance, but may become children of choice and knowledge, and may obtain in the water the remission of sins previously committed, the name of God the Father and Lord of the universe is pronounced over the one who chooses to be born again and has repented of sins. The one who leads the person to be washed calls him by this name alone. For no one can speak the name of the ineffable God; and if anyone dares to claim that there is a name, they are consumed by a hopeless madness. This washing is called illumination because those who learn these things are enlightened in their understanding. And in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and in the name of the Holy Ghost, who through the prophets foretold all things about Jesus, the one who is enlightened is washed.
Hear the Scriptures cited in The First Apology
The First Apology quotes or alludes to these Bible chapters more than any others. Each link opens the free audio Bible, where the chapter is read aloud alongside the text, cross-references, and what other early Christian writers said about it.
- Hear Isaiah 52 (audio Bible) — cited 3 times in this work
- Hear Matthew 5 (audio Bible) — cited 3 times in this work
- Hear Genesis 6 (audio Bible) — cited 2 times in this work
- Hear Genesis 49 (audio Bible) — cited 2 times in this work
- Hear Numbers 21 (audio Bible) — cited 2 times in this work
- Hear Psalms 22 (audio Bible) — cited 2 times in this work
- Hear Isaiah 65 (audio Bible) — cited 2 times in this work
- Hear Matthew 19 (audio Bible) — cited 2 times in this work
- Hear Genesis 14 (audio Bible)
- Hear Genesis 18 (audio Bible)
- Hear Genesis 32 (audio Bible)
- Hear Exodus 3 (audio Bible)