Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Survey of literature -- Washings for purification in Greco-Roman paganism -- Words from the bapt- root in classical and Hellenistic Greek -- Jewish washings, baptismal movements, and proselyte baptism -- John the Baptizer -- Baptism of Jesus, I -- Baptism of Jesus, II -- Other references to baptism in the Gospels -- Baptism in the Pauline Epistles -- The Acts of the Apostles -- Baptism in the rest of the New Testament and summary -- Apostolic Fathers -- Christian pseudepigrapha and apocrypha -- Apologists -- The Pseudo-Clementines and Jewish Christianity -- Jewish and Christian baptisms -- Marcionites, those called Gnostics, and related groups -- Irenaeus -- Clement of Alexandria -- Writings attributed to Hippolytus -- Carthage : Tertullian -- Carthage : Cyprian -- Origin and early development of infant baptism -- The controversy over "rebaptism" in the third century -- Origen -- Syria in the third century -- Sources at the turn of the fourth century -- Egypt in the fourth century -- Jerusalem in the fourth century -- Writers in Syriac in the fourth century : Aphrahat -- Writers in Syriac in the fourth century : Ephraem the Syrian -- The school of Antioch : Theodore of Mopsuestia -- The school of Antioch : John Chrysostom, I -- The school of Antioch : John Chrysostom, II -- Miscellaneous sources : church orders and "Eunomian" baptism -- Cappadocia : Basil the Great -- Cappadocia : Gregory of Nazianzus -- Cappadocia : Gregory of Nyssa -- The delay of baptism : sickbed baptism, believers' baptism, and infant baptism -- Milan : Ambrose -- Other north Italians -- Spain -- Some other Latin authors -- Egypt : Cyril of Alexandria and the Coptic rite -- Writers and writings in Syriac and Armenian -- Greek-speaking Syria -- Baptism in the Messalian controversy -- Asia Minor and Constantinople -- Ravenna and Rome -- Gaul and North Africa : Gennadius of Marseilles, some African councils, and Quodvultdeus of Carthage -- North Africa : Augustine of Hippo, I -- North Africa : Augustine of Hippo, II -- Baptismal fonts : East -- Baptismal fonts : West -- Conclusions.