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144-478: In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism , confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands . For adults, it is an affirmation of belief . The ceremony typically involves laying on of hands . Catholicism views confirmation as a sacrament . The sacrament is called chrismation in Eastern Christianity . In

288-572: A font , and this practice is also the first method listed in the baptismal ritual of the Roman Catholics , although pouring is the standard practice within the Latin branch of Catholicism. Catholic and Orthodox churches that do this do not sprinkle. At the moment of baptism, the minister utters the words "I baptize you (or, "The servant of God (name) is baptized") in the name of the Father, and of

432-484: A sacrament because it is an "instrument" instituted by Jesus Christ to impart grace to its recipients. Infants are traditionally baptized on the eighth day, recalling the biblical injunction to circumcise on the eighth day. However, this is not mandatory. In many of these churches, the Sacred Mystery of Chrismation ( Confirmation ) is administered by the priest immediately after baptism. Holy Communion , in

576-767: A constant companion. To confirm means to "make more sure" and the ordinance of confirmation stands as a witness of the individual becoming a member of the LDS Church and not just an acceptance of Jesus. According to Catholic legal professor and former Irish president Mary McAleese , as outlined in her doctoral thesis, infant baptism amounts to "enforced membership of the Catholic Church", which violates fundamental rights of children . These "infant conscripts ... are held to lifelong obligations of obedience" without their understanding or consent. "Parents can guide and direct [their children] but they can't impose, and what

720-518: A date in the early 2nd century is possible. There are two major textual variants of Acts, the Western text-type and the Alexandrian . The oldest complete Alexandrian manuscripts date from the 4th century and the oldest Western ones from the 6th, with fragments and citations going back to the 3rd. Western texts of Acts are 6.2–8.4% longer than Alexandrian texts, the additions tending to enhance

864-474: A harmonious church is quite at odds with that given by Paul's letters, and it omits important events such as the deaths of both Peter and Paul. The mid-19th-century scholar Ferdinand Baur suggested that the author had re-written history to present a united Peter and Paul and advance a single orthodoxy against the Marcionites (Marcion was a 2nd-century heretic who wished to cut Christianity off entirely from

1008-570: A laying on of hands for the imparting of the Spirit – performed after the water-bath and as a complement to this bath – existed already in the earliest apostolic times. These texts are Acts 8:4–20 and 19:1–7, and Hebrews 6:1–6. In the Acts of the Apostles 8:14–17, different ministers are named for the two actions. It is not deacon Philip , the baptiser, but only the apostles who were able to impart

1152-451: A life-threatening emergency) by any baptized member of the church; however, only a priest or bishop may perform the mystery of chrismation. If someone who has been baptized in extremis survives, the priest then performs the chrismation. The Catholic Church does not confirm converts to Catholicism who have been chrismated in a non-Catholic Eastern church, considering that the sacrament has been validly conferred and may not be repeated . In

1296-586: A member of The Twelve. On Pentecost , the Holy Spirit descends and confers God's power on them, and Peter and John preach to many in Jerusalem and perform healings, casting out of evil spirits , and raising of the dead . The first believers share all property in common , eat in each other's homes, and worship together. At first many Jews follow Christ and are baptized, but the followers of Jesus begin to be increasingly persecuted by other Jews. Stephen

1440-732: A more fundamental level of one's theological system. Christians who practice infant baptism do not completely agree on the reasons for doing so, and offer different reasons in support of the practice. Among the arguments made in support of the practice are: Trinitarian Christian denominations that oppose infant baptism include the International Christian Church , all Baptist and Anabaptist traditions and denominations, Pentecostals, Assemblies of God and more. Several nontrinitarian religious groups also oppose infant baptism, including Oneness Pentecostals , Christadelphians , Jehovah's Witnesses , United Church of God , and

1584-555: A procession, circling three times around the Gospel Book , while the choir chants each time: "As many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Alleluia" (Galatians 3:27). The reason the Eastern Churches perform chrismation immediately after baptism is so that the newly baptized may receive Holy Communion, which is commonly given to infants as well as adults. An individual may be baptized in extremis (in

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1728-516: A temple of your glory, and send your Holy Spirit to dwell with him (her). Through Christ our Lord." The Eastern Orthodox Church , Oriental Orthodoxy and the Assyrian Church of the East also insist on the need to have infants baptized as soon as is practicable after birth. Similar to the Catholic Church, they teach that baptism is not merely a symbol but actually conveys grace . Baptism is

1872-606: A two-part work, Luke–Acts , by the same anonymous author. Traditionally, the author is believed to be Luke the Evangelist , a doctor who travelled with Paul the Apostle . It is usually dated to around 80–90 AD, although some scholars suggest 110–120 AD. The first part, the Gospel of Luke, tells how God fulfilled his plan for the world's salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth . Acts continues

2016-555: A two-volume work which scholars call Luke–Acts . Together they account for 27.5% of the New Testament , the largest contribution attributed to a single author, providing the framework for both the Church's liturgical calendar and the historical outline into which later generations have fitted their idea of the story of Jesus and the early church . The author is not named in either volume. According to Church tradition dating from

2160-477: A vessel of oil, bestowing the Holy Spirit upon it, which was then distributed to all of the presbyters (priests) for their use when they baptized. The same chrism is in use to this day, never being completely depleted but newly consecrated chrism only being added to it as needed (this consecration traditionally is performed only by the primates of certain autocephalous churches on Great Thursday ) and it

2304-472: A well-founded hope for the Christian upbringing of the children", then "the priest cannot refuse to celebrate the sacrament without delay, as in the case of children of Christian families". If there is insufficient assurance, "it will be prudent to delay baptism", while keeping contact with the parents in the hope of securing the required conditions for celebrating the sacrament. As a last resort, enrollment of

2448-493: Is a rite that often includes a profession of faith by an already baptized person. Confirmation is required by Lutherans, Anglicans and other traditional Protestant denominations for full membership in the respective church. In Catholic theology, by contrast, it is the sacrament of baptism that confers membership, while "reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace ". The Catholic and Methodist denominations teach that in confirmation,

2592-523: Is a "sign and seal of the covenant of grace ", and that baptism admits the party baptized into the visible church . Being a member of the visible church does not guarantee salvation; though it does provide the child with many benefits, including that of one's particular congregation consenting to assist in the raising of that child in "the way he should go, (so that) when he is old he will not turn from it". Elect infants (those predestined for salvation) who die in infancy are by faith considered regenerate on

