Sixteenth century protestant reformers on infant baptism

Abstract

In the 15th century, Christianity underwent fundamental and far-reaching changes in the interpretation and definition of Church and dogma. Most of the changes followed the Reformation of the 16th century, headed by Martin Luther (1483-1546), a German Augustinian monk who on 31 October 1517 nailed on the church door at Wittenberg a list of Ninety Five Thesis on indulgences, denying to the Pope all right to forgive sins. The other two contemporary main Reformers were John Calvin (1509-1564), a French theologian and Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531), a Swiss priest who was responsible for the utter destruction of images and icons and who swept away the Holy Mass and most of the Church's celebrations. The latter was the most negative of the Reformers. Chapter I of this dissertation is mainly devoted to the doctrine of infant baptism and original sin as interpreted by great Fathers of the Church, especially St Augustine (354-430) and St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), as well as by the three main 16th century Reformers. Chapter II deals with sacraments in general and with the great importance given by the Reformers to the Word of God with the promise of the forgiveness of sins. The necessity of faith, especially for Luther, is also stressed. All the main Reformers acknowledged only two sacraments. In Chapter III baptism is described as the sacrament of regeneration and sanctification, with Reformers regarding penance as essentially a return to baptism. For Zwingli, baptism was simply a convenant-sign, a token of membership of the Christian community. Calvin acknowledged Luther' s doctrine of baptism as a sign of the remission of sins and the new life of believers in Jesus Christ. In this Chapter, ample space is given to the problem of faith in infants. Chapter IV shows that all three main Reformers condemned Anabaptism. Anabaptists declared infant baptism as not scriptural; they also believed that they alone constituted the elect of God. Chapter V discusses the insoluble problem of Limbo. Chapter VI describes the reaction of the Council of Trent (1545-1563) to the heresies proclaimed by Reformers during the 16th century Reformation. Baptism is the gateway to all the other sacraments. As baptism incorporates us into Christ it proceeds to transform us into the likeness of the Risen and Glorified Christ; a process which only ends when we die.