Baptism, known as a way to cleanse the soul of impurities and evil, was adopted into Christianity by John the Baptist. The ritual of baptism, which has evolved over the past years, was a long, strenuous journey. Early in the third century, before an individual was baptized, they were considered initiates. They underwent years of preliminary investigations, ranging from moral instruction to being ritually exorcised by leaders of the church. Once proven to be free of evil, the initiates were said to be in a very risky state by being neither pagan nor christian. They were defined as being on the edge of the Christian community, not necessarily belonging anywhere at that moment. Days before the baptism was to happen, the initiate was to stay away from the Christian people in order to keep the community out of dangers way. Finally, on the day of the baptism, the priest and initiate were stripped bare in order to signify the state of Adam and Eve. The initiate is then emerged three times in the water, each emergence followed by a statement of faith in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Once the baptism is done, the initiate is no longer an initiate but is a full member of the Christian community.