The Mystery of Baptism: Part 4

 

Baptism is the sacred mystery through which a person is born again of water and the Holy Spirit and becomes a member of Christ's Church. This article explains how baptism is rightly administered according to Holy Scripture and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. It also examines the significance of immersion, the Christian name, and the proper age for receiving this life-giving sacrament.

How is Baptism Administered?

If the person to be baptized is a sub-Christian (ንዑሰ ክርስቲያን—የእምነት ትምህርትን በመከታተል ላይ ያሉ ግን የሥላሴን ልጅነት ያላገኙ), he or she must first receive instruction in the basic teachings of the faith and confess that faith. In the case of children, those who become the child’s Christian mother or father (የክርስትና እናት ወይም አባት) make this confession on behalf of the child. During the baptismal rite, the person is immersed in water three times, symbolizing Christ’s death and resurrection, and is baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). When a married couple with children receives baptism, the entire family should first be instructed in the faith, confess that faith, and receive baptism together. Following baptism, the newly baptized must partake of the Holy Body and Precious Blood of Christ; otherwise, the baptism is not considered complete.

Only bishops and priests are authorized to administer baptism within the ranks of the priesthood, because our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ entrusted this authority specifically to the eleven apostles (Matthew 28:19). Deacons are not permitted to perform baptism (Matthew 28:19; ፍትሐ ነገሥት, verse 3). Any “baptism” conducted outside the priesthood is considered merely a washing rather than true baptism; therefore, the person must receive the authentic baptism through which he or she receives the grace of sonship.

Moreover, baptism, which bestows divine sonship, is not performed by sprinkling (በመርጨት / በንዝሐት), except when running water (ፈሳሽ ውኃ) or a basin filled with water (ውኃ የሞላበት ገንዳ) cannot be obtained. Rather, it is administered through immersion (በመድፈቅ ወይም በመንከር). Any other practice, apart from this exception, diminishes its symbolism and proper order (ሥርዓት). By its very meaning, baptism, which grants divine sonship, signifies entering into the water and rising out of it. Therefore, it is administered through triple immersion in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). This is the form of baptism revealed in Holy Scripture and faithfully preserved in the life and practice of the Church.

In the Acts of the Apostles it is written: “ሰረገላውም ይቆም ዘንድ አዘዘ፥ ፊልጶስና ጃንደረባው ሁለቱም ወደ ውኃ ወረዱ፥ አጠመቀውም። ከውኃውም ከወጡ በኋላ የጌታ መንፈስ ፊልጶስን ነጠቀው፤ ጃንደረባውም ሁለተኛ አላየውም፥ ደስ ብሎት መንገዱን ይሄድ ነበርና።” (Acts 8:38–39). The expression “ከውኃውም ከወጡ በኋላ” clearly indicates that the eunuch had been baptized through immersion in water.

Similarly, Scripture teaches: “እንግዲህ ክርስቶስ በአብ ክብር ከሙታን ከተነሣ እንዲሁ እኛም በአዲስ ሕይወት እንድንመላለስ፥ ከሞቱ ጋር አንድ እንሆን ዘንድ በጥምቀት ከእርሱ ጋር ተቀበርን። ሞቱንም በሚመስል ሞት ከእርሱ ጋር ከተባበርን ትንሣኤውን በሚመስል ትንሣኤ ደግሞ ከእርሱ ጋር እንተባበራለን፤” (Romans 6:4–5; Colossians 2:12).

Here, “burial” (መቀበር) signifies entering into the grave (መቃብር), while “resurrection” (ትንሣኤ) signifies rising out of the grave. Therefore, the mystery of baptism, which unites the believer with Christ’s death and resurrection, is expressed through the act of going down into the water and rising from it again. This clearly reveals that sonship baptism is properly performed through full immersion (መንከር), preserving its biblical symbolism, spiritual meaning, and sacramental order.

