Review article
https://doi.org/10.34075/sb.59.1.3
Liberation in Baptismal and Catechumenal Liturgy in Line with Sources
Zvonko Pažin
; Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Abstract
For the ancient Greeks a free man is the one who disposes of
himself, regardless of others. Even today, we could easily say that
a free man is the one who can do whatever he wants in today’s
permissive society. What is slavery and what is freedom? In this
article, we want to show that, starting from the Scriptural doctrine,
in the tradition of the Church baptism is viewed as liberation.
The Bible presents sin as man’s slavery to Satan. Christ,
with his death and resurrection, defeated the devil and death. By
baptism man is freed from slavery to the devil and to the sin and
becomes the servant of Jesus Christ, who brings him the eternal
life. That is why the liturgy, since the end of the 2nd century, has
emphasized that the baptismal candidate must first renounce
Satan. Thus in the tradition of the East and West, and also in
the records of the Church Fathers and in the catechumenal and
baptismal liturgy, there are exorcisms, that is the prayers of
renunciation over the catechumens. Before a man, through baptism,
becomes the servant of Christ, he must renounce Satan,
because, according to Jesus’ word, man cannot serve the two
lords. And today’s liturgy, both in the East and the West, has the
same elements: man renounces slavery to evil and sins in order
to become the servant of Christ that is to become really free. To
serve to passions and to sins means to be a slave.
Keywords
freedom; exorcisms; liturgy; John Chrysostom; Cyril of Jerusalem; Ambrose;
Hrčak ID:
217762
URI
Publication date:
7.3.2019.
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