2736-621: Is accused of blasphemy and stoned . Stephen's death marks a major turning point: the Jews have rejected the message, and henceforth it will be taken to the Gentiles. The death of Stephen initiates persecution, and many followers of Jesus leave Jerusalem. The message is taken to the Samaritans, a people rejected by Jews, and to the Gentiles . Saul of Tarsus , one of the Jews who persecuted

2880-671: Is an attempt to answer a theological problem, namely how the Messiah of the Jews came to have an overwhelmingly non-Jewish church; the answer it provides is that the message of Christ was sent to the Gentiles because the Jews rejected it . Luke–Acts can also be seen as a defense of the Jesus movement addressed to the Jews: the bulk of the speeches and sermons in Acts are addressed to Jewish audiences, with

3024-587: Is around 62 AD, the time of Paul's imprisonment in Rome, but most scholars date the work to 80–90 AD on the grounds that it uses Mark as a source, looks back on the destruction of Jerusalem, and does not show any awareness of the letters of Paul (which began circulating late in the first century); if it does show awareness of the Pauline epistles, and also of the work of the Jewish historian Josephus, as some believe, then

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3168-440: Is believed that chrism in use today contains some small amount of the original chrism made by the apostles. When Catholics and traditional Protestants, such as Lutherans, Anglicans and Methodists, convert to Orthodoxy, they are often admitted by chrismation, without baptism; but, since this is a matter of local episcopal discretion , a bishop may require all converts to be admitted by baptism if he deems it necessary. Depending upon

3312-428: Is conferred by another bishop. In addition, the law itself confers the same faculty on the following: [W]ithin the confines of their jurisdiction, those who in law are equivalent to a diocesan Bishop (for example, a vicar apostolic ); in respect of the person to be confirmed, the priest who by virtue of his office or by mandate of the diocesan Bishop baptises an adult or admits a baptised adult into full communion with

3456-575: Is conferred immediately after baptism, and there is no renewal of baptismal promises. In the Latin Church and its Latin liturgical rites of the Catholic Church, the sacrament is to be conferred at about the age of discretion (generally taken to be about 7), unless the Episcopal Conference has decided on a different age, or there is danger of death or, in the judgment of the minister, a grave reason suggests otherwise ( canon 891 of

3600-441: Is considerably different from Paul's on key points and does not represent Paul's own views accurately." He was educated, a man of means, probably urban, and someone who respected manual work, although not a worker himself; this is significant, because more high-brow writers of the time looked down on the artisans and small business people who made up the early church of Paul and were presumably Luke's audience. The interpretation of

3744-465: Is for all mankind. The Gentile church is established in Antioch (north-western Syria, the third-largest city of the empire), and here Christ's followers are first called Christians. The mission to the Gentiles is promoted from Antioch and confirmed at a meeting in Jerusalem between Paul and the leadership of the Jerusalem church. Paul spends the next few years traveling through western Asia Minor and

3888-628: Is integral to salvation, after they repent and personally accept Jesus as Savior. Many Methodist denominations, such as the Free Methodist Church and Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection , practice infant baptism for families who desire it for their children, but provide a rite for child dedication for those who have a preference for credobaptism only after their child has made a personal acceptance of Jesus as his/her savior. Presbyterian, Congregational and Reformed Christians believe that baptism, whether of infants or adults,

4032-473: Is intended as a work of "edification", meaning "the empirical demonstration that virtue is superior to vice." The work also engages with the question of a Christian's proper relationship with the Roman Empire, the civil power of the day: could a Christian obey God and also Caesar? The answer is ambiguous. The Romans never move against Jesus or his followers unless provoked by the Jews, in the trial scenes

4176-478: Is lowered down the walls in a basket. But details of these same incidents are frequently contradictory: for example, according to Paul it was a pagan king who was trying to arrest him in Damascus, but according to Luke it was the Jews (2 Corinthians 11:33 and Acts 9:24). Acts speaks of "Christians" and "disciples", but Paul never uses either term, and it is striking that Acts never mentions Paul being in conflict with

4320-472: Is normally on infants . The sacred tradition of the Orthodox Church teaches that the Apostles themselves established the practice of anointing with chrism (consecrated oil) in place of the laying on of hands when bestowing the sacrament. As the numbers of converts grew, it became physically impossible for the apostles to lay hands upon each of the newly baptized. So the Apostles laid hands upon

4464-574: Is not required, but is practiced by some due to regional customs. The Yazidi baptism is called Mor kirin (literally: 'to seal'). Traditionally, Yazidi children are baptized at birth with water from the Kaniya Sipî ('White Spring') at Lalish . It involves pouring holy water from the spring on the child's head three times. Acts of the Apostles Acts and the Gospel of Luke make up

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4608-403: Is one of the seven sacraments instituted by Christ for the conferral of sanctifying grace and the strengthening of the union between the individual and God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church in paragraphs 1302–1303, states: It is evident from its celebration that the effect of the sacrament of Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on

4752-402: Is received into the church, whether by baptism or chrismation, they will often take the name of a saint, who will become their patron saint . Thenceforward, the feast day of that saint will be celebrated as the convert's name day , which in traditional Orthodox cultures is celebrated in lieu of one's birthday. The Orthodox rite of chrismation takes place immediately after baptism and clothing

4896-520: Is reflected in Peter's speech to the Roman centurion, Cornelius (Acts 10:36). Peter states that "this one" [οὗτος], i.e. Jesus, "is lord [κύριος] of all." The title, κύριος, was often ascribed to the Roman emperor in antiquity, rendering its use by Luke as an appellation for Jesus an unsubtle challenge to the emperor's authority. As the second part of the two-part work Luke–Acts, Acts has significant links to

5040-529: Is sacramental. Church ordinances are understood as administering grace and must be conducted by properly ordained clergy members through apostolic succession reaching back through Peter to Christ, although the line of authority differs from Catholics and Eastern Orthodox. Baptism by water is understood as representing the death of the old person and their resurrection from that death into a new life in Christ. Through baptism by water, sin, and guilt are washed away as

5184-519: Is specifically named. Each of these groups is included in "all nations." They also cite other biblical passages such as Mark 10:13-15, Mark 16:16, John 3:3-7 and Acts 2:38-39 in support of their position. For example, in the Acts of the Apostles Peter 's teachings on Pentecost included children in the promise of baptism, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for

