The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

"""308 THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS.all, for infants as well as adults, and her doctrinerests on the following grounds:Our Lord says to Nicodemus :Amen, amen, Isay to thee, unless a man be born again of waterand the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." 1 These words embrace the wholehuman family, without regard to age or sex, as isevident from the original Greek text, for rtj, whichis rendered man in our English translation, meansany one, mankind in its broadest acceptation.The Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles ofSt. Paul, although containing only a fragmentaryaccount of the ministry of the Apostles, plainlyinsinuate that the Apostles baptized children aswell as grown persons. We are told, for instance,that Lydia "was baptized, and her household,"by St. Paul and that the; jailer was baptized,*and all his family."The same Apostle baptized*also the household of Stephanas." Although itis not expressly stated that there were childrenamong these baptized families, the presumptionis strongly in favor of the supposition that therewere. But ifany doubt exists regarding theApostolic practice of baptizing infants, it is easilyremoved by referring to the writings of the primitiveFathers of the Church, who, as they were the immediate successors of the Apostles, ought to be thebest interpreters of their doctrines and practice.1John iii. 5.a Acts xvi. 15.* Ibid. xvi. 33.*L Cor. i. 16.