Catechesis

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For catechesis in the Catholic Church, see Catholic catechesis.
For the books, see
Catechisms
.
"Catechumen" redirects here. For the video game, see Catechumen (video game).
"Christian education" redirects here. For Christian educational institutions, see Christian school.
Not to be confused with catachresis.

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Catechesis (

Catechesi tradendae
, §18):

Catechesis is an education in the faith of children, young people and adults which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted, generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a view to initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life.

In the

Sunday School
classes for educating children in religion, as well as adult classes for continuing education.

In

Roman Catholic Christians.[8] Ecumenical organisations such as the North American Association for the Catechumenate are helping across several denominations to "shape ministries with adult seekers involving an extended time of faith formation and a meaningful experience of adult baptism at Easter."[9][10]

Historic Christian practice

See also: Early Christianity

The word catechumen comes from the passive form of the Greek word κατηχέω (katēcheō), which is used seven times in the New Testament. In the passive, it means "to be instructed, informed."

The catechumenate slowly developed from the development of doctrine and the need to test converts against the dangers of

First Apology
, cites instruction as occurring prior to baptism:

As many as are persuaded and believe that what we teach and say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly, are instructed to pray and to entreat God with fasting, for the remission of their sins that are past, we praying and fasting with them. Then they are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated.

The "persuasion" would be carried out by the preaching of an evangelist; but since belief must precede baptism, the person concerned should be prepared spiritually to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through baptism. That person would receive the sign of the Cross and possibly aspersion with holy water from a minister, indicating their entry to the state of catechumen.

In the

sacraments in preparation for baptism.[11] Catechumens were limited as to their attendance in formal services. As unbaptized, they could not actively take part in any service, for that was reserved for those baptized. One practice permitted them to remain in the first part of the mass, but even in the earliest centuries dismissed them before the Eucharist. Others had them entering through a side door, or observing from the side, from a gallery, or near the font
; while it was not unknown to bar them from all services until baptized.

Their desire for baptism was held to be sufficient guarantee of their

baptism by blood
", and they were honored as martyrs.

In the

Constantine was the most prominent of these catechumens. See also Deathbed conversion
.

During the fourth and fifth centuries, baptism had become a several-week-long rite leading up to the baptism on

sins.[11]

Cyril of Jerusalem wrote a series of sermons aimed at catechumens, outlining via passages of scripture the main points of the faith, yet dividing between those merely interested and those intending baptism then continuing with certain sermons aimed at those who had been baptized.

St. Augustine was among those enrolled as a catechumen as an infant, and did not receive baptism until he was in his thirties. He, and other Fathers, fulminated against the practice.

Medieval

Catholics were required to be able to recite the common Latin prayers of the Church (the Pater Noster, the Creed, the Ave Maria) and to explain them in their own languages;[15] and they were used as prayers replacing folk charms.[16]: 54 

Priests were required to re-state these catechetical basics in the sermons on feast days: the common prayers, the New Commandment, the Ten Commandments, the seven virtues, the seven deadly sins, etc. Books were circulated among preachers with model sermon cycles around these prayers and themes;[17]: 120 

Godparents were supposed to ensure that their godchildren had been taught the prayers, creed, commandments, etc., as part of the godparents' promises made at baptism.[15]: 53 

Priests were supposed to check that the confessing person could recite the prayers and commandments, and explain the lines as part of confession (which from 1215 was required of Catholics at least one per year by the 4th Lateran Council).[18]: 12  A common medieval vernacular book was the form of confession which allowed the layperson to remind themselves of what they might be quizzed on.[18]

Johann Geiler von Kaisersberg was another popular preacher who followed the tradition of Gerson by preaching on the basics of the faith.[21]

Reformation

Presbyterian Catechising, painting by John Phillip

During the

Roman Catholics. They wanted individuals to be able to fully understand the prayers. (Similarly, worship services were conducted in vernacular languages and Bibles and prayer books printed in vernacular editions.) [11] The use of a question-and-answer format was popularized by reformer Martin Luther in his 1529 Small Catechism. He wanted the catechumen to understand what he was learning, so the Decalogue, Lord's Prayer, and Apostles' Creed were divided into small sections, with each followed by the question "What does this mean?" [22]

Erasmus responded with his own Catholic catechism in 1530 in Latin, which was translated to English for as A Playne and Godly Exposition or Declaration of the Commune Crede.