In the verses, “እንደ ምሕረቱ መጠን ለአዲስ ልደት በሚሆነው መታጠብና በመንፈስ ቅዱስ በመታደስ አዳነን እንጂ፥ እኛ ስላደረግነው በጽድቅ ስለ ነበረው ሥራ አይደለም። (Titus 3:5)” and “አሁንስ ለምን ትዘገያለህ? ተነሣና ስሙን እየጠራህ ተጠመቅ ከኃጢአትህም ታጠብ። (Acts 22:16),” the term “washing” “ “መታጠብ” refers to the washing of the entire body through baptism, as reflected in the words spoken to Saul. This understanding is also confirmed in the four Gospels, which describe our Lord’s baptism as His entering into and coming out of the water: “ኢየሱስም ከተጠመቀ በኋላ ወዲያው ከውኃ ወጣ፤ እነሆም፥ ሰማያት ተከፈቱ የእግዚአብሔርም መንፈስ እንደ ርግብ ሲወርድ በእርሱ ላይም ሲመጣ አየ፤ (Matthew 3:16).” The expression “came up out of the water” clearly points to immersion as the proper form of baptism. Moreover, just as physical birth takes place from the womb, so too spiritual birth—being “born of water and the Spirit”—takes place through immersion in water. Therefore, baptism is rightly called “being born again” (John 3:3).

Christian Name (የክርስትና ስም)

A name distinguishes one person from another. Just as a child receives a name from his or her parents at physical birth, so also a Christian name is given at spiritual birth through water and the Holy Spirit in baptism. Thus, a person may have two names: the name given by his or her parents and the Christian name received at baptism.

One who believes in Christ is called a Christian, signifying that he or she belongs to Christ. Accordingly, a Christian name reflects both faith in Christ and baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity. It may also commemorate the day of baptism. Within the life of the Church, especially during spiritual services, this Christian name is used.

This practice has a clear biblical foundation. God renamed Abram as Abraham, Jacob as Israel, Simon as Peter, and Saul as Paul, signifying a new identity, mission, and calling.

Age Limit for Baptism

All who believed the apostles' message were baptized, regardless of age (Acts 16:15; 1 Corinthians 1:15). In later practice, however, parents assumed responsibility for raising their children in the faith, and infants were baptized: boys on the fortieth day and girls on the eightieth day after birth. This practice is rooted in the Old Testament, where the children of Israel were brought to the temple—males on the fortieth day and females on the eightieth day—to be presented and enrolled among God's covenant people as heirs of the Promised Land (የተስፋይቱ ምድር ወራሾች) (Leviticus 12:1–10). Likewise, according to the Book of Jubilee (ኩፋሌ) 4፡9, Adam entered the Garden of Eden on the fortieth day of his creation and Eve on the eightieth day. In the same way, children are baptized on these days and received into the Church, the earthly image of the heavenly Jerusalem.

In the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, parents and Christian fathers and mothers bear the responsibility of nurturing and guiding their children in the faith. They pledge to teach them, so that through baptism the children may inherit the Kingdom of Heaven (የወላጆቻቸውን ርስተ መንግስተ ሰማያት ይወርሳሉ።). Those who were not baptized on the fortieth or eightieth day, however, may receive baptism at any age after learning and confessing the Tewahedo faith. There is no age limit for baptism; as long as a person is alive, he or she may receive it.

Conclusion

As taught in Holy Scripture and preserved by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Holy Baptism is administered according to the order established by Christ. Through this sacred mystery, believers are born again, receive a Christian identity, and become heirs of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, it should always be administered in accordance with its biblical symbolism, spiritual meaning, and sacred order.

The Mystery of Baptism: Part 3

Baptism is one of the greatest mysteries of the Christian faith through which God grants His grace, cleansing, renewal, and communion with Him. While baptism is one in its divine purpose, the Church recognizes different forms through which God’s grace is manifested according to His will. This essay explores the types of baptism, their meanings, biblical foundations, and their role in granting repentance, spiritual rebirth, and sonship in Christ.

Types of Baptism

Baptism of Repentance (የንስሐ ጥምቀት)

Baptism of repentance is administered to those who have already received sonship, for the healing of their weaknesses and the forgiveness of sins into which they have fallen. Unlike the baptism that grants sonship, it may be repeated. The baptism administered by John the Baptist to his followers was of this kind. However, it did not grant sonship; rather, it was a baptism of repentance.

