20.01.2015 0 3986

If you ask a person who occasionally attends church who the catechumens are, most often only the idiom “yells like a catechumen” will come to mind. We use a proverb when we want to say that someone is behaving inappropriately, making noise, or disturbing the peace. But where did the saying itself come from? Who is the catechumen and why is he yelling?

In the 1st century, when a new religion was born - Christianity, people approached the issue of accepting this faith very seriously. For all converts, this was a difficult and sometimes dangerous choice, a complete change in life path. For belonging to the Christian community they could be sent to prison, subjected to painful torture and even killed.

In those days, Christian churches were secret, and most often they were not even temples, but rooms hidden in the thickness of the walls, or underground shelters, caves. People came to faith at a conscious age, and not everyone who decided to become Christians survived such an underground life.

Christians were hated by everyone: Jews - because their compatriots indulged in a dangerous heresy, pagans - because the newly-minted Jewish sect did not recognize their pagan pantheon.

Difficult choice

So, before being baptized into the new faith, future members of the community went through a rather impressive probationary period. First, they listened to the words of their already baptized brothers, learned the basic rules, that is, they underwent the so-called catechesis - training in the basics of Christianity. The newcomers could not tell the priest that they knew everything and understood everything and therefore wanted to be baptized. Baptism in the ancient church was carried out only a couple of times a year, when there were a sufficient number of people willing.

And only the most worthy could be baptized - those who had ardent faith in their hearts and who could answer the priest’s questions. And everyone else tried to live in accordance with the principles of Christianity, memorized prayers, memorized the meaning of church events - that is, they learned to be Christians. Sometimes training dragged on for many years. Those wishing to be baptized did not occupy a full place in the Christian community.

They were considered newcomers and not even fully Christians - after all, the Holy Spirit had not yet descended on them, they had not yet been baptized. In the Roman Empire, these newcomers were called catechumens, that is, undergoing a period of preparation for the sacrament of Baptism - catechesis. In our country, this word, incomprehensible to Russians, was translated as “catechumen,” and the catechumens began to be called catechumens, that is, those who expressed a desire to become Christians, but have not yet become one.

Before baptism, all catechumens were considered pagans. Communities were then unfriendly to newcomers: you never know what evil a newcomer would bring to the community. There were many cases when pagans were baptized and then returned to the old faith again. Some were baptized and unbaptized more than once. Therefore, on the First Ecumenical Council It was specifically stated that they would not be accepted into the community without a probationary period. And all cases of baptism of pagans immediately or shortly after expressing the desire were strictly condemned.

Priests who violated this rule could even be expelled from the clergy. And newcomers were required to attend all public sermons for a month. Then they completely determined the duration of training - at least three years. In just three years, any beginner will figure out whether he is ready to become a Christian. The catechumens tried to take part in the life of the church community, but they were not allowed to participate in some rituals.

For example, they did not have the right to be present at the entire liturgy and could only be with the baptized at that part of it, which was called the “liturgy of the catechumens.” In this part of the liturgy, the priest prayed for the speedy acceptance of the catechumens into the bosom of the church. And then the ceremony continued only for the faithful - the deacon proclaimed three times: “Catechumens, come forth!”, and only the baptized remained in the church. The liturgy for them was called “the liturgy of the faithful.”

Not admitted to the liturgy

There was no equality among the catechumens themselves. Those who had just arrived were treated with distrust, scrutinized, and subjected to tests. Moreover, they could not just appear in the community. The future Christian was brought to the priest or bishop by a lay believer or deacon. The priest assessed the candidate, read him the appropriate prayer, made the sign of the cross and blessed him to learn the basics of faith. Such newcomers so far had only one right - to listen carefully and remember.

They were called that - audiences, that is, listeners. In the temple they were present only at the reading of sacred texts. As they trained, the audience moved to a higher category of beginners - orants (prayers), since they could already participate in some rituals, pray with the faithful, kneel, fast, participate in the liturgy of the catechumens, but did not take the sacrament. They studied the Creed and sacred texts.

Neither the audiences nor the orants could stand in the temple next to the baptized. They were given a special place along with those repenting of their sins - in the vestibule, next to the main entrance. They were not allowed into the middle part of the temple, where the faithful prayed.

