A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of
doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the
Sacraments traditionally used in
catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult converts. Catechisms are doctrinal manuals – often in the form of questions followed by answers to be memorised – a format
that has been used in non-religious or secular contexts as well. According to Norman DeWitt, the early Christians appropriated this practice from the
Epicureans
Epicureanism is a system of philosophy founded around 307 BC based upon the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus. Epicureanism was originally a challenge to Platonism. Later its main opponent became Stoicism.
Few writings by ...
, a school whose founder
Epicurus had instructed to keep summaries of the teachings for easy learning. The term ''
catechumen'' refers to the designated recipient of the catechetical work or instruction. In the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
, catechumens are those who are preparing to receive the
Sacrament of
Baptism
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...
. Traditionally, they would be placed separately during
Holy Mass
The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass, "the same Chri ...
from those who had been
baptized, and would be dismissed from the liturgical assembly before the Profession of Faith (
Nicene Creed) and
General Intercessions (Prayers of the Faithful).
Catechisms are characteristic of
Western Christianity
Western Christianity is one of two sub-divisions of Christianity ( Eastern Christianity being the other). Western Christianity is composed of the Latin Church and Western Protestantism, together with their offshoots such as the Old Catholi ...
but are also present in
Eastern Orthodox Christianity. In 1973, ''
The Common Catechism'', the first joint catechism of Catholics and Protestants, was published by theologians of the major Western Christian traditions, as a result of extensive
ecumenical dialogue.
Format
Before the
Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...
, Christian
catechesis took the form of instruction in and memorization of the
Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed ( Latin: ''Symbolum Apostolorum'' or ''Symbolum Apostolicum''), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith".
The creed most likely originated in 5th-century ...
,
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...
, and basic knowledge of the
sacraments. However there were also more comprehensive documents that outlined of the Christian faith, such as the Catechetical Lectures of St.
Cyril of Jerusalem, "The Morals" of St.
Basil of Caesarea, and the
Enchiridion on Faith, Hope and Love by St.
Augustine of Hippo. The earliest known catechism is the
Didache, which was written between 60 and 85 AD.
The word "catechism" for a manual for this instruction appeared in the
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Ren ...
. The use of a question and answer format was popularized by
Martin Luther
Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...
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 broken up into small sections, with the question "What does this mean" following each portion. The format calls upon two parties to participate, a master and a student (traditionally termed a "scholar"), or a parent and a child. The
Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647) is an example:
Q. What is the chief end of man?
A. To glorify God and enjoy Him forever!
Q. What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him?
A. The word of God which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.
Protestant catechisms
The catechism's question-and-answer format, with a view toward the instruction of children, was a form adopted by the various Protestant confessions almost from the beginning of the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
.
Among the first projects of the Reformation was the production of catechisms self-consciously modelled after the older traditions of
Cyril of Jerusalem and
Augustine
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afr ...
. These catechisms showed special admiration for
Chrysostom's view of the family as a "little church", and placed strong responsibility on every father to teach his children, to prevent them from coming to baptism or the Lord's table ignorant of the doctrine under which they are expected to live as Christians.
Lutheran catechisms
Luther's Large Catechism (1529) typifies the emphasis which the churches of the
Augsburg Confession placed on the importance of knowledge and understanding of the articles of the Christian faith. Primarily intended as instruction to teachers, especially to parents, the catechism consists of a series of exhortations on the importance of each topic of the catechism. It is meant for those who have the capacity to understand, and is meant to be memorized and then repeatedly reviewed so that the Small Catechism could be taught with understanding. For example, the author stipulates in the preface:
Luther adds:
Luther's Small Catechism, in contrast, is written to accommodate the understanding of a child or an uneducated person. It begins:
Reformed catechisms
Calvin's 1545 preface to the Genevan catechism begins with an acknowledgement that the several traditions and cultures which were joined in the Reformed movement would produce their own form of instruction in each place. While Calvin argues that no effort should be expended on preventing this, he adds:
The scandal of diverse instruction is that it produces diverse baptisms and diverse communions, and diverse faith. However, forms may vary without introducing substantial differences, according to the Reformed view of doctrine.
Genevan Catechism
John Calvin produced a catechism while at
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...
