269
BAPTISM
The early leaders of the so-called Reformation
held very different doctrines from those of Christian
antiquitv on the effects of baptism. Luther (De
Captiv. Bab.) and Calvin (.\ntid. C. Trid.) held that
this sacrament made the baptized certain of the
perpetual grace of adoption. Others declared that
the calling to mind of one's baptism would free him
from sins committed after it; others again, that
transgressions of the Divine law, although sins in
themselves, would not be imputed as sins to the
baptized person provided he had faith. The decrees
of the Council of Trent, dra-rni up in opposition to the
then prevailing errors, bear witness to the many
strange and novel theories broached by various
exponents of the nascent Protestant theologj'.
XIII. MixisTER OF THE S.^.cRAMENT. — The Church distinguishes between the ordinary and the extraor- dinary minister of baptism. A distinction is also made as to the mode of administration. Solemn baptism is that which is conferred with all the rites and ceremonies prescribed by the Church, and private baptism is that which may be administered at any time or place according to the exigencies of necessity. At one time solemn and public baptism was coiiferred in the Latin Church only during the paschal season and Wliitsuntide. The Orientals ad- ministered it likewise at the Epiphany.
(a) The ordinary minister of solemn baptism is first the bishop and second the priest. By delega- tion, a deacon may confer the sacrament solemnly as an extraordinarj' "minister. Bishops are said to be ordinarj- ministers because they are the successors of the Apostles who received directly the Divine command: "Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Cihost." Priests are also ordinary ministers because by their office and sacred orders they are pastors of souls and administrators of the sacraments, and hence the Florentine decree declares: "The minister of this Sacrament is the priest, to whom it belongs to administer baptism by reason of his office. " As. however, bishops are superior to priests by the Divine law, the solemn administration of this sacra- ment was at one time reserved to the bishops, and a priest never administered this sacrament in the pres- ence of a bishop unless commanded to do so. How ancient this discipline was. may be seen from Ter- tuUian (De Bapt., xvii): "The right to confer baptism belongs to the chief priest who is the bishop, then to priests and deacons, but not without the authori^za- tion of the bishop." Ignatius (Ep. ad SmjT., viii): "It is not lawful to baptize or celebrate the agape wi'hout the bishop. " St. Jerome (Contra Lucif ., ix) witnesses to the same usage in his days: " Without chrism and the command of the bishop, neither priest nor deacon has the right of conferring baptism." Deacons are only extraordinary' ministers of solemn baptism, as by their office they are assistants to the priestly order. St. Isidore of Se^^lle (De Eccl. OfT., u 25) savs: "It is plain that baptism is to be conferred by pnests only, and it is not lawful even for deacons to administer it without permission of the bishop or priest." That deacons were, however, ministers of this sacrament by delegation is evident from the quotations adduced. In the service of ordmatwn of a deacon, the bishop says to the candidate: It behooves a deacon to minister at the altar, to baptize and to preach. " Phihp the deacon is mentioned in Holy Writ (Acts, ^^ii) as conferring baptism, pre- sumably bv delegation of the Apostles. It is to be noted that though everj- priest, in virtue of his ordination is the ordinarj' minister of baptism, yet by ecclesiastical decrees he cannot use this power licitly imless he has jurisdiction. Hence the Roman Ritual declares: "The legitimate minister of baptism is the parish priest, or any other pnest delegated by the parish priest or the bishop of the place. Ihe
Second Plenary Council of Bahimore adds: ' Priests
are deserving of grave reprehension who rashly
baptize infants of another parish or of another dio-
cese. " St. Alphonsus (n. 114) says that parents who
bring their children for baptism without necessity
to a priest other than their own pastor, are guilty of
sin because they violate the rights of the parish priest.
He adds, however, that other priests may baptize
such children, if they have the permission, whether
express, or tacit, or even reasonably presumed, of
the proper pastor. Those who have no settled place
of abode may be baptized by the pastor of any church
they choose.
(t) In case of necessity, baptism can be adminis- tered lawfully and vahdly by any person whatsoever who observes the essential conditions, whether this person be a CathoUc lajTnan or any other man or woman, heretic or schismatic, infidel or Jew. The essential conditions are that the person pour water upon the one to be baptized, at the same time pro- nouncing the words: "I baptize thee in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." Moreover, he must thereby intend really to baptize the person, or technically, he must intend to perform what the Church performs when administering this sacrament. The Roman Ritual adds that, even in conferring baptism in cases of necessity, there is an order of preference to be followed as to the minister. This order is: if a priest be present, he is to be pre- ferred to a deacon, a deacon to a subdeacon, a cleric to a laj'man. and a man to a woman, unless modesty should' require (as in cases of childbirth) that no other than the female be the minister, or again, un- less the female should understand better the method of baptizing. The Ritual also says that the father or mother should not baptize their own child, except in danger of death when no one else is at hand who could administer the sacrament. Pastors are also directed by the Ritual to teach the faithful, and es- pecially m'idwives, the proper method of baptizing. When such private baptism is administered, the other ceremonies of the rite are supplied later by a priest, if the recipient of the sacrament survives.
This right of any person whatsoever to baptize in case of necessity is' in accord with the constant tradi- tion and practice of the Church. TertuUian (De Bapt., ^^i) savs, speaking of lajTnen who have an oppor- tunitv'to administer baptism: "He will be guilty of the loss of a soul, if he neglects to confer what he freely can." St. Jerome (Adv. Lucif., ix): "In case of necessity, we know that it is also allowable for a layman [to" baptize]; for as a person receives, so may he give." The Fourth Council of the Lateran (cap. Firmiter) decrees: "The Sacrament of Baptism . . . no matter bv whom conferred is available to salva- tion." St. I'sidore of Seville (can. Romanus de cons., iv) declares: "The Spirit of God administers the grace of baptism, although it be a pagan who does the baptizing." Pope Nicholas I teaches the Bul- garians (Resp. 104) that baptism by a Jew or a pagan is vaUd. Owing to the fact that women are barred from enjoj-ing any species of ecclesiastical jurisdiction, the question necessarily arose concern- ing their ability to bestow vahd baptism. TertuUian (De Bapt., xvii) strongly opposes the administration of this sacrament by women, but he does not declare it void. In like manner, St. Epiphanius (Ha;r., Ixxix) says of females: "Not even the power of baptizing ha's been granted to them", but he is speaking of solemn baptism, which is a function of the priesthood. Similar expressions may be found in the writings ol other Fathers, but only when they are opposing the grotesque doctrine of some heretics, like the Mar- cionites, Pepuzians, and Cataphrj'gians, who wished to make Christian priestesses of women. The au- thoritative decision of the Church, however, is plain. Pope Urban II (c. Super quibus, xxx, 4) writes: "It
