Liturgical Actions within the Process of Initiating Catechumens into the Church in the III–VI Centuries

Abstract

In the III–VI centuries, from the moment of admission to the catechumenate till the end of the Bright Week, every significant order of service was accompanied by liturgical actions. In total, 48 different liturgical actions were identified. According to the correlation between the significance of an action and its liturgical text, these actions can be grouped into four categories: independent, equivalent to the accompanying prayers, auxiliary, and technical ones. In various local traditions and orders of service one and the same action can refer to different groups. The presence of such actions in orders of service impelled catechumens to stay sober and to see the connection between the learning and corporality.

Keywords

• liturgical actions
• liturgical gestures
• catechesis
• corporality
• worship
• литургические действия
• жесты литургические
• катехизация
• телесность
• богослужение