Alex Fogleman: Tertullian as Catechist

While evidence for pre-Constantinian catechesis is sparse, it has become commonplace to assume that the church's efforts to induct new members into the church in the second and third century were heavily determined by the church's social status as a persecuted minority, resulting in either a socialization or ritual theory of initiation. This paper queries the evidence from Tertullian's works that are most catechetical in nature to see whether they verify this assumption. Primary attention will be given to On Baptismand On Prayer, and it will be argued that Tertullian's catechesis is less concerned with the socialization or ritualization of new believers into an alternative community or counter culture and more attendant to cultivating a spiritual sensibility, pious disposition, and orthodox exposition of the faith. Catechesis, in other words, serves as much a theological function as it does a social or political function. Furthermore, it will be shown how Tertullian’s use of the regula fidei accords with a primarily catechetical and not strictly polemical or apologetic purpose. While it is not the case that socio-cultural factors are negligent for explaining pre-Constantinian catechesis, they are not sufficient to do so fully and can be complemented by more attention to the theological and spiritual dimensions of this important pastoral task.