5328-499: Is taken is henceforth considered to be a patron saint . The Eastern Orthodox , Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches refer to this sacrament (or, more properly, Sacred Mystery ) as chrismation, a term which western rite Catholics also use; for instance, in Italian the term is cresima . Eastern Christians link chrismation closely with the sacred mystery of baptism, conferring it immediately after baptism, which

5472-415: Is that assurances must be given that the gift thus granted can grow by authentic education in the faith and Christian life. If these assurances are not really serious, there can be grounds for delaying baptism. If they are certainly absent, the sacrament should even be refused. Accordingly, the rules for involvement on the part of practicing Christian parents must be supplemented with other considerations in

5616-510: Is the geographic movement from Jerusalem, centre of God's Covenantal people, the Jews, to Rome, centre of the Gentile world. This structure reaches back to the author's preceding work, the Gospel of Luke , and is signaled by parallel scenes such as Paul's utterance in Acts 19:21, which echoes Jesus's words in Luke 9:51: Paul has Rome as his destination, as Jesus had Jerusalem. The second key element

5760-572: Is the mark of membership in the covenant of grace and in the universal church, although regeneration is not inseparably connected with baptism. Infant baptism can be contrasted with what is called " believer's baptism " (or credobaptism, from the Latin word credo meaning "I believe"), which is the religious practice of baptizing only individuals who personally confess faith in Jesus , therefore excluding underage children. Pedobaptism and credobaptism are positions which bubble up from theological views at

5904-472: Is the roles of Peter and Paul, the first representing the Jewish Christian church, the second the mission to the Gentiles. The Gospel of Luke began with a prologue addressed to Theophilus; Acts likewise opens with an address to Theophilus and refers to "my earlier book", almost certainly the gospel. The apostles and other followers of Jesus meet and elect Matthias to replace Judas Iscariot as

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6048-536: Is to be delayed? In some German speaking countries, bishops have opened the door to a "two step baptism", i.e. two celebrations separated by a time of evangelization of the parents. In this case, the rite of baptism itself is to be performed in the second celebration, when parents are supposed to have enough maturity to raise the child in the Catholic faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Since Baptism signifies liberation from sin and from its instigator

6192-566: Is used in Acts 10, and Mark's account of the accusation that Jesus has attacked the Temple (Mark 14:58) is used in a story about Stephen (Acts 6:14). There are also points of contacts (meaning suggestive parallels but something less than clear evidence) with 1 Peter , the Letter to the Hebrews , and 1 Clement. Other sources can only be inferred from internal evidence—the traditional explanation of

6336-493: The Catechism of the Catholic Church also mentions, as an effect of confirmation, that "it renders our bond with the Church more perfect". This mention stresses the importance of participation in the Christian community. The "soldier of Christ" imagery was used, as far back as 350, by St Cyril of Jerusalem. In this connection, the touch on the cheek that the bishop gave while saying " Pax tecum " ( ' Peace be with you ' ) to

6480-483: The Eastern Orthodox Church the sacrament may be conferred more than once and it is customary to receive returning or repentant apostates by repeating chrismation. When discussing confirmation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) uses the term ordinance owing to their origins in a Protestant environment, but the actual doctrine describing their ordinances and their effects

6624-553: The Fourth Lateran Council , Communion, which continued to be given only after confirmation, was to be administered only on reaching the age of reason. Some time after the 13th century, the age of confirmation and Communion began to be delayed further, from seven, to twelve and to fifteen. In the 18th century, in France the sequence of sacraments of initiation was changed. Bishops started to impart confirmation only after

6768-576: The Gift of the Holy Ghost , granting the individual the permanent companionship of the Holy Ghost as long as the person does not wilfully drive him away through sin. The ceremony is significantly simpler than in Catholic or Eastern Orthodox churches and is performed by an ordained clergyman as follows: Other actions typically associated with confirmation in Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy, such as

6912-577: The Gospel of Luke . Major turning points in the structure of Acts find parallels in Luke: the presentation of the child Jesus in the Temple parallels the opening of Acts in the Temple, Jesus's forty days of testing in the wilderness prior to his mission parallel the forty days prior to his Ascension in Acts, the mission of Jesus in Samaria and the Decapolis (the lands of the Samaritans and Gentiles) parallels

7056-611: The Kingdom of God and teaching freely about "the Lord Jesus Christ". Acts ends abruptly without recording the outcome of Paul's legal troubles. Prior to the 1950s, Luke–Acts was seen as a historical work, written to defend Christianity before the Romans or Paul against his detractors; since then the tendency has been to see the work as primarily theological. Luke's theology is expressed primarily through his overarching plot,

7200-482: The canonical age for confirmation in the Latin Church Catholic Church, the present 1983 Code of Canon Law , which maintains unaltered the rule in the 1917 Code, lays down that the sacrament is to be conferred on the faithful at about the age of discretion (generally taken to be about 7), unless the episcopal conference has decided on a different age, or there is a danger of death or, in

7344-486: The pneuma through the laying on of hands: Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John , who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the holy Spirit. Further on in

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7488-453: The "newly illumined" (i.e., newly baptized) in their baptismal robe . The priest makes the sign of the cross with the chrism (also referred to as myrrh ) on the brow, eyes, nostrils, lips, both ears, breast, hands and feet of the newly illumined, saying with each anointing : "The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit . Amen." Then the priest will place his epitrachelion (stole) over the newly illumined and leads them and their sponsors in

7632-417: The "we" passages as indicative that the writer was a historical eyewitness (whether Luke the evangelist or not), remains the most influential in current biblical studies. Objections to this viewpoint include the above claim that Luke-Acts contains differences in theology and historical narrative which are irreconcilable with the authentic letters of Paul the Apostle . The earliest possible date for Luke-Acts

7776-466: The 16th-century Thirty-nine Articles lists confirmation among those rites "commonly called Sacraments" which are "not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospel" (a term referring to the dominical sacraments, i.e. baptism and the Holy Eucharist ), because they were not directly instituted by Christ with a specific matter and form, and they are not generally necessary to salvation. The language of

7920-693: The 2nd century, the author was Luke , named as a companion of the apostle Paul in three of the letters attributed to Paul himself; this view is still sometimes advanced, but "a critical consensus emphasizes the countless contradictions between the account in Acts and the authentic Pauline letters." (An example can be seen by comparing Acts's accounts of Paul's conversion (Acts 9:1–31, 22:6–21, and 26:9–23) with Paul's own statement that he remained unknown to Christians in Judea after that event (Galatians 1:17–24).) The author "is an admirer of Paul, but does not share Paul's own view of himself as an apostle; his own theology

