Christian Art | The Mystery Of Baptism | The Newly Baptized
Office Of Readings | Week 15, Tuesday, Ordinary Time | A Reading From The Treatise Of Saint Ambrose On The Mysteries | Everything That Happened To Them Was A Figure
‘Everything that happened to them was a figure.’
Historical And Liturgical Setting
Saint Ambrose’s On the Mysteries was addressed to newly baptized Christians in fourth-century Milan, many of whom received baptism at the Easter Vigil. This period was marked by a heightened catechetical emphasis on post-baptismal mystagogy — instructing the newly initiated in the mysteries they had just experienced. The baptistery in Milan itself, where many of these catechumens would have been baptized, is octagonal, symbolising new creation and eternal life.
Ambrose compares the deacons and bishop to Old Testament figures: deacons as Levites ministering in the temple and the bishop as the high priest presiding over sacred rites. This analogy roots Christian baptism in continuity with the worship of ancient Israel, yet proclaims its fulfilment in Christ.
Scriptural Imagery And Typology
Ambrose’s exposition draws on rich biblical typology to reveal baptism as the fulfilment of God’s saving work in history:
- Creation and the Spirit hovering over the waters (Genesis 1:2): Ambrose sees the Spirit’s presence at creation as the archetype of the Spirit’s action in baptism. Just as the Spirit brought order and life to the primal waters, so the Spirit now recreates the baptized person into a new creation.
- The flood and Noah’s ark (Genesis 6–9): The flood is presented as a purifying deluge, prefiguring the waters of baptism that wash away sin. Noah’s ark becomes a type of the Church, the vessel of salvation in a sinful world. The dove returning with an olive branch symbolises the Spirit bringing peace and reconciliation after judgment.
- The wood of the cross: For Ambrose, the wood on which Christ was crucified is intimately linked to the wood of the ark, signalling that it is through Christ’s Passion that salvation is accomplished.
This typological reading was common in patristic thought, where the Old Testament was seen not as a separate narrative but as a preparation for and prophecy of Christ and the sacraments.
The Theology Of Baptism And The Holy Spirit
Ambrose insists that what appears as water is not simply natural water but a vehicle for divine grace, because the Spirit is present and active. He warns against a superficial, merely visible understanding of the rite: ‘Look not at what is visible but at what is invisible.’ This sacramental realism affirms that God is truly present and acting — it is not the bishop or deacons who effect the transformation but the Spirit working through them.
The dove, as Ambrose notes, is a symbol of the Spirit’s peaceful and renewing presence. In patristic thought, the dove also recalls Christ’s baptism in the Jordan (Matthew 3:16), where the Spirit descended in the form of a dove, inaugurating Christ’s public ministry and manifesting the Trinity.
Ambrose also stresses the moral dimension of baptism: sin corrupts and turns away the Spirit’s grace, as indicated by the passage from Genesis where God declares, ‘My Spirit shall not remain among men, because they are flesh.’ Therefore, baptism is both a gift and a summons to live according to the Spirit.
A Reading From The Treatise Of Saint Ambrose On The Mysteries | Everything That Happened To Them Was A Figure
The Apostle teaches you that our fathers were all covered by the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. Further, Moses in his canticle says: You sent your spirit, and the sea overwhelmed them. You observed that in this crossing by the Hebrews there was already a symbol of holy baptism. The Egyptian perished; the Hebrew escaped. What else is the daily lesson of this sacrament than that guilt is drowned, and error destroyed, while goodness and innocence pass over unharmed?
You are taught that our fathers were covered by the cloud, a cloud of blessing that cooled the fire of bodily passions. A cloud of blessing: it is with a cloud of blessing that the Holy Spirit overshadows those whom he comes to visit. The Holy Spirit came at last upon the Virgin Mary, and the power of the most High overshadowed her, when she conceived for all mankind him who is redemption. This great miracle was prefigured through Moses. If then the Spirit was prefigured, is he not now present in truth, for Scripture tells you that the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ?
Marah was a spring of bitter water. When Moses threw wood into it, its water became sweet. Water, you see, is of no avail for future salvation without the proclamation of the Lord’s cross. But when it has been consecrated through the saving mystery of the cross, it is then ready for use in the laver of the Spirit and in the cup of salvation. Therefore, as Moses in his role of prophet threw wood into the spring of Marah, so also the priest sends out into the fountain of baptism the proclamation of the Lord’s cross, and the water becomes sweet, ready for the giving of grace.
Do not then believe only what the eyes of your body tell you. What is not seen is here more truly seen, for what is seen belongs to time but what is not seen belongs to eternity. What is not comprehended by the eyes but is seen by the mind and the soul is seen in a truer and deeper sense.
Finally, learn from the readings we have gone through from the books of the Kings. Naaman was a Syrian; he was a leper, and could not be healed by anyone. Then a girl from among the captives said that there was a prophet in Israel who could cleanse him from the disease of leprosy. Taking gold and silver, we are told, he went to see the king of Israel. The king, on learning the reason for his coming, rent his garments, saying that it was really to find an excuse against him, for what he was being asked was beyond the power of a king.
Elisha, however, told the king to send the Syrian to him, and he would learn that there was a God in Israel. When he came, Elisha ordered him to bathe seven times in the river Jordan. Then Naaman began to reflect that the rivers of his own country had better waters, and that he had often bathed in them, and never been cleansed of his leprosy. This gave him pause, and he refused to obey the prophet’s instructions. But on the advice and persuasion of his servants he yielded and bathed, and was instantly made clean. He realized then that it is not waters that make clean but grace.