In ancient times, people were usually baptized on the holidays of Easter or Epiphany, and they prepared very carefully for this day. Before the ceremony, the catechumens had to confess their sins to the priest, and he would decide how great the severity of these sins was and whether the candidate could be admitted to the baptismal ceremony. The candidate honestly spoke about what prompted him to come to church, and the priest found out whether there were any obstacles to baptism, and if the catechumen passed the test, then he was allowed to participate in the ceremony.

It is impossible, for example, to convert from Catholicism to Orthodoxy through baptism. You cannot return to your faith after being thrown out of the church. In the early church, rebaptism was not encouraged. But when the church took a stable place and there were no pagans left, re-baptism was considered unacceptable.

They could not baptize a catechumen if he was careless during his studies or did not accept some of the dogmas of the church. This would mean accepting an unfit member into the community, or worse, a future heretic. They refused baptism to a person who did not want to take part in the affairs of his community. Those who strived with all their might to receive baptism, but continued to lead sinful and immoral lives, were also denied.

There was a whole list of activities that did not allow even a sincere believer to accept baptism - prostitution, abortion, fornication, sorcery and sorcery, pimping, etc. And there was only one way to undergo the rite of baptism - to repent. However, repentance by priests was not always taken on faith.

The premature death of a catechumen was also considered an obstacle to baptism. A priest could baptize a person on his deathbed, but he could not baptize a dead person, even if he was a catechumen during his lifetime. However, it was entirely permitted to baptize the insane if they had previously been catechumens!

As soon as the catechumen was baptized, he became an equal member of the community. Although after the ceremony the final stage of catechesis had to take place.

There would be a desire

When Christian church became dominant, then the need for announcement of adults disappeared. There were so few of them that at some point they even stopped building the vestibules where they would have been during church ceremonies.

They began to baptize in infancy. And all that was left of those announced was the name. But the need for teaching the catechism remained. True, catechesis now concerned children. In Catholicism, at the right age, children undergo confirmation rites and become full members of the church.

Adults in Catholicism are baptized extremely rarely. Beforehand, they undergo evangelization, that is, they learn the very basics of faith. Then they receive the name catechumens and become more seriously involved in the faith; at the end of this stage they receive a new name. The preparation for baptism is completed by a long period of prayer and cleansing of the soul from the filth of atheism.

Now the person is ready to be baptized and join the ranks of Christians. Over the long years of the existence of Christianity, the attitude towards catechumens who did not have time to be baptized during their lifetime has also changed. It is now believed that the catechumen who suddenly died was, as it were, already baptized, since he received the “baptism of desire.”

In some Christian denominations, only adults who understand well what a responsible step they are taking can accept baptism.

Nikolay KOTOMKIN

This issue can be viewed in a narrow historical sense. Much has already been said about him in theological literature. Much more can and should be explored, since this is one of the most important church topics.

If we talk about these issues in a specific modern sense, then this topic is extremely painful, because often before the Sacrament of Baptism is performed, the Christian world and the pagan world, their worldviews and ways of life, collide in a terrible spiritual battle. And the most terrible thing is that paganism is trying to creep into Christianity, to receive satisfaction and the right to life from it, to take from it the Christian form, without changing itself in many ways.

This is a piercing priestly pain, because every priest in his ministry has encountered the formal perception of the Sacrament of Baptism many times. And every priest knows how difficult it is to wage this battle with an inveterate pagan consciousness. Every baptism is like a battle. Every baptism is like a battle. Of course, you can give up, you can be indifferent to this. Half an hour - and here is your baby, goodbye. Do what you want! But do I, a priest of God, have the right to do this? We need to plow people's heart fields. And this is often as difficult as digging into granite with a pickaxe. Why is this so?

Unfortunately, modern people in the post-Soviet space often treat baptism only as a good tradition. Like, everyone is baptizing, and I have to baptize the child. Or in best case scenario so that the baby has protection. But a deep awareness of the Sacrament of Baptism does not occur. The person does not want to understand him.

