Friday, February 23, 2024

Johannes Quasten on Baptismal Regeneration in the Epistle of Barnabas

  

2) Chapters 6 and 11 describe beautifully how baptism confers upon man adoption to sonship and stamps upon his soul God’s image and likeness:

 

He has renewed us by the remission of our sins and has made us another type that we should have the soul of children as though he were creating us afresh. For thus the scripture says concerning us where it introduces the Father speaking to the Son, ‘let us make man after your image’ (6, 11-12).

 

3) Baptism makes God’s creatures temples of the Holy Ghost:

 

It remains yet that I speak to you concerning the temple; how those miserable men (the Jews) erred by putting their trust in the house, and not in God himself who made them; as if it were the habitation of God. For much after the same manner as the Gentiles, they consecrated him in the temple. But learn how the Lord speaks, rendering the temple vain: ‘Who has measured the heaven with a span, and the earth with his hand? Is it not I? Thus saith the Lord: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What is the house that ye will build me?’ Know therefore that all their hope is vain. And again he says: ‘Behold, they who destroyed his temple, they shall again build it up.’ And so it came to pass; for through their wars it was destroyed by the enemies; and the servants of their enemies build it up at present. . . .

 

Let us inquire, therefore, whether there can be any temple of God. yes, there is; and that, there where he himself declares that he would both make and perfect it. For it is written: ‘And it shall be, that as soon as the week shall be completed, the temple of the Lord shall be gloriously built in the name of the Lord.’ I find then that there is a temple. But how shall it be built in the name of the Lord? I will show you. Before we believed in God, the habitation of our heart was corruptible and weak, as a temple really built with hands. For it was a house full of idolatry , a house of devils, inasmuch as there was done in it whatsoever was contrary unto God. but it shall be built in the name of the Lord. Consider that the temple of the Lord may be gloriously built; and by what means that shall be, learn. Having received remission of our sins, and trusting in the name of the Lord, we become renewed, being again created from the beginning. Wherefore God truly dwells in our house, that is, in us (16, 1-8, 9) (Johannes Quasten, Patrology, 4 vols. [Westminster, Md.: Christian Classics, Inc., 1992], 1:87-88)