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S2 reasoning: Baptism: subjects

Reasoning steps: Baptism: subjects

Verdicts: S2 · Baptism: subjects. Shared notes and post-750 development: baptism.

S02.1 (was baptism/B2): Infant baptism

Step S02.1.1: Scripture

No explicit NT text either baptizes or forbids infants. There are household baptisms (Acts 16:15, 33; 1 Cor 1:16), Acts 2:39 (“to you and to your children”), the circumcision analogy (Col 2:11–12), and Matt 19:14. This is inference only, on both sides.

Step S02.1.2: Patristic evidence

irenaeus-bap-s1 (born again to God, “infants”: inference), tertullian-bap-s2 (advises delay, which presupposes the practice), cyprian-bap-s1 (66 bishops; dispute only about the 8th day), gregory-nazianzen-bap-s1, augustine-bap-s3; Didache 7 assumes candidates able to fast (didache-bap-s1).

Step S02.1.3: Weighing decision

Reading A: infant baptism is apostolic and universal. Reading B: it is a later innovation. Reading C: it is attested from c. 200 as widespread and unchallenged in principle, with some regional advice to delay. C is chosen. Tertullian’s objection is prudential, and Cyprian’s council takes the practice for granted, so B fails. A goes beyond the evidence: before 200 there is only Irenaeus, by inference, and Didache 7 describes believers. The common practice of delay among the 4th-c. elite (Gregory’s sermon is against it) shows the practice was normal but not mandatory.

  • Confidence: High for C (attested from c. 200 and unchallenged in principle). Low–medium for direct apostolic origin.

Step S02.1.4: Source-proximity weighing

See the proximity tiers.

  • Scripture (benchmark): Not scored against Scripture: No explicit NT text; household baptisms and Acts 2:39 are inference only. Developmental: about when the practice is attested.
  • Key sources by tier: Cyprian (T3, w 0.6); Tertullian (T2, w 0.8); Irenaeus (T2, w 0.8). Proximity factor: 1.0 (developmental: proximity weighting skipped).
  • Assessment: Developmental question (date of attestation), so no proximity weighting is applied. The earliest secure witness is T2 (c. 200). There is no explicit Scripture or T1 witness either way. Verdict unchanged.

S02.2: Should baptised infants receive communion?

Step S02.2.1: Scripture

No text addresses infants at the table. 1 Cor 11:28–29 (’let a person examine himself … discerning the body’) is addressed to the Corinthian adults; John 6:53 is read by paedocommunionists as general. The question is indirect.

Step S02.2.2: Patristic evidence

Cyprian (Era II, On the Lapsed 25) narrates a baptised little girl, at the Eucharist, to whom ’the deacon began to offer the cup … and, although against her efforts, forced on her some of the sacrament of the cup’. Infant communion is assumed practice at Carthage c. 251. Sources: cyprian-s02x-s1.

Step S02.2.3: Weighing decision

Era II shows infant communion as ordinary practice; the West dropped it in the high Middle Ages. Scripture neither commands nor clearly forbids it. Verdict: early practice included infants; Scripture is indirect.

  • Confidence: Medium-high on practice; low on Scripture.

Step S02.2.4: Source-proximity weighing

  • Scripture (benchmark): No direct text; 1 Cor 11:28 addresses adults. (Scripture confidence: low)
  • Assessment: Scripture is weak either way, so Scripture scores sit at 3 for most; the patristic evidence favours the Eastern practice.

S02.2 by tradition

  • Catholic (fathers 2/4; Scripture 3/4): Latin practice since c. 12th c.: first communion at the age of discretion (Lateran IV canon 21, 1215: ‘after they have reached the age of discernment’; verified).
  • Orthodox (fathers 4/4; Scripture 3/4): Infants communed from baptism (living practice).
  • Oriental Orthodox (fathers 4/4; Scripture 3/4): Infants communed from baptism (living practice).
  • Lutheran (fathers 2/4; Scripture 3/4): Communion after instruction (Small Catechism; practice).
  • Anglican (fathers 2/4; Scripture 3/4): 1662 BCP: none admitted to communion until confirmed.
  • Presbyterian (fathers 2/4; Scripture 3/4): WLC 177: the Lord’s Supper to those ‘of years and ability to examine themselves’ (verified).
  • Reformed Baptist (fathers n/a/4; Scripture n/a/4): Not applicable: infants not baptised.
  • General Baptist (fathers n/a/4; Scripture n/a/4): Not applicable.
  • Anabaptist (fathers n/a/4; Scripture n/a/4): Not applicable.