Baptism of fire
The term baptism of fire denotes in the present a test that has to be passed in an emergency test. In the past, this metaphorical phrase was used to refer to the fire death of martyrs , initially in 19th century military jargon when a soldier took part in a battle for the first time .
origin
The martyr's death was also referred to in church circles as a baptism of blood and - if it had taken place by burning - a baptism of fire . This type of baptism , if it had not already taken place, was intended to replace that and immediately lead to full bliss.
The term most likely comes from the Bible. There, at Mt 3,11 EU, John the Baptist says that soon someone will come who “will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire”. The symbol of fire is often used in the Bible for an internal cleansing process.
use
The term baptism of fire in a military context came up with the use of firearms (cannons, shotguns) in armed conflicts and describes in euphemistic form the first use of soldiers or volunteer combatants in fire, i.e. in direct combat and fire fights . In biographies of military personnel, the formulation is always his baptism of fire he received in X at the Battle of Y to find. Entire regiments were also sent to the baptism of fire by generals .
The concept of baptism of fire was later also applied to vehicles ( crash test , elk test ), especially ships and aircraft ( controlled impact demonstration ). For many years, non-military first missions have also been understood as a baptism of fire in the sense of a practical test .
Other uses
- Movie title
- Tatort: Baptism of Fire , TV film of the Tatort series.
- The Baptism of Fire (Kent) , novel about Richard Bolitho, Ensign at Sea , by Alexander Kent .
- The baptism of fire (Gaidar) , novel by Arkadi Petrowitsch Gaidar (also as: The school of life ).
- Baptism of fire. The film about the deployment of our air force in Poland , German propaganda film from 1940.
- Baptism of Fire (1956) , US war film from 1956 (original title Between Heaven And Hell ).
- Walker, Texas Ranger: Baptism of Fire , 2005 TV movie
- Baptism of Fire , US film (1943)
- additional
- Linda Grant DePauw : Baptism of Fire . Minerva Center 1993.
- Andrzej Sapkowski : Baptism of Fire , novel of the Geralt saga.
- The baptism of fire , novel of the Star Wars series.
- As a baptism of fire referred to a religious sect in 1800, the Morelschiki ( "the self selfless"), their suicide by individually or elected in greater numbers by fire ( "baptism of fire") by lighting a house or burning in a pit and as a praising godly act.
- Peter Hoover : Baptism by Fire. The radical life of the Anabaptists , book about the Anabaptist movement in the 16th century.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ John and the baptism of fire. (No longer available online.) In: nikodemus.net. Formerly in the original ; accessed on May 17, 2018 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )
- ↑ Adolf Bastian : Psychologie und Mythologie (= Man in history. For the foundation of a psychological world view . Volume 2 ). Otto Wigand, Leipzig 1860, p. 597 ( digitized version in Google Book Search [accessed on May 17, 2018]).
- ↑ Morelschiki . In: Meyers Konversations-Lexikon . 4th edition. Volume 11, Verlag des Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig / Vienna 1885–1892, p. 801.