(1541), which underwent two major revisions (1545 and 1560). Calvin's aim in writing the catechism of 1545 was to set a basic pattern of doctrine, meant to be imitated by other catechists, which would not affirm local distinctions or dwell on controversial issues, but would serve as a pattern for what was expected to be taught by Christian fathers and other teachers of children in the church. The catechism is organized on the topics of
faith
Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion".
Religious people ofte ...
, law, prayer and
sacraments.
Heidelberg Catechism
After Protestantism entered into the Palatinate, in 1546 the controversy between Lutherans and Calvinists broke out, and especially while the region was under the elector
Otto Heinrich (1556–1559), this conflict in
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a ...
, particularly in
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students ...
, became increasingly bitter and turned violent.
When
Frederick III, Elector Palatine, came into power in 1559 he put his authority behind the Calvinistic view on the Lord's Supper, which denied the local presence of the body of Jesus Christ in the elements of the sacrament. He turned
Sapienz College into a school of divinity, and in 1562 he placed over it a pupil and friend of Luther's colleague,
Philipp Melanchthon, named
Zacharias Ursinus. In an attempt to resolve the religious disputes in his domain, Frederick called upon Ursinus and his colleague
Caspar Olevianus
Caspar Olevian (or Kaspar Olevianus; 10 August 1536 – 15 March 1587) was a significant German Reformed theologian during the Protestant Reformation and along with Zacharius Ursinus was said to be co-author of the Heidelberg Catechism. That the ...
(preacher to Frederick's court) to produce a catechism. The two collaborators referred to existing catechetical literature, and especially relied on the catechisms of Calvin and of
John Lasco. To prepare the catechism, they adopted the method of sketching drafts independently, and then bringing together the work to combine their efforts. "The final preparation was the work of both theologians, with the constant co-operation of Frederick III. Ursinus has always been regarded as the principal author, as he was afterwards the chief defender and interpreter of the Catechism; still, it would appear that the nervous German style, the division into three parts (as distinguished from the five parts in the Catechism of Calvin and the previous draft of Ursinus), and the genial warmth and unction of the whole work, are chiefly due to Olevianus." (Schaff, in. Am. Presb. Rev. July 1863, p. 379). The structure of the
Heidelberg Catechism is spelled out in the second question; and the three-part structure seen there is based on the belief that the single work of salvation brings forward the three persons of the
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...
in turn, to make God fully and intimately known by his work of salvation, referring to the
Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed ( Latin: ''Symbolum Apostolorum'' or ''Symbolum Apostolicum''), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith".
The creed most likely originated in 5th-century ...
as an epitome of Christian faith. Assurance of salvation is the unifying theme throughout this catechism: assurance obtained by the work of Christ, applied through the sacraments, and resulting in grateful obedience to the commandments and persistence in prayer.
The Heidelberg Catechism is the most widely used of the Catechisms of the
Reformed churches.
Westminster Catechisms
Together with the
Westminster Confession of Faith
The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the "subordinate standard" o ...
(1647), the
Westminster Assembly also produced two catechisms, a
Larger and a
Shorter, which were intended for use in Christian families and in churches. These documents have served as the doctrinal standards, subordinate to the Bible, for Presbyterians and other Reformed churches around the world. The Shorter Catechism shows the Assembly's reliance upon the previous work of Calvin, Lasco, and the theologians of Heidelberg. It comprises two main sections summarizing what the Scriptures principally teach: the doctrine of God, and the duty required of men. Questions and answers cover the usual elements:
faith
Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion".
Religious people ofte ...
, the
Ten Commandments, the
sacraments, and prayer.
Other Reformed catechisms
Oecolampadius composed the ''Basel Catechism'' in 1526, Leo Juda (1534) followed by
Bullinger (1555) published catechisms in Zurich. The French Reformed used Calvin's Genevan catechism, as well as works published by
Louis Cappel (1619), and
Charles Drelincourt
Charles Drelincourt (10 July 1595 in Sedan3 November 1669) was a French Protestant divine.
Life
His father, Pierre Drelincourt, fled from Protestant persecution in Caen and became secretary to Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Duke of Bouillon at Se ...
(1642).