Church scholars explain this type of baptism through analogy: just as unclean clothes are washed with water and cleansed, and the body is washed when it is unclean, so John's baptism symbolized purification from sin. It signified that the baptized were turning away from sin and preparing to receive the Holy Spirit in the baptism of Christ. As John himself testified: “እኔስ ለንስሐ በውኃ አጠምቃችኋለሁ፤ ጫማውን እሸከም ዘንድ የማይገባኝ ከእኔ በኋላ የሚመጣው ግን ከእኔ ይልቅ ይበረታል፤ እርሱ በመንፈስ ቅዱስ በእሳትም ያጠምቃችኋል” (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:4–8; Luke 3:16; Acts 19:4).

Likewise, the prophecy of Ezekiel corresponds to the baptism of repentance:

“ጥሩ ውኃንም እረጭባችኋለሁ እናንተም ትጠራላችሁ፥ ከርኵሰታችሁም ሁሉ ከጣዖቶቻችሁም ሁሉ አጠራችኋለሁ።
አዲስም ልብ እሰጣችኋለሁ አዲስም መንፈስ በውስጣችሁ አኖራለሁ፤ የድንጋዩንም ልብ ከሥጋችሁ አወጣለሁ የሥጋንም ልብ እሰጣችኋለሁ። መንፈሴንም በውስጣችሁ አኖራለሁ በትእዛዜም አስሄዳችኋለሁ፥ ፍርዴንም ትጠብቃላችሁ ታደርጉትማላችሁ። ለአባቶቻችሁም በሰጠኋት ምድር ትኖራላችሁ፤ ሕዝብም ትሆኑኛላችሁ እኔም አምላክ እሆናችኋለሁ።.” (Ezekiel 36:25–28). This prophetic passage points toward the cleansing and renewal that would be fulfilled in Christ and reflected in the mystery of baptism.

Baptism of Sonship (የልጅነት ጥምቀት):

Just as we are born according to the flesh through our earthly parents and receive sonship according to the flesh, so through baptism we are born of the Holy Spirit and receive sonship according to the Spirit. Our Lord proclaims this truth, saying: “ሰው ዳግመኛ ካልተወለደ በቀር የእግዚአብሔርን መንግሥት ሊያይ አይችልም” (John 3:3, 6). He further explains: “ከሥጋ የሚወለድ ሥጋ ነው፥ ከመንፈስ የሚወለድ መንፈስ ነው,” showing that through the mystery of baptism we are spiritually reborn, receiving the grace of sonship (ሀብተ ወልድ) and the Christian name (ስመ ክርስትና).

Saint Paul the Apostle further bears witness to the grace of sonship that we receive through the mystery of baptism, saying: “አባ አባት ብለን የምንጮኽበትን የልጅነት መንፈስ ተቀበላችሁ እንጂ እንደገና ለፍርሃት የባርነትን መንፈስ አልተቀበላችሁምና። የእግዚአብሔር ልጆች መሆናችንን ያ መንፈስ ራሱ ከመንፈሳችን ጋር ይመሰክራል።” (Rom. 8:15–16).

Likewise, our Lord grants all who receive Him and believe in His name the authority to become children of God, as it is written: “ለተቀበሉት ሁሉ ግን፥ በስሙ ለሚያምኑት ለእነርሱ የእግዚአብሔር ልጆች ይሆኑ ዘንድ ሥልጣንን ሰጣቸው፤ እነርሱም ከእግዚአብሔር ተወለዱ እንጂ ከደም ወይም ከሥጋ ፈቃድ ወይም ከወንድ ፈቃድ አልተወለዱም።” (John 1:12–13). Thus, Christians experience two births: the first through their earthly parents and the second through God. Since human beings possess both bodily and spiritual dimensions, they are called to care for their bodily life while growing continually in spiritual maturity. (Galatians 3:26; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:23).

How is the Baptism of Sonship Performed?

There is one baptism that grants sonship: “በመጠራታችሁ በአንድ ተስፋ እንደ ተጠራችሁ አንድ አካልና አንድ መንፈስ አለ፤ አንድ ጌታ አንድ ሃይማኖት አንዲት ጥምቀት፤ (Eph 4:4–5). Yet, this one baptism can be performed in three principal ways.

1.     Water Baptism (የውሃ ጥምቀት): Water baptism is the sacramental act through which a person is baptized with water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit through the prayer of a priest, and is born of God by the grace of the Holy Spirit. “…ኢየሱስም መለሰ፥ እንዲህ ሲል፦ እውነት እውነት እልሃለሁ፥ ሰው ከውኃና ከመንፈስ ካልተወለደ በቀር ወደ እግዚአብሔር መንግሥት ሊገባ አይችልም።” (John 3:3–6).

