During a period when the Church is experiencing radical transformations, St. Cyril, among others, preaches Catechetical instruction in various lectures. St. Cyril focuses on the meaning of true baptism, which has a significantly different meaning for him than that sacrament has for us today. In Lectures on the Christian Sacraments, St. Cyril’s evaluation of true baptism extends beyond the simple application of water to one’s forehead or immersion in a baptismal pool. Rather, baptism, he effectively argues, must be preceded by a rejection of Satan and come with an enlightened mind and soul. Therefore, St. Cyril seems to be arguing that infant baptism does not constitute true baptism since infants do not understand the concept of enlightenment and, consequently, the rejection of Satan.
Through human instances and imagery, St. Cyril argues that baptism means nothing without enlightenment. According to St. Cyril, enlightenment denotes an acceptance of the Holy Spirit into one’s life. For example, St. Cyril recalls Simon Magus, a man who was “baptized, but not enlightened,” and consequently, “his soul was not buried together with Christ, nor with Him raised” revealing that enlightenment is an essential part of baptism (Cyril 40-41). Simon Magus, a magician, desires to be like a disciple in order to enhance his magical abilities, so his baptism did not involve the necessary spiritual enlightenment (Acts 8:4-25 ESV). Enlightenment can be a rather vague word, yet St. Cyril describes enlightenment as “the indwelling Spirit … fashion[ing] thy mind into a house of God” (Cyril 44). This image shows that enlightenment deeply and genuinely affects who we are. St. Cyril understands this change because he has experienced enlightenment through his baptism; therefore, he knows the necessity of enlightenment. Finally, St. Cyril urges Catechumens to “guard thine own soul, that thou mayest escape the snare, that abiding in hope, thou mayest become the heir of everlasting salvation” (Cyril 51). St. Cyril reveals that through enlightenment, we may learn how to protect our own souls from “the snare” and live for God alone.” St. Cyrils’ observations and theories argue that baptism alone is just putting water on one’s head, yet true baptism involves much more. True baptism involves a changing of one’s spirit and an understanding of the love of God and Christ, a concept that an infant could never possibly grasp.
St. Cyril also argues that both the Holy Spirit and Satan cannot dwell in someone at one time. Therefore, one must reject sin and Satan to fully accept the Holy Spirit. The snare that St. Cyril refers to above is Satan because when one is not enlightened, one is more susceptible to Satan and sin. Through baptism, St. Cyril argues we renounce Satan, revealing that we must completely reject Satan to be fully baptized (Cyril 53). To renounce Satan, one must renounce the “work of Satan,” which is sin (Cyril 55). As humans, we must reject all sinful thoughts and actions to fully be baptized in Christ. If we do not renounce Satan, according to St. Cyril, we cannot be fully baptized. We as humans cannot be truly and wholly baptized without having first rejected Sin because Satan exists only to split humanity from God. If St. Cyril truly believes this, then he must be arguing that an infant baptism cannot be valid since infants are incapable of rejecting sin, because they cannot even comprehend the concept of sin.
According to St. Cyril, baptism is more than a ritual performed by a priest in a church service. Baptism requires a spiritual enlightenment that each person must experience for true and sincere baptism. Once we reject Satan, we can begin the process of spiritual enlightenment that is necessary to be truly baptized in Christ. However, that would mean that, for St. Cyril, any infant baptism, including mine, was not truly baptism, but rather a simple act of a few preachers placing water on my head and reciting a few words.
Bibliography
St. Cyril of Jerusalem. Lecture on the Christian Sacraments. Edited by F.L. Cross. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1977.
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