Of Holy Baptism, and Why We Have Preferred It to All Other Articles

We have chosen holy baptism over any other article of the Christian and evangelical religion

1. Because it is the only sign and proof of incorporation into the visible Christian church, and without it no one, whoever he may be, whatever he may profess, or however separated and pious a life he may lead, can be recognized as a true member of the Christian church. This is shown and confirmed fully, yet without controversy, in the following history.*

2. Because it is, beyond contradiction, the only article for which others call us Anabaptists. For all other so-called Christians have this in common, though without true foundation, that they baptize infants; while among us only the baptism that is accompanied by faith and a penitent life, according to the word of God, is administered, and that to adults. It follows that among us those people are baptized who received baptism in their childhood, without faith and repentance; and when they believe and repent, they are baptized again with us, or at least truly baptized; because with us their earlier baptism, being without true foundation and without the word of God, is not considered baptism at all.**

3. Because the imperial decrees (when some so-called Christians began to tyrannize) in the days of Theodosius and Honorius, in the year 413, were issued and proclaimed everywhere expressly against the Anabaptists and those who were rebaptized; namely, against those who held the article named above, as the Anabaptists of today do. The same was true in the last persecution, during the reign of Emperor Charles the Fifth, more than eleven centuries later, in the year 1535, when all who had been baptized in infancy and were then rebaptized upon their faith and repentance, or who held these views, were punished with a severe death, as may be seen in our account of baptism, and of the martyrs, for the years 413 and 1535.

4. [n17-1] Because it would not have been possible to write in detail of all the other articles of the Christian faith and the worship of God, as they have been believed and practiced through all the centuries from the days of Christ up to the present time, in the manner of the Anabaptists of this day, without going beyond the bounds of the largest book; since no book could possibly be printed or planned on so large a scale as to contain all this; therefore we have been obliged to observe moderation in writing throughout, so as not to become diffuse, or overstep the bounds of a reasonable book.