"...Baptisma unum in sancta ecclesia..." : A theological appraisal of the baptismal controversy in the work and writings of Cyprian of Carthage (review)

Despite the title, this dissertation (Evangelical Theology, University of Hamburg in 1996) is less interested in Cyprian than the implications of third century controversies for theology in present-day India. In light of WCC documents (Canberra-1991 and Lima, BEM-1982), Sebastian reviews early North African writings for wisdom with which to address a situation in which baptism sunders believers from their families and cultural communities. Must baptized Indians exclude themselves from ethnic and cultural identity? If they cannot be part of their culture, they appear to lose the ability to participate in civic life and to influence their community for the good of all. For the common good, would it be better for them to remain as unbaptized adherents of Christianity? Must Christianity reinforce the caste-based exclusion of Dalits from Indian life at a time when the great majority of all Indian Christians are Dalits?

This modern focus should not deter patristic scholars. First, Sebastian does spend the bulk of the book exploring the Cyprianic situation in great detail. He examines the three topics. The first is the authority of the church, whether focussed in the bishop or the international church community. Here he examines the relationship between Cyprian’s community and Stephen’s. The second topic is church unity. He considers the practical aspects of the unity of the Church and the link between the sacrament and the indwelling of the Spirit. Finally, he explores the meaning of salvation. Sebastian writes “For the field of patristic studies, the analysis of the controversy raises once again the question of the convoluted process through which teachings in the church come into existence” (178).

The second reason why the reader ought to be concerned with the contemporary controversy is, whether scholars think it appropriate or not, patristic writings have for the last fifteen years become the textual trove of non-specialists. Here the question is the role of baptism in the process of conversion. Is baptism essential to the conversion process in a situation where the act of baptism “becomes a stumbling block in the religious and ideological pluralism of the Indian nation?” (42). Sebastian makes a concerted effort to avoid proof-texting while remaining faithful to the past. Taking a leaf from W. H. C. Frend, he seeks to appropriate the full diversity of early traditions as something richer than simply a story of orthodoxy and heresy (187–88). Responsibility to the larger world requires patristic scholarship at some point to be accessible to those who seek its wisdom for their own time (41–43). Sebastian does so with the presupposition that no formula of faith—even one which contains Baptism—can exhaust the truth of the Christian message (175).

Given the context, what can be said of his treatment of Cyprian? It is exhaustive, examining every relevant citation, especially from the letters. It is comprehensive, treating Sententiae LXXII Episcoporum and the Ps-Cyprianic De rebaptismate as well as examining, to a lesser degree, how all these texts played out in the fourth century. The problems with the treatment are in both breadth and depth. The Cyprianic heritage of Tertullian’s ecclesiology is not taken seriously. The treatment of Cyprian’s letters is uneven and relies on a not well justified revolutionary chronology (77). At times one must wade through comments which have neither summary nor semblance of organization (e.g., 108–10 and 152–54).The faulty transcriptions and transliterations of Greek (e.g., 152–53) need to be corrected.

The book constitutes a warning and a challenge to patristic scholars to work carefully and thoroughly not just for points of personal pride but for those who work at the intersection of church history and missiology. Seminary libraries may find it useful.