| Show BAPTISM the mode in iceland 1 tears cars ago A so among the most remarkable boots books in existence are two volumes or books made from tanned calfskin calf ikin instead of paper to be found in two ot of the most important libraries in denmark one ie in the royal library and the other in the arne magdean Mag nean those two books booke that are about years old contain the compiled laws of the icelandic republic which existed from late in the ath century to A D 1267 1 I shall not here undertake to give any description of the virmes vi volumes umes which have a short white while ago been critically and very accurately edited by one of the most able icelandic barristers bar dr william finsen but bat for the benefit of the numerous readers of the weekly enquirer I 1 hereby rive give a literal translation of one chapter of the ecclesiastical liwo laws passed A D 1063 chapter IV if a new born child is dangerously sick and it is impossible to got it to a priest then an unlearned man shall baptize it if tl IP at occurs at a farmstead then a water shall be put into a if it happens in a travels then the first water coming to dball be used or sea either the man who is to perform the baptism shall with his right hand maks make the sign of a cros 3 on the water and say 1 I dedicate the water in the name of the father and the 8 ir and make another sign of a cross croas ard the holy ghost and maks make sign of a cross crosa the third time always touching the water with the thumb on his bis right hand he shall then name the ebil dand callin 2 it by its name whether it be a boy or a girl say 1 I baptize thee in tha name of father and dip it into the water right in the front of himself and Andt the haSon son and dip it again into the water the head of the child to the left aud and the holy ghost the head of the child to the right he shall immerse it completely eve every time in a great case cage of necessity it is allowable for a woman to baptize it a child i e I 1 if I 1 neither a man nor an 8 year old eld boy can be reached it is lawful for the father to baptizes baptize z child in case it is impossible to get any other man A boy 8 years of age xe if he knows the lords prayer and credo a deum has haa the richt to baptize a child if no krown grown up man can be ba gotten neither bishop nor a priest shall re bapties a child thus baptized if the c remony demony has been carried oat accor accordine diniz to law the th rev Th orkell bjarnason Bi Bl arnason in his big history of the reformation in iceland bitza says thai that down koths to time anen dorlac lorr we wis s adopted a national faith in iceland WAS waa the only mole moje of bap alem known sprinkling infants came with the be reformation joun jony 3 r va S |
