C. About the Baptizing of Many Carried out by One Minister all at Once

46. About the third member of the distinction [n.31], it is conceded that when someone sprinkles or pours [water] on several at once and at the same time prounounces the form in the plural saying “I baptize you [plural]”, he does baptize them all at once but sins mortally, because he does not keep the form imposed on him by the Church - and this unless perhaps there were so great a necessity that the death of all were imminent at once, and that if he were to baptize individuals singly some one of them would be dead before he had baptized the others.

47. But here there is a doubt whether there be then one baptism.

It seems that there is not because several are baptized and consequently there are several undergoings of baptism, and thus several baptisms.

48. But the opposite also seems to be the case, because there is only a single form, for the same words are spoken once.

49. It could be more conceded perhaps that there are several baptisms, by holding to what was stated, that the sacrament of baptism is the undergoing of baptism [n.42].

50. And then in response to the argument [n.48]: either there is no need, for the pluralizing of something, that all things in it are pluralized, but it is enough that some of them are pluralized for the whole to be pluralized; or the form is not simply one , because the plural ‘you’ includes in itself the singular ‘you’ several times doubled.Priscian, Institutiones Grammaticae V ch.9, “It is well said that the singular too, when doubled and multiplied, makes all numbers, and that all numbers are composed of it and dissolve into it.” ³⁴

51. But would the case of necessity that is posited about several who are going to die at once [n.46] excuse from mortal sin a minister who uses the form ‘I baptize you [plural]’? It seems this is reasonable, because from the fact it was in the power of the Church to determine, as to some of the words, the form, ‘I baptize you [singular]’ (as was said above, d.3 nn.48-76), it does not seem that the Church wanted to restrict anyone so precisely to this form that the way of salvation would thereby be closed off to anyone. But now salvation would be closed off for some one of those in a case of necessity if one could not, without mortal sin, use the form ‘I baptize you [plural]’, for if it were in any case a sin, no one ought thus to baptize them; for no one should procure the salvation of another by sinning in himself mortally.