Baptist catechisms
English Calvinistic Baptists typically adopted Reformed catechisms, modifying them to reflect their own convictions concerning the nature of the church and the sacrament of baptism. In 1680, the Baptist minister
Hercules Collins published his own revision of the
Heidelberg Catechism. Later, the General Assembly of 1677 adopted a
catechism that was largely based on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. However, this catechism was not published until 1689, after the passing of the
Act of Toleration 1689
The Toleration Act 1688 (1 Will & Mary c 18), also referred to as the Act of Toleration, was an Act of the Parliament of England. Passed in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution, it received royal assent on 24 May 1689.
The Act allowed fo ...
.
Pentecostal catechisms
While the Pentecostal movement has no one official catechism or confession, nevertheless Pentecostal authors have produced catechetical works. William Seymour, founder of the Azusa Street revival, included a catechism in the Doctrines and Disciplines of the Azusa Street Apostolic Faith Mission. Assemblies of God minister Warren D. Combs produced a catechism in the 1960s. In 2016 Henry Volk the host of the Theology in Perspective podcast authored a resource entitled, A Pentecostal Catechism.
Anglican catechism
The
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...
Book of Common Prayer
The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...
includes a catechism. In older editions it is a brief manual for the instruction of those preparing to be brought before the bishop for
confirmation: the baptised first professes his baptism, and then rehearses the principal elements of the faith into which he has been baptised: the
Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed ( Latin: ''Symbolum Apostolorum'' or ''Symbolum Apostolicum''), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith".
The creed most likely originated in 5th-century ...
,
Ten Commandments, the
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...
, and the
sacraments.
Catechist: What is your Name?
Answer: N. or M.
Catechist: Who gave you this Name?
Answer: My Godfathers and Godmothers
in my Baptism; wherein I was made a member of Christ, the child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven.
The "N. or M." stands for the Latin, "nomen vel nomina", meaning "name or names". It is an accident of typography that "nomina" came to be represented by "m".
The US-based
Episcopal Church's 1979 prayer book has a considerably longer catechism intended as "an outline of instruction" and "a brief summary of the Church's teaching".
William Nicholson's "An exposition of the catechism of the Church of England" was published in 1655.
Vernon Staley's "The Catholic religion : a manual of instruction for members of the Anglican Church" was published in 1908.
"To Be A Christian: An Anglican Catechism" was published in 2020 by Anglican House Media Ministries (
ACNA).
"The Catechism An Outline of the Faith' was published in 1998 by
Church of Wales.
Samuel Clarke "An exposition of the church-catechism" was published in 1719
Thomas Secker "
Lectures on the Catechism of the Church of England" were published in 1769 (vol. I and vol. II)
Discourses on the commandments was published in 1824
A familiar and practical improvement of the church catechism was published in 1775
Stephen Wilkinson Dowell "A catechism on the services of the Church of England" was published in 1852
Zacheus Isham "The Catechism of the Church: with Proofs from the New Testament: and Some Additional Questions and Answers" was published in 1694
Methodist catechisms
''
The Probationer's Catechism
''The Probationer's Catechism'', also called ''The Probationer's Handbook'', is a catechism authored by Methodist divine S. Olin Garrison for probationary members of the Methodist Episcopal Church seeking full membership. First published in 18 ...
'' was authored by
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
divine
S. Olin Garrison for probationary members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. ...
seeking
full membership in the
connexion; it has been one of the most widely used catechisms in Methodist history.
''A Catechism on the Christian Religion: The Doctrines of Christianity with Special Emphasis on Wesleyan Concepts'' by Mel-Thomas and Helen Rothwell is another popular catechism used to explicate
Wesleyan-Arminian theology. More recent publications are ''A Catechism Prepared Especially for the Members of the Evangelical Wesleyan Church'' (printed in the United States), ''A Larger Catechism: For Members of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church'' (printed in the United States), and ''A Catechism for the Use of the People Called Methodists'' (printed in Great Britain).
Socinian and other sectarian catechisms
Besides the manuals of instruction that were published by the Protestants for use in their families and churches, there were other works produced by sectarian groups intended as a compact refutation of orthodoxy.
For example,
Socinians in Poland published the ''
Racovian Catechism'' in 1605, using the question and answer format of a catechism for the orderly presentation of their arguments against the Trinity and the doctrine of
Hell, as these were understood by the Reformed churches from which they were forced to separate.
