Source edition
Tertullian. Quinti Septimi Florentis Tertulliani opera, Pars I (Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum, Volume 20). Reifferscheid, August; Wissowa, Georg, editors. Prague, Vienna, Leipzig: F. Tempsky, G. Freytag, 1890.
Source data
Open Greek and Latin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is one of the earliest systematic treatises on the sacrament of Christian baptism, addressing both its theological significance and practical guidelines. Writing against heretical claims that denied the efficacy of baptism, the author defends the dignity of water since creation and explains how the Holy Spirit sanctifies it for spiritual rebirth. The text outlines the necessity of faith in the Trinity, the spiritual meaning of post-baptismal anointing and the laying on of hands, and the prefigurations of baptism in the Old Testament. It also addresses theological questions regarding the necessity of baptism for salvation, the invalidity of heretical baptisms, and the concept of martyrdom as a "baptism of blood." Finally, the author discusses practical church discipline, including who has the authority to baptize, the caution against infant baptism, and the proper preparation and timing for receiving this sacrament.