The Catechetical School of Alexandria

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The Catechetical School of Alexandria
A residential building in Beni Suef

Most of the eminent leaders of Alexandrine Christianity are known to have been connected with the School , either as teachers or students . In fact , the history of that school may be summed up in the biographies of the personalities who headed it , and whose contributions to theological scholarship still constitute the solid basis of any study of Christian the bishops by calling him " Papa " . This means that the first prelate in Christendom to bear the title of pope was Heraclas the Copt , during the early part of the third century , long before the title was known to Rome .
The first great name to emerge at the head of that school was Pantrenus . He was an inhabitant of Alexandria . The Copts describe him as a citizen of Egypt . At some time in the course of his service , Patriarch Demetrius II elected him for the Christian mission to India , and he is known to have undertaken this after finding a worthy substitute to head his school .

The teachers of the catechumens were generally presbyters and deacons . They were called "catechists" .

The Catechetical School was , on the one hand , a bulwark of the
A wall relief in the Tomb of Petosiris , depicting a mummy
Church against unworthy members , and on the other , a bridge from the world to the Church . The catechumens were people of all ranks , ages and grades of culture , even philosophers , statesmen and rhetoricians .

So Christian education began as uniform and universal , without discrimination between classes or conditions , slaves or masters .
The catechumens were c1assified into three groups , which were only stages in the process of instruction :
The Inquirers: This class consisted of those whose interested in Christianity had been sufficiently aroused to make them desire further information . They received private and individual instruction from the teacher bef ore they were admitted into the second class .
The Audientes or the Hearers : are those who were admitted into the church to listen to the Scriptures and sermons . