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Nasza Przeszłość

Vol. 74 (1990): Our Past

Articles

Baptism in Old Polish spiritual culture

  • Jan Kracik
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52204/np.1990.74.181-206  [Google Scholar]
Published: 1990-12-30

Abstract

The works of dogmatists, liturgical experts, lawyers and ethnographers dealing with baptism hardly take into account the impact of this sacrament on the consciousness of historical society. Spiritual access to the essence of the baptismal mystery was hindered by the dead Latin, the rite not adapted to the child's situation, and the excess of exorcisms that were introduced to this ceremony in the times of Gnostic influence. Baptism, which was little discussed in sermons, influenced those attending the event through a variety of signs, some of which were difficult to understand. The prevailing mood was the haste with which the child was carried to baptism (in the 18th century, even on the same day) so as not to jeopardize the salvation of a delicate life. The practice known in the West of bringing dead infants to shrines for baptism if signs of life are noticed, and burying them in a cemetery, is less common in Poland. However, an equally important role was assigned to the liturgical blessing of a woman after birth, which was perceived by believers, and to some extent by clergy, as a purification that was supposed to result in her re-inclusion in social and religious life.

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