Present Christian practice

In no case is a catechumen absolutely bound to be baptized, preserving the principle that the recipient of a sacrament must not be forced against his will; the person concerned must be drawn spiritually to the faith in addition to being intellectually persuaded.

The

sacraments of initiation (baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist). This was a result of the Second Vatican Council, explicitly stated in point 64 of the Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium
:

The catechumenate for adults, comprising several distinct steps, is to be restored and to be taken into use at the discretion of the local ordinary. By this means the time of the catechumenate, which is intended as a period of suitable instruction, may be sanctified by sacred rites to be celebrated at successive intervals of time.[23]

The

Light-Life Movement
of the Roman Catholic Church take as their inspiration the old catechumenate of early Christianity (the "primitive church") as the basis for their goal of adult faith formation for Roman Catholics.

The Protestant Churches who baptize infants, for instance Lutheran and Anglican/Episcopalian, tend to follow a catechumenate which can be likened to a course in the fundamentals of the religion, lasting typically six months and ending with baptism at Easter. However, this is at the discretion of the local minister, and times may be varied. The 9th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council in Cape Town, January 1993, stated among other points in Resolution 44:

"that the Provinces be encouraged to restore the catechumenate, or discipling process, to help enquiries move to Christian faith, using the witness and support of lay people, and liturgically celebrating the stages of growth;"[24]

In those Protestant denominations that do not baptise infants, such as the Conservative Anabaptist Churches, the catechumenate status may be considered the norm amongst the young. This is especially true amongst young Christadelphians, although they never use the specific term catechumenate, more normally referring to those in this state as "being instructed" or "being taken through".

Jehovah's Witnesses require a catechumenate of disciples of all ages prior to baptism with a study program led by a baptized minister, using a Watch Tower Society topical textbook that teaches basic Bible doctrines.[25] Students initially progress to become an "unbaptized publisher" of the faith, preaching while continuing further biblical instruction—akin to a catechumen, although the term "Bible student" is used. After demonstrating sufficient comprehension and application of Jehovah's Witnesses' interpretations of the Bible, the student qualifies to be baptized as a Jehovah's Witness.[26]

The catechumenate and the religious education of the young baptized

A catechumen has not been baptized, and is undergoing training in the principles of the faith; one who was baptized as a child has an equal need of education, but this does not start from the same foundation, since baptism has already occurred. The theological basis is common to all sects and taken from the Gospel:

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them

— John 6:44
NIV

from which the working of God on the catechumen is presupposed. Once baptized, the relationship with God is of a different order.

Since the schisms between the parts of the Church, conversion between the denominations is also possible. Education in the specific doctrines of the sect is therefore seen as necessary, as well as a thorough grounding in the first principles of the faith. This latter may already have occurred when the convert is mature, and the status of catechumen is then usually not implied.

The three cases - baptized as an infant, come to the faith in maturer years, and conversion from one denomination to another - seem outwardly similar. This has led to discussions on their differentiation, notably the International Anglican Liturgical Consultation which, at its meeting in Toronto in 1991, stated that [2] the catechumenate for those about to be baptized as infants was to be absolved by their parents and sponsors, thus defining the catechumenate as necessary for all, whether directly or by proxy. The status of the "converted" was dealt with at the same time, but in a way that cannot be considered typical of general Christian thinking, when it was declared that rebaptism was not to be thought of; as a consequence the previously baptized cannot become catechumens.

The remark in the foregoing section on "stages of growth" is important to understand this confusion, and happily this can also be seen as typical of the thinking outside the Anglican church. While all parts of the Church promote the growth from catechumen to novice to full member of the communion, the Protestant churches align it with the education of the young who are already baptized, whereas the

Roman
parts of the church keep this separate. Various terms are used to describe this process: "alpha courses", "nursery courses", "starter groups", among others. The main difference between denominations is whether these courses include or exclude those who are baptized, and an overlap with youth ministries and even to an extent with evangelism is observable. For further discussion not directly related to the state of catechumen, see other Wiki articles.

