Small Catechism of the Orthodox Church of 1649

Description

This Small Catechism is unedited from the form in which it was printed when it received the blessing of Patriarch Joseph for printing in 1649 in Moscow, at the insistence of the Tsar, Alexei Mikhailovich. The book was subsequently reprinted in the Preobrazhensky Almshouse (Old Believer) in 1910.

The book contains:

• A confession of faith of St. Afanasiy (Athanasius) of Alexandria
• A brief exposition of faith by Patriarchs Anastasi of Antioch, and Kyrill (Cyril) of Alexandria
• An exposition of St. Maxim on the faith
• The Book of Catechesis, written by Metropolitan Peter of Kiev with three sections: On Faith, On Hope, and On Love for God and Neighbor
• 100 chapters on faith from St. Gennady, Patriarch of Constantinople

Widely quoted by Old Believer apologists, this Catechism is a highly condensed 17th century exposition on the essentials of the faith. This edition has been carefully translated from the 1910 Preobrazhensky edition, and formatted with extensive use of footnotes, as the Catechism makes references to the Scriptures and the Church Fathers at almost every article.

Unlike later catechisms, this one does not dwell on the recitation of trivial lists, like enumerating the books of the Bible, or listing the Prophets, and so on. One can read through this catechism, slowly, with great joy, not feeling the urge to “skip ahead”. While the articles (answers) are brief, they are all serious and worthy of reflection.

No editorial changes to the text have been made to “adjust” the catechism to fit with later practices introduced during and after the Old Believer Schism. The English text herein is faithful to the original text.