CATECHUMENS, kat'ii-kii'menz (Fr. cate chunu'ne, Lat. catechumcnus, Gk. sarualpEroc, katichoumenos, from fiailath", kaffehein, to in struct orally). The appellation commonly given, in the early ages of the Christian Church, to those converted Jews and heathens who had not yet received baptism, but were undergoing a course of training and instruction preparatory to it. They had a place assigned them in the congrega tion, but were not permitted to be present at the dispensation of the Lord's Supper. In the apostolic age converts appear to have been at once admitted to the sacraments; but afterwards this ceased to be the case, and a period of proba tion was required. The catechumens were di vided into different classes or grades, according to their proficiency. Those of the lower grade were not permitted to be present during the prayers of the congregation; and those only of the higher, and who had been declared fit to be baptized at the next administration of the ordi nance, were permitted to witness the dispensa tion of the Lord's Supper. The term catechu
mens was afterwards employed to designate young members of the Christian Church who were receiving instruction to prepare them for confirmation or for the Lord's Supper, and is still often used in this sense. As the Teuehing of the Twelve Apostles shows, from the earliest period of the Christian Church didactic instruc tion was given to the candidates for baptism. But an air of mystery was thrown around the sacraments, especially the eueharist, and the de sire of the candidates excited by hints that there was something to be revealed. In the body of the baptized the sacraments were freely spoken of and the teaching relative to them was known as the 'Discipline of the Secret' (Arcola Disci plina). How much it amounted to is not now determinable, but probably it presented a full exposition of sacramental doctrine, and up to it the instructions of the catechumens led.