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As you know, the Divine Liturgy is divided into two parts. The first part is called “Liturgy of the Catechumens”, the second - “Liturgy of the Faithful”. At the very end of the first part, the words of the deacon are heard: “Depart from the catechumens...” Who are the “catechumens,” and why are they given importance at the Liturgy? special treatment, so important that the first part of it bears their name?

The word “catechumen” in the Church Slavonic language does not have the meaning that the modern one gives it. colloquial. There is an opinion that the current ironic meaning of this word arose because in the ancient Church the “catechumens” - people preparing for baptism - very emotionally (“out loud”) expressed their joy about their future entry into the church community.

However, another point of view seems more correct, which, in particular, is proposed by the Missionary Department Orthodox Church. In ancient times, anyone who wished to be baptized came to the bishop and declared his intention. In turn, the bishop “announced” his name in the church, that is, he said loudly, for example: “God’s servant Vasily wishes to accept holy baptism" The name of the future member of the Church was written down on a special list for daily commemoration, and from that day the community began to pray for him.

If we compare the Sacrament of Baptism with the birth of a person into spiritual life, then the “catechumen” can be likened to the period when a mother carries a child under her heart. We call Mother the Church itself, which step by step (through conversations with the priest, participation in worship, in community affairs) prepares a person to receive the Sacrament.

It must be said that in ancient times the “catechumens” were divided into several groups, depending on the degree of spiritual preparation. Some were called “overwhelmed,” that is, “overwhelmed by passions.” Then came the “falling”, “listening” and “enlightened”, who were already allowed into the church for the Liturgy, although not to the end, but until those very words: “The catechumens, go out (come out).”

The catechumens stood in the vestibule of the temple, near the doors. Hearing these words, they humbly left, patiently awaiting the greatest holiday for them, when after the Sacrament of Baptism they would be allowed to attend the Liturgy until the end.

So, it is not at all correct to understand that there was a certain ironic, unkind attitude towards the “catechumens”. On the contrary, even the first part of the Liturgy is named after them! The Church prayed for their enlightenment and waited for the appointed day, like a mother waiting for the birth of a child! This is clearly reflected in the words of the deacon: “The faithful (that is, the faithful) let us pray for the catechumens, that the Lord may have mercy on them,” “he will announce them with the word of Truth,” “he will reveal to them the Gospel of Truth,” “he will unite them with His holy Council (which includes the truly believers of all times and peoples) and the Apostles of the Church,” “save, have mercy, intercede and preserve them, O God, by Your grace.”

Why, at the end of the Liturgy of the Catechumens, does the deacon insistently pronounce three times: “Depart from the catechumens (who) are the catechumens,” “depart from the catechumens,” “depart from the catechumens”? It is believed that the catechumens cannot yet participate in the Eucharist. After all, you can renounce sin and begin the path to God, with the help of God’s Grace, only by receiving baptism.

Meanwhile, the Liturgy continues, and it is already called the Liturgy of the Faithful.
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Baptism is one of the seven Sacraments of the Church, in which a person puts on Christ, dies to a sinful life and is resurrected into a new spiritual life. An adult, taught by the bitter experience of life without God and desiring life according to the Gospel, as a rule, approaches the Sacrament of Baptism thoughtfully and with reverence. But there are few of them. The vast majority of newly baptized people today are small children, whose parents and successors have very little idea of ​​what important step are going to commit. Alas, for many of our compatriots who consider themselves Orthodox, the baptism of a child becomes the first, but also the last step on the path to becoming a church member. That is why of the seventy percent of Russians who call themselves Orthodox Christians in opinion polls, only two to four percent are truly church people. In order to correct this abnormal situation, when baptism is performed mainly on those who do not have faith, starting from 2011, everyone who wants to be baptized or baptize their children must undergo mandatory public conversations.

Five years have passed since the introduction of public conversations. Have they become the means that help people find their way to God and the Church? To understand this, the correspondent of “Orthodox Faith” attended several such conversations in the Church of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Methodius and Cyril at Saratov State University.

Freebie, come?

A priest who conducts public conversations faces a difficult task: in one and a half to two hours, he can tell people whom he sees for the first—and perhaps the last—time in his life about the fundamentals of the Christian faith. But first of all, he must understand for what purpose these people came. It would seem that the goal is obvious: they want their child to become a child of the Church and come to God. In reality, unfortunately, not everything is so rosy.