The
Anabaptists have also produced catechisms of their own, to explain and defend their distinctives.
Catholic catechisms
The ''
Catechism of the Catholic Church'' (see below) is the catechism that is in most widespread use among Catholics today. It is the official catechism of the Church.
For Catholics, all the canonical books of the Bible (including the
Deuterocanonical books), the
tradition of the Church and the interpretation of these by the
Magisterium
The magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church is the church's authority or office to give authentic interpretation of the Word of God, "whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition." According to the 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Chu ...
(which may be outlined in a catechism, a compendium or a declaration) constitute the complete and best resource for fully attaining to God's revelation to mankind. Catholics believe that sacred scripture and sacred tradition preserved and interpreted by the Magisterium are both necessary for attaining to the fullest understanding of all of God's revelation.
The term ''catechist'' is most frequently used in
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, often to describe a ''lay catechist'' or layperson with catechetical training who engages in such teaching and evangelization. This can be in both parish church and
mission contexts.
List of Notable Catechisms
Other Catechisms
Catechism of Christian Doctrine (or "Penny Catechism")
A question and answer format catechism that was the standard catechetical text in Great Britain in the earlier part of the 20th century. Popularly called the ''Penny Catechism'', as the original version only cost one penny. Various editions of the ''Penny Catechism'' were issued through the century and changes were made to the text.
''Enchiridion symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum''
The ''
'' also known as Enchiridion or Denzinger, is a
compendium
A compendium (plural: compendia or compendiums) is a comprehensive collection of information and analysis pertaining to a body of knowledge. A compendium may concisely summarize a larger work. In most cases, the body of knowledge will concern a s ...
of all basic texts of
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
dogma
Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam ...
and
morality since the
apostles
An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...
. Commissioned by
Pope Pius IX, it has been in use since 1854, and has been updated periodically. It is a compendium of faith, like a catechism. By including all relevant teachings throughout history, it is at the same, more than a catechism. It is a search instrument for theologians, historians and anybody interested in Christian religion. The latest updates of the Enchiridion extend to the teachings of
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
.
The
Archbishop of Baltimore Cardinal
James Gibbons
James Cardinal Gibbons (July 23, 1834 – March 24, 1921) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Vicar of North Carolina from 1868 to 1872, Bishop of Richmond from 1872 to 1877, and as ninth ...
is quoted in earlier versions of the Enchiridion, that every theologian should have always two books at hand, the Holy Bible and this ''Enchiridion''.
Catechism for Filipino Catholics
The Catechism for Filipino Catholics (CFC) is a contextualised and inculturation, inculturated Roman Catholicism in the Philippines, Filipino Catholic catechism prepared by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines and approved by the Holy See. The draft was produced by the Conference's "Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education," and is an update of the late 16th century ''Doctrina Cristiana, Doctrina Christiana en Lengua Espanola Y Tagala'', which was a Spanish language, Hispano-Tagalog language, Tagalog version of the earlier Hispano-Chinese ''Doctrina'' that was the First book of the Spanish Philippines, first book printed in the Philippines using moveable type.
The ''Doctrina Cristiana'' was written in Tagalog (both in a hispanised Latin script and the then-common indigenous Baybayin script), as well as Spanish language in the Philippines, Spanish. Amongst the contents of the ''Doctrina'' are the Spanish alphabet and phonics, basic prayers shown in polyglot (book), both languages – in the case of the Tagalog, using archaic words and Digraphia, both scripts – and a brief catechism in question-and-answer format.
The Catechetical Instructions of St. Thomas Aquinas
The catechetical instructions of Saint Thomas Aquinas were used generally throughout the 13th and 14th centuries as manuals and textbooks for priests and teachers of religion. "The Explanations of St. Thomas," wrote Spirago, "are remarkable for their conciseness and their simplicity of language; they are especially noteworthy because the main parts of the catechetical course of instruction are brought into connection with one another so that they appear as one harmonious whole." The influence of these works is especially prominent in the "Roman Catechism" which the Council of Trent ordered written for parish priests and for all teachers of religion. Many of the explanatory passages in both works are almost identical.