8064-536: The Aegean, preaching, converting, and founding new churches. On a visit to Jerusalem he is set on by a Jewish mob. Saved by the Roman commander, he is accused by the Jews of being a revolutionary , the "ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes", and imprisoned. Later, Paul asserts his right as a Roman citizen, to be tried in Rome and is sent by sea to Rome, where he spends another two years under house arrest, proclaiming

8208-532: The Apostles" ( Praxeis Apostolon ) would seem to identify it with the genre telling of the deeds and achievements of great men ( praxeis ), but it was not the title given by the author. The anonymous author aligned Luke–Acts to the "narratives" (διήγησις, diēgēsis ) which many others had written, and described his own work as an "orderly account" (ἀκριβῶς καθεξῆς). It lacks exact analogies in Hellenistic or Jewish literature. The author may have taken as his model

8352-955: The Articles has led some to deny that confirmation and the other rites are sacraments at all. Others maintain that "commonly called Sacraments" does not mean "wrongly called Sacraments". Infant baptism Infant baptism (or paedobaptism ) is the practice of baptizing infants or young children. Infant baptism is also called christening by some faith traditions. Most Christians belong to denominations that practice infant baptism. Branches of Christianity that practice infant baptism include Catholicism , Eastern Orthodoxy , and Oriental Orthodoxy . Among Protestants , several denominations practice infant baptism including Anglicans , Lutherans , Presbyterians , Congregationalists , Methodists , Nazarenes , Moravians , and United Protestants . Christians who do not practice infant baptism are called credobaptists . The exact details of

8496-480: The Baptist , each time as a sign of God's approval. The Holy Spirit represents God's power (at his ascension, Jesus tells his followers, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you"): through it the disciples are given speech to convert thousands in Jerusalem, forming the first church (the term is used for the first time in Acts 5). One issue debated by scholars is Luke's political vision regarding

8640-506: The Catholic Church. One of the effects of the sacrament is that "it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross". This effect was described by the Council of Trent as making the confirmed person "a soldier of Christ". The same passage of

8784-411: The Catholic Church; in respect of those in danger of death, the parish priest or indeed any priest. "According to the ancient practice maintained in the Roman liturgy, an adult is not to be baptized unless he receives Confirmation immediately afterward, provided no serious obstacles exist." Administration of the two sacraments, one immediately after the other, to adults is normally done by the bishop of

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8928-424: The Christian missionaries are always cleared of charges of violating Roman laws, and Acts ends with Paul in Rome proclaiming the Christian message under Roman protection; at the same time, Luke makes clear that the Romans, like all earthly rulers, receive their authority from Satan, while Christ is ruler of the kingdom of God . Acts is divided into 28 chapters . The work has two key structural principles. The first

9072-630: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . B.R. White describes the motivations behind persecution of the Anabaptists during the Reformation as follows: Other Christians saw the baptism of each new-born baby into the secular parish community and close links between church and state as the divinely-ordained means of holding society together. Hence many other Christians saw the Anabaptists as subversive of all order. Consequently, from

9216-399: The Church of the New Testament . In the Gospel of John chapter 14, Christ speaks of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles (John 14:15–26). Later, after his Resurrection , Jesus breathed upon them and they received the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), a process completed on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). In Christianity, this Pentecostal outpouring of the Spirit was held as the sign of

9360-665: The Code of Canon Law ). The renewal of baptismal promises by those receiving the sacrament in the Western Catholic Church is incidental to the rite and not essentially different from the solemn renewal of their baptismal promises that is asked of all members of this church each year at the Easter Vigil service. Only in French-speaking countries has there been a development of ceremonies, quite distinct from

9504-492: The Earth." They then proceed to do so, in the order outlined: first Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria, then the entire (Roman) world. For Luke, the Holy Spirit is the driving force behind the spread of the Christian message, and he places more emphasis on it than do any of the other evangelists. The Spirit is "poured out" at Pentecost on the first Samaritan and Gentile believers and on disciples who had been baptised only by John

9648-569: The East it takes place immediately after baptism ; in the West , when a child reaches the age of reason or early adolescence, or in the case of adult baptism immediately afterwards in the same ceremony. Among those Christians who practise teenage confirmation, the practice may be perceived, secondarily, as a coming of age rite . In many Protestant denominations, such as the Anglican , Lutheran , Methodist and Reformed traditions, confirmation

9792-515: The Gentiles because the Jews rejected it. This theme is introduced in Chapter 4 of the Gospel of Luke, when Jesus, rejected in Nazareth, recalls the rejection of prophets. at the end of the gospel he commands his disciples to preach his message to all nations, "beginning from Jerusalem." He repeats the command in Acts, telling them to preach "in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of

9936-488: The Greco-Roman world at large. He begins his gospel with a preface addressed to Theophilus ( Luke 1:3 ; cf. Acts 1:1 ), informing him of his intention to provide an "ordered account" of events which will lead his reader to "certainty". He did not write in order to provide Theophilus with historical justification—"did it happen?"—but to encourage faith—"what happened, and what does it all mean?" Acts (or Luke–Acts)

10080-569: The Holy Spirit strengthens a baptized individual for their faith journey. Confirmation is not practised in Baptist , Anabaptist and other groups that teach believer's baptism . Thus, the sacrament or rite of confirmation is administered to those being received from those aforementioned groups, in addition to those converts from non-Christian religions. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) does not practise infant baptism, but individuals can be baptized after they reach 8 years old (the age of accountability ). Confirmation in

10224-424: The Jerusalem church and places Paul under the authority of the Jerusalem church and its leaders, especially James and Peter (Acts 15 vs. Galatians 2). Acts omits much from the letters, notably Paul's problems with his congregations (internal difficulties are said to be the fault of the Jews instead), and his apparent final rejection by the church leaders in Jerusalem (Acts has Paul and Barnabas deliver an offering that

10368-523: The Jewish rejection of the Messiah and the role of the Holy Spirit, in ways that are stylistically different from the rest of Acts. The majority of scholars prefer the Alexandrian (shorter) text-type over the Western as the more authentic, but this same argument would favour the Western over the Alexandrian for the Gospel of Luke, as in that case the Western version is the shorter. The title "Acts of

