Eastern Orthodox catechism?

[Holly Williams]

Is there an Eastern Orthodox Catechism? If so, is it available online?

[Peter Farrington]

Hi Holly

You could take a look at:

http://orthodoxeurope.org/page/10/1.aspx

and

http://www.bible.ca/cr-Orthodox.htm#catechism

for starters. If you do a Google there are other similar resources. I like the first one I mentioned especially.

Peter

[John Charmley]

Dear Holly,

In addition to Peter's suggestions, you might also try

http://www.gocanada.org/Catechism/catech.htm

I hope our Canadian contingent will be happy at this further sign of Canukophilia!

In Christ,

John

[Herman Blaydoe]

I really recommend the OCA Rainbow series at the OCA website:

The Orthodox Faith (Series) (http://www.oca.org/OCorthfaith.asp?SID=2)

[Holly Williams]

Thank you everyone.

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

Dear Holly,

In addition to Peter's suggestions, you might also try

http://www.gocanada.org/Catechism/catech.htm

I hope our Canadian contingent will be happy at this further sign of Canukophilia!

In Christ,

John

Thanks John. I'd never noticed this site before.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Olga]

There is also the venerable old catechism known as St Tikhon's. The language used in the English version is unfortunately rather clunky (from memory, it came out in the 1830s or 1840s), but it is very comprehensive.

[Mourad Mankarios]

I'd highly recommend Bishop Kallistos Ware's very popular book: "The Orthodox Way". You might also like to try the same author's book, "The Orthodox Church" which he authored while yet a layman under the name of Timothy Ware. For a more in depth spiritual treatment of certain topics his book "The Inner Kingdom" is indispensable...Happy reading

[Athanasius Abdullah]

An excellent EO Catechism that is well-referenced and which consistently appeals to, and incorporates the sayings of the Early Fathers is, The Catechism of the Orthodox Church: Questions and Answers, by His Eminence Panteleimon Lampadarios. This Catechism was reviewed, approved, and promoted by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria, Theodorus II.

[Katherine]

A good catechism book would also be "The Law of God" by Seraphim Slobodskoy. Infact, every Orthodox Christian should own a copy - it's so very useful.

http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/law_of_god_slobodskoy_1.htm
http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/law_of_god_slobodskoy_2.htm
http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/law_of_god_slobodskoy_3.htm

[David Naess]

Father Frank Marangos at ISOS (Internet School of Orthodox Studies) in the study of the 8 Tones:
http://www.goarch.org/en/multimedia/live/isos/archive.asp?id=f99
makes a very good suggestion:

"If you want to learn the theology, study the music!"

Through the centuries, all of the theology was passed on to the illiterate masses through the songs of the Church as they progress through the various cycles.

[Nina]

If you want to learn the theology, study the music!

Through the centuries, all of the theology was passed on to the illiterate masses through the songs of the Church as they progress through the various cycles.

This is such a great and deep observation! Thank you. I know several examples to illustrate your point.

[Olga]

Father Frank Marangos at ISOS (Internet School of Orthodox Studies) in the study of the 8 Tones:
http://www.goarch.org/en/multimedia/live/isos/archive.asp?id=f99
makes a very good suggestion:

"If you want to learn the theology, study the music!"

Through the centuries, all of the theology was passed on to the illiterate masses through the songs of the Church as they progress through the various cycles.

The same could be said about the relationship between liturgical content and proper iconography.

[David Naess]

The same could be said about the relationship between liturgical content and proper iconography.
Howdy Olga!

That may be true... (Change that to: Absolutely!)
I am a newcomer to Orthodoxy so I can't say with authority.

I get the impression that the music is more exhaustive.

The emphasis is different for each day of the week...
The emphasis is different for each (weekly?) tone...
The emphasis for each season of the Church year is different...
The specifics for each day of the year are different.

Put them all together and you eventually have everything with all of the possible combinations.

That sound right to any chanters who might happen to be out thre?

I'm here to learn so please correct this if my conclusions are wrong!

[Nina]

Well I think (although it is not very important what I think) that both of you are right (Olga will explain for herself).

As David says:


Through the centuries, all of the theology was passed on to the illiterate masses through the songs of the Church as they progress through the various cycles.Many grandmothers who never even went to school taught theology to their grandchildren through the chants of the church. etc.