Ignorantia sacerdotum
''Ignorantia Sacerdotum'' are the incipit, first words and the better-known title of ''De Informatione Simplicium'', a catechetical manual drafted by John Peckham, Archbishop Pecham's provincial Council of Lambeth in 1281. It called for the memorisation of the Apostles' Creed, the
Ten Commandments, and the two-fold injunction to Great Commandment, "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart... and thy neighbour as thyself.".
It also emphasised the Seven Virtues, the Seven Deadly Sins, the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church, Sacraments, and the Seven Works of Mercy.
A 1357 translation into English is often called the Lay-Folk's Catechism.
Tradivox
Tradivox (or the Catholic Catechism Index) is a multi-volume book series by Sophia Institute Press, which restores and reprints Catholic #Catholic catechisms, catechisms. Ongoing, it will consist of twenty cross-indexed hardcover volumes upon the series' completion. The project received several endorsements from prominent members of the Catholic clergy & public, including Raymond Leo Burke, Cardinal Burke, Gerhard Ludwig Müller, Cardinal Müller, George Pell, Cardinal Pell, Joseph Strickland, Bishop Strickland, Athanasius Schneider, Bishop Schneider, & theologian Peter Kwasniewski. Schneider also provided a foreword in the hardcover edition of Vol. 1.
Content
Orthodox catechisms
Unlike the Catholic Church there is no teaching
Magisterium
The magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church is the church's authority or office to give authentic interpretation of the Word of God, "whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition." According to the 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Chu ...
in the Orthodox world. Most catechumens are instructed orally by a deacon or priest at the church. Also, there is more emphasis on being taught by simply being in church, and listening to the services. Most Orthodox would refer back to the original writings of the Church Fathers, including the Catechetical Lectures of St.
Cyril of Jerusalem and The Ladder of Divine Ascent. New catechumens would generally be encouraged to read "The Orthodox Church" by Kallistos Ware to get an overview of the Christian faith from an Orthodox perspective before being given more advanced readings.
In recent times, perhaps under influence from the West, a number of catechisms have emerged in the Eastern Orthodox Church such as the Philaret Drozdov, Philaret Catechism, which is entitled, "The Longer Catechism of The Orthodox, Catholic, Eastern Church," iarchive:newstylecatechis0000unse/page/n6, "A new-style catechism on the Eastern Orthodox faith for adults" by Rev. George Mastrantonis, and the more modern "The Orthodox Faith" by Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko. However, presently such catechisms are not widely used.
The Oriental Orthodox Churches rely heavily on the Didascalia Apostolorum. The Ethiopic version is known as the "Ethiopic Didascalia." It is included in the Orthodox Tewahedo biblical canon, and is read from on Sundays. The faith of the Coptic Orthodox Church has historically been evidenced in the lives and sayings of the early desert monks, which was recorded in "The paradise of the holy fathers," s:The Paradise/Volume 1, Volume 1 and s:The Paradise/Volume 2, Volume 2. Recently the Coptic church has used Fr. Tadros Malaty's books, along with Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria's many books, to help lay people better understand their Coptic faith. However, like the Eastern Orthodox church, the faith is mostly expounded in the lives of the saints
and the material recited during the services.
Non-Christian catechisms
Catechisms represent an obvious, practical method of passing on instruction, and as such examples can be found in many traditions. For example, Asiatic schools of esoteric learning also used a catechetical style of instruction, as this Zodiac catechism shows:
Q. "Where is the animal, O Lanoo? and where the Man?
A. Fused into one, O Master of my Life. The two are one. But both have disappeared and naught remains but the deep fire of my desire.
In Zoroastrianism there is the "ČĪDAG ANDARZ Ī PŌRYŌTKĒŠĀN" also known as "Pand-nāmag ī Zardušt" (Book of the counsels of Zoroaster), which is a post-Sasanian compendium of apothegms intended to instruct every Zoroastrian male, upon his attaining the age of fifteen years, in fundamental religious and ethical principles, as well as in the daily duties incumbent upon him. In Robert Charles Zaehner's words, it "sums up succinctly the whole of Zoroastrian doctrine: it is what every boy and girl of fifteen must know before he or she is invested with the sacred girdle ."