So, what is the Sacrament of Baptism? The Orthodox Catechism gives the following answer: “Baptism is a sacrament in which the believer, by immersing the body three times in water, with the invocation of God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, dies to a carnal, sinful life and is reborn from the Holy Spirit into a spiritual, holy life.” That is, baptism is not only a beautiful old tradition or just protection for a child. This is a step into the sky. This is a step into the wide open doors of the earthly Church and the heavenly Church. This is taking upon yourself and the child the obligation to live in the Church, drawing closer to Christ. Live the life of the Church.

But how often does this happen?

To be baptized and not live the church life is about the same as buying a beautiful icon, and then digging a hole and putting the image in it. And then, over the course of decades, it will be covered with all sorts of everyday garbage, until the shrine is finally completely buried under rubble.

Will the Lord ask us after death or at Last Judgment about that talent, about that gift of the Holy Spirit that we received in the Sacrament of Baptism? Of course he will ask. Will a person be able to answer why the shrine was buried in the ground? Probably not. And then crying and gnashing of teeth.

The Sacrament of Baptism is that mustard seed that is thrown into our heart soil. In order for it to germinate and develop into a beautiful tree, it must be nurtured through prayer, fasting, the Sacraments, life in the Church, and works of mercy. And then the birds of heaven (the grace of the Holy Spirit) will build nests on this tree. And it will grow to heavenly heights.

Therefore, in modern language and for modern man The Sacrament of Baptism is a certain credit of trust in a person, which is given to him so that he begins his personal approach to God. This, if you like, is a duty and a promise to work to acquire the Holy Spirit and for your personal salvation.

And this is especially evident from the way the ancient Christians treated the Sacrament of Baptism...

These are synonymous words. Catechesis translated from Greek language means "announcement". Catechumen is a person's study of the basics of the Christian faith before being baptized. That is, we see that the work of changing oneself for the sake of accepting the baptismal shrine began by a person long before participating in this Sacrament. It could last from forty days to three years. A catechumen (the so-called one who wished to be baptized and underwent a catechumen (training) for this purpose) had a mentor, often a priest, who instructed him in the basics of the Christian faith. To prepare for baptism and educate people on the basics Orthodox faith There were entire educational institutions. For example, the famous Alexandria School originated as a catechetical school. The main task of this school was to prepare catechumens for baptism.

In fact, one of the most famous Orthodox prayers- The Creed is a catechism in short form, i.e. a statement of the foundations of the Orthodox faith. Education in the catechetical period, as a rule, had three degrees, or, in modern language, three classes. In the first “class” the catechumens stood at the Liturgy in the narthex, listening to prayers and readings Holy Scripture. In the second “class” they already stood in the church among the faithful until the Eucharistic canon, and then, kneeling down and receiving a blessing from the Primate, with the words “Depart the catechumens,” they left the church. The third “class” was already preparing for Baptism. Mass baptisms of catechumens, as a rule, took place on Easter, Pentecost, and Holy Epiphany.

From all this we see how ancient Christians took the Sacrament of Baptism seriously.

Today the situation has changed. Historical situation. But this is not the essence of the Sacrament. She remained the same. And the responsibility for accepting the Sacrament of Baptism is the same.

From the Baptismal font God Himself perceives man. So do I have the right to turn away from Him? Saint John Chrysostom, in a conversation on the Gospel of John, wrote: “The catechumen is a stranger to the faithful. He does not have the same head, nor the same father, nor the same city, nor food, nor clothing, nor home; but everything is divided between them. One has everything on earth; for another - in heaven. This one has Christ as its king; he has sin and the devil. This one's food is Christ; that one has rot and decay. And this one’s clothes are the Lord of Angels; that one is a matter of worms. This city is the sky; he has land."

In the Sacrament of Baptism we have already entered heaven. All that remains is to gain a spiritual foothold throughout life with God's help in him. So do we really want to fall from it and return again to worms, to death and corruption, when a merciful and loving God opens his arms to us? Are we going to turn our backs on him?

Catechumens(Greek κατηχούμενοι (katikhumeni) - those who received oral instruction, catechumens) - persons being instructed in the Orthodox faith or who have already received preliminary oral instruction (), preparing to accept.

