cannot be described at all in terms of creedal formulas to be understood or doctrines to arm the neophytes against heresy. The pre-baptismal catecheses are concerned with communicating the central truths of the early Christian faith, creation, sin, and redemption, grounded in the understanding that the events of the OT prefigure those of the NT, and characterized by a strong emphasis on ethical teaching. By contrast, the post-baptismal catecheses are rarely so didactic. Their content, tenor and
Page 883