How long was the teaching phase of the catechumens?

Registering the names of catechumens who wish to be baptized at the beginning of Lent and examining them did not mean that that was when their relationship with the Church began. Prior to this, they often stayed under the patronage of the Church for three years,¹³¹⁵ during which they proceeded from one order to the next, until the Church was assured of their good intentions, sincerity in seeking salvation, dedication to the faith, and godliness. Only then could they move on to the last stage of the catechumenate which is that of the candidate for baptism. The pace of this transition varied from one person to another, according to each person’s zeal, and their level of prior knowledge of the faith. In the Apostolic Tradition of St. Hippolytus , “If someone is truly zealous, he should be accepted. Time does not matter as much as the conduct.”¹³¹⁶

The three stages of the catechumenate were the following:

1312 PG 46:417B.

1313 Hippolytus of Rome, The Treatise On the Apostolic Tradition of St. Hippolytus of Rome, Bishop and Martyr , trans., Gregory Dix and Henry Chadwick (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1968) 2.16.1–2, 4, 6: pp. 23–24. 1314

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures Procatechesis 1–2 (NPNF II/7:1) amended. 1315

See the Constitutions of the Holy Apostles 8.4.32 (ANF 7:495).

1316

Hippolytus of Rome, The Treatise On the Apostolic Tradition of St. Hippolytus of Rome, Bishop and Martyr , trans., Gregory Dix and Henry Chadwick (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1968) 2.17.2: p. 28.

• a. The Hearers : These were allowed to attend sermons and listen to some chapters from Scripture before the deacon asked them to leave.¹³¹⁷

• b. The Prostrates : These were entitled to attend the Liturgy of the Word and listen to the scripture readings, sermon, and a special prayer of the catechumens,¹³¹⁸ which was part of the litanies prayed after the sermon; after which they received the laying on of hands for blessing while bowing down (i.e., while prostrate).

• c. Baptism Candidates : These were called the “enlightened” or those who are ready for baptism.

The Church was not rigid and allowed catechumens in any stage to receive the baptism if they were in mortal danger, as St. Basil mentions in his letter to the bereaved wife of Arintheus, the Roman general whose wife arranged for him to be baptized just before he died.¹³¹⁹ St. Epiphanius of Salamis says that a catechumen who believes in the resurrection from the dead and has this hope is in his heart, should be baptized if he was in danger of death so that his hope may not be lost. In any case, the Great Lent was the period in which the catechumens were taught daily. Egeria the pilgrim says, “It is the custom here for those who want to get baptized to come every day during the Great Lent.”

During times of fasting, St. Cyril of Jerusalem says, “let the men when sitting have a useful book; and let one read, and another listen: and if there be no book, let one pray, and another speak something useful. And again let the party of young women sit together in like manner, either singing or reading quietly, so that their lips speak, but others’ ears catch not the sound … And let the married woman also follow the same example and pray; and let her lips move, but her voice be unheard, that a Samuel may come, and your barren soul give birth to the salvation of God who has heard your prayer; for this is the interpretation of the name Samuel.”¹³²⁰