Entering the Orthodox Church: A Contribution to the Pastoral Ministry for the Catechism and Baptism of Adults

Publication Data: Levadia, Greece: Birth of the Theotokos Monastery, 2006
Format: softcover
Number of Pages: 216
Dimensions (l × w × h): 19.3 cm × 12.1 cm × 1.4 cm
ISBN: 960‒7070‒52‒6

   
Metropolitan of Nafpaktos Hierotheos
Translated by Marina Mary Robb

“[...T]he Orthodox Church is the Body of Christ and the communion of those being deified but it is at the same time the Church of the Apostles, of the Fathers, the Martyrs, the Saints and the Ascetics, the Church of the Ecumenical Synods. Overall, the Orthodox Church is the Church which preserves the richness of the Tradition in both Christ and the Holy Spirit, as this has been manifested through the ages. It is not easy for someone to enter this great ancestral treasury of the Holy Spirit. This is why, from the very beginning, the Church laid down a special way by which to receive people who want to be baptized. This way is described briefly in this small book, that is, it lays out the preparation of the Catechumens from the point of view of spiritual life and worship in reference to the teaching of the Church. It also lays out the content of Catechism, the Baptism of those who have been already catechized as well as the life of the faithful within the holy and blessed body of Christ.”
—“Introduction to the English Edition”

CONTENTS

   Prologue
   Introduction to the English Edition
   1. Catechism in the Tradition of the Church
   2. Joining the Catechumens to the Church Community
   3. Orthodox Catechism
A
THE PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON
      Christ and Christians
      The Christian God
      Man and His Fall
      The Church and Her Work
      The Communion of Saints
      The Ascetic Life
      The Healthy and Sick Members of the Church
B
THE SYMBOL OF FAITH
      The Use of Creeds
      Reading and Clarification of the Symbol of Faith
         The Symbol of Faith
         Central Points
      God the Creator and Creation
      The Divinity of the Word
      The Incarnation of the Word
      The Passion and Resurrection of Christ
      The Divinity of the Holy Spirit
      The Church and Her Attributes
      The Sacramental Life of the Church
      The Resurrection of the Dead and the Life to Come
   4. Questions and Answers
   5. The Rite of the Sacrament of Baptism
   6. Guidance after Baptism
   Epilogue