CATECHETICAL SCHOOLS. 



dem times, and Rosenmuller, Dinter, Schmid, Wol- 

 rath, Doltz, GrafTe, Daub, Winter, Heinrich Muller, 

 and otliers, have particularly distinguished themselves 

 by their writings upon it. 



CATECHETICAL SCHOOLS ; institutions for 

 the elementary education of Christian teachers, of 

 which there were many in the Eastern church from 

 the second to the fifth century. They were different 

 from catechumenical schools, which were attached 

 to almost every church, and which were intended 

 only for the popular instruction of proselytes, and of 

 the children of Christians ; whereas the catechetical 

 schools were intended to communicate a scientific 

 knowledge of Christianity. The first and most re- 

 nowned was established about the middle of the se- 

 cond century, for the Egyptian church at Alexandria, 

 on the model of the famous schools of Grecian learn- 

 ing in that place. (See Alexandrian School.) Teach- 

 ers like Pantoenus, Clement, and Origen, gave them 

 splendour and secured their permanence. They com- 

 bined instruction in rhetoric and oratory, in classical 

 Grecian literature, and the Eclectic philosophy, with 

 the principal branches of theological study, exegesis, 

 the doctrines of religion, and the traditions of the 

 church; distinguished the popular religious belief 

 from the Gnosis, or the thorough knowledge of reli- 

 gion; established Christian theology as a science, 

 and finally attacked the dreams of the Chiliasts (be- 

 lievers in a millennium) ; but, by blending Greek 

 speculations and Gnostic phantasies with the doc- 

 trines of the church, by an allegorical interpretation 

 of the Bible, and the assumption of a secret sense in 

 the Scriptures, different from the literal, contributed 

 to the corruption of Christianity. The distraction of 

 the Alexandrian church by the Arian controversies 

 proved the destruction of the catechetical schools in 

 that place, about the middle of the fourth century. 

 The catechetical school at Antioch appears not to 

 have been a permanent institution, like the Alexan- 

 drian, but only to liave been formed around distin- 

 guished teachers, when there happened to be any in 

 the place. There were some distinguished teachers 

 in Antioch, about the year 220. We have no certain 

 information, however, of the theological teachers in 

 that place, such as Lucian, Diodorus of Tarsus, and 

 Theodore of Mopsuestia, until the latter part of the 

 fourth century. These teachers were distinguished 

 from the Alexandrian by more sober views of Chris- 

 tianity, by confining themselves to the literal inter- 

 pretation of the Bible, by a cautious use of the types 

 of the Old Testament, and by a bolder discussion of 

 doctrines. The Nestorian and Eutychian controversies, 

 in the fifth century, drew after them the ruin of the 

 schools at Antioch. Of a similar character were the 

 catechetical school instituted at Edessa, in the third 

 century, and destroyed in 489, and the school after- 

 wards established at Nisibis, by the Nestorians, in its 

 stead; both of which were in Mesopotamia. To these 

 catechetical schools succeeded, at a later date, the 

 cathedral and monustic schools, especially among the 

 Western Christians, who, as late as the sixth century, 

 made use of the heathen schools, and had never es- 

 tablished catechetical schools even at Rome. See 

 Schools 



CATECHISM ; a book which contains the prin- 

 ciples and first instructions to be communicated in 

 any branch of knowledge, particularly in religion. 

 In modern times, the word has been applied more 

 freely than formerly. Thus we see catechisms of 

 chemistry, history, and, in France, catechism des gens 

 de lor. sens (a satire), catechism du ton ton, &c. The 

 woid is derived from the Greek xarnxiu, I sound, 

 i. e., into the ears of the person to be instructed. 

 The word, however, is chiefly used to denote the 

 books that contain the religious instruction which 



any sect deems most important to be taught to the 

 children and the people, in a popular and easy form, 

 generally in the form of question and answer. In 

 the Catholic church, each bishop has the right to 

 make a catechism for his diocese. But, in modern 

 times, their catechisms are generally a pretty close 

 copy of the one drawn up by the council of Trent, of 

 which an English translation was published in Lon- 

 don (1687), " permissu superiorum," under the pa- 

 tronage of James II. Among Protestants, the cate- 

 chism of Luther acquired great celebrity, and still 

 continues to be used by many clergymen in Germany, 

 where regular instruction in religion, during a certain 

 period prescribed by law, must precede the confirma- 

 tion, which takes place between the thirteenth year 

 of age and the seventeenth. Clergymen, however, 

 in some parts of that country, have been allowed to 

 publish and use their own catechisms ; and it is a 

 matter of no little interest, to observe how the many 

 different philosophical schools of Germany have in- 

 fluenced the tone of the catechisms by their various 

 systems of morals, &c. Some, which we have seen, 

 were books of 300 pages, and rather philosophical 

 systems, supported by numerous quotations from the 

 Bible, than simple catechisms. Such catechisms, 

 however, are going out of use. 



The catechetical mode of giving instructions in 

 Christianity had mucli declined previous to the refor- 

 mation, when it was revived, and numerous cate- 

 chisms sprung up. The proper preparation of sucli 

 manuals, the communication of religious and moral 

 instruction in a short compass and a simple form, is 

 a thing of no small difficulty. In England, soon after 

 the reformed religion was established there, a short 

 catechism was introduced, consisting of the creed, 

 the Lord's prayer, and the decalogue, to which a few 

 cautious, explanatory passages were added, about 

 1549, it is supposed by archbishop Cranmer. "A Shorte 

 Catechisme or Playne Instruction, conteynynge the 

 Summe of Christian Learninge, sett fourth by the 

 King's Maiesties Authoritie for all Scholemaisters to 

 teach," was the work which closed the labours of 

 the reformers in the reign of Edward VI., whose 

 name it commonly bears. It was printed both in La- 

 tin and in English, in 1553, and may feirly be con- 

 sidered as containing the sense of the church of Eng- 

 land then establishes. The catechism of the English 

 church now hi use is drawn up, after the primitive 

 manner, by way of question and answer. The ques- 

 tions and answers relative to the sacraments were 

 subjoined to it, at the revision of the liturgy, in the 

 first year of James I. As now extant, it consists of 

 five parts, viz. : 1. the doctrine of the Christian co- 

 venant; 2. the articles of belief; 3. the command- 

 ments ; 4. the duty and efficacy of prayer ; and 5. 

 the nature and end of the holy sacraments. 



The catechism of the church of Scotland is that 

 agreed upon by the Assembly of Divines at West- 

 minster, with the assistance of commissioners from 

 the church of Scotland, and approved of by the Ge- 

 neral Assembly in the year 1648. What is called 

 the Shorter Catechism, is merely an abridgment of 

 the Larger, and is the one in most common use. 



Calvin wrote a catechism, as Luther did ; but that 

 of the former has not enjoyed so much popularity, 

 nor been translated into so many languages, as that 

 of the latter. 



In France, the catechisms of later times exhibit 

 plain marks of piliiical influence. The catechism of 

 Napoleon, in its tenth chapter, explicitly states in 

 what light he and his family were to be regarded. 

 This celebrated chapter has generally been thought 

 scandalous, though it was approved, after a fashion, 

 by the papal nuncio. Most of the catechisms pnl>- 

 ushed since 1814 are equally scandalous, because 



