Chapter 35

1Concerning the order of Baptism, and the profession of the Faith, and the confession of sin at baptism and the Oblation ; and concerning the milk and honey. At the time of cock-crow they shall first pray over the water. And it shall be either such as flows into the tank of baptism or is caused to flow down upon it And it shall be thus unless there is a scarcity of water ; but if there is a scarcity they shall carry water to the tank, having drawn (it from a well). And they shall put off their garments and be baptised naked. And they shall baptise the little children first ; and if they can speak for themselves, let them speak. But if they cannot, their parents shall answer the word instead of them, or one of their relatives. And afterwards they shall baptise the grown-up men. And afterwards all the women shall loose their hair ; and they shall be forbidden to wear their ornaments and their gold, when they are baptised, and none of them shall go down having anything alien with them into the water. And whenever they baptise, the bishop shall give thanks over the oil which is in a vessel, and it is named mystic oil ; and he shall take other oil and exorcise Satan in it, and it is named oil which has been exorcised from every unclean spirit. And there shall be a deacon who will carry the oil in which (Satan) was exorcised,^ and he shall stand on the left of the presbyter ; and another deacon shall take the mystic oil, and shall stand on his right And let the presbyter, having taken every one of those who shall be baptised, bid them renounce and say : I renounce thee, Satan, and all thine angels and all thine unclean works. And when he has professed this, he shall anoint him with the oil which he made pure from all evil, . saying : All unclean spirits shall depart from him. Thus he shall deliver to the bishop him who shall be baptised, naked, or to the presbyter — to him who stands at the . water of baptism. Let the deacon go down with him to the water, and he shall say and instruct him : I believe in one God, the Father almighty, and in his only Son, our Lord and our Saviour Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, giver of life to all creation, the Trinity equal in Godhead, one Lord, and one Kingdom and one Faith and one Baptism, in the holy Church Catholic, and life eternal Amen. And he who shall be baptised shall also say again thus : Yea, I believe. And thus he shall baptise him and lay his hand upon him, and upon him who answers for him. And he shall dip him three times; and he who is baptised shall make declaration every single time that he is dipped, and afterwards he shall say to him again : Dost thou believe in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God the Father, that he became man, in an incomprehensible miracle by the Holy Spirit and by our lady Maryam, the virgin, without seed of man, and he was crucified in the time of Pilatos Pant^nawi : and he died by his own will for our salvation, and rose from the dead on the third day, axkl released the captives, and ascended into the heavens, and sat down at the right hand of the Father, and he shall come to judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom : and dost thou believe in the Holy Spirit, the good and the sanctifier, and in the holy Church : and dost thou believe the resurrection of the body which shall happen to all men, and the kingdom of the heavens, and eternal judgment. And he who is baptised shall answer concerning all this, saying : Yea, I believe in thia And then when he has come up from the water the presbyter shall anoint him with the mystic oil, saying : I anoint thee with holy oil. And afterwards they shall put on their garments. And afterwards they shall enter the church, and the bishop shall lay his hand upon them and pray and say : God, who hast made these worthy of the washing of new birth, and of the forgiveness of sin, as make them worthy to be filled with the Holy Spirit ; and speed forth and send upon them the grace of the Holy Spirit, that they may serve thy will. Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit in the holy Church henceforth unto age of age. And afterwards the presbyter, having poured into his hand the mystic oil, shall pour on the head of them all, saying : I anoint thee with holy oil in the name of God the Father almighty and in Christ Jesus his only Son and the Holy Spirit. And having sealed all in their forehead, he shall kiss them, and say : The Lord (be) with you all. And he who was signed shall answer again, and say : With s thy spirit. And after this, when everything has been finished, let them pray with all the people: and they shall not before pray with the fiiU {lit. elder) Christians, but only after they have done the thing which we say. And after they have finished praying they shall g^ve the salutation one to another with their mouths. And the deacons shall bring the Oblation to the bishop, and he shall give thanks over the bread and the cup ; and the bread that it may become the Body of our Lord Christ, and the cup, the wine mixed, that it may become the Blood of our Lord Christ, this which was shed for us and for all of us indeed who believe in him. And the milk and honey (shall be) mingled together, and he shall make them drink of them, because of the fulfilment of the promise which he promised to our fathers, saying : I will give to you the land which floweth with milk and honey : this is the Body of our Lord Christ which he gave to us who believe in him, like food of young children, who were begotten of him, those who believe in him, that he may make every bitter heart sweet as by the sweetness of his word. All this the bishop shall go through to those who are baptised. And the water also of the Oblation he shall show in ^ the bread like the inward part of man, who * is soul as well as body. And all this explanation is what the bishop shall give to all who are baptised. And the bishop therefore having broken the bread of life, shall give a piece of it to each one and say : This is heavenly bread, the Body of our S Lord Christ And he who receives shall answer and say : Amen. And if there are not sufficient presbyters the deacons shall take the cups and stand in order ; the first he who has the honey, and the second he who has the milk : and he who administers shall say : God, the Father almighty: and the third he who has the wine. He who administers shall say : This is the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. And he who receives shall say : Amen and Amen. And when he receives the Body he shall say : Amen ; and at the Blood he shall say : Amen and Amen : a trinity this is therefore that it shall be. And each one (of them) shall be careful to do good works which please God, living in the right way and united to the Church, performing this instruction, and progressing in the service of God. This we have taught you to be said openly concerning Baptism and the ordinance of the Oblation ; and behold, we have finished the instruction which we give to you concerning the resurrection of the body, and the rest as it was written. And if there is anything else which is right to be told, as then the bishop shall tell it and give it to those who are communicated. And they shall accept (it), and none shall know it except the believers, but only after they have communicated. And they shall first receive this holy blessing,^ which Yuhanes speaks of that there was referring to Revelation ii. written upon it a new name (which) no one knows except him who receives the blessing.^ And on the sabbath and on the first day of the week if it be possible the bishop himself with his own hand shall deliver to all the people while the deacons break the bread. And the presbyters also shall break the delivered bread. And whenever the deacon approaches the presbyter, he shall hold out his robe, and the presbyter himself shall take (the bread) and deliver to the people with his hand. And on other days they shall give (it) according to the commandment of the bishop.