THE MENNONITE BROTHERHOOD IN RUSSIA (1789 - 1910), P. M. Friesen, 1911

dispassionately and impartially by quoting outside opinions. a) Luther and Calvin declare succinctly and categorically that the idea of “baptizo” (Greek) and "mersio” (Latin) is “to immerse completely under water,” and the German word "taufen” is according to Luther identical with “deep”, 92 “immersion”; and the “old church,” according to Calvin, practiced immersion (see Confession of Faith of . . . the Mennonite Brethren Church in Russia, 1900-1902). In any lexicon, encyclopedia, or Bible dictionary one finds the same explanation. According to the Calwer Kirchenlexicon, II, 804, “Luther at first would have preferred to re-instate immersion [in child baptism] but it could not be done anymore, and he did not want to make a doctrinal issue of it.” b) We cite some further quotations from the strictly denominational Lutheran Kirchliches Handlexikon by Dr. C. Meusel, Leipzig, Justus Naumann, Volume I, page 283: “Baptisterium, baptistry building. In the primitive church up to the beginning of the third century, baptism as a 292 THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH rule was carried out in the open at locations safe from disturbances or onlookers, either in rivers by total immersion, or at springs, whereby the candidate stood in the water at the depth of the spring and the baptizer poured water over him. Gradually it became customary to use the thermal springs, in the homes of believers, for baptism. These cisterns were called “baptisterien” by the Greeks, and “piscinae” by the Romans [from piscis, fish], because they permitted swimming. From these antique bathing establishments the early church baptistries received their form, after the fourth century. [A baptistry such as this has been unearthed at the Kherson Monastery near Sevastopol and provided with an explanatory inscription. The basin is quite deep enough for immersion.] After the sixth and seventh centuries the baptistry was transferred to a side-chapel of the church itself. When later, however, baptism was commonly practiced merely by sprinkling, it was deemed sufficient to have only baptismal stones in the church itself .... Of the old baptistries, particularly noteworthy are those in Parma, Pisa, Ravenna, and Florence. In the Greek and Russian churches the custom of immersion has been maintained together with the baptistry . . . .” Volume VI, p. 577: “The actual form of baptism in oldest times was to immerse three times, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Temporarily the Spanish church limited itself to one immersion in order to express its opposition to Arianism. Thus, although immersion was the rule, pouring and sprinkling must also have been permissible very early.” Volume IV, p. 96: “The baptism of the infirm, baptismus clinicorum : in the oldest churches the baptism of sick persons, who were in danger of death, was carried out not by imm ersion but by sprinkling and pouring. For this reason disagreement about its validit