10512-474: The Jews had rejected the Messiah. The name "Acts of the Apostles" was first used by Irenaeus in the late 2nd century. It is not known whether this was an existing name for the book or one invented by Irenaeus; it does seem clear that it was not given by the author, as the word práxeis (deeds, acts) only appears once in the text ( Acts 19 :18) and there it refers not to the apostles but to deeds confessed by their followers. The Gospel of Luke and Acts make up

10656-574: The Jews); Baur continues to have enormous influence, but today there is less interest in determining the historical accuracy of Acts (although this has never died out) than in understanding the author's theological program. Luke was written to be read aloud to a group of Jesus-followers gathered in a house to share the Lord's supper. The author assumes an educated Greek-speaking audience, but directs his attention to specifically Christian concerns rather than to

10800-514: The LDS Church occurs shortly following baptism, which is not considered complete or fully efficacious until confirmation is received. There is an analogous ceremony also called confirmation in Reform Judaism . Various secular organizations also offer secular coming-of-age ceremonies as an alternative to Christian confirmation, while Unitarian Universalists have a similar Coming of Age ceremony . The roots of confirmation are found in

10944-506: The LDS Church performs a non-saving ordinance to name and bless children , customarily performed on infants. For Roman Catholic, Methodist Christians, and Weslian Confirmation "strengthens" (the original meaning of the word "confirm") the grace of Baptism , by conferring an increase and deepening of that grace. In Eastern Christianity , including the Eastern Catholic Churches , the sacrament of Confirmation

11088-512: The Lord has confirmed you and has placed his pledge, the Spirit, in your hearts. In the Roman Catholic Church, the sacrament is customarily conferred only on persons old enough to understand it, and the ordinary minister of confirmation is a bishop . "If necessity so requires", the diocesan bishop may grant specified priests the faculty to administer the sacrament, although normally he is to administer it himself or ensure that it

11232-632: The Messianic kingdom by Israel, and God's sovereign establishment of the church for both Jews and Gentiles. Acts agrees with Paul's letters on the major outline of Paul's career: he is converted and becomes a Christian missionary and apostle, establishing new churches in Asia Minor and the Aegean and struggling to free Gentile Christians from the Jewish Law . There are also agreements on many incidents, such as Paul's escape from Damascus, where he

11376-506: The Old Testament circumcision . In the Old Testament, all male converts to Judaism , male infants born to Jewish parents, and male servants were circumcised as ceremony of initiation into the Jewish community. Christians who baptize infants believe that baptism has replaced Old Testament circumcision and is the religious ceremony of initiation into the Christian community. During the medieval and Reformation eras, infant baptism

11520-476: The Romans serving as external arbiters on disputes concerning Jewish customs and law. On the one hand, Luke portrays the followers of Jesus as a sect of the Jews , and therefore entitled to legal protection as a recognised religion; on the other, Luke seems unclear as to the future that God intends for Jews and Christians, celebrating the Jewishness of Jesus and his immediate followers, while also stressing how

11664-520: The Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (see Matthew 28:19 ). Although it is not required, many parents and godparents choose to dress the baby in a white gown called a christening gown for the baptism ceremony. Christening gowns often become treasured keepsakes that are used by many other children in the family and handed down from generation to generation. Traditionally, this gown is white or slightly off white and made with much lace, trim and intricate detail. In

11808-606: The Spirit, "the descending " of the Spirit, the "falling" of the Spirit "upon men," by the mode in which it was administered, the pouring of water from above upon the subjects baptized. As a seal, also, or confirming sign, baptism answers to circumcision. Infant baptism, in Methodism, is celebrated as "an acceptance of the prevenient grace of God and as a confession on the part of the church of its responsibility for children in general and for every child in particular." Methodists teach that people receive justifying grace , which

11952-421: The action of baptising to others. However, Acts 19:6 then expressly states that it was Apostle Paul who laid his hands upon the newly baptised. Hebrews 6:1–6 distinguishes "the teaching about baptisms" from the teaching about "the laying on of hands". The difference may be understood in the light of the two passages in Acts 8 and 19. In the teaching of the Catholic Church, confirmation, known also as chrismation ,

12096-422: The actions of the one baptized, whether infant or adult. Even though baptized infants cannot articulate that faith, Lutherans believe that it is present all the same. Because it is faith alone that receives these divine gifts, Lutherans confess that baptism "works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare". In

12240-539: The baptism of children as an apostolic tradition. While Tertullian writing c. 198–203 advises the postponement of baptism of little children and the unmarried, he mentions that it was customary to baptize infants, with sponsors speaking on their behalf. The Apostolic Tradition , sometimes attributed to Hippolytus of Rome (died 235), describes how to perform the ceremony of baptism; it states that children were baptized first, and if any of them could not answer for themselves, their parents or someone else from their family

12384-489: The baptismal ceremony vary among Christian denominations . Many follow a prepared ceremony, called a rite or liturgy . In a typical ceremony, parents or godparents bring their child to their congregation's priest or minister . The rite used would be the same as that denomination's rite for adults, i.e., by pouring holy water ( affusion ) or by sprinkling water ( aspersion ). Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic traditions practice total immersion and baptize babies in

12528-411: The basis of God's covenant promises in the covenant of grace. Presbyterian, Congregational and many Reformed Christians see infant baptism as the New Testament form of circumcision in the Jewish covenant. Circumcision did not create faith in the 8-day-old Jewish boy. It merely marked him as a member of God's covenant people Israel. Likewise, baptism does not create faith; it is a sign of membership in

12672-435: The case of "families with little faith or non-Christian families". If these request that a child of theirs be baptized, there must be assurances that the child will be given the benefit of the Christian upbringing required by the sacrament. Examples of such assurances are "the choice of godparents who will take sincere care of the child, or the support of the community". If there is satisfactory assurance, i.e., "any pledge giving

12816-419: The child in a course of catechetical instruction on reaching school age can be offered in lieu of immediate celebration of baptism. The possibility of delaying infant baptism in the case of non practicing or non believing parents raises a number of questions. How can we discern that there are guarantees of an authentic Christian education? Can a priest propose an alternative celebration in the case where baptism

