In the book of Acts, the eunuch of Candace accepted baptism at the hands of Philip the Apostle while he was on his way to his country. The apostles were keen at the beginning of Christianity to offer the believers baptism at any time so that every opportunity would be seized for their salvation. What we read about the eunuch was repeated with Cornelius and the members of his household (Acts 10:48) and the jailer in Philippi and those who were with him (Acts 16:33).
In the second century, as Christianity spread in many countries, the Church committed those who seek baptism to go through a long phase of preparation with caution and reverence, and thus certain seasons for baptism began to appear. Tertullian tells us about the Passover (the Resurrection feast) and Pentecost as two seasons for baptism: “The Passover affords a more than usually solemn day for baptism; when, withal, the Lord’s passion, in which we are baptized, was completed. Nor will it be incongruous to interpret figuratively the fact that, when the Lord was about to celebrate the last Passover, He said to the disciples who were sent to make preparation, you will meet a man bearing water. He points out the place for celebrating the Passover by the sign of water. After that, Pentecost is a most joyous space for conferring baptisms; wherein, too, the resurrection of the Lord was repeatedly proved among the disciples, and the hope of the advent of the Lord indirectly pointed to, in that, at that time, when He had been received back into the heavens, the angels told the apostles that He would so come, as He had withal ascended into the heavens; at Pentecost, of course. But, moreover, when Jeremiah says, And I will gather them together from the extremities of the land in the feast-day, he signifies the day of the Passover and of Pentecost, which is properly a feast-day (Jer. 31:8). However, every day is the Lord’s; every hour, every time, is apt for baptism: if there is a difference in the solemnity , distinction there is none in the grace .”1309
Tertullian explains the habit of performing baptism on the feasts of the Resurrection and Pentecost, but in the essence of its grace, baptism can be performed at any time, not necessarily on a feast day.
Now, in our Coptic Orthodox Church, the Sunday before Palm Sunday is dedicated for baptisms and is called, the Baptism Sunday. The mystery behind the relationship between the resurrection and baptism is that the feast of the Lord’s Resurrection is the core of the Church’s life and focus. Christ’s resurrection is the rock on which the Church leans to live peacefully amidst the tribulations of this world, not afraid of its waves, storms, or evils but living in the hope of the resurrection while abiding in her Bridegroom who is immortal; and thus, she is justified and sanctified in Him. It is not possible to enjoy this hope, justification, and sanctification except through baptism in which we are buried with our Lord Jesus and
1309 Tertullian, On Baptism 19 (ANF 3:678).
are risen, and we accept His Passover as our personal Passover. As the Apostle says, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness life” (Rom. 6:3–4).
What we wish to affirm is that the Fathers warned of the delay in receiving baptism. In fact, they recommended not to wait for feasts, even if that was the usual time to receive baptism. St. Basil the Great says, “There is no particular time for baptism. The whole period of man’s life is the time for baptism. All time, then, is opportune to receive salvation through baptism—night or day, hour or minute, even the least conceivable space of time.”1310
The Fathers cited
- St. Basil the Great