From: Ben Crick (ben.crick@argonet.co.uk)
Date: Thu Mar 12 1998 - 23:22:31 EST
On Wed 11 Mar 98 (23:35:37), msolszta@ici.net wrote:
>ÊQuestion: Regarding the words EIS TO ONOMA TOU patroV kai tou uiou kai
>Êtou agiou pneumatoV, does this mean that the Father, the Son, and the
>ÊHoly Ghost have ONE NAME by which they are to be called?
Michael,
The disciples baptised first in John 4:2 in Jesus' stead; therefore, they
baptised people "in the name of Jesus": i.e. on His behalf.
Peter in Acts 2:38 continued to baptise "in the name of Jesus" by force of
habit (IMHO). Paul also baptised "in the name of Jesus" when he came across
some former disciples of John the Baptiser in Ephesus (Acts 19:5). But
gradually, the church conformed to our Lord's Trinitarian formula in
Matthew 28:19.
This is not to prejudge the question of the authorship and date of Matthew,
the "church" Gospel.
Today there are some Christian denominations who insist on "Jesus' name"
baptism, as opposed to "Trinity-formula" baptism. Let them do as they wish;
both are in Scripture. There is a church near where I used to live where
they baptise "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit, and in the Name of Jesus".
There's belt-and-braces theology for you.
-- Revd Ben Crick, BA CF <ben.crick@argonet.co.uk> 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK) http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm
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