John the Deacon ('' fl.'' 500) was a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

in the Church of Rome during the

pontificate The pontificate is the form of government used in Vatican City. The word came to English from French and simply means ''papacy'', or "to perform the functions of the Pope or other high official in the Church". Since there is only one bishop of Ro ...

Pope Symmachus Pope Symmachus (died 19 July 514) was the bishop of Rome from 22 November 498 to his death. His tenure was marked by a serious schism over who was elected pope by a majority of the Roman clergy. Early life He was born on the Mediterranean islan ...

(498–514). He is known only from an

epistle An epistle (; el, ἐπιστολή, ''epistolē,'' "letter") is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as par ...

he wrote to a Senarius, a ''

vir illustris The title ''vir illustris'' ('illustrious man') is used as a formal indication of standing in late antiquity to describe the highest ranks within the senates of Rome and Constantinople. All senators had the title ''vir clarissimus'' ('very famous ...

'' who had asked him to explain aspects of Christian initiatory practice. John's response provides a "rather full description" of the catechumenal process and initiation rites at

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

at the beginning of the 6th century. He covers prebaptismal

exorcism Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...

s; the ritual use of salt;See also Tridentine Mass of the Catechumens. the

anointing Anointing is the ritual act of pouring aromatic oil over a person's head or entire body. By extension, the term is also applied to related acts of sprinkling, dousing, or smearing a person or object with any perfumed oil, milk, butter, or oth ...

of the ears, nostrils, and breast of the candidate; the use of milk and honey for

first communion First Communion is a ceremony in some Christian traditions during which a person of the church first receives the Eucharist. It is most common in many parts of the Latin Church tradition of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church and Anglican Communi ...

; ritual nudity and immersion; special white clothing for the newly baptized; and the need for even infants to undergo the process, saying that

Sources

* Maxwell E. Johnson, ''The Rites of Christian Initiation: Their Evolution and Interpretation''. Liturgical Press, 2nd ed. 2007, pp. 164–168.

Notes

External links

*For an English translation of a portion of John's letter, see Maxwell E. Johnson, ''The Rites of Christian Initiation'' pp. 165ff., limited previe
online.
Deacons 6th-century Christian clergy {{Christianity-bio-stub