EDUCATION
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EDUCATION
thought and practice of paganism. The position of
woman was lifted at once to a higher plane; she
ceased to be a chattel, or a mere instrument of pas-
sion, and became the equal of man, with the same per-
sonal worth and the same eternal destiny. Marriage
was no longer a union entered into through caprice or
convention, but an indissoluble bond involving mu-
tual rights and duties. Moreover, it was raised to the
dignity of a sacrament, which not only sanctified the
marital relatien and its purposes, but also conferred
the graces needful for the due fulfilment of its obliga-
tions. The whole meaning of the family was thus
transformed. Parental authority was indeed main-
tained, but such an exercise of the patria potestas as
the destruction or the exposure of children could not
have been tolerated once it was realized that the
child's personality also is sacred, and that parents are
responsible not simply to the State, but also to God,
for the proper education of their offspring. Christian-
ity, moreover, laid upon the child the duty of respect-
ing and obeying his parents, not out of servile fear or
hard necessity, but through a spirit of reverence
and filial love. The ties of home-life were thereby
strengthened, and the whole work of education took on
a new character because it was consecrated in its very
source by religion.
5. In respect of its content Christianity opened up to the human mind wide realms of truth which un- aided reason could not possibly have attained, and which nevertheless are of far deeper import for life than the most learned speculations of pagan thought. Upon those truths, also, which the philosophers had but vaguely discerned, or about which they had remained in doubt, it shed a new light. There could be no fur- ther questioning, for the Christian, as to the existence of a personal Gotl, the reality of His providence, the immortality of the soul, the freedom of the will, and the resulting accountability of man to Divine Justice. Above all, the nature of the moral order was set forth in unmistakable terms. Christianity insisted that morality was not mere outward conformity to custom or law, but the inner rectitude of the will, that aes- thetic refinement was of far less consequence than purity of heart, and that love of the neighbour as proven in deeds, not personal gain or advantage, was the true norm of human relationships. That such a conception of life, with its emphasis on really spiritual aims, must lead to the formation of educational ideals unknown to the pagan world, is obvious. But on the other hand it would be wrong to infer that Christianity, in its "otherworldliness", reduces or neglects the val- ues of the present life. What it consistently main- tains is, that life here gets its highest value by serving as a preparation for the life to come. The question is not whether one should live now without any regard to the future or look forward to the future with no con- cern for the present; but rather how one should profit by the opportunities of this life in such wise as to se- cure the other. The problem, then, is one of estab- • lishing proportions, i. e. of determining v.alues accord- ing to the standard of man's eternal destiny. When education is defined as " preparation for complete liv- ing" (Herbert Spencer), the Christian can take no objection to the words as they stand; but he will in- sist that no living can be " complete " which leaves out of consideration the ultimate purpose of life, and hence that no education really "prepares" which thwarts that purpose or sets it aside. It is just this completeness — in teaching all men, in harmonizing all truths, in elevating all relationships, and in leading the individual soul back to the Creator — that forms the essential characteristic of Christianity as an educa- tional influence.
The Educational Wokk op the Church. — Next in importance to Christ's personal teaching was the establishment of a teaching body whose mission was identical with His own : " As the Father hath sent me, I
also send you" (John, xx, 21); and "He that heareth
you, heareth me" (Luke, x, 16). He was not content
with proclaiming once for all the truth of the Gospel,
nor did He leave its wider dissemination to individual
enthusiasm or initiative; He founded a Church to
carry on His work. The spread of His doctrine was
entrusted, not to books, nor to schools of philosophy,
nor to the governments of the world, but to an organ-
ization that spoke in His name and with His authority.
No other body of teachers ever undertook so vast
a work, and no other ever accomplished so much
for education in the highest sense. Apart from the
preaching of the Apostles, the earliest form of Chris-
tian instruction was that given to the catechumens
(q. V.) in preparation for baptism. Its object was
twofold: to impart a knowledge of Christian truth,
and to train the candidate in the practice of religion.
It was conducted by the bishop and, as the number of
catechumens increased, by priests, deacons, and other
clerics. Until the third century this mode of instruc-
tion was an important adjunct to the Apostolate; but
in the fifth and sixth centuries it was gradually re-
placed by private instruction of the converts, who were
then less numerous, and by the training given in other
.schools to those who had been baptized in infancy.
The catechumenal schools, however, gave expression
to the spirit which was to animate all subsequent
Christian education: they were open to every one who
accepted the Faith, and they united religious instruc-
tion with moral discipline. The "catechetical"
schools, also under the bishop's supervision, prepared
young clerics for the priesthood. The courses of
study included philosophy and theology, and naturally
took on an apologetic character in defense of Christian
truth against the attacks of pagan learning. One of
the oldest of these schools was at the Lateran in Rome;
the most famous was that of Alexandria (see Doc-
trine, Christian).
In addition to this formal instruction, the Church from the beginning carried on through her worship an educational work embodying the deepest and soundest psychological principles. The ritual at first was of necessity simple; but as the Church was allowed a larger freedom, and her worship passed from the cata- comb to the basilica, statelier forms were introduced; yet their essential purpose was the same. The Mass, which has always been the central liturgical function, appeals to the mind through the medium of sense. It combines light and colour and sound, the action of the priest, and the dramatic movement that fills the sanc- tuary, especially in the more solemn service. Beneath these outward forms lies the inner meaning. The altar itself, in every detail, is full of a symbolism that brings vividly to mind the life and personality of Christ, the work of redemption, and the enduring sacrifice of the Cross. In due proportion, each item of the liturgy conveys a lesson through eye and ear to the highest faculties of the soul. Sense, memory, imagination, and feeling are thus aroused, not simply as aesthetic activities, but as a support of intellect and will which thereupon issue in afloration and thanks- giving for the "mystery of faith". On the other hand, the liturgy has always included in its purpose the participation of the faithful, and hence it pre-' scribes the response of the people to the prayers at the altar, the chanting of certain portions of the service, bodily postures and movements in keeping with the various phases of the sacred rite. The faithful are not merely bystanders or onlookers; they are not to main- tain a passive, receptive attitude, but rather to give active expression to the religious thought and feeling aroused in them. This is especially evident in the sacramental system. While each of the sacraments is a sign to be perceived, it is also a source of grace to be received; and the reception involves in each case a series of actions which manifest the faith and disposi- tion of the recipient. Moreover, each sacrament ia