12960-718: The church has failed to do is to recognize that there has to be a point at which our young people, as adults who have been baptized into the church and raised in the faith, have the chance to say 'I validate this' or 'I repudiate this'. You and I know, we live now in times where we have the right to freedom of conscience, freedom of belief, freedom of opinion, freedom of religion and freedom to change religion. The Catholic Church yet has to fully embrace that thinking." Baptisms have sometimes accidentally led to injuries, or deaths, such as drowning deaths, to babies. In Romania, this has served as an opportunity to revise practices. In Yazidism , children are baptized at birth and circumcision

13104-555: The church hold various views (in particular, many have asserted that they go to Limbo ). "The Church entrusts these infants to the mercy of God." The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued on 20 October 1980 an instruction on infant baptism, whose purpose was "to recall the principal points of doctrine in this field which justify the Church's constant practice down the centuries and demonstrate its permanent value in spite of

13248-459: The day of Pentecost . From this fact, Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace: Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God's presence. Guard what you have received. God the Father has marked you with his sign; Christ

13392-488: The devil, one or more exorcisms are pronounced over the candidate". In the Roman Rite , the wording of the prayer of exorcism is: "Almighty and ever-living God, you sent your only Son into the world to cast out the power of Satan, spirit of evil, to rescue man from the kingdom of darkness and bring him into the splendour of your kingdom of light. We pray for this child: set him (her) free from original sin, make him (her)

13536-432: The difficulties raised today". The document then indicated some general guidelines for pastoral action. The document recalled that infant baptism has long been considered of apostolic origin, and that the first direct evidence of its practice, dating from the 2nd century, does not present it as an innovation. It then responded to objections that baptism should follow faith, that the person baptized should consciously receive

13680-454: The diocese (generally at the Easter Vigil ) since "the baptism of adults, at least of those who have completed their fourteenth year, is to be referred to the Bishop, so that he himself may confer it if he judges this appropriate" However, if the bishop does not confer the baptism, then it devolves on the priest whose office it then is to confer both sacraments, since, "in addition to the bishop,

13824-443: The earliest days, they were sharply persecuted and leaders were soon executed. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) completely rejects infant baptism. Little children are considered both born without sin and incapable of committing sin . They have no need of baptism until age eight, when they can begin to learn to discern right from wrong, and are thus accountable to God for their own actions. However,

13968-577: The easy access to the Eucharist for children, in his Letter Quam Singulari lowered the age of first communion to seven. That was the origin of the widespread custom in parishes to organise the First Communion for children at 2nd grade and confirmation in middle or high school . The 1917 Code of Canon Law, while recommending that confirmation be delayed until about seven years of age, allowed it be given at an earlier age. Only on 30 June 1932

14112-461: The faith on the part of someone approaching adulthood. However, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1308) warns: "Although Confirmation is sometimes called the 'sacrament of Christian maturity,' we must not confuse adult faith with the adult age of natural growth, nor forget that the baptismal grace is a grace of free, unmerited election and does not need 'ratification' to become effective." On

14256-652: The faith which "marks the completion of the congregation's program of confirmation ministry". The German language also uses for Lutheran confirmation a different word ( Konfirmation ) from the word used for the sacramental rite of the Catholic Church ( Firmung ). Lutheran churches do not treat confirmation as a dominical sacrament of the Gospel, considering that only Baptism , Eucharist and Confession and Absolution can be regarded as such. Some popular Sundays for this to occur are Palm Sunday , Pentecost and Reformation Sunday (last Sunday in October). Article 25 of

14400-400: The first Eucharistic communion. The reason was no longer the busy calendar of the bishop, but the bishop's will to give adequate instruction to the youth. The practice lasted until Pope Leo XIII in 1897 asked to restore the primary order and to celebrate confirmation back at the age of reason, a change that lasted less than two decades. In 1910, his successor, Pope Pius X , showing concern for

14544-512: The first direct evidence of infant Baptism appears in the second century, it is never presented as an innovation", that 2nd-century Irenaeus treated baptism of infants as a matter of course, and that, "at a Synod of African Bishops, St. Cyprian stated that 'God's mercy and grace should not be refused to anyone born', and the Synod, recalling that 'all human beings' are 'equal', whatever be 'their size or age', declared it lawful to baptize children 'by

14688-444: The first few weeks" and, "if the infant is in danger of death, it is to be baptized without any delay." It declares: "The practice of infant Baptism is an immemorial tradition of the Church. There is explicit testimony to this practice from the second century on, and it is quite possible that, from the beginning of the apostolic preaching, when whole 'households' received baptism, infants may also have been baptized". It notes that "when

14832-462: The followers of Jesus, is converted by a vision to become a follower of Christ (an event which Luke regards as so important that he relates it three times). Peter, directed by a series of visions, preaches to Cornelius the Centurion , a Gentile God-fearer, who becomes a follower of Christ. The Holy Spirit descends on Cornelius and his guests, thus confirming that the message of eternal life in Christ

14976-405: The forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children ". For them baptism is a " means of grace " through which God creates and strengthens "saving faith" as the "washing of regeneration" in which people are reborn (John 3:3–7): "baptismal regeneration". Since the creation of faith is exclusively God's work, it does not depend on

15120-488: The form of consecrated wine and bread, is also given to infants after they are baptized. Lutherans practice infant baptism because they believe that God mandates it through the instruction of Jesus Christ , "Go and make disciples of all nations , baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit", in which Jesus does not set any age limit: The command is general. It includes infants, women, men, and teenagers, even though none of these groups

15264-459: The form of the original baptism, some Protestants must be baptized upon conversion to Orthodoxy. A common practice is that those persons who have been previously baptized by triple immersion in the name of the Trinity do not need to be baptized. However, requirements will differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and some traditional Orthodox jurisdictions prefer to baptize all converts. When a person

15408-569: The grace of the sacrament, that the person should freely accept baptism, that infant baptism is unsuitable in a society marked by instability of values and conflicts of ideas, and that the practice is inimical to a missionary outlook on the part of the church. The instruction then gave guidelines for pastoral practice, based on two principles. The major principle is that baptism, as the sign and means of God's love that precedes any action on our part and that frees from original sin and communicates divine life, must not be delayed. The subordinate principle

15552-416: The illegal practice of magic (Acts 19:17–19) as well as the amicability of his rapport with Roman officials such as Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:6–12) and Festus (Acts 26:30–32). Furthermore, Acts does not include any account of a struggle between Christians and the Roman government as a result of the latter's imperial cult. Thus Paul is depicted as a moderating presence between the church and the Roman Empire. On

