Bad Advertisement?
Are you a Christian?
Online Store:Visit Our Store
| Special Preparation for Baptism.
PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP 
Chapter
III.—Special Preparation for Baptism.
§ 1. Penitence. The
candidate for Baptism, having been duly admitted and registered, was
required not only to be diligent in attending the course of
Catechetical instruction119
| 119 Procat. §
9: “Let thy feet haste to the Catechisings,” §
10: “Abide thou in the Catechisings: though our
discourse be long, let not thy mind be wearied out.” Cf.
Cat. i. 5. | , but also to enter at
once upon a course of strict devotion and penitential discipline.
“Those who are coming to Baptism,” says Tertullian,
“must be constantly engaged in prayers, fastings, kneelings, and
watchings, together with confession of all past faults120
| 120 De
Baptismo, c. 20. Cf. Justin M. Apol. I. c. 61;
Const. Apost. vii. 22. | .”
On these subjects Cyril’s teaching is
earnest, wise, and sympathetic: he seeks to lead to repentance by
gentle persuasion, and pleads for self-discipline as needful for the
good of the soul121
| 121 Compare his
teaching on Prayer, Procat. § 16; Cat. ix. 7: and on
Fasting Cat. iv. 27, 37; xviii. 17. | . One whole
Lecture is devoted to the necessity of thorough repentance for all past
sins, and forgiveness of all offences122
: another
to the sure efficacy of repentance for the remission of sins123
.
§ 2. Confession.
᾽Εξομολόγησις.
Great stress is laid by Cyril on the necessity not only of sincere
inward repentance, but also of open confession. The words
ἐξομολογεῖσθαι,
ἐξομολόγησις
have a twofold meaning and a wide application.
(1.) In the Septuagint they occur very frequently,
especially in the Psalms, in the sense of “giving thanks or
praise” (Heb. הדוּה)124
, a meaning which is also found in the New
Testament125
. Perhaps the
earliest instance in an Ecclesiastical writer is in Hermas,
Mandat. X. iii. 2: ἐξομολογούμενος
τῷ θεῷ. I have not found any
instance of this meaning in Cyril.
S. Chrysostom, commenting on the words,
“I will give thanks unto Thee, O Lord126
,” says, “There are two kinds of
exomologesis; for it is either a condemnation of our own sins or
a giving of thanks to God.” The link between these two
ideas is seen in Joshua’s exhortation to Achan, My son, give,
I pray thee, glory to the Lord, the God of
Israel, and make confession127
unto
Him. R.V. Margin. Or, give praise.
(2.) In the sense of
“confessing” sins, the Verb is not uncommon in the
N.T.128
| 128 Matt. iii. 6; Mark i. 5; James iii.
16. | , and in the early Fathers129
| 129 Irenæus, I.
xiii. § 5; III. iv. § 3; Clem. Alex. Protrept. ii.
§ 41: ἐξομολογοῦνται
οἱ δαίμονες
τὴν
γαστριμαργίαν
τὴν αὑτῶν. | . Tertullian adopts the Greek word, and
calls exomologesis “the handmaid of repentance130
| 130 De
Pœnitentia, c. xii. | ,” adding that it will extinguish the
fire of Gehenna in the heart, being a second remedy for sin, after
Baptism.
Again, speaking of the outward act of repentance, he
says: “This act, which is more usually expressed and
commonly spoken of under a Greek name, is ἐξομολόγησις, whereby we confess our sins to the Lord, not indeed as if He were
ignorant of them, but inasmuch as by confession satisfaction is
appointed, and of confession repentance is born, and God appeared by
repentance. Accordingly exomologesis is a discipline for
man’s prostration and humiliation, enjoining a demeanour
calculated to move mercy. With regard also to the very dress and
food, it commands (the penitent) to lie in sackcloth and ashes…to
know no food and drink but such as is plain,—to feed prayers on
fastings, to groan, to weep and roar (mugire) unto the Lord God;
to roll before the feet of the presbyters, and kneel to God’s
dear ones, to enjoin on all the brethren embassies of intercession on
his behalf. All this exomologesis does, that it may
enhance repentance131
| 131 De
Pœnitentia, c. ix. | ,
&c.”
