# Eastern Orthodoxy, Padeobaptism and Padeocommunion



## tellville (Mar 29, 2007)

I was curious if anybody had any info on how the EO practices of:

1. Baptising, by full immersion, three times [In the name of the Father (dunk 1), in the name of the Son (dunk 2), and in the name of the Holy Spirit (dunk3)], including both adults and infants, and

2. Giving communion to infants,

developed. Or maybe you just have comments to make? It just seems very interesting to me how the East developed so radically different from the West on these issues. For example, fully immersing your infant as opposed to sprinkling your infant. Can you imagine the screaming that would occur at a EO infant baptism as you dunk the child 3 times fully under water?


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## Founded on the Rock (Mar 29, 2007)

Well I do know that my Girlfriend grew up Coptic Orthodox, and she took paedo-communion and was baptised in that way.

She says it was quite interesting (viewing it, not that she remembers it when it happend to her of course)! The babies can get pretty loud I hear.

I don't have a scholarly response but its something


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## tellville (Mar 29, 2007)

Yes, I would imagine it being quite interesting to watch. I've seen Padeocommunion done at an EO church, but not Padeobaptism. I've seen adult Baptism though. I find it very fascinating how much Trinitarian theology saturates everything the EO do, including Baptism!


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## DTK (Mar 29, 2007)

Tertullian speaks of it as a common practice, _Against Praxeas_, Chapter 26. Jerome refers to another mode of baptism, dipping the head into the laver three times, _The Dialogue Against the Luciferians_, 8. Cyril of Jerusalem claimed that Christ's mode of baptism was a three-fold descent into the water, _Catechetical Lectures_, Chapter 20, 4. Basil of Caesarea references a three-fold immersion as the mode of Baptism in Letter 236, 5, and _On the Holy Spirit_, chapter 15, 35. This mode of baptism has an ancient precedent in the early church, and particularly among the eastern Church fathers, hence the precedent for Eastern Orthodoxy today.

DTK


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## tellville (Mar 30, 2007)

Fascinating. I wonder what started this three-fold Baptismal practice in the East? Or maybe this was the practice from the very beginning?


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## ChristopherPaul (Mar 30, 2007)

_The Archaeology of the Mode of Baptism_ by Benjamin Warfield

This is also included in volume 9 of his 10 volume set published by Baker.

Quite interesting.


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