Iconography teaches us the same. In comparison the chant may be easier understood because it is a written word, whereas to understand an icon we need some kind of guidance and explanation.

Chanting is more accessible by all kinds of people because it is a written form and plainly and simply recounts the history of the Church. This was one of the means humanity has relied on (like folklore, or oral tradition recounted around fire at night when there was no other entertainment). But on the other hand pictures (icons in our case) are also witnesses. Since God gave both gifts to us it means those are both helpful. And Saint Luke who wrote the first icon was the one who also wrote one of the Gospel, so I think those go both hand in hand. We just have to be wise and use them for our salvation.

[Olga]

Howdy Olga!

The emphasis is different for each day of the week...
The emphasis is different for each (weekly?) tone...
The emphasis for each season of the Church year is different...
The specifics for each day of the year are different.

Put them all together and you eventually have everything with all of the possible combinations.

That sound right to any chanters who might happen to be out thre?

I'm here to learn so please correct this if my conclusions are wrong!

You'e quite right in your descriptions of the liturgical cycles (well done! The interrelationship of the various Orthodox liturgical cycles are enough to flummox most people ....). My point about iconography was to show that the content of an icon (what is depicted on it) must correspond to that is read, chanted and sung for the services dedicated to the saint or feast portrayed on that icon.

Adding to Nina's comment:


Iconography teaches us the same. In comparison the chant may be easier understood because it is a written word, whereas to understand an icon we need some kind of guidance and explanation.

The content of an icon can be understood by various means. Icons are, of course, an integral part of Orthodox devotion and worship. While "formal" knowledge of iconographic symbolism is useful and worthwhile, it is not essential to have been trained in art to be able to understand what an icon is trying to say. One can simply attend a Vigil service for that saint or feast, listen carefully to what is read, chanted and sung, and the composition of the icon will make perfect sense. This is particularly true for the icons of church feasts, whose content varies greatly from Western religious art.

[Nina]

Adding to Nina's comment:
The content of an icon can be understood by various means. Icons are, of course, an integral part of Orthodox devotion and worship. While "formal" knowledge of iconographic symbolism is useful and worthwhile, it is not essential to have been trained in art to be able to understand what an icon is trying to say. One can simply attend a Vigil service for that saint or feast, listen carefully to what is read, chanted and sung, and the composition of the icon will make perfect sense. This is particularly true for the icons of church feasts, whose content varies greatly from Western religious art.

Yes, dear Olga I agree with everything what you say and thank you for reminding us about iconography.

In my comment, I was mostly referring to that spark-information (which our iconography has in abundance) that emits wonder, that makes one full of awe for God, when one is not yet an adult, and impresses in that one some unerasable information about Orthodoxy. I had in mind examples from iconography that were taught to me without me being able to perceive, or comprehend on my own. For instance the icon 'Hospitality of Abram' where the Person in the middle I was told that It is Christ and we can see that wings of the other Persons form a chalice and Christ is in the middle, and contained therein - a prefiguration of His sacrifice and the Holy Communion we have today. If I was not already an Orthodox, this small, but profound and meaningful detail would have made me an Orthodox. These versus the chants were more difficult to understand on my own. :) But this is me. Maybe others did not have the same experience.

[David Naess]

One picture is worth a thousand words, right?

Especially when you have somebody who can teach you what each crook of the finger, item in the hand and color scheme is attempting to communicate!

[Owen Jones]

catechesis is teaching by word of mouth. So something strikes me as odd the idea that one can pick up a book that summarizes Church doctrine and call that catechesis.

but more importantly, that teaching by word of mouth is not about information, but about power. more specifically it is the transfiguring power of the Holy Trinity to change us and without change there has been no catechesis.

a true catechetical school would have a set of disciplined, rigorous steps we would have to ascend that would have a tangible result in our capacity to perceive and to understand the holy mysteries. more important, it would have teachers who have undergone this change themselves. which is so rare as to be almost unbelievable in our contemporary world.

it would be helpful if we knew something about ancient catechetical schools that were established in the classical Christian world. What and how did they teach? How were they structured? What were the demands placed on the catechumens. Are there any extant documents?