The catechumen is a candidate for . In ancient times, catechumens were Christians who had not yet been baptized, but had already received instruction in the faith. Unlike “faithful” or already baptized Christians, catechumens were not considered spiritually regenerated members of the Church. With all this, they undoubtedly belonged to the Church (although outwardly, in the words of the Holy Fathers, they were on the threshold of the Church), they were numbered among Christians, made the sign of the cross, and participated in a certain part of the liturgy.

The part of the liturgy in which the catechumens took part was called the “liturgy of the catechumens.” In it, the deacon called on the faithful to pray for the catechumens, so that the Lord would have mercy on them, announce them with the word of truth, reveal to them the Gospel of truth, unite them in His Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, save them, intercede and preserve them with His grace. The priest also prayed for the catechumens, calling on God to include them in the Church and include them in the chosen flock, so that they, together with the faithful, glorify the most honorable name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Then the deacon called: Catechumens, come out! And after that, a second time: Catechumens, come forth! And then for the third time: Catechumens, come forth! Yes, none of the catechumens, only the faithful, let us pray to the Lord again and again! After the catechumens left for classes, the liturgy of the faithful began.

With the widespread spread of Christianity, the institution of catechumens gradually became redundant. “When in the 5th and 6th centuries Greco-Roman paganism almost completely disappeared and most of barbarian peoples converted to Christianity, it goes without saying that the catechumens who converted to Christianity in adulthood, as such, ceased to exist, says the Bishop. “This was especially facilitated by the emergence of the rite of baptism of children, which in the Apostolic Decrees (VI, 15) is mentioned as an apostolic custom, legalized by some churches since the 3rd century, and since the 5th century it has become common.” Another, no less important reason for the disappearance of the institution of catechumens was the disappearance of the custom of adults, which spread in the 4th century, to postpone their baptism for an indefinite time, in the hope of receiving remission of all sins through baptism accepted at the end of life.

“The word κατηχούμενοι, found in Holy Scripture (; ; cf. Acts 18:25:), designates those persons who, in order to be accepted into the Christian Church, must study Christian teaching (; cf. Acts 18:25: κατηχημένος τήν οδόν τού Κυρίοu). Consequently, these were, so to speak, candidates for baptism. The teaching of Christian doctrine was called κατήχησις or λόγος κατηχητικός (institutio catechetica), as well as κατηχισμός. The teacher of persons preparing for baptism was called κατηχητής or κατηχιστής (catechista). The place where the training took place was called κατηχουμενείον.

The catechumens, or katichumen, were usually divided into several categories: two, sometimes three, four, and even five. We adhere to the opinion of medieval Greek commentators: Zonaras, Balsamon, Aristina and, who divide them into two categories. In his interpretation of this Nicene rule, Aristinus says: “there are two kinds of catechumens, some who have just entered (οί μέν γάρ άρτι προσέρχονται), and others who have become more perfect (τελεώτεροι), since they are sufficiently trained in the truths of faith.” Zonara and Balsamon say the same in their interpretation of the 5th rule of the Neocaesarea Council, and Aristinus repeats the same in his interpretation of this rule. Referring to the interpretations of the mentioned commentators, he says the same in his Alphabetical Syntagma. Consequently, the catechumens are divided into two categories. When any pagan or Jew declared his desire to join the ranks of the catechumens, he had to turn to some lay Christian or to a deacon, who, vouching for his good intentions, brought him to the appropriate presbyter or bishop (Apostolic resolutions, VIII, 32). The bishop or presbyter, convinced of his good intentions, read him the prescribed prayer, crossed him and introduced him to the first category of catechumens, who were taught the first truths of Christian teaching. They were called άκροώμενοι (audientes), since they were allowed to come to the liturgy and listen to the reading of the Holy Scriptures and the Gospel, after which they immediately had to leave the temple. In the first category, catechumens usually remained for three years (Apostolic Decrees, VIII, 32), although this time could be shortened or extended in accordance with the zeal and behavior of the person in question. In those cases when the katikhite saw that his students were sufficiently familiar with the basic information from Christian teaching and that they were worthy in their good behavior, he allowed them to move to the second category of catechumens, where the latter extensively expounded Christian teaching and especially explained the symbol with all the details faith. They were called έυχόμενοι (orantes), because they could pray with the faithful even after the Gospel, or γονυκλίνοντες (genuflectentes), because they knelt when a prayer was read to them during the liturgy, or also συναιτούντες ( es) and τελεώτεροι (perfectiores, electi). They remained in the church until the deacon during the liturgy addressed them with the words: “Depart, ye catechumens,” after which they left the church. The length of their stay in this degree also depended on their zeal for learning and on their behavior. Catechumens of the first and second classes were given a place in the church along with penitents of the second class, i.e. in the vestibule (νάρθηξ, πρόναος) in front of the place designated for baptism (κολυμβήθρα), near the main entrance to the church.”

