Caden's baptism.
I asked the pastor who performed the baptism on Caden, Pastor Carlos Schneider, to write down the history of why sea shells are used when children are baptised.
Here is what he wrote:
"Whether the baptismal shell originated with John, the Baptist is not known for sure, but there are medieval paintings that show John, the Baptist using a shell in his hand to pour water over the heads of the one being baptized. That seems to be the origin of the tradition of using a scallop shell in pouring the water in Holy baptism. A scallop shell is fan shaped and has grooves or lines on the outside. The inside is bowl-shaped, making it suitable for scooping up the water and pouring it over the head of the person being baptized.
Because Baptism is in the name of the Triune God, over time, three drops of water were added to the bottom of the shell, as a symbol for the Holy Trinity.
Because shells are closely associated with water, it may have been a very easy process to integrate the shell as a symbol for Baptism."
Here is what he wrote:
"Whether the baptismal shell originated with John, the Baptist is not known for sure, but there are medieval paintings that show John, the Baptist using a shell in his hand to pour water over the heads of the one being baptized. That seems to be the origin of the tradition of using a scallop shell in pouring the water in Holy baptism. A scallop shell is fan shaped and has grooves or lines on the outside. The inside is bowl-shaped, making it suitable for scooping up the water and pouring it over the head of the person being baptized.
Because Baptism is in the name of the Triune God, over time, three drops of water were added to the bottom of the shell, as a symbol for the Holy Trinity.
Because shells are closely associated with water, it may have been a very easy process to integrate the shell as a symbol for Baptism."
No comments:
Post a Comment