Description: Baptism for the early Christians was a subject of crucial importance, and its symbolism fired the imagination of writers throughout the Christian world. Arator, the Roman sub-deacon who wrote a verse-commentary on the Acts of the Apostles in A.D. 544, was no exception. The Historia Apostolica is a work of historical importance. Written at a time of crisis, politically and theologically, it is of interest as propaganda for a papacy under threat from Constantinople. But Arator's concentration on baptismal themes offers vital evidence of the transmission of exegetical ideas in late antiquity. This book is the first major work on Arator in English and the first ever to study the Historia Apostolica as biblical commentary. Passages of particular baptismal importance are presented both in the original Latin and in a new translation, and are considered in the context of the writings of earlier Christian commentators. Hillier's study is a wide-ranging study of the popularity and potency of baptismal symbolism in the first six centuries A.D.
Description: These important and incisive essays, spanning more than two decades of research and engagement, probe facets and episodes of infant baptisms fortunes over twenty centuries. The story of paedo baptism is traced from its shadowy beginnings as a variant of faithbaptism, through inflated Reformation defenses as it monopolized baptismal thought and practice, to biblical and ecumenical reevaluations and hopeful contemporary rapprochements across divisive waters.
Description: In the 19th century, Dr. James W. Dale, a Presbyterian minister, embarked on a scholarly project that proved to be the most exhaustive study ever undertaken on the word 'baptism.' Aiming at a contextual understanding of the work, Dr. Dale meticulously examined its use in a wide range of historical documents, and his analysis is a masterpiece of lexicographical scholarship.
Dr. Dale published his findings in four volumes, and for the first time in many years all four of these distinguished texts are available, offering a valuable resource for students and scholars of language, religion, and history.
Also available:
Judaic Baptism: Baptizo : An Inquiry into the Meaning of the Word As Determined by the Usage of Jewish and Patristic Writers - ISBN 0865162476 Christic and Patristic Baptism: Baptizo : An Inquiry into the Meaning of the Word As Determined by the Usage of Christic and Patristic Writers - ISBN 0865162638
Description: Understanding the Sacraments is a popular guide for prayer and study of all seven sacraments, designed for use by individuals and groups. Everyday anecdotes and examples enliven the text. Questions for group discussion are appended.
