A Brief History of the Catechumenate

HOMEWORK FOR FEBRUARY 21/22:
*Read CCCC nos. 252-264

HOMEWORK FOR FEBRUARY 23/24:
*Read Harcourt, pp. 70-74
*Read handout "Confirmation: A Sacrament in Search of a Theology"

CLASS NOTES FOR FEBRUARY 21/22:
Baptism in the early church was primarily for believing adults who had expressed some belief in Jesus (Acts 8-10) and most of the earliest Christians were Jewish. Shortly thereafter there was a wide variety of converts to Christianity -- every person with their own philosophical, cultural, or religious background -- a process of initiation was needed because a simple profession in Jesus was no longer adequate. Therefore, if someone was attracted to the Christian life then they would need a sponsor or member of the Christian community that would help throughout the moral and spiritual formation. This process took roughly two or three years or preparation before they could be presented for baptism into the community. This lengthy process of preparation and formation was called the catechumenate, which in Greek means 'instruction.' Since persecution and death for the Christian faith were real dangers in the early church, many Christian communities told catechumens little about their meeting places. Although some people believe Christians in the early church lived in hiding, historians disagree with that presumption and argue that Christianity was unofficially tolerated and Christians could be easily identified because of their counter-cultural behavior (no participation in pagan rituals and sacrifices).

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, photo by Gashwin

After Constantine's Edict in 313 CE it was no longer necessary for Christians communities to have their liturgies in hiding since Christianity became the official religion over night. As the number of conversions increased dramatically it was clear that the lengthy catechumenate process (typically two to three years) must be shortened to accommodate the number of members. The restrictions on permissible occupations for Christians also began to become more lax and it was sometimes difficult to tell whether those who wished to join the church did so out of conviction or convenience (Martos).