Here was a man who doubted before being made whole. You are already made whole, and so ought not to have any doubt.
Prayer With Jesus
God of creation and redemption,
You have made us anew by water and the Holy Spirit.
Grant that we, who have been baptized into Christ,
May live as faithful members of His body,
Free from sin and full of peace.
Let Your Spirit hover over the waters of our hearts,
Bringing order where there is chaos and light where there is darkness.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Glossary Of Christian Terms
Catechesis: Religious instruction given to catechumens preparing for baptism.
Mystagogy: Instruction given after baptism to explain the sacraments newly received.
Typology: A method of interpreting Scripture where events, persons, or institutions in the Old Testament prefigure those in the New.
Pneumatology: The branch of theology dealing with the Holy Spirit.
Sacramental realism: The belief that the sacraments effect what they signify; they are not mere symbols but convey divine grace.
Psalm 45 suggests a joyous meeting of the earthly and the divine. The psalm honours a royal wedding while inviting readers to contemplate greater majesty of God’s eternal reign and spiritual significance of Christ as the divine Bridegroom. It is a poetic masterpiece that celebrates love, beauty, and the enduring nature of God’s sovereignty [ … ]
Christian Art | Parousia | Second Coming | Lamb Of God, You Take Away The Sins Of The World Luke 17: 26-37 (Audio Bible KJV, Spoken Word) Early Christian thought about the Parousia – the second coming – was largely influenced by the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Saint Paul. In the early Christian community, expectation of Christ’s return was strong, and many Christians believed that it would happen in their lifetime. This belief is evident in the New Testament, where the authors express a sense of urgency in their writings and encourage their readers to be prepared for Christ’s imminent return. As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, the idea of the Parousia became more complex and nuanced. Theological debates arose around the nature of Christ’s return and the events that would precede it. Some theologians, such as Origen and Augustine, saw the Parousia as a spiritual event that was already happening in the Church. Others, such as the Montanists and the millenarians, believed in a literal, physical return of Christ and the establishment of a new, earthly Kingdom. In the Middle Ages, the Parousia was often associated with apocalypticism and the idea of a final, cataclysmic battle between good and evil – the last battle. The idea of the Antichrist, who would precede Christ’s return, became a popular theme in Christian literature, and the book of Revelation (Apocalypse – meaning to reveal, to uncover) was interpreted as a prophetic guide to the end of the world. Biblical Basis For The Parousia | The Second Coming The concept of the Parousia, or the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, is central to Christian eschatology and is supported by numerous biblical passages in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, there are numerous passages that refer to the coming of a Messiah who will restore Israel and bring about the final judgment. For example, in Daniel 7:13-14, it is written: ‘I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.’ This passage describes a divine figure who comes in the clouds and is given dominion over all nations. In the New Testament, the Parousia is described in greater detail, particularly in the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Saint Paul. Jesus speaks of his return in many passages, including Matthew 24:30-31, where Jesus says: ‘And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.’ Here, Jesus describes his return in power and glory, accompanied by angels who gather Jesus’ elect from all over the world. In Saint Paul’s letters, the Parousia is also described in detail. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Saint Paul writes: ‘For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.’ This passage describes a resurrection of the dead and the gathering of believers to meet the Lord Jesus in the air. The language and imagery used to describe the Parousia are often dramatic and apocalyptic in nature. The Parousia is often described as a time of judgment, when the righteous will be separated from the wicked, and God’s justice will be fully revealed. The imagery of clouds, trumpets, and angels is used to depict the power and glory of Christ’s return. Theological Interpretations Of The Parousia | Jesus’ Second Coming The concept of the Parousia has been interpreted in a variety of ways throughout Christian history. Dispensationalism Dispensationalism is a theological framework that emerged in the 19th Century and has since become popular among some evangelical and fundamentalist Christians. Dispensationalists believe that history is divided into distinct periods or ‘dispensations’, each of which is marked by a particular mode of divine revelation and a specific plan of salvation. According to dispensationalist theology, the Parousia will be preceded by a period of tribulation, during which the Antichrist will establish a one-world government and the Jews will be restored to their homeland. The Parousia itself will involve a physical, visible return of Christ, who will establish a thousand-year reign on earth before the final judgment. Preterism Preterism is a theological interpretation of the Parousia that holds that many of the prophecies in the New Testament, particularly those in the book of Revelation, were fulfilled in the first century AD. According to this view, the Parousia occurred in a spiritual sense when Christ ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to empower the Church. Preterists argue that the tribulation and other end-time events predicted in the New Testament were fulfilled in the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70. Postmillennialism Postmillennialism is a theological view that holds that the Parousia will occur after a period of history in which the Church will gradually bring about the kingdom of God on earth. According to this view, the Church will spread the gospel throughout the world, and social, political, and economic conditions will gradually improve. Eventually, Christ will return to a world that has been largely transformed by the Gospel. Amillennialism […]
Irenaeus reflects on the words of Hosea, repeated by Jesus, that God desires mercy rather than sacrifice. Irenaeus presents this not as a rejection of ritual worship in itself, but as a statement that God seeks faith, obedience, and righteousness as the basis for human salvation. Jesus uses the prophet’s teaching to challenge those who condemn the innocent, aligning his own authority with that of the prophetic tradition [ … ]
