HISTORY OF SPRINKLING FOR BAPTISM

Hugo McCord

“Immersion, and not sprinkling, was unquestionably the original form” (Philip Schaff, HISTORY OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH, p.568.

The first instance of baptism by sprinkling was that of a sick man, Novatian, who was afraid he would die unbaptized, and in 251 A.D. had himself sprinkled “in apprehension of death” (Neander’s CHURCH HISTORY, I, p. 325). This was called clinical or hospital baptism in the Latin words: baptismus clinicorun.

In 753 A.D. pope Stephen III legislated that “in cases of necessity” pouring water on the head “was acceptable” (EDINBURGH CYCLOPEDIA, III, pp. 245-246).

In 1311 a council of bishops meeting at Ravenna in Italy voted that either sprinkling or immersion was acceptable (George A. Klingman, CHURCH HISTORY FOR BUSY PEOPLE). The practice of sprinkling then took over universally (except in the Greek Catholic Church) and has spread into many denominations.