Baptism and Christian Initiation in the New Testament and the Church

This course explores the theology of Baptism and Christian initiation in the New Testament and the early Church with a view to informing contemporary baptismal theology. Topics will include John the Baptist and his relationship to Jesus and to the early Church, baptism and the work of the Holy Spirit in the beginning of the Christian life, the interpretation of key New Testament baptismal texts, and baptismal and Catechetical developments in the early Patristic period. Consideration will be given to the role of critical Biblical scholarship and theological exegesis as it pertains to contemporary baptismal controversies and ecumenical developments.