Catechumens is a word that many have heard, even people who are not related to the Church. Suffice it to remember how they often shout at children playing and running noisily: “Why are you running around like catechumens?” When saying this, people don’t even think about the meaning of the phrase.

Let's try to figure it out: who are the announced ones?

If you look for this word in dictionaries, you should pay attention to Greek translation. Kατηχουμενος - those who are going to accept Christianity through the sacrament of Baptism, studying the fundamentals of faith. Even then such a person was already called a catechumen .

During early Christianity, questions of faith were taken very seriously. In the first centuries, one could suffer seriously for accepting Christianity. Baptism was a complex and responsible step that required preparation and teaching of dogma. Candidates preparing for Baptism reported their desire to the priest (bishop). The priest (possibly the bishop) announced or “proclaimed” this to everyone in the temple. It should be noted that the person himself could not easily come to the community. He was brought by a believing Christian or a deacon. From that moment on, the person became a catechumen. They prayed for him, and he himself underwent training. Priests were strictly forbidden to baptize without undergoing training and preparation of those wishing to do so. For this one could be expelled from the clergy. There were rules for confession before Baptism. During it, the question was decided whether it was possible to allow before baptism, to what extent grave sins committed by a person and whether he repented of them.

The catechumen could study for a very long time. In the 1st-3rd centuries, this process lasted from 40 days to 3 years. In the process of preparation, the catechumen was already present at the service, but at certain moments the priests called on the catechumens to leave the temple, saying “go away.” This is probably where the saying about noisy children comes from. Moreover, initially the clergy went around and checked to see if anyone, called catechumens, remained in the temple. During the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the faithful children are united with the Lord. This is the greatest Sacrament, which is given by God himself to believers and those who have received Baptism, and only to them. They can't start it unbaptized people, so they need to leave the temple at this time.. Prudent “Christian candidates” should do exactly this.

In modern life, during the Liturgy, the deacon also calls on those who have not been baptized to leave the church, but no one does this. Discussions are being held to ensure that the catechumens do not remain in the church during the most important Liturgies.

The question arises: why was there a need to bring back the tradition? announcements, where did she go and when? To answer it, you need to turn to the history of Russia. In pre-revolutionary times, people's entire lives were connected with God and the Church. The holidays celebrated by the state were church holidays. People understood Orthodox doctrine well, and there was no need to teach them, announce. During the times of communist attacks on the Church, carry out public conversations it was impossible. It was at that moment that this tradition disappeared.

Currently His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' gave his blessing to teach and instruct those wishing to begin baptism. December 27, 2011 Holy Synod The Russian Orthodox Church approved a document that consolidated this rule. Its necessity has arisen due to frequent cases of people coming to the Church who understand the Orthodox faith as fashion trend or magical help.

Many interested adults and parents (future godparents) of infants perceive such innovations completely disapprovingly. This is wrong, because very often you can hear how catechumens explain their desire to be baptized, for example, in order to “b be protected" or " improve your health" This suggests that the person does not understand why he comes to Church, why he wants to wear a cross. Of course, we are all just students. The Lord Himself called the apostles His disciples, and they knew and understood faith from His lips and His life. We are just learning to be Christians. And yet, if you want to be baptized, you need to know at least the very essence of Christianity.
During preparation, catechists are those who conduct training, talk about the basics of Orthodox dogma, the Sacraments, explain the rules and traditions of the Church, and conduct conversations about faith and superstitions.
People must understand the essence of the Orthodox faith, understand whether they are ready to fulfill its canons, and each bear their own Cross.
And then, approaching the font, the catechumen can firmly say: “I believe!”