The catechist in the first centuries of the christian era
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If we explore the conceptions of catechesis and its transmitter, the catechist, in the works of the Fathers of the Church, it is first and foremost the name of Augustine that comes to mind. His De catechizandis rudibus or the On catechizing beginners, written in AD 399 or AD 400, is the oldest model catechism for the Latin world and the fruit of Augustine’s own experience. Another of his works, the De Doctrina Christiana (AD 396-426), likewise contains advice on how to teach. Thus, among the Fathers we also find ‘mystagogical catechisms’. Mystagogy (myst-agô) is the translation of a Greek word whose literal meaning is ‘leading, bringing into the mystery’, an initiation to the mysteries of the faith. It urged those who had been called to receive the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist, the principal liturgical practices, to discover the meaning of what they had celebrated and received : a practice that was to continue throughout the lives of believers.
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