MUNNULUS, BISHOP OF GIRBA

His words, claimed in favor of three immersions, were spoken in the seventh Council of Carthage, held under Cyprian, a. d. 256. There were eighty-five bishops present. The sole object of this council was to settle the question of the validity of baptism administered by heretics; and the unanimous testimony was that those who had been baptized by heretics must be baptized again, if they would enter the Catholic or orthodox church. Not one word was spoken against their mode or form of administering it; only that it was invalid, or no baptism at all, because it was by the hands of a heretic. Cyprian preserved on record the decision of each member of the council. We give specimens, that the animus of the council may appear. Januarius of Muzzuli said:—TOB 154.5

“I am surprised, since all confess there is one baptism, that all do not perceive the unity of the same baptism. For the church and heresy are two things, and different things. If heretics have baptism, we have it not; but if we have it, heretics cannot have it. But there is no doubt that the church alone possesses the baptism of Christ, since she alone possesses both the grace and the truth of Christ.”TOB 155.1

Ahymus of Ausvaga said: “We have received one baptism, and that same we maintain and practice. But he who says that heretics also may lawfully baptize, makes two baptisms.”TOB 155.2

The following we copy from Eld. Moore’s book:—TOB 155.3

“A. D. 256, while at the famous Council of Carthage, Munnulus made use of the following language in one of his speeches, preserved by Cyprian: ‘The true doctrine of our holy mother, the Catholic Church, hath always, my brethren, been with us, and doth yet abide with us, especially in the article of baptism, and the trine immersion wherewith it is celebrated; our Lord having said, ‘Go ye, and baptize the Gentiles, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’—Works of Cyprian, part 1, p. 240.”TOB 155.4

The following, as the words of Munnulus, we copy from Cyprian’s records of this council, in his Works, vol. 2, p. 204:—TOB 155.5

“The truth of our Mother, the Catholic Church, brethren, hath always remained and still remains with us, and even especially in the Trinity of baptism, as our Lord says, ‘Go ye and baptize the nations in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’ Since, then, we manifestly know that heretics have not either Father or Son or Holy Spirit, they ought, when they come to the church our Mother, truly to be born again, and to be baptized; that the cancer which they had, and the anger of damnation, and the witchery of error, may be sanctified by the holy and heavenly laver.”TOB 155.6

We fear the same liberty was taken with the words of Munnulus that was taken with the history of Sozomen. That which was called by him “the Trinity of baptism,” is, by those who use his testimony to uphold a tradition, called “baptism, and the trine immersion,” etc. The difference is material, there is a reduplication of the term baptism, or immersion, and the duplicate thus becomes a word of explanation, just such as we find inserted in the words of Sozomen.TOB 156.1

But the query may arise, What did he mean by “the Trinity of baptism”? He explains this himself; we, says he, baptize in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Spirit, while heretics have neither Father, Son, nor Holy Spirit. Thus, instead of three immersions he refers to the three persons invoked in the act of baptism. And the same idea is still more clearly expressed by other early authors. Thus in Clement’s “Recognitions,” book 3, chap. 67, as follows:—TOB 156.2

“But every one of you shall be baptized in ever-flowing water, the name of the Trine Beatitude being invoked over him.”TOB 156.3

And again twice in his “Homilies,” thus:—TOB 156.4

“Washing in a flowing river, or in a fountain, or even in the sea, with the thrice blessed invocation, you shall not only be able to drive away the spirits which lurk in you,” etc.—Hom. 9, chap. 19.TOB 157.1

“For there is something that is merciful from the beginning borne upon the water, and rescues from the future punishment those who are baptized with the thrice blessed invocation.”—Hom. 11, chap. 26.TOB 157.2

We are well aware that the “trine beatitude,” or “thrice blessed invocation,” drawn directly from the words of the Scriptures, was soon made the foundation of three-fold baptism, not at all based on the Scriptures, but resting on tradition only. Thus do the facts of history completely demolish the claim of early practice of trine immersion, or of tracing it to the days of the apostles. We admit that it was early enough to be found among the superstitions which sprung up even in the days of Tertullian. We have little care to follow the historical testimony further, because volumes of tradition have no weight with us, and this is proved to have no other origin.TOB 157.3

The words of Dr. Miller, of Princeton College, are worthy of constant remembrance: “Even suppose you had found such declarations in some or all of the early fathers. What then? Historic fact is not divine institution.”TOB 157.4