The form of education varied, though the earliest recorded methods were lists of questions and answers (Catechism). Sermons were also used (Cyril of Jerusalem). Most catechisms were divided into parts, aiming to follow the spiritual growth of the catechumen. There were certain differences between catechisms for the young baptized and for the unbaptized catechumen.

Catechumens and conversion

The divergence between Christian practice as regards catechumens (a formalised, gradual approach) and the idea of

way to Damascus
when Jesus Christ appeared to him in a vision. Regarded as the type of sudden conversion, this event was followed by baptism, with, however, a period of study and learning following, lasting a number of years.

Jewish practice

Quoting Shaye J. D. Cohen: From the Maccabees to the Mishnah (1987) "The Sadducees were the aristocratic opponents of the Pharisees. The Essenes were a group of religious and philosophic virtuosi, living a utopian life of the sort that would provoke the admiration of Jews and non-Jews alike. Josephus mentions their three-year catechumenate, their oath of loyalty to the group, their separation from their fellow Jews, their emphasis on purity and ablutions, but he regards them not as a 'sect' but as a pietistic elite." See also proselyte.

See also

References

Citations

  1. Perseus Project
  2. ^ "catechesis". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  3. ^ Luther 1959, p. 342.
  4. ^ Manternach & Pfeifer 1991, p. 23.
  5. ^ "What is the Catechumenate?" (PDF). Anglican Church of Canada. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  6. Augsburg Fortress. 1999. Archived from the original
    on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  7. ^ Ku, Bonil (2010). A Catechumenate for the Korean Methodist Church. In order to produce a renewed catechumenal structure for Korean Methodism, adult catechumenal processes as well as baptismal theologies and rites are examined and analyzed from three principal sources: the first five centuries of the Christian church, and especially the mystagogical literature of the fourth century; the Roman Catholic Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults developed after the Second Vatican Council; and the United Methodist Church in the United States, both texts officially authorized by the denomination's General Conference and unofficial materials, among them resources for an adult catechumenate in the Come to the Waters series.
  8. ^ a b Witvliet, John D. (2000). "On the Importance of Appearance, the Catechumenate, and Appropriate Words of Greeting". Reformed Worship. Faith Alive Christian Resources. Retrieved 9 October 2015. New materials on "the catechumenate model" have been published by Mcnnonites, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and Methodists (see conference "Welcoming New Christians" on p. 48)
  9. ISBN 9780664260170
    . Through the North American Association for the Catechumenate, denominations as varied as Episcopalian, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Mennonite are working together to shape ministries with adult seekers involving an extended time of faith formation and a meaningful experience of adult baptism at Easter.
  10. ISBN 9780814618264
    . North American Association for the Catechumenate is an ecumenical organization which provides training and support for churches engaged in the process of baptismal conversion and making Christian disciples.
  11. ^ a b c Green 1996, pp. 14–15.
  12. ^ Old 1992, p. 3.
  13. ^ Old 1992, p. 7.
  14. ^ Old 1992, p. 17.
  15. ^
    ISBN 978-0-300-10828-6
    .
  16. S2CID 150771553
    .
  17. ISBN 978-90-04-34958-2
    .
  18. ^ a b Cornett, Michael E. (2011). The Form of Confession: a later medieval genre for examining conscience (Thesis). UNC Chapel Hill. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  19. ^ a b Old 1992, p. 181.
  20. ^ Old 1992, p. 180.
  21. ^ Old 1992, p. 182.
  22. ^ Green 1996, p. 17.
  23. ^ "Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium". Vatican.va. Archived from the original on 21 February 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  24. ^ [1] Archived July 15, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^ "Laying a Foundation for the Right Kind of Ministers", The Watchtower, March 1, 1969, page 139.
  26. ^ "Why Be Baptized", The Watchtower, April 1, 2002, pages 13.

Sources

Works cited

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Catechumen".
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