cross of Christ is
here placed to the water is important; the tertium comp. is that
forgiveness of sin is the result of both); Herm. Vis. III. 3, Sim. IX 16.
Mand. IV. 3 ([Greek: hetera metanoia ouk estin ei me ekeine, hote eis
hudor katebemen kai elabomen aphesin hamartion hemon ton proteron]); 2
Clem. 6. 9; 7. 6; 8. 6. Peculiar is Ignat. ad. Polyc. 6. 2: [Greek: to
baptisma humon meneto hos hopla]. Specially important is Justin, Apol.
I. 61. 65. To this also belong many passages from Tertullian's treatise
"de bapt."; a Gnostic baptismal hymn in the third pseudo-Solomonic ode
in the Pistis Sophia, p. 131, ed. Schwartze; Marcion's baptismal formula
in Irenaeus 1. 21. 3. It clearly follows from the seventh chapter of the
Didache, that its author held that the pronouncing of the sacred names
over the baptised, and over the water, was essential, but that immersion
was not; see the thorough examination of this passage by Schaff, "The
oldest church manual called the teaching of the twelve Apostles" pp.
29-57. The controversy about the nature of John's baptism in its
relation to Christian baptism, is very old in Christendom; see also
Tertull. "de bapt." 10. Tertullian sees in John's baptism only a baptism
to repentance, not to forgiveness.]

[Footnote 285: In Hermas and 2 Clement. The expression probably arose
from the language of the mysteries: see Appuleius, "de Magia", 55:
"Sacrorum pleraque initia in Graecia participavi. Eorum quaedam signa et
monumenta tradita mihi a sacerdotibus sedulo conservo." Ever since the
Gentile Christians conceived baptism (and the Lord's Supper) according
to the mysteries, they were of course always surprised by the parallel
with the mysteries themselves. That begins with Justin. Tertullian, "de
bapt." 5, says: "Sed enim nationes extraneae, ab omni intellectu
spiritalium potestatum eadem efficacia idolis suis subministrant. Sed
viduis aquis sibi mentiuntur. Nam et sacris quibusdam per lavacrum
initiantur, Isidis alicujus aut Mithrae; ipsos etiam deos suos
lavationibus efferunt. Ceterum villas, domos, templa totasque urbes
aspergine circumlatae aquae; expiant passim. Certe ludis Apollinaribus et
Eleusiniis tinguuntur, idque se in regenerationem et impunitatem
periuriorum suorum agere praesumunt. Item penes veteres, quisquis se
homicidio infecerat, purgatrices aquas explorabat." De praescr. 40:
"Diabolus ipsas quoque res sacramentorum divinorum idolorum mysteriis
aemulatur. Tingit et ipse quosdam