15696-576: The judgement of the minister , a grave reason suggests otherwise (canon 891 of the Code of Canon Law). The Code prescribes the age of discretion also for the sacraments of Reconciliation and first Holy Communion. In some places the setting of a later age, e.g. mid-teens in the United States, 11 or 12 in Ireland and early teens in Britain, has been abandoned in recent decades in favor of restoring

15840-493: The lack of any explicit evidence of infant baptism. Others, noting the lack of any explicit evidence of exclusion of infant baptism, believe that they did, understanding biblical references to individuals "and [her] household" being baptized as including young children. The earliest extrabiblical directions for baptism, which occur in the Didache (c. 100), are taken to be about baptism of adults, since they require fasting by

15984-422: The law gives the faculty to confirm to the following,   ... priests who, in virtue of an office which they lawfully hold, baptize an adult or a child old enough for catechesis or receive a validly baptized adult into full communion with the Church." In Eastern Catholic Churches , the usual minister of this sacrament is the parish priest, using olive oil consecrated by a bishop (i.e. chrism ) and administering

16128-468: The messianic age foretold by the prophets (cf. Ezekiel 36:25–27; Joel 3:1–2). Its arrival was proclaimed by the Apostle Peter . Filled with the Holy Spirit, the apostles began to proclaim "the mighty works of God" (Acts 2:11; Cf. 2:17–18). After this point, the New Testament records the apostles bestowing the Holy Spirit upon others through the laying on of hands. Three texts make it certain that

16272-603: The missions of the Apostles in Samaria and the Gentile lands, and so on (see Gospel of Luke ). These parallels continue through both books, contributing to the narrative unity of the work. However, scholars have noted differences between Luke and Acts, including some apparent contradictions. For example, the gospel seems to place the Ascension on Easter Sunday , shortly after the Resurrection , while Acts 1 puts it forty days later. Such differences have led to debates over

16416-414: The nature of the unity between the two books. While not seriously questioning the single authorship of Luke–Acts, these variations suggest a complex literary structure that balances thematic continuity with narrative development across two volumes. Literary studies have explored how Luke sets the stage in his gospel for key themes that recur and develop throughout Acts, including the offer to and rejection of

16560-485: The new birth in Baptism to be freed from the power of darkness and brought into the realm of the freedom of the children of God, to which all men are called ... The Church and the parents would deny a child the priceless grace of becoming a child of God were they not to confer Baptism shortly after birth". The church has no dogmatic official teaching regarding the fate of infants who die without baptism, and theologians of

16704-399: The old sinner dies and the new child of Christ emerges. Confirmation is understood as being the baptism by fire wherein the Holy Spirit enters into the individual, purges them of the effects of the sin from their previous life (the guilt and culpability of which were already washed away), and introduces them into the church as a new person in Christ. Through confirmation, the individual receives

16848-417: The other hand, events such as the imprisonment of Paul at the hands of the empire (Acts 22–28) as well as several encounters that reflect negatively on Roman officials (for instance, Felix's desire for a bribe from Paul in Acts 24:26) function as concrete points of conflict between Rome and the early church. Perhaps the most significant point of tension between Roman imperial ideology and Luke's political vision

16992-445: The past, a gown was used for both boys and girls; in the present day it has become more common to dress children in a baptismal outfit. Also normally made of white fabric, the outfit consists of a romper with a vest or other accessories. These clothes are often kept as a memento after the ceremony. Scholars disagree on the date when infant baptism was first practiced. Some believe that 1st-century Christians did not practice it, noting

17136-604: The person he had just confirmed was interpreted in the Roman Pontifical as a slap, a reminder to be brave in spreading and defending the faith: " Deinde leviter eum in maxilla caedit, dicens: Pax tecum " ( ' Then he strikes him lightly on the cheek, saying: Peace be with you ' ). When, in application of the Second Vatican Council 's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the confirmation rite

17280-606: The person to be baptized. However, inscriptions dating back to the 2nd century which refer to young children as "children of God" may indicate that Christians customarily baptized infants too. The earliest reference to infant baptism was by Irenaeus (c. 130–202) in his work Against Heresies . Due to its reference to Eleutherus as the current bishop of Rome , the work is usually dated c.  180 . Irenaeus speaks of children being "born again to God." Three passages by Origen (185–c. 254) mention infant baptism as traditional and customary. Also Augustine of Hippo referred

17424-533: The possibility of infant faith , the Bible clearly teaches that babies can believe. In the Methodist Churches , baptism is a sacrament of initiation into the visible church. Wesleyan covenant theology further teaches that baptism is a sign and a seal of the covenant of grace: Of this great new-covenant blessing, baptism was therefore eminently the sign ; and it represented "the pouring out " of

17568-414: The priests and deacons and, where they existed, by deaconesses for women's baptism. The post-baptismal chrismation in particular was reserved to the bishop. When adults no longer formed the majority of those being baptized, this chrismation was delayed until the bishop could confer it. Until the 12th century, priests often continued to confer confirmation before giving Communion to very young children. After

17712-463: The reception of a Christian name, anointing of body parts with chrism, and the clothing of the confirmant in a white garment or chiton are conducted separately as part of a ceremony called the Initiatory . Lutheran confirmation is a public profession of faith prepared for by long and careful instruction. In English, it is called "affirmation of baptism", and is a mature and public profession of

17856-434: The recipient permanently , making it impossible to receive the sacrament twice. It accepts as valid a confirmation conferred within churches, such as the Eastern Orthodox Church , whose Holy Orders it sees as valid through the apostolic succession of their bishops. But it considers it necessary to administer the sacrament of confirmation, in its view for the only time, to Protestants who are admitted to full communion with

18000-679: The relationship between the early church and the Roman Empire. On the one hand, Luke generally does not portray this interaction as one of direct conflict. Rather, there are ways in which each may have considered having a relationship with the other rather advantageous to its own cause. For example, early Christians may have appreciated hearing about the protection Paul received from Roman officials against Gentile rioters in Philippi (Acts 16:16–40) and Ephesus (Acts 19:23–41), and against Jewish rioters on two occasions (Acts 17:1–17; Acts 18:12–17). Meanwhile, Roman readers may have approved of Paul's censure of

18144-412: The rite of confirmation, 17, which indicates that the episcopal conference may decide "to introduce a different manner for the minister to give the sign of peace after the anointing, either to each individual or to all the newly confirmed together". In some regions it is customary for the person being confirmed to choose the name of a saint, which they adopt as their confirmation name. The saint whose name