All those who come have a prepared – “pious” in their understanding – answer to the question: “Why are you here?” As a rule, they say that they want their son or daughter to become closer to God, to become Christians like our ancestors, to receive protection from above, and to gain faith. But for some reason the priest does not accept this answer and continues to ask: what does it mean, in your opinion, to “be closer to God”, what does it mean to “gain faith”? What does the word “faith” mean for you personally?

It must be said that the meetings I attended turned out differently. In one case, contact was quickly established between the rector of the church, Archpriest Kirill Krasnoshchekov, and the audience. The dialogue developed easily, and the priest was able to tell a lot about what the Orthodox Sacraments are, why churches are built (no, not at all to light candles in them, but to celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharist), to acquaint the listeners with the how baptism was performed during the era of persecution of Christians, explain why a recipient is needed (not at all to give gifts on name days, but to vouch for a new member of the Church, to testify to the community that baptism is performed with serious intentions). Father managed to touch upon even such a delicate issue as understanding sin in modern society. This was one of the most difficult moments of the meeting. The people who came here are not yet ready to be asked about their sins directly, as happens in confession. But this issue cannot be passed over in silence, because the concept of sin and the norm, even among baptized people today, is blurred. Father Kirill very briefly and as if by chance, without addressing anyone in particular, listed all the most common sins today that prevent a person from entering church life. One of those present easily admitted: “There was a case, father, I was a sinner, I lived in prodigal cohabitation, but now the marriage is registered.”

The second conversation was more dramatic. A wall of alienation immediately arose between the listeners and the priest, which could not be overcome.

During the conversation, it turns out that one of those present in last time he confessed and received communion ten years ago at the age of fifteen, and then, in fact, left the Church, but he does not see this as any obstacle to baptizing his son. The story is generally ordinary. I went to church when I was a child—my relatives took me there—and then I grew up and “changed my priorities.”

— Why did you stop going to church?

Father Kirill is forced to ask this unpleasant, direct question, and his interlocutor goes on the offensive:

“I stopped going to church because of the behavior of some clergy.

The person is offended and withdraws into himself.

The future godmother, a student at one of the Saratov universities, cannot formulate an answer to the question of what it means to her personally to be a believer.

-Well, I just believe... And God helps me, for example, when I need to pass an exam.

“Or maybe it’s better to teach it properly?” And then some students put their record book in the window and shout: “Freebie, come!” They say it helps too. How, then, does faith in God differ from faith in freebies?

The girl is silent. An older lady joins the conversation. For her, faith is the intellectual conviction that Jesus really existed.

-But, as the Apostle James said, and the demons believe and tremble(see: James. 2, 19). Does this mean that demons are believers? Does the fact that they know about the presence of God change them in any way? - asks Father Kirill.

-Well, it depends on the person himself.

—That’s right, so faith is not only the conviction that God exists. It is also a willingness to live by faith. What does it mean for you to live by faith?

-Keep the commandments...

-What commandments do you know?

-Love your neighbor, do not kill, do not steal.

- It's right. But in order not to kill or steal, it is not necessary to believe in Christ, it is enough to honor the Criminal Code. But loving your neighbor is close... But here’s the question: who is our neighbor? Whom should we love?

- My neighbors are my family... Friends.

-No, you don’t need to be a Christian at all to love your loved ones. And atheists love their children, their parents. We don't need God to respond love to love. And God is needed in order to keep another commandment: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who use you and persecute you.(Matt. 5 , 44). It is impossible to fulfill this commandment without God.

After the conversation, listeners behave differently. Someone approaches the priest with personal questions. If such questions arise in a person, this is already big victory. Someone lingers at the candle box to buy a shirt and cross for the future godson, and to look at books. Someone leaves the temple in obvious irritation “at the priest,” who, instead of giving them a certificate and letting them go in peace, “reads morals.”

These conversations are not easy for a priest either. Looking at Father Kirill, you might think that he didn’t talk to people, but unloaded a truck. I ask the priest: what kind of people come to public conversations? What motivates them: genuine interest? Or are they simply following instructions?

-50 to 50. In half of the cases we manage to reach people. There are absolutely amazing moments when people at their first confession ( God-parents and the parents of the baby must confess and receive communion before the Sacrament of Baptism. — Auto.) sincerely talk about their desire to join the church. Of course, not everyone has the strength for this, and we do not see all of them in our church. But there is hope that they will come in a few years. The main thing is that the seed has been sown, and one can hope that someday it will sprout. There are other situations: people sit through the first conversation with stone-faced faces and don’t come to the second.

