“He who is illumined is washed”, Justin Martyr. He mentions nothing of infants, but quite explicit that only those convinced of truth were bapstized. So was baptism was for something else, not to receive illumination.
Glad you are reading Justin Martyr. If you continue that, you can be rescued from the heresies in which you were unwittingly steeped.
Actually, he is speaking here of both things. Those called of God, and responding to the call, enter catechesis, and endure the “scrutinies”, and are thus brought to the baptismal font for washing.
When one is washed, then one is sealed with the promised HS, and then receives MORE illumination. This section is talking about persons who have reached the age of reason. Different rules apply to those than do for infants, who, when brought by their parents faith, enter into the New Covenant just as infants entered the old.
Well, it’s not my theory, but those that have studied earlier architecture, which means you must study church buildings, the apex of the science back then. The study of Notre Dame, I believe is where I came across. the “theory”.
After the Edict of Milan, when Christianity was decriminalized, Christianity began to overtake and inhabit the abandoned Pagan temples before they began building their own.
Good for you for studying early architecture! That is awesome.
The Church has always baptized infants, and catechized before baptizing those who have reached the age of reason. These are two different approaches. Nowadays more time is spent catechizing the parents, since so many of them are cultural Catholics and do not understand their responsibilites to raise the child in the faith.
So born again souls can go to hell ? That is those baptized are born again, stray and suffer damnation.
Yes, of course. This is why there are so many references in the NT to finishing the race and persevering to the end.
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Or do they spiritually die, lose their "born againess", then go to Hell ?
No and Yes. The seal of baptism, and the adoption is permanent, and cannot be lost. However, they can wander away from their faith, and fail to be united to the inheritance that is kept imperishable in heaven for them.
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But if they repent before they die, they don't need to be born again, just confess to priest . Trying to get some consistency .
Or if there is no priest, to have a perfect confession. I am not sure that the Apostolic point of view can ever sound “consistent” to you once you have been steeped in Reformed theology, but I admire your efforts just the same.
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Understand . It is different from protetstant paradigm.When you are born again, it is like you are a new creature (maturity level will vary, but for our talk, it would be at least a consenting older child at least). THis soul is justified by the blood, is seen thru the lens of the Blood , is perfect though not mature, and still subject to battle with old man (flesh).
No, this is consistent with the Catholic point of view as well.
When he sins, the child does not die, is still justified, even if by the skin of his teeth( a sliver of saving faith). Reconciliation is the newer man getting victory over older man.This justified child can not go to hell (duh-he is justified), unlesss he totally recants, blasphemes the HS, to his dying breath.
This is where the departure occurs. See, the Reformers taught that the nature of sin had somehow changed, and no longer separates the soul from God. This is not consistent with the Apostolic faith, which is clear that sin continues to separate the soul from God.
An example is the Prodigal son, who, though he left his father’s house and squandered his inheritance, was still his father’s son. Had he not come to himself and chosen to return, and died in the pen with the pigs, hungry and lost, he would still be his father’s son.
