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Professor T. W. Manson on Baptism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2009

Extract

The last number of the Scottish Journal of Theology contained an article of great interest and importance by Professor T. W. Manson under the title “Baptism in the Church”. It was a weighty and illuminating contribution to the discussion of the ordinance of baptism which is now proceeding vigorously in almost every Christian communion. One brought up in the Baptist tradition and adhering to it by conviction read with appreciation Professor Manson's admission of the strength of the case against infant baptism so far as it rests on the New Testament evidence. On the other hand, the general treatment of the subject and the conclusions reached include some rather surprising statements and raise a number of questions.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Scottish Journal of Theology Ltd 1950

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References

page 50 note 1 The page references, unless otherwise stated, are to ProfessorManson, 's article in the S. J. T., Vol. 2, No. 4.Google Scholar

page 52 note 1 Cullmann, , Die Tauflehre des Neuen Testaments, 1948Google Scholar, admits the presence of a confession of faith in the case of Gentiles and Jews who were baptised in apostolic times, but argues that such a confession was not a necessary element in the rite, which is, if rightly understood, completely independent of personal decision or faith. Faith should follow baptism, but need not precede it. He makes considerable use of 1 Cor. 12.13, Gal. 3.27 and Acts 2.41, which he takes to mean that the candidate is “the passive object of a divine act, subject to disposition by God” (p. 26). His interpretation of these texts seems to the writer extremely arbitrary and to depend on taking them out of their context.