The priest has the right to refuse baptism when he sees that it is performed for reasons that have nothing to do with the Orthodox faith, if a person continues to persist in his delusion and is not going to change his life. Although much more often such people simply leave and never return.

Baptized, but not knowing about Christ

The conversation shows that future godparents are very poorly prepared for their role. None of those present had read the Gospel; They have almost no even background knowledge, which it would seem that every person who grew up reading Russian literature should have. And the priest’s question: “Who do you think Jesus Christ is?” - confuses people. It is clear that they do not understand the very formulation of the problem, that they are thinking about who Christ is for the first time. And those who are trying to get out, based on what they briefly read on the Internet or heard on TV, give an answer that is incompatible with the confession of the Orthodox faith: Christ is a person chosen by God to carry out a certain mission. What exactly this mission is, Father Kirill does not even risk asking them.

This does not mean, of course, that we are faced with convinced heretics. These people simply never thought about such complex things. And although today it is possible, as they say, “in one click” to obtain all the necessary information about the basics of Orthodox doctrine, they, apparently, simply did not have the need to do this.

“Issues related to the confession of faith are very complex,” says Father Kirill. “And if a person has not thought about this before, it will be very difficult for him to express his thoughts, explain his feelings. Of course, we must take into account that people who come to public conversations have different education, not necessarily higher education. Therefore, the task of conversations, as I imagine it, is not to test people’s knowledge, but to awaken interest in them, to show them that they know nothing about their faith, but should find out. Most of the future godparents who come to the conversations were baptized in the early 90s of the last century, when there were few churches, there were not enough priests, and several dozen people were baptized at a time. This wave is called the “Second Baptism of Rus'”. Indeed, Rus' underwent a second Baptism, but churching did not occur. The task that faces us today is an internal mission aimed at churching already baptized people. I don’t know of a better motivation for this than public conversations. There is enormous missionary potential in these conversations, because it a rare case when people need something important from the priest and they are, in principle, ready to listen to him. And even if the conversation develops in an unexpected way for them, they do not refuse the idea of ​​baptizing the child. This means that you can continue to dialogue with them.

Work on mistakes

The second of the obligatory public conversations is devoted to how the Sacrament of Baptism will take place. It is conducted by the cleric of the temple, priest Andrei Solodko. Those who come to the second conversation must have completed “ homework": read at least one of the Gospels and prepare for confession and Communion. Father Andrei asks: “Did you manage?” It turns out that no one read the Gospel. Two people are ready for confession and Communion. The rest referred to being busy. This shouldn't be surprising. Even parishioners with many years of church experience sometimes find it difficult to overcome their own spiritual relaxation and lukewarmness. What can we say about those who come to the temple from time to time! It would not be an exaggeration to say that confession and Communion are a feat for them.

And yet it is clear that the previous conversation with Father Kirill was not in vain for them. Now, when asked who Jesus Christ is, they answer more confidently: perfect God and perfect Man. Of course, to say that these conversations completely revealed the world of the Orthodox faith for them would be self-deception. The best result that can be counted on is that for the first time these people will think about what it means to be a believer, that God is serious, and the temple is not a store that sells our national amulets.

The main desire

The priests say that two public conversations are catastrophically not enough. After all, let’s say, in the 3rd century, catechumens attended Christian services for several years before they were admitted to the Sacrament of Baptism. But the realities today are such that it is difficult for future godparents to find time for even two conversations.

We were interested to know what impressions those who went through at least this stage of preparation had.

—I realized that I am still very far from calling myself Orthodox Christian,- says Sergei. “I don’t know anything about my faith at all.” I have a child to baptize in a week, but I’m not at all ready. How can I vouch for little man, become his mentor?

But there are people for whom public conversations became the beginning of real churching.

