Baptize

To baptize a person is to admit her or him to membership of the Christian religion. There are many further subtleties of meaning, practice and belief that lie behind the simple definition - and that may be disputed between different denominations. What is written here is intended as a simple outline for those that know nothing of the matter.

The noun labelling the process is baptism; the adjective is baptismal. There is a further noun Baptist, which labels a person who performs a baptism ('the Baptist' is Saint John the Baptist) or a member of the Baptist Church; it is also used epithetically, as an adjective, describing that church or its members.

Etymological note: 'baptism', and 'baptize' derive from the Greek verb βαπτίζειν (baptizein}, 'to bathe', 'dip' or 'plunge'.

There is another adjective, baptismal, meaning 'to do with baptism'. Note that although baptise is a recognized form, it is recommended to spell the verb baptize; the noun is always spelled with the '-s-' (see also -ise - -ize). The two are pronounced with different stress patterns: in British English, 'baptize' has the stress on the second syllable, 'bap-TIZE' (IPA: /bæp'taɪz/), while the vast majority of American speakers stress the first syllable, 'BAP-tize'. This is the stress of 'baptism' in which the '-s-' is voiced: 'BAP-tizm', IPA: /'bæptɪzəm/ - although the stress in the adjective 'baptismal' returns to the second syllable: 'bap-TIZM-'l' IPA: /bæp'tɪzməl/. 'Baptist' has an unvoiced '-s-' and first syllable stress: 'BAP-tisst', IPA: /'bæptɪst/.

The sacrament (ceremony) of baptism is in essence a symbolic 'washing away of [original] sin' to make a person fit to present to God and the Christian community. Baptism is most commonly nowadays (in all the mainstream churches) performed on babies soon after their birth. In this case, the celebrant, holding the baby over a font, or ritual water-holder, pours a small amount over the forehead, to indicate the washing away of sin. Other parts of the ceremony, which varies between sects, may include undertakings made on the child's behalf, by parents and god-parents; prayers; anointing with oil, with or without signing with the Cross; and various candles, symbolic white robes; and so on. Baptism is always performed in the name of 'Father, Son and Holy Ghost'.

When baptism is performed on infants, it is known to some as christening. This word, which originally meant 'to make Christian', has moved on, first to mean 'baptize' and later, particularly among parents less dedicated to Christianity, merely 'to give a name to [usually with the ritual of baptism in a church]'.

Variations in the practice of baptism include:

• • Adult, as opposed to infant, baptism. The first baptisms seem to have been of adults choosing the Christian faith by a conscious public statement; but since at the latest the third century CE, the baptism of infants as a dedication of them to the Faith and one allowing them the possibility of salvation was recognized. By the 5th century, by which time Christianity had become the official religion of the Roman Empire, it seems to have become the norm. The Baptist Church practises baptism of adults. (It was originally called 'Anabaptist', or 're-baptist', because membership of the Church demanded a conscious acceptance of the sacrament by Christians who had already received the unconscious baptism of other churches, which was not held to be valid.
  • Immersion, as opposed to sprinkling (or 'affusion'), the usual modern practice, applied to parts of the head. Immersion is the custom of the Baptist Church, and some others: there are even some who practise total submersion. The earliest practice seems to have been immersion: paintings of the baptism of Jesus by Saint John the Baptist, though not contemporary, show the two standing in the river Jordan, with John pouring water on Jesus's head. (The process is often shown in painting with, above Jesus' head, a dove, the pictorial symbol of the Paraclete, or Holy Spirit. As Matthew's Gospel (3 16-17) tells it: "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.")