In this highly rhetorical description of the
ecclesiastical discipline so dear to Tertullian there are many features
of extreme severity to which Cyril makes no allusion; yet he frequently
and very earnestly insists on the necessity and the efficacy of
confession. “The present is the season of confession:
confess what thou hast done in word or in deed, by night or by day;
confess in an acceptable time, and in the day of salvation
receive the heavenly treasure132
”
“Tell the Physician thine ailment: say thou also, like
David, I said, I will confess me my sin unto the Lord ; and the same shall be done in thy case, which
he says forthwith, and Thou forgavest the wickedness of my
heart133
.” “
Seest thou the humility of the king? Seest thou his
confession?.…The deed was quickly done, and straightway the
Prophet appeared as accuser, and the offender confessed his fault; and
because he candidly confessed, he received a most speedy cure134
.”
“Ezekias prevailed to the cancelling of
God’s decree, and cannot Jesus grant remission of sins?
Turn and bewail thyself, shut thy door, and pray to be forgiven, pray
that He may remove from thee the burning flames. For confession
has power to quench even fire, power to tame even lions135
| 135 Cat. ii. 15. For
similar statements, see Cat. i. 2; ii. 19, 20, &c. | .”
The confession to which Cyril attaches so high a
value, whether made in the privacy of solitude, or openly before the
Ministers of the Church and the Congregation, is a confession to God,
and not to man. “Having therefore, brethren, many examples
of those who have sinned and repented and been saved, do ye also
heartily make confession unto the Lord136
.” Elsewhere he expressly
disclaims the necessity of private confession to man: “Not
that thou shouldest shew thy conscience to me, for thou art not to
be judged of man’s judgment; but that thou shew the
sincerity of thy faith to God, who trieth the reins and hearts,
and knoweth the thoughts of men137
.” He
also limits the season of confession and repentance to this present
life: “Therefore the just shall then offer praise; but they
who have died in sins have no further season for confession138
.”
§ 3. Exorcism. One of the
earliest ceremonies, after the registration of names, was Exorcism,
which seems to have been often repeated during the Candidate’s
course of preparation. “Receive with earnestness the
exorcisms: whether thou be breathed upon or exorcised, the act is
to thee salvation139
.”
The power of casting out devils, promised by our
Lord140
| 140 Mark xvi. 17; Luke ix. 1; x.
17. | , and exercised by Apostles141
| 141 Acts v. 16; xvi. 18; xix. 12. | ,
and by Philip the Deacon and Evangelist142
, was
long regarded in the early Church as a direct gift still bestowed by
the Holy Ghost, apart from any human ordinance. Justin
Martyr143
| 143 Apologia I.
§§ 6, 8; Tryph. lxxxv. | , Tertullian144
| 144 De Idolol.
c. xi.; de Corona Mil. xi.; de Anima, lvii. de
Spectac. xxvi.; de Præscript. Hæret.
xli. | , Origen145
| 145 Contra Celsum,
vii. c. 57. | , all speak of exorcism as being practised by
laymen, even by soldiers, and women, by means of prayer and invocation
of the name of Jesus. Accordingly “an Exorcist is not
ordained, for it is a gift of the spontaneous benevolence and grace of
God through Christ by visitation of the Holy Ghost. For he who
has received the gift of healing is declared by revelation from God,
the grace which is in him being manifest to all146
| 146 Const. Apost.
viii. 26. | .” When the extraordinary gift was
found to have been withdrawn, exorcists are mentioned among the
inferior officers of the Church, after readers and subdeacons147
| 147 Euseb. H.
E. vi. 43; Syn. Antioch. in Encæniis, Can. 10: Syn.
Laod. Can. 24. | . From an early period certain set
formulæ, such as the Divine names, “The God of Abraham, and
God of Isaac, and God of Jacob,” “The God of
Israel,” “The God who drowned the king of Egypt and the
Egyptians in the Red Sea,” were frequently invoked against demons
and certain wicked persons148
| 148 Origen, Contra
Cels. iv. c. 34 (p. 184). | .
Accordingly, when an exorcist was ordained the
Bishop was directed to give him the book in which the exorcisms were
written, with the words, “Receive thou these, and commit them to
memory, and have thou power to lay hands upon the Energumens, whether
they be baptized or only Catechumens149
| 149 Fourth Council of
Carthage, Can. 7 (a.d. 398). | .”
Though this Canon speaks only of exorcising Energumens, or such persons
as were supposed to be possessed by evil spirits, we must remember that
the power of such spirits was believed to extend to the whole world
outside the Christian Church. Thus all converts from Paganism and
Judaism, and even the children of Christian parents were exorcised
before being baptized. The practice was closely connected with
the doctrine of original sin, as we see in many passages of S.
