The creation and structure of the Roman Catechism
Andrzej Ziarek
Instytut Historii i Patrologii KUL , PolandAbstract
The article presents a little-known story of the origin and structure of the fi rst official catechism of the Catholic Church, the Roman Catechism. Although the idea of creating a single, universal catechism for the whole Church already existed in the 15th century, its implementation began only after Luther’s breach with the Roman Catholic Church and the division of Christianity. Work on the new catechism began at the Council of Trent on 5 April 1546 and was completed after its closure, 23 September 1566. In the meantime, the project underwent many changes. Due to the emergence of Protestantism, the very nature of the work as well as its application were strongly disputed. Some theologians and representatives of the secular authority opted for the creation of a polemical catechism, but the majority supported a positive interpretation of the Catholic doctrine. In addition to the history of the text, the article focused on the internal structure of the work. From the patristic times onwards, religious education revolved around four basic elements: the profession of faith, the Ten Commandments, the sacraments and prayer. Over time these elements became part of all catechisms, including the Roman Catechism. However, they did not always follow the same pattern. While most of the Catholic catechisms were written in accordance with the following pattern: the profession of faith – prayer – the Ten Commandments – the sacraments, the Roman Catechism presented a new order: the profession of faith – the sacraments – the Ten Commandments – prayer. According to the research conducted in the article, this pattern was probably used deliberately, because it was more suitable for the Catholic doctrine of justifi cation.
Keywords:
the Roman Catechism, the Council of Trent, the ReformationReferences
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