In addressing the proper mode of baptism being that of immersion over that of baptising by sprinkling, as well as the baptism of infants, one Latter-day Saint author wrote the following about the eunuch in Acts 8:
Once he understands their significance, and the fact that they speak of Jesus Christ, he requests baptism:
“And they went on their way, they came unto a certain water. And the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water. What doth hinder me to be baptized?’ And Philip said, ‘If thou believest with all thine heart, thou may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. ‘And he commanded the chariot to stand still. And they went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.’” (Acts 8:36-38)
The pertinent question is “what doth hinder me to be baptized?” Verse 37 provides the answer: “If thou believeth with all thine hearth, thou mayest.” Belief then, is required, which requires the ability to believe, and to choose. Neither are things a newborn infant provide.
It is interesting that, in support of their modified belief, some “modern” retranslations of the Bible leave out verse 37. This is convenient if you are trying to support infant baptism, but the argument does not support this approach. (R. Lane Wright, Most Glorious of All: The Restoration and Revelation of Baptism for the Dead [Nauvoo, Illin.: The Nauvoo Press, 2015], 106)
It is true that many modern translations lack verse 37. However, the author’s conspiracy theorising notwithstanding, it has nothing to do with a preference for non-immersionist and/or infant baptism—the best Greek manuscripts simply lack verse 37, such as p45; p74; Aleph; A; B; C; Ψ. As one New Testament textual critic wrote:
If this verse was an original part of Luke’s text, there is no good reason for explaining why it would have been omitted in so many ancient manuscripts and versions. Rather, this verse is a classic example of scribal gap-filling, in that it supplied the apparent gap left by the unanswered question of the previous verse (“The eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?’”). The interpolation puts an answer on Philip’s lips that is derived from ancient Christian baptismal practices. Before being baptized, the new believer had to make a confession of his or her faith in Jesus as the Son of God. A similar addition also worked its way into the text of John 9:38-39 . . . it is difficult to know when this interpolation first entered the text, but it could have been as early as the second century, since Irenaeus (Haer. 3.12.8) quoted part of it. The earliest extant Greek manuscript to include it is E, of the sixth century. Erasmus included the verse in his edition of the Greek New Testament because—even though it was not present in many of the manuscripts he knew—he considered it to have been omitted by the carelessness of scribes. He based its inclusion on a marginal reading in codex 4. (Philip W. Comfort, New Testament Text and Translation Commentary: Commentary on the variant readings of the ancient New Testament manuscripts and how they relate to the major English translation [Carol Stream, Illin.: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2009], 363-64)
As one Lutheran commentator wrote:
The textual evidence for this verse (see A. V.) is too slight to admit it into the text. It states what may well have transpired. The objection is textual only, and remarks such as that the words sound like some pedantic preacher asking his convert for a final, formal confession are unwarranted. A confession of Jesus as the Christ was always a prerequisite for baptism. (R.C.H. Lenski, The Interpretation of the Acts of the Apostles [Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961], 346)
Instead of the omission of Acts 8:37 being part of an attempt by modern translations to support a certain mode of baptism, instead, it is reflective simply of not being part of the earliest, most reliable Greek texts of the Acts of the Apostles. Latter-day Saints such as Wright should be more careful before making such misinformed, sloppy comments before checking the relevant scholarly literature.
