Neophytus nelle iscrizioni latine di committenza cristiana. Alcune considerazioni in margine a una nuova testimonianza da Verona

A christian inscription, discovered in Verona, in the church of San Procolo, remembers a child called Victorinianus, who died two years and eleven months. He is called innofitus, i.e. neophytus, word indicating that he had received the baptism. An analysis of the 126 inscriptions in Latin, which remind neophyti, not only shows that the term is in use only between the 4th and 5th century AD, but above all shows that children up to fifteen years are 63% of testimonies. They are most likely seriously sick or dying children, who were baptized in extremis.These inscriptions, therefore carefully analyzed and contextualized, could bring new arguments to the lively debate regarding the problem of baptismus parvulorum, which is very important in the writings of Augustine and of other Church fathers.