BAPTISTA PORTA. Sec the History 9fOimcs. BAPTISTERY, in its proper acceptation, is a place where water is kept for the administration of baptism. We are certain from Scripture,. that when Christianity was first established, no particular place or ecll.6,ce was appropriated to this ceremony. The river, the lake, or the pond, which was most convenient, was always chosen, andstistory is not without many instances of the performInce of bap tism in private houses. As this was the common practice in the time of Jtin Martyr and Tertullian, we are sure baptisteries N re not erected before the end of the second centurY It is probable that, about the middle of the third century, edifices of this kind began to be founded in such towns and cities as were at a distance from fountains or'streams. Yet it must not be denied, that where a fountain or stream could be obtained, the baptistery was erected over it ; and where it could not, water was conveyed to the place by pipes, and in the same manner was discharged when found necessary. Hence the church to which -the baptistery belonged was generally dedicated to John the Baptist, and received the. name of 'St John infonte, pr, at I fontes, that is church near the fountain; or 5apaistery. Though tire origin of bap tisteries is'• 1.4..bisevn, yet we may hazard a conjecture that they were first erected in imitation of the Pool of Bethesda, and its porches or cloisters, famous in the history of our Saviour, to which they appear to have had some resemblance. But as the church was then exposed to poverty and persecution, and its members were generally in the lowest walks of life, baptisteries must have been mean and simple like the persons who employed them. When Christianity, however, was established in the Roman empire byCon stantine the Great, the church aspired to opulence and grandeur ; and, as external rites have too often superseded internal piety, and outward splendour compensated for moral virtue, the professors of Chris tianity, who were then the first men of the state, imagined that they would procure the pardon of sin, and conciliate the friendship of Heaven, by expending their superfluous wealth in building magnificent struc tures for religious worship. But though baptisteries could then boast of considerable elegance and splen dour, yet they were, for many years, raised at a dis tance from the churches. The page of history in
forms us, that the first baptistery which was built adjoining to any church, was annexed to the cathe dral of Rheims, for the baptism of Clovis king of France, who was converted by his queen Clotilda, and baptized by Remigius bishop of that place, in 49G. though there were many churches in one city, yet for the most part there was but one bap tistery, which was generally annexed to the principal church. It is a curious fact, in the history of super stitious usurpation, that church to which the baptistery belonged, claimed, from that circumstance, a superiority over the rest, and employed it as a founda tion on which to rear the antichristian fabric of spiri tual dominion. In succeeding ages, the bishop of the baptismal church granted, in the plenitude of his power, licences to other churches to erect baptis teries ; but still reserved to himself that superiority over them which he had formerly usurped. But as the ceremonies with which baptism was then celebrated, were attended with some little expense, a provision for that purpose -became necessary. Hence bap tisteries became, not only engines of power, but B sonrces of wealth. This was more particularly the case after donations for religious purposes began to be-considered as expiatory for sin. Then the hopes and the fears of superstitious minds prompted them at first to endow baptisteries with milk, honey, wine, oils, and salts. 'Po these followed cups, vases, &e. which, being marked with the initial letters of John the Baptist's name, gave rise, perhaps, to baptismal inscriptions. Habits for the priests, and money for the support of the poor, and of those persons who were employed in instructing catechumens, and of ficiating at the baptistery, were added. Pictures, and other ornaments for embellishing the edifices, were also given but though these, in general, had some reference to John the Baptist, or to the ceremony of baptism itself, yet their evident tendency was to foster pride, to strengthen superstition, to subvert the foundation of virtue, and deaden the spirit of re ligion.