Chapter 55

1During the forty days of Pascha, let the people remain in the temple, keeping vigil and praying, hearing the Scriptures, hymns of praise, and books of doctrine. On the last Saturday, let them rise early in the night, while the catechumens are being exorcised, until midnight on Saturday.

2Let those who are about to be baptized bring nothing with them except one loaf for the Eucharist. Let them be baptized in this way. When they come to the water, let the water be pure and flowing. First baptize the infants, then the men, then the women. If anyone desires to approach as though to virginity, let that person first be baptized by the hand of the bishop. When women are baptized, let them loosen their hair.

3Let all the children who can answer during baptism make the responses and answer after the priest. If they cannot, let their parents or someone from their household make the responses for them.

4When those being baptized go down to the water, after they have made the responses and given the answers, let the bishop see whether any of them—a man wearing a gold ring or a woman wearing gold—has anything strange with them. No one should have any strange thing in the water, but should give it to those nearby.

5When they are about to receive the oil for anointing, let the bishop pray over it and give thanks. Let him exorcise another oil with an exorcism, as in the case of the catechumens. Let the deacon carry the exorcised oil, and let the presbyter stand beside him. Let the one who stands beside the oil over which thanksgiving has been offered stand on the right, and the one who stands beside the exorcised oil on the left.

6When he takes hold of each person, let him ask while the one being baptized faces west, and let him say, “Say: I renounce you, Satan, and all your service, your shows, your pleasures, and all your works.” When the person has said and confessed these things, let him be anointed with the exorcised oil, the one anointing him saying, “I anoint you with this oil of exorcism for deliverance from every evil and unclean spirit and for deliverance from every evil.”

7Then, turning him toward the east, let him say, “I submit to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, before whom all nature trembles and is moved. Grant me to do all your will without blame.”

8After these things, let him hand the person over to the presbyter who baptizes. Let them stand naked in the water, and let the deacon descend with him likewise.

9When the one being baptized goes down into the water, let the one baptizing him place his hand on him and say, “Do you believe in God the Father Almighty?” Let the one being baptized say, “I believe.” Let him immediately baptize him once.

10Let the priest also say, “Do you also believe in Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who came from the Father, who was of old with the Father, who was born of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit, who was crucified in the days of Pontius Pilate, died, rose on the third day, came to life from the dead, ascended into heaven, sat down at the right hand of the Father, and is coming to judge the living and the dead?” When he says, “I believe,” let him baptize him a second time.

11Again let him say, “Do you also believe in the Holy Spirit and in the holy Church?” Let the one being baptized say, “I believe,” and let him baptize him a third time.

12When the person comes up, let the presbyter anoint him with the oil over which thanksgiving was offered, saying, “I anoint you with oil in the name of Jesus Christ.” Let women be anointed by the widows who sit in front, while the presbyter says the words over them. During baptism, let those widows also receive them beneath a veil, through a veil, while the bishop says those confessions, and so those … cause them to renounce.