| 1. | spiritual sanctification as a gift of the Holy Ghost. |
| 2. | the first time a soldier faces battle. |
| 3. | any severe ordeal that tests one's endurance. |
| baptism of fire n.
|
Baptism of Fire
A difficult situation that a company or individual experiences that will result in either success or failure. Examples include Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), a new CEO hired to manage a struggling company, and hostile takeover attempts.
Investopedia Commentary
A baptism of fire will either weaken or strengthen the entity involved.
The phrase is an allusion to the Bible in both Acts 2:3-4 and Matthew 3:11.
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See also: Chief Executive Officer - CEO, Hostile Takeover, Initial Public Offering - IPO
baptism of fire
A severe ordeal or test, especially an initial one, as in This audition would be Robert's baptism of fire. This term transfers the original religious rite of baptism, whereby holiness is imparted, to various kinds of ordeal. At first it signified the death of martyrs at the stake, and in 19th-century France it was used for a soldier's first experience of combat. Currently it is used more loosely for any difficult first encounter.