“The church tradition in our family was not interrupted,” says Margarita, a parishioner of the church in the name of Saints Methodius and Cyril. “Dad taught me the basics of faith, but he did not insist that I go to church, confess and receive communion, giving me complete freedom. And it so happened that I only went into churches, observing what was happening there from the outside. It was difficult for me to approach the priest and talk to him frankly about my life - I was simply afraid. It was the public conversation that I attended at the church in the name of Saints Methodius and Cyril, Equal-to-the-Apostles, before the baptism of my child that helped me remove this barrier. I liked that the priest (this was the rector of the church, Father Kirill) did not give a lecture about what I already knew, but asked me surprisingly precise and correct questions about my life. Everything immediately fell into place. The priest’s questions awakened my conscience, and then it told me what to do to be closer to God. Father also explained to me what a church means in the life of a believer. And I realized that there is no need to travel around different churches, I need to choose one temple that will become my home. And now, when I am a parishioner of the church where the public conversations took place, and I already know many people here, I really feel that the church is not just a place where you can go from time to time, but it is an important, if not the main, part of my life .

“I was always drawn to church, but when I entered the church, I felt bad there,” Larisa, a parishioner of the same church, picks up the conversation. “It was getting dark before my eyes.” Once, in front of me, a girl’s fur coat caught fire. Something in the church always frightened me and it was as if something was not letting me into it. And my first experience of participating in a public conversation, which I attended as a future godmother, was not very successful. Father probably wanted to shake us up, but it turned out that he scared us. He said that we are all sinners, that we are threatened with death and hellish torment. After that I refused to be a godmother. But after some time, my sister and I went for a conversation in another church, where they were led by a priest with whom I studied at a secular university. And this time everything was different. My fears are gone. I began to prepare for confession and Communion. The first confession became for me serious test. She was received by the same priest who scared me at the first public conversation, although he served in another church, and I never expected to see him here. But during confession, he revealed a completely different side: he listened to me carefully and supported me. And from that moment on, I began to go to church regularly. Not everything is easy for me, but everything can be overcome with God’s help. Three years have passed since I first crossed the threshold of the temple, I still don’t know a lot about our faith, but I am learning - constantly.

At every Liturgy we hear the words “Catechumens, come forth!”, after which the Liturgy of the Faithful begins. What is needed so that after some time the catechumens join the ranks of the faithful, so that, having left the temple after the catechumen conversation, they want to return?

Father Kirill believes that the main thing is public conversations- not to provide those who come with a certain set of facts, but to form in them a correct understanding of what they are doing.

—Baptism is not a private requirement. It is wrong to say: “We want to baptize our child,” but it is correct: “We want our child to be accepted as a member of the Church.” And, of course, a lot depends on who is conducting the conversation, how he approaches it - formally or not. I never cease to be amazed by the experience of the apostles. How were they able to create church communities throughout the Roman Empire within a few decades? Moreover, these communities were formed from people who broke ties with the faith of their ancestors, often became outcasts in society and family, and were persecuted. And the Church grew by leaps and bounds! This, of course, is only possible by the Holy Spirit, Who acted probably more vividly than in our days. And absolute selflessness. As the Apostle Paul said: I became everything to everyone in order to save at least some(1 Cor. 9, 22).

Newspaper "Orthodox Faith" No. 12 (560)

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.

Speaking in specific terms modern sense about these issues, 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 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, speaking 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 foundations of the Orthodox faith, there were entire educational establishments. 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. Do we really want to fall from it and return again to worms, to death and corruption, when the 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. For all that, they undoubtedly belonged to the Church (although externally, in the words of St. fathers, were on the threshold of the Church), were considered 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 Church and Apostolic Church, saved, interceded and preserved with His 6 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 those converting to mature age catechumens, as such, into Christianity, 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.” Other, no less important reason 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 the interpretation of this Nicaean rule, Aristin says: “There are two kinds of announced, some have just entered (οί μέν γάρτι προirmνται), while others that 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, the catechumens usually remained for three years (Apostolic Constitutions, VIII, 32), although this time could be shortened or extended in accordance with zeal and behavior of this person. 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 Christian teaching was extensively expounded and especially the symbol was explained in 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 (competentes) 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.”

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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 she was born new religion- Christianity, people approached the issue of accepting this faith very seriously. For all converts it was a difficult and sometimes dangerous choice, a complete change 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 you get baptized new faith, future members of the community went through a rather impressive probationary period. At 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 was delayed for long 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 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, at the First Ecumenical Council it was specially agreed not to admit into the community without 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 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. IN middle part the temple where the faithful prayed, they were not allowed.

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 early church re-baptism was discouraged. 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 than that- 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 go through.

There would be a desire

When the Christian Church became dominant, the need for the catechumen 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 the rite of confirmation 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 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