Baptism: subjects
- S02.1 Infant baptism attested from c. 200, unchallenged in principle; delay sometimes advised (low–medium)
From the study it came from: Largely agree on what baptism does; the fathers add a settled practice (infants, threefold immersion) where Scripture gives no explicit command.
Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 1 questions each rests on). This doctrine is second-order (tier weight 2). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation
Closeness to Scripture
Closeness to the fathers
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
- c. 180 Irenaeus S02.1
- c. 205 Tertullian S02.1
- c. 252 Cyprian S02.1
- 1530 Augsburg Confession Lutheran
- 1547 Trent VII Catholic
- 1646 Westminster Confession Presbyterian
- 1672 Confession of Dositheus Orthodox
S2 · Baptism: subjects
Infants, or believers only.
Tier: Second-order (scoring weight 2). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Site structure: structure.
Questions
- S02.1 Infant baptism (was
baptism/B2)
Verdicts and trace
S02.1 · Infant baptism
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S02.1 | Infant baptism attested from c. 200, unchallenged in principle; delay sometimes advised | High (attested) / low–med (apostolic origin) | S02.1.1 · S02.1.3 weighing | cyprian-bap-s1 · tertullian-bap-s2 · irenaeus-bap-s1 | S02.1.4: developmental: not weighted |
Post-750 development
Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes.
| Tradition | Closest to the fathers on | Departs or sharpens on |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | S02.1 | — |
| Orthodox | S02.1 (immersion kept) | — |
| Oriental Orthodox | S02.1 | — |
| Lutheran | S02.1 | — |
| Anglican | S02.1 | — |
| Presbyterian | S02.1 | — |
| Reformed Baptist | — | S02.1 rejected |
| General Baptist | — | S02.1 rejected |
| Anabaptist | — | S02.1 rejected |
Where the tier is contested
The default tier above follows the triage criteria. These traditions place it differently, and the scores page recomputes the rankings under each tradition’s own tiers.
| Tradition | Its tier | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Reformed Baptist | Second-order | 2LBC XXVI.6-7, XXIX: constitutive of church membership (stays second-order but central) |
Origin
Plan, overall verdict and verification status of the former baptism category (shared with the other doctrines that came from it)
Baptism
Method and conventions: docs/conventions.md. Reasoning: baptism reasoning.
1. Plan
Questions: B1 regeneration; B2 infants; B3 mode; B4 necessity. Sources: Didache 7; Justin, 1 Apol. 61; Irenaeus AH II.22.4; Tertullian, On Baptism; Cyprian Ep. 58; Cyril of Jerusalem, Cat. 3 and Myst. 2; Gregory Nazianzen Or. 40; Augustine, Merit and Forgiveness I and Ep. 98; John of Damascus IV.9. Planned but not yet read: Hippolytus, Apostolic Tradition 21; Origen, Comm. Rom. V.9 (infant baptism “from the apostles”); Basil, On the Holy Spirit 15. Scripture: John 3:5; Acts 2:38–39; 22:16; Rom 6:3–4; Col 2:11–12; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet 3:21; household baptisms. Terms: βαπτίζω, λουτρόν, παλιγγενεσία, ἄφεσις. Method: as in justification. Do not read later sign/thing distinctions into the fathers.
2. Verdicts and trace
Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father tiers T1–T4. Verdict changes are listed in docs/proximity-changes.md.
3. Post-750 development
4. Overall verdict
Orthodox closest on all four questions. Catholic and Lutheran are next; they differ from the fathers mainly in practice on mode. Presbyterian departs most on regeneration and necessity, though it keeps infant baptism. Confidence: high.
5. Verification status
- Verified: all entries above, plus the post-750 quotations (Trent VII, Dositheus 16, AC IX, WCF XXVIII).
- To verify: Hippolytus, Apostolic Tradition 21; Origen, Comm. Rom. V.9; Basil, On the Holy Spirit 15; Gregory Nazianzen Or. 40.28 (age three); the Latin of Irenaeus II.22.4 and AH III.17.1; the dating of Zwingli; the status of limbo; LSB English.