This magisterial volume is a comprehensive survey of the doctrine and practice of baptism in the first five centuries of Christian history; arranged geographically within chronological periods. Baptism in the Early Church covers the antecedents to Christian baptism and traces the history of Christian doctrine and practice from the New Testament through the writings of the church fathers of the fourth and fifth centuries. The book deals primarily with the literary sources; though it also gives attention to depictions of baptism (primarily of Jesus) in various art forms and to the surviving baptismal fonts.Ferguson’s thorough study points to the central importance of baptism in the early church. Many blessings were attributed to baptism; but the two earliest and most consistently mentioned are forgiveness of sins and the reception of the Holy Spirit; faith and repentance were necessary in order to receive these benefits. Jewish immersion rites; the practice of John the Baptist; the meaning of the words used for baptism; the literary descriptions; and the material remains argue that full immersion was the normal practice; and the evidence from art is consistent with this interpretation.Containing nearly everything currently known about the early Christian ritual of baptism; with extensive citations to the primary and secondary literature; Ferguson’s Baptism in the Early Church is destined to be a standard reference work.
#236525 in Books 2002-06-07Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .92 x 6.00l; 1.21 #File Name: 0802849431367 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. and is made all the more difficult by some Scriptures that are easy to misunderstand if the context is not explainedBy IJTIf you read this book; it will become evident that the author did a lot of research. The Divorce and Remarriage issue is a difficult one; and is made all the more difficult by some Scriptures that are easy to misunderstand if the context is not explained. The author looks at both the Old and New Testament; as well as other ancient literature and the surrounding culture. I would recommend this book to others; as I concluded that the author did his best to be accurate.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent (but a bit heavy for a layman).By David LUCASIt's a bit heavy for a layman; like myself (thus 4 stars); but nevertheless very informative giving an excellent background of the context in which Biblical teaching on Divorce and Remarriage was given as well as analysing the Scriptures themselves. I benefitted from reading it and appreciate the incredible depth of research that has been done to produce it; it gave great credibility to his other book; 'Divorce and Remarriage in the church'; which I found easier to read - as a layman; as you appreciate the foundational research that went into it.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Great book; specially for leaders.By Frank CarlsenI find this book very helpful with it's many sources from ancient documents; who really help any to understand the view of the first century people and the setting in the time of Jesus. Why this book not get five star from me is simply because he use some Greek and Hebrew word (written in their letters) with no interpretation. You may be an scholar to get it right there when you read the book. But don't worry; it's not many of them and you will after some reading understand it. This book is a great tool for leaders and should be read and study to help for the children of God. Not everything in the bible is straight forward; some cultural context is needed too.
