Tertullian’s Understanding of Baptism

• Main Author: Nuh YILMAZ
• Format: Article
• Language: Turkish
• Published: Amasya University 2020-06-01
• Series: Amasya İlahiyat Dergisi
• Subjects: history of religion; tertullian; baptism; quintilla; infant baptism
• Online Access: https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/amailad/issue/54130/693914

Tertullian, who was the founder of Latin Christianity and also known as the father of the Latin Church, probably lived between (150-220? AD). Born in a pagan family, Tertullian converted to Christianity between 180-195. He possibly accepted Montanism in 200? and died at a very late age (220?). In his struggling with the Quintilla, who argues that faith is sufficient for salvation, he created his work of “On Baptism” in order to assert that faith alone is not enough but also baptism is essential. This work is important as it is the first study on early Christian baptism. Baptism has a long history. However, with the baptism of John the Baptist, the understanding of baptism gained a theological dimension and necessitated to the confession of the belief of the trinity. The practice of baptism, which substantially occupies the mind of Tertullian, at the same time has also made him one of the pioneers about this field. For instance, Tertullian is the first church father to express an opinion against child baptism. He is the first church father to use the phrase of “baptism” and “eucharist”. Again, he is the first church father to express his opinion about the godmother and godfather practice. Tertullian is the first church father to say that the Pentecost and Easter period are particularly suitable for baptism. But he is also cautious that baptism can be practiced in all the time. Last but not least, Tertullian is the first church father to say that women had no authority to baptize. According to him, in the matter of human salvation, the faith is alone not enough but baptism is a must. Indeed, Tertullian explains the purpose and importance of the baptism in the way that the person is purified from all sins by being baptized and reaches the capacity to achieve eternal life. In this sense, he declared a valid formula the statement from the Gospel of Matthew (Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.) that was shown evidence about baptism. Again, he stated that baptism is not only limited to Easter and Pentecost feasts, but also it can be practiced at any time. He also indicated that baptism can be performed by everyone except women and those who are considered as heretic by the church. In addition to water baptism, he stated that martyrdom is also a kind of baptism, it performs the same function as water baptism and even superior to it. Tertullian generally advocates that baptism should be postponed. In his view, both the innocence of children and their inability to use their minds and the fear of unforgiveness of the sins committed after being baptized played an important role. There are different approaches among researchers about delaying baptism and inconsistency in Tertullian's views. For example, according to Miller, Tertullian, on the one hand, advocates that children postpone their baptism later, on the other hand, he states that singles and widows must also postpone their baptism. Again, according to Miller, Tertullian, on the one hand, says that healthy people should delay their baptism, on the other hand, he considers it necessary in situations such as illness and death. Besides, according to Kaye, Tertullian contradicts himself about whether deadly sins will be forgiven or not. Because, Tertullian initially exhibited a more moderate perspective, and argued that God would forgive him even if the person committed a deadly sin; however, after adopting Montanism, he put forward a more rigid point of view and stated that these sins committed after baptism would exclude the person out of eternal salvation. In my opinion, both of the reasons mentioned above have been effective in delaying baptism. Because if Tertullian only brought innocence and mind to the fore, then it would not be concluded that it would be good for singles and widows to postpone their baptism. The change in his ideas is the fear that great sins committed after baptism cannot be forgiven. Therefore, according to him, the most valid of baptism is the one that is left to the end. This article, after having outlined the historical course of baptism perception and water phenomena in the pre-Tertullian period, discusses Tertullian's general understanding of baptism, the basis of this perception, and in particular his attitude towards infant baptism. The article is important in terms of providing a perspective on the concept of baptism practiced in the early period of Christianity, especially on infant/child baptism. The aim of this article is to present Tertullian's views on baptism in a tidy and detailed manner.