Judaism does not have a formal catechism. While there have been several attempts to formulate Jewish principles of faith, and some of these have achieved wide acceptance, none can be described as being in the form of a catechism. The most widely recited formulation, Yigdal, is in the form of a hymn based on Maimonides' 13 Principles of Faith, 13 Articles of Faith.
Bhaktivinoda Thakur's book ''Jaiva Dharma'' is an example of Gaudiya Vaishnava catechism. It follows the usual question-answer format.
In the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism a small bit of catechism appears as the fourth section of the Khuddakapatha, as well as the forty-third and forty-fourth suttas of the Majjhima Nikaya. Henry Steel Olcott introduced his own form of Buddhist Catechism, appropriated from Christianity, to Ceylon when setting up his Buddhist education system during the late 19th century Buddhist revival on the island.
Epicurean catechism may have originated from the practice of writing outlines of Epicurean doctrines for easy memorization. Epicurus' Letter to Herodotus is known as the "Little Epitome" which young students are instructed to memorize, and in antiquity they would move on to more advanced teachings with the "Large Epitome". The 40 Principal Doctrines also serve the role of a catechism. The philosopher Philodemus of Gadara instructed his students to keep an outline of the doctrines on wealth and economics, so that there are additional doctrines that advanced students may focus on.
Islam teaches children and new Muslims the matters of faith, worship, and ethics in the form of a concise manual. They are popular in Turkish language, Turkish as ' (from the Arabic ''Ilm ul-Hal'', Situation Science). It is also advised for every Muslim to have a basic knowledge of such matters of religion. The first chapter is the book of cleanliness and first to be taught are subjects such as: which are clean, what is clean and what is not clean, what people need to be cleansed from, how they should clean, and which water should they use to clean.
Secular catechisms
In the past, catechisms were written to rehearse the basic knowledge of a non-religious subject. Examples include numerous political catechisms published from the 18th to the 20th century in Europe as well as in North and South America. See also the ''Catechism of the History of Newfoundland'' (c1856), the ''Coal Catechism'' (1898), and ''A Catechism of the Steam Engine'' (1856).
"Elementary catechism on the Constitution of the United States" Arthur J. Stansbury (1828), "Catechism of the Constitution of the United States" Lewis Cruger (1863) and "A Catechism of the Constitution of the United States of America" John V. Overall. Friedrich Engels' 1847 work ''Principles of Communism'' was written as a catechism: Engels subsequently decided that the format was not suited to the addition of historical material which he felt was necessary, and he and Karl Marx restructured the material and used it as the nucleus of ''The Communist Manifesto''.
Some literary works have also taken the form of a catechism. The 17th episode of James Joyce's novel ''Ulysses (novel), Ulysses'', known as "Ithaca", is written in the form of a catechism, as is Ted Hughes' poem ''Examination at the Womb Door'', from the collection ''Crow (poetry), Crow''.
In Henry IV, Part 1: Act V, Scene I, Line 141 Falstaff refers to his monologue as a catechism, explaining his view of the virtue of honor.
See also
* Catechesis
* ''Spiritual Milk for Boston Babes''
References
Citations
Sources
* Haemig, Mary Jane (2014)
''Catechisms''EGO – European History Online Mainz
Institute of European History retrieved: 17 March 2021
pdf.
* Luther, Martin; Lenker, John Nicholas
''Luther's two catechisms explained by himself, in six classic writings'' Minneapolis, Minn., The Luther Press, 1908 – Google Books
* Palmer, Roland F.; McCausland, John G. ''The Catechist's Handbook; and, The Church's Guide: Teaching the Canadian [Anglican] Church Catechism to Children and to Older Persons'' (Bracebridge, Ont.: Society of Saint John the Evangelist, 1962).
Notes
External links
Catechism of the Catholic Churchfrom the official website of the Vatican
reprint of the 1583 edition, published by The Chetham Society in 1885
From Christian Classics Ethereal Library
From Christian Classics Ethereal Library
From Christian Classics Ethereal Library
by John Bourne
CatechismClassan interactive tool developed to provide the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Baltimore Catechism, and other Catholic catechisms in an integrated format
Series of essays explaining Catechism of the Catholic Church
{{Authority control
Catechisms,
Christian religious objects
Christian education
Christian genres
Christian terminology