Augustine, and is declared by him to be very ancient and
universal150
| 150 De Nupt. et
Concup. II. § 33: de Pecc. Orig. § 45;
contra aulian Pelag. VI. § 11; Op. Imperf. c.
Julian. I. § 50; III. § 144, &c. | . In expounding
the Creed to candidates for Baptism, he says: “Therefore,
as you have seen this day, and as you know, even little children are
breathed on and exorcised, that the hostile power of the devil may be
driven out of them, which deceived one man in order that he might get
possession of all men151
| 151 De Symbolo,
§ 2. Cf. Cat. xx. (Myst. ii.) § 2. | .”
We find accordingly that Cyril enforces the duty
of attending the Exorcisms on all the candidates alike, and from his
use of the Plural (Exorcisms) we see that the ceremony was often
repeated for each person. Thus in the Clementine Homilies Peter
is represented as saying, “Whoever of you wish to be baptized,
begin from to-morrow to fast, and each day have hands laid upon
you152
,” the imposition of hands being one of
the ceremonies used in exorcism153
| 153 Orig. in Josu. xxiv.
§ 1: “exorcistarum manus impositione.” | . From
expressions in the Introductory Lecture, “When ye have come in
before the hour of the exorcisms154
,” and
again, “when your exorcism has been done, until the others who
are to be exorcised have come155
,” it seems that
before each Catechizing the candidates were all exorcised, one by
one156
| 156 Aug. Sermo de
Symb. ii. § 1: “ut ex locis secretis singuli
produceremini.” This may possibly refer only to the final
exorcism immediately before Baptism. | , and that the earlier, after returning from
their own exorcism, had to wait for those who came later. The
catechizing was thus frequently delayed till late in the day, and Cyril
often complains of the shortness of the time left at his
disposal157
| 157 Cat. xiii. 8: xv.
33; xviii. 16, &c. | .
At Antioch, the Catechizing preceded the Exorcism,
as we learn from S. Chrysostom: “After you have heard our
instruction, they take off your sandals, and unclothe you, and send you
on naked and barefoot, with your tunic only, to the utterances of the
Exorcists158
| 158 Ad Illuminandos,
Cat. i. § 2. | .” Cyril
says nothing of this unclothing, but mentions another ceremony as
practised at Jerusalem: “Thy face has been veiled, that thy
mind may henceforward be free, lest the eye by roving make the heart
rove also. But when thine eyes are veiled, thine ears are not
hindered from receiving the means of salvation159
.” The veil may also have been a
symbol of the slavery and darkness of sin, as S. Augustine regards the
removal of the veil on the octave of Easter as symbolising the
spiritual liberty of the baptized160
| 160 S. Aug.
Serm. 376. “Hodie octavæ dicuntur Infantium;
revelanda sunt capita eorum, quod est indicium libertatis. Habet
enim libertatem ista spiritualis nativitas, propriæ autem carnis
nativitas servitutem.” | . Of this
meaning Cyril makes no express mention.
In the Greek Euchologion, as quoted by Kleopas,
the act of the Exorcist is thus described: “And the Priest
breathes upon his mouth, his forehead, and his breast, saying, Drive
forth from him every evil and unclean spirit, hidden and lurking in his
heart, the spirit of error, the spirit of wickedness161
,
&c.”
Besides such
invocations of the names of God, as we have mentioned above, the
Exorcist used set forms of prayer “collected out of the Holy
Scriptures.” Their effect, as described by Cyril, is to
“set the soul, as it were, on fire,” and scare the evil
spirit away; and his meaning may be illustrated by a passage of
Tertullian, who says162
: “All the
authority and power we have over them is from naming the name of
Christ, and recalling to their memory the woes with which God threatens
them at the hands of Christ as Judge.…So at our touch and
breathing, overwhelmed by the thought of those judgment-fires, they
leave the bodies they have entered, at our command, unwilling and
distressed, and before your very eyes put to an open
shame.”
The Exorcisms were performed in the Church; where
also the Lectures were delivered, Catechumens of the lower order being
excluded, “and the doors looking towards the city closed163
, while those which looked towards the Holy
Sepulchre, from which the ruins of the ancient Temple, Golgotha, and
the old city could be seen, were left open164
| 164 Cat. xiii. 23:
“Thou seest this spot of Golgotha? Thou answerest with a
shout of praise, as if assenting.” | .”E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
