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| Chapter II. What those who were to be initiated promised on entering the Church, of the witnesses to these promises, and wherefore they then turned themselves to the East.
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Chapter II.
What those who were to be initiated promised on entering
the Church, of the witnesses to these promises, and wherefore they then
turned themselves to the East.
5. After this the
Holy of holies2832
| 2832
“Holy of holies,” a figurative name given to the
baptistery. Comp. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Cat. Lect. XIX.
11; and with this whole treatise the last four Catechetical Lectures of
St. Cyril of Jerusalem in this series, Vol. VII. p. 144 ff. | was opened
to you, you entered the sanctuary of regeneration; recall what you were
asked, and remember what you answered. You renounced the devil
and his works, the world with its luxury and pleasures. That
utterance of yours is preserved not in the tombs of the dead, but in
the book of the living.
6. You saw there the deacon, you saw the
priest, you saw the chief priest [i.e. the bishop]. Consider not
the bodily forms, but the grace of the Mysteries. You spoke in
the presence of the angels, as it is written: “For the
priest’s lips keep knowledge, and they seek the law at his mouth,
for he is the angel of the Lord Almighty.”2833
There is no place for deception nor for
denial. He is an angel who proclaims the kingdom of Christ and
eternal life. He is to be esteemed by you not according to his
appearance, but according to his office. Consider what he
delivered, reflect upon the rule of life he gave you, recognize his
position.
7. You entered, then, that you might discern your
adversary, whom you were to renounce as it were to his face, then you
turned to the east; for he who renounces the devil turns to Christ, and
beholds Him face to face. E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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