“THE APOSTOLICAL CANONS.”

Of these, Eld. Moore says: “These ‘Canons, which consist of eighty-five ecclesiastical laws, contain a view of the church government among the Greek and Oriental Christians in the early centuries of the Christian religion’ (Mosheim, vol. 4, p. 44), and can be relied upon in tracing Christian baptism back to a very early date. Some learned men, who have made profound researches respecting the origin of these Canons, have assigned to some of them a date much earlier than a. d. 200.TOB 152.3

“The fiftieth of the Apostolical Canons reads as follows: ‘If any Bishop or Presbyter do not perform three immersions of one initiation, but one immersion which is given into the death of Christ, let him be deposed; for the Lord did not say, “Baptize into my death,” but “Go ye, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Do ye, therefore, O Bishops, immerse thrice—into one Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost, according to the will of Christ by the Spirit.’—Quinter and McConnel’s Debate, p. 114.”TOB 152.4

This is that to which Mr. Reeves refers; but he does not say one word as to its date, origin, and authenticity. It was of course written by somebody, and that somebody believed in three immersions. But who it was, and when he wrote, nobody knows. It was a very common practice in those days of pious forgeries to label their writings apostolical, or to ascribe them to some worthy Christian, to give them weight among those who did not stop to discriminate between the true and the false.TOB 153.1

These Canons are from unknown sources. They did not all come into notice at one time. Notice that Mr. Moore says: “Some learned men ... have assigned to some of them a date much earlier than a. d. 200.” But of the one in question, the fiftieth, he says nothing. He must have known some of the facts respecting it, and to endeavor to give authority to this by speaking a good word for “some of them,” savors much of the same spirit which originated them. Of the Canons, Dr. Schaff says:—TOB 153.2

“They are evidently of gradual growth, and were collected either after the middle of the fourth century, or not till the latter part of the fifth, by some unknown hand, probably also in Syria.”TOB 153.3

These Canons are found, with notes, in a “History of Christian Councils,” by Bishop Hefele, of Germany. Appended to Canon 50, the one quoted above, is this remark:—TOB 154.1

“This Canon is among the most recent of the collection. It is not known from what source it is derived.”TOB 154.2

For the present we dismiss the Canons Apostolical, willingly according to the trine immersionists all the honor they acquire by the use which they make of them.TOB 154.3

Preceding these Canons, in point of chronology, comes the testimony ofTOB 154.4