Saturday, June 11, 2022

Baptismal Regeneration and Baptism as the "Laver of Regeneration" in The Apostolic Tradition

In the Latin of The Apostolic Tradition 21.21, we read the following affirmation of baptismal regeneration:

 

And let the bishop, laying [his] and on them, invoke, saying, “Lord God who have made them worthy to receive the forgiveness of sins through the laver of regeneration of the Holy Spirit, send them your grace, that they may serve you according to your will; for to you is glory, Father and Son with the Holy Spirit in the holy church, both now and to the ages of ages. Amen.” (Paul F. Bradshaw, Maxwell E. Johnson, and L. Edward Phillips, The Apostolic Tradition: A Commentary [Hermeneia—A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible; Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002], 118)

 

Other versions of the work read something similar to the Latin:

 

Arabic . . . and the bishop puts is hand on the and prayers and says, “O Lord O God, who have made these people worthy of the bath that is for the second birth and forgiveness of sins . . .”(Ibid., 118)

 

Ethiopic . . . and the bishop is to place his hands on them and pray, saying: “O God, you who have made these worthy of the washing of a second birth and the forgiveness of sin . . .” (Ibid., 118)