18288-575: The sacrament immediately after baptism. This corresponds exactly to the practice of the early Church, when at first those receiving baptism were mainly adults, and of the non-Latin Catholic Eastern Churches. The practice of the Eastern Churches gives greater emphasis to the unity of Christian initiation. That of the Latin Church more clearly expresses the communion of the new Christian with the bishop as guarantor and servant of

18432-407: The sacrament of Confirmation, for young Catholics to profess their faith publicly, in line with their age. Within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , confirmation or "the laying on of hands" is an essential part of the baptismal ordinance, and to receive baptism without confirmation is to leave the ordinance incomplete. Confirmation is the conferring of the gift of the Holy Ghost as

18576-465: The second or third day after their birth'". In the 17th and 18th centuries, many infants were baptized on the day of their birth as in the cases of Francoise-Athenais, Marquise de Montespan , Jeanne Du Barry and Marie Anne de Cupis de Camargo . Infant baptism is seen as showing very clearly that salvation is an unmerited favor from God, not the fruit of human effort. "Born with a fallen human nature and tainted by original sin, children also have need of

18720-596: The sources for Acts can only be guessed at, but the author would have had access to the Septuagint (a Greek translation of the Jewish scriptures), the Gospel of Mark , and either the hypothetical collection of "sayings of Jesus" called the Q source or the Gospel of Matthew . He transposed a few incidents from Mark's gospel to the time of the Apostles—for example, the material about "clean" and "unclean" foods in Mark 7

18864-435: The special section on infant baptism in his Large Catechism Luther argues that infant baptism is God-pleasing because persons so baptized were reborn and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Lutherans [WELS] believe that babies are conceived and born sinful and therefore need to be born again to enter the kingdom of heaven. Through Baptism, the Holy Spirit works rebirth, creates faith in them, and saves them. Although some deny

19008-568: The story of Christianity in the 1st century , beginning with the ascension of Jesus to Heaven . The early chapters, set in Jerusalem , describe the Day of Pentecost (the coming of the Holy Spirit ), the expulsion of Christians from Jerusalem and the establishment of the church at Antioch . The later chapters narrate the continuation of the message under Paul the Apostle and concludes with his imprisonment in Rome, where he awaits trial . Luke–Acts

19152-528: The text, connection between the gift of the Holy Spirit and the gesture of laying on of hands appears even more clearly. Acts 8:18–19 introduces the request of Simon the Magician in the following way: "When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands". In Acts 19, baptism of the disciples is mentioned in quite general terms, without the minister being identified. Referring to 1 Corinthians 1:17, it can be presumed that Paul left

19296-410: The three "we" passages, for example, is that they represent eyewitness accounts. The search for such inferred sources was popular in the 19th century, but by the mid-20th it had largely been abandoned. Acts was read as a reliable history of the early church well into the post-Reformation era, but by the 17th century biblical scholars began to notice that it was incomplete and tendentious—its picture of

19440-421: The traditional order of the three sacraments of Christian initiation. Even where a later age has been set, a bishop may not refuse to confer the sacrament on younger children who request it, provided they are baptized, have the use of reason, are suitably instructed and are properly disposed and able to renew the baptismal promises. The Catholic Church Anglo-Catholics teach that, like baptism, confirmation marks

19584-548: The unity, catholicity and apostolicity of his Church, and hence the connection with the apostolic origins of Christ's Church. The main reason why the West separated the sacrament of confirmation from that of baptism was to re-establish direct contact between the person being initiated with the bishops. In the Early Church, the bishop administered all three sacraments of initiation (baptism, confirmation and Eucharist), assisted by

19728-441: The visible covenant community. Presbyterian, Congregational and Reformed Christians consider children of professing Christians to be members of the visible church (the covenant community). They also consider them to be full members of the local congregation where their parents are members and members of the universal church (the set of all true believers who make up the invisible church) unless and until they prove otherwise. Baptism

19872-565: The way scenes, themes and characters combine to construct his specific worldview. His "salvation history" stretches from the Creation to the present time of his readers, in three ages: first, the time of "the Law and the Prophets" (Luke 16:16), the period beginning with Genesis and ending with the appearance of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5–3:1); second, the epoch of Jesus, in which the Kingdom of God

20016-444: The works of Dionysius of Halicarnassus , who wrote a well-known history of Rome, or the Jewish historian Josephus , author of a history of the Jews . Like them, he anchors his history by dating the birth of the founder (Romulus for Dionysius, Moses for Josephus, Jesus for Luke) and like them he tells how the founder is born from God, taught authoritatively, and appeared to witnesses after death before ascending to heaven. By and large

20160-586: Was official permission given to change the traditional order of the three sacraments of Christian initiation: the Sacred Congregation for the Sacraments then allowed, where necessary, that confirmation be administered after first Holy Communion . This novelty, originally seen as exceptional, became more and more the accepted practice. Thus, in the mid-20th century, confirmation began to be seen as an occasion for professing personal commitment to

20304-410: Was preached (Luke 3:2–24:51); and finally the period of the Church, which began when the risen Christ was taken into Heaven, and would end with his second coming . Luke–Acts is an attempt to answer a theological problem, namely how the Messiah, promised to the Jews, came to have an overwhelmingly non-Jewish church; the answer it provides, and its central theme, is that the message of Christ was sent to

20448-516: Was revised in 1971, mention of this gesture was omitted. However, the French and Italian translations, indicating that the bishop should accompany the words "Peace be with you" with "a friendly gesture" (French text) or "the sign of peace" (Italian text), explicitly allow a gesture such as the touch on the cheek, to which they restore its original meaning. This is in accord with the Introduction to

20592-568: Was seen as a way to incorporate newborn babies into the secular community as well as inducting them into the Christian faith. Due to high rates of infant mortality, it is important to note that canon law denied unbaptized infants a Christian burial in sacred ground. Different Christian denominations who practice infant baptism attach different meanings to the sacrament and explain its efficacy in different ways. The Catholic Church considers baptism, even for an infant, so important that "parents are obliged to see that their infants are baptized within

20736-478: Was to answer for them. From at least the 3rd century onward Christians baptized infants as standard practice, although some preferred to postpone baptism until late in life so as to ensure forgiveness for all their preceding sins. Based on their understanding of New Testament passages such as Colossians 2:11–12, Christians who baptize infants believe that infant baptism is the New Testament counterpart to

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