Baptism is fundamentally administered through water. When water is sanctified through prayer, the Holy Spirit, who grants sonship, works through it; and whoever receives baptism with faith is born of water and the Spirit. Thus, baptism reveals the kindness (ቸርነት) of God, for it is accessible to all—even the poor have access to water. Therefore, all are called to receive water baptism and be born of God by grace.

On the other hand, those martyrs who wholeheartedly embraced the Christian faith in accordance with the Church's teachings and suffered death before receiving water baptism are granted the baptism of sonship by God through the Holy Spirit or through fire, as explained in the following sections.

2.     The Baptism of the Holy Spirit (የመንፈስ ቅዱስ ጥምቀት):  Refers to the spiritual rebirth granted by God through His grace to those who embrace the Christian faith in accordance with the Church’s teachings but suffer martyrdom for their faith before receiving water baptism. A clear example of this is found in the baptism of the holy apostles.

The Scripture testify to this saying: “ዮሐንስ መልሶ፦ እኔስ በውኃ አጠምቃችኋለሁ፤ ነገር ግን የጫማውን ጠፍር መፍታት ከማይገባኝ ከእኔ የሚበረታ ይመጣል፤ እርሱ በመንፈስ ቅዱስና በእሳት ያጠምቃችኋል፤ (Luke 3:16);

Christ also revealed to the Apostles the promise of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, assuring them: “ዮሐንስ በውኃ አጥምቆ ነበርና፥ እናንተ ግን ከጥቂት ቀን በኃላ በመንፈስ ቅዱስ ትጠመቃላችሁ አለ።” (Acts 1:5).

Furthermore, St. Paul bears witness to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, stating: “አይሁድ ብንሆን የግሪክ ሰዎችም ብንሆን ባሪያዎችም ብንሆን ጨዋዎችም ብንሆን እኛ ሁላችን በአንድ መንፈስ አንድ አካል እንድንሆን ተጠምቀናልና። ሁላችንም አንዱን መንፈስ ጠጥተናል።1 Corinthians 12:13). See also Acts 2:1–4.

3.     The baptism of blood (የደም ጥምቀት): The baptism of blood is the baptism of martyrs (ሰማዕታት). As the baptism of the Holy Spirit explained above, it grants the grace of sonship, yet differs in the way this grace is received.

Those who, while still learning the Christian faith or after learning it but before receiving water baptism, are inspired by the witness of Christians who suffer for Christ and confess, “Jesus Christ is true God; the Christian faith proclaimed by the Church is true,” and who are martyred for that confession receive the baptism of blood. By the grace of God, their blood and suffering are counted as baptism; they receive the grace of sonship, and their sins are forgiven.

Biblical Evidence for the Baptism of Blood

a.     The Faith of the Repentant Thief (ፈያታዊ ዘየማን):

The thief crucified with our Lord on Good Friday did not receive water baptism. Yet, because of his steadfast faith, repentance, confession of Christ, and his sharing in Christ’s suffering, the Lord promised him: “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). This is a profound testimony to the mystery of the baptism of blood.

b.     The Piercing of Our Lord’s Side:

While our Lord was on the cross, His side was pierced with a spear, and “blood and water” flowed out (John 19:34). The Fathers and scholars of the Church understand this mystery as pointing to the two forms of baptism: the water represents water baptism, while the blood represents the baptism of blood received by martyrs who give their lives for Christ.

c.     The Martyrdom of the Holy Innocents:

The infants of Bethlehem who were massacred by Herod at the time of our Lord’s birth (Matthew 2:16) are regarded as the first martyrs for Christ. Although they had not received water baptism, they shed their blood because of Him and are regarded by the Church as having received the grace associated with the baptism of blood.

Conclusion

Baptism reveals the boundless grace and mercy of God, calling humanity from purification to new life and communion with Him. Whether through water, the Holy Spirit, or blood, the mystery of baptism demonstrates God’s saving work and His gift of sonship to those who receive Him with faith. Therefore, the Church teaches that baptism is not merely a ritual, but a divine mystery through which believers are united with Christ and receive the promise of eternal life.