Cyril of Jerusalem
Procatechesis
In each of the following letters we will provide some sort
of simple review. We hope these
encourage you to open and read the whole lecture to discover how the early
Church went about Catechesis; how they prepared adults for baptism. Of course, children were baptized without
Catechesis, based on their parent’s confession.
Please note the great work that New Advent has done for
us. When I first encountered the
Ante-Nicene/Nicene/Post-Nicene books, they were a veritable encyclopedia of 38
volumes costing about twenty-four dollars each.[i]
None of us could afford them; none of us
could carry them: yet, they were essential reading for Church History. New Advent has placed these at our finger
tips, electronically searchable: if you can afford the twenty-dollar donation,
please consider giving to this worthy cause.[ii]
We begin:
1. The hope and
purpose filled blessings of the called concern both body and mind. 2. The
error of Simon Magnus; the root of bitterness; while catechumens search the
things of God, God searches the heart.
3. The risk of being found
unclothed at the wedding feast; what will you do about it. 4. Put
away sins first; leave now, and come again tomorrow when you are ready. 5. Do
not come to please a lover, friend, or master; die to your sins and live. 6.
Consecrate your soul to the heavenly Bridegroom; put off the carnal;
take up the spiritual. 7. Baptism cannot be corrected by repeating
it. 8.
Both will and faith are active in the blotting out of sins; cease from
evil deeds, sin of the eye, and roving.
9. Hasten to catechizing; receive
earnestly exorcism; as gold is refined by fire, be refined in the crucible of exorcism. 10.
Attend to catechizing; do not be mentally wearied; receive armor against
Greek, Jew, and Samaritan heretics; be armed with the sword of the Spirit;
prepare to war the Lord’s warfare.
11. Study and treasure the
teachings forever; do not neglect them: for there will never be a better time;
they fit together in particular order.
12. Do not share the lessons with
others, especially [novice] catechumens [not yet ready to be prepared for
baptism]. 13. Come [to the hour of exorcism and baptism] as
a family, do not leave brother [or sister] behind; give attention to godliness
both before and after; cherish fear, not news or chatter. 14.
After exorcism, and inside the Church let men and women be separate;
read from a useful book [a psalter, for example], pray, sing, let the women
speak soundlessly, as did Samuel’s mother.
15. I will observe your
earnestness or reverence; that unbelief be hammered out; scale drop off; rust
be rubbed off; let true metal remain.
16. Baptism is the Great: ransom,
remission, death, birth, light, seal chariot, delight, welcome, adoption; beware
the serpent; pray and study the more earnestly; this is no ordinary bath; guard
your soul against the dragon. 17. Do not make our work hay, stubble, chaff;
rather make our work gold, silver, precious stones; set your mind on
what I speak, looking to God to perfect it: for God knows the sincere and the
hypocrite: for God is able to give faith to all; blotting out the
handwriting that is against you; planting you in His Church; enlisting ,
arming, filling, sealing you.
[i] https://ibooksplace.com/products/the-early-church-fathers-38-vols?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla
[ii]
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