The arcane discipline or the rule of secrecy
The church observed in the first centuries of deep silence on the principal mysteries of faith and their holy sacraments against the evil Jews and the whole ground in the sunken, the truth of idolatry and alienated serving Gentiles. She had to have their reasons. Because for now they could not and would reveal their divine truths and secrets is not the misinterpretation, the contempt, the ridicule and suspicion. She followed this represents the words of her divine Founder, "the dogs are not your holy prayer and cast your pearls before the pigs do not." (Matt. 8:00, 6) For the second place they wanted to make the newly converted Gentiles and Jews are not equal first with the principal mysteries of the Christian religion known because their faith was still weak, and was no guarantee that they return not again to idolatry and then distort the still not fully recognized truths and secrets suspicious and would. She followed herein, the words of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. "And I, brethren, could not talk to you to spiritualists, but as to carnal as babes in Christ I gave you milk to drink, not food, for you vermochtet It is not yet "(to fall). (I. Cor. 1-4) The apostles, and imitating him, the early Christians wore, so the new converts only the beginning for salvation overriding need, the important secrets they concealed them until they firm in the faith founded and tested their loyalty was. - Were the new converts in the Necessary sufficiently informed and they should receive baptism, and only then they were all Creed and preferably communicated the secret of the Holy Trinity in whose name they should be baptized. We see this apparent restraint in the catechesis or Christian teachings of the Holy. Cyril of Jerusalem, which he held in the year 345 before the catechumens and the faithful. The former included no mention of the important mysteries of faith and the holy sacrament, the other devoted but which of the great Bishop of the teaching of the baptized believers, or press about these secrets like this realize that to do nothing is left. He also ordered not to use these instructions never tell the catechumens or the uninitiated with the words: "If the Christian doctrine to an end, and a catechumen is to ask yourself: What did the teacher? . Then say nothing to these people from outside ".
particular, was the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, as I said, a subject of secrecy, it is sufficient to inform the witness of St. cite Cyril, who says." It was never spoken to a heathen the sublime mysteries of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we speak of it not even open before the catechumens, but a secret manner, so that the believers who know the cause, understand them and that which they know not by a premature discovery will not be annoyed. "Also included under the law of confidentiality, the holy sacraments, not just their ceremonies, but their essence. So says the St.. Chrysostom, in a speech on baptism: "I want to talk, but I dare not because of those who are not privy," and the Doctor of the Church Theodoret says this: ". This is necessary, above all, a mysterious language" Most were hidden, the doctrine of the Blessed Sacrament. The Holy Fathers call it little by name, she read only the "good", and used with great caution certain figures, symbols, phrases, when they needed to speak before the uninitiated.
St. Chrysostom says outright: "The mystery of the Blessed Sacrament is known only to the initiated. "In the homilies and sermons, which recited the fathers in the presence of the catechumens, the amount related to the following tentative terms:" The faithful know, "the initiated know what we say," I . speak to the faithful "-" If ".," says St. Augustine, "asks a catechumen, though he believes in Jesus Christ, he answered immediately:" Yes ", ask him but: enjoy you too the body of the Son of Man? he does not know what you asked. "
In celebrating the Holy Sacrifice had to remove all the catechumens and the uninitiated." We celebrate the sacred mysteries, "says St.. Chrysostom," with closed Doors and prevent the uninitiated it appears to 'wake had the deacons that no uninitiated enter the place where it was just the most sacred sacrifice celebrated;. Yes it was the faithful a private password given, which was then called them when they enter the place wanted, where the bishop, the holy sacrifice celebrated.
The administration of the Saint. Confirmation was concealed from the uninitiated as well. "As the anointing with holy oil," says St.. Basil, "who dared to speak to ever open it "The same case was with the priesthood They are not allowed to give in the presence of the catechumens is in a canyon of the Council of Laodicea it.." prohibitions should be, . To give the orders before the eyes of the listener. "Likewise, was also the sacrament of extreme unction under the law of confidentiality St. Augustine says:" The sacraments are received in various ways, some, know how you are, we received with the mouth, the others all over. "Apparently, he designates the Communion and then the last rites.
A distant because of the secrecy was the intention of the uninitiated and catechumens that due respect and reverence for these holy mysteries inspire. Therefore says St. Basil. "Reverence for the sacred mysteries is preserved by silence." St. Augustine expressed the same idea. when he says: "You can not surprise you, dearest brethren, if we have you, even with the celebration of the sacred mysteries said nothing of what we do, we had so holy, so divine things with respectful silence surrounded.."
can finally add one more that we hid the catechumens, therefore, the doctrine of the holy sacraments, especially baptism and the holy sacraments to their request and after that their zeal to inflame even more. "If the catechumens do not understand something, they should shake off their inertia and make haste to recognize these things," and in another place, speaks the same Church Father: "If the sacraments of the faithful to the catechumens not seem to be, so this does not happen, because it is the knowledge not bear the same can, but that they afterward with the very same zeal demand, with which one the same secret holds. "For this reason it was called the Blessed Sacrament and " Desiderata " , "the desire of".
This secrecy, arcane discipline, this care, the mysteries of faith to hide the uninitiated, that was a particular reason that the early Christians of the symbols, the symbolic representation of biblical stories and veiled characters in their paintings served. It allowed no representation that the eyes of a heathen or Jews who secretly sneak into the catacombs want to betray the sacred mysteries were. The whole Christian religion, their faith and moral teachings, its hopes and promises are displayed in a secret language among different images, and even characters from the mythical doctrine of the heathen, the Christian artist to keep on the ceilings of the grave chambers to hide under the same a mystery of faith .
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