Long Christian Catechism of the Orthodox Catholic Eastern Church (2013)

The Long Christian Catechism of the Orthodox Catholic Eastern Church is a classic textbook of religious doctrine, compiled in 1822–1823 on behalf of the Holy Synod of St. Philaret of Moscow (Drozdov), and received the name “Filaret’s Catechism”. First published in 1823. The text of the catechism is organized in the form of “questions and answers.” The introduction provides preliminary concepts of Orthodox doctrine, including the doctrine of Divine Revelation, and talks about Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture. The structure of the book is divided into 3 parts, dedicated to Christian virtues - faith, hope and love: “So, a Christian needs: the teaching of faith in God and in the Sacraments that He reveals; the doctrine of hope in God and the means of affirmation in it; the teaching of love for God and for everything that He commands to love.” Part 1, on faith, provides detailed commentary on each of the 12 members of the Creed. When considering the 10th article of the Creed, the 7 sacraments of the Church are described in detail (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Priesthood, Marriage, Blessing of Anointing). Part 2 talks about Christian hope, its foundation and means of acquisition. The following reveals the meaning of prayer in the life of a believer. Including the Lord's Prayer (“Our Father”), divided for didactic purposes into invocation, 7 petitions and a final doxology. This section also explains the Beatitudes. Part 3 (about love) examines the 10 commandments of God, 4 of which are devoted to love of God, and 6 to love of neighbor. For each commandment, virtues and sins are given. The catechism ends with a brief conclusion, “The use of the doctrine of faith and piety” - a recommendation for the application of the stated teaching in everyday life and for spiritual growth. "Catechism" of St. Philareta briefly and accurately summarized Orthodox teaching, so Met. Macarius (Bulgakov) and some other theologians considered it a symbolic book of the Orthodox Church. The publication presents the 2013 edition, where the spelling of the text is brought into line with modern practice: many grammatical archaisms are eliminated, questions are numbered and some clarifications are added. The published version of the catechism differs from the paper edition of the same year - in it, most biblical quotations are given in Church Slavonic, while in the posted version all quotations are translated into Russian. See also: Long Christian Catechism of the Orthodox Catholic Eastern Church (2006) “Long Christian Catechism of the Orthodox Catholic Eastern Church, reviewed and approved by the Holy Synod and published for teaching in schools and for use by all Orthodox Christians,” Moscow, Synodal Printing House, 1913. This catechism is usually called “Filaret’s”: it was compiled on behalf of the Synod by His Eminence Hierarch Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna (November 19/December 2). In this case, the spelling of the text has been changed in relation to modern practice, many grammatical archaisms have been replaced, and some clarifications have been given; all this was done in such a way as not to change the content or distort the meaning of the text. Quotes from the Holy Scriptures and from the works of the Holy Fathers are left, as in the 1913 edition, in Church Slavonic, but words and phrases that are difficult to understand are given with translations into Russian. You might be interested in: