
In this concise study the author turns a critical eye to the New Testament accounts of Christ’s commissioning of his disciples, asking whether the command to baptize with water ever appears in Scripture. By comparing the four Gospels and Peter’s own testimony, the work highlights the differences in language and emphasis, especially the consistent focus on baptism in the Holy Spirit rather than on water. The author also brings in early Jewish and pagan practices to show how water rites were understood in the surrounding cultures.
Drawing on historical sources and the lives of early saints who were never immersed, the book argues that water baptism as a Christian rite is a later development rather than a biblical mandate. It examines the citations from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, noting omissions and textual variations that suggest the command may have been added or misinterpreted. Readers are invited to follow the author's careful analysis and consider a view of Christian initiation rooted in spiritual rather than ritual immersion.
Full title
Water Baptism A Pagan and Jewish Rite but not Christian, Proven by Scripture and History Confirmed by the Lives of Saints Who Were Never Baptized with Water
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (70K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Barbara Tozier, Geetu Melwani and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2005-12-04
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects
b. 1830
Best known for a forceful 19th-century religious work on baptism, this American writer argued his case with a strongly independent voice. Little biographical information is easy to confirm, which makes his surviving book the clearest window into his life and ideas.
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