§ 137. The Order of Baptism. In this section Fr Antonov simply lists eighteen of the nineteen subtitles in the section above.

§ 138. The Symbolic and Moral Significance of the Component Parts of the Order of Baptism. The breathing on the candidate before the prayers of the catechumenate indicate the second recreation of man, recalling the first creation, when the Lord “breathed into the face of man the breath of life” ( see Genesis 2:7). The turning to the West, which here is a symbol of darkness and evil [i.e. where the sun goes down - transl.], at the time of the renunciation of the devil is a sign that he consciously rejects his former (pagan) life along with the powers of darkness. The spitting is a decisive symbol of contempt (for the devil). The turning to the East before the uniting with Christ is a sign that he accepts faith in Jesus Christ, “the Dayspring from on high and Son of Righteousness.” The reading of the Symbol of Faith (the Creed) is the baptizand’s declaration of his present and future faith in Jesus Christ. The blessing of the waters - the water is blessed as the essential and visible element of the cleansing. The anointing of the candidate with oil, like that of the warriors of ancient times, is a sign that the candidate is also a warrior and soldier fighting for Christ’s Church. The immersion in the waters follows the Baptism of Jesus Christ, Who was also baptised through immersion; and it is done three times as a symbol of the Trinity. The clothing in the white robe is a symbol of purity, and the Cross the symbol of Christianity and of Christian self-denial. The anointing with the Holy Chrism is a calling of the person to his high ministry. The triple procession indicates the eternal union of the baptised with all the Persons of the Holy Trinity, while the candles indicate spiritual joy. In the Apostle reading and Gospel it speaks of the significance of the Mystery of Baptism and of its Divine institution. The tonsuring serves as a sign of the readiness of the person who has been baptised to sacrifice everything for the Lord God.

§ 139. The Forty-Day Prayer for the Mother and Infant. On the fortieth day after giving birth to a child, the mother, if she has recovered her health, comes to the church for the first time to pray and to thank God for her recovery. In the name of all the faithful, the priest prays that the Lord, who has saved the mother from death and infirmity, will cleanse her of every sin and deem her worthy to receive the Holy Mysteries, and he prays for infant who has been born, blessing him that he might grow, be strengthened, and that, by living according to the commandments of God, he will receive a portion of the eternal joys with the Lord and the saints. He takes the infant into the church, and if it is a girl lays her before the icon of the Mother of God, and if it is a boy he carries him into the sanctuary as a sign that he might, in due course, become an altar server. [This is only done if the baby has already been baptised, if he has not it is delayed until after his baptism. At the time when Fr Antonov was writing it was customary, as is proper, for babies to be baptised before their fortieth day - ed.] The custom of presenting forty-day old babies in the house of God was established in the Old Testament, but for us, Christians, it is particularly significant because Jesus Christ Himself was brought as a forty-day old Infant into the Temple by His Mother, that the appointed sacrifice might be offered for Him (see again the Megalynarion for the Meeting in the Temple: § 127 above). After the prayers, the mother takes her child home with the aim of bringing him / her up in the Orthodox Faith and to instruct him / her in the fear of God and in His law.

§ 140. Understanding the Registers. The baptisms of infants and of adults are recorded in registers. This practice has its roots in ancient times. Even then there existed the so-called Diptychs, that is records of the names of the newly-converted and their sponsors. This was done that the Church might know for whom prayers could be offered. The registers used by the Russian Church have from the seventeenth century been divided into three sections. The first part records baptisms, the second marriages and the third burials….

… to be continued in the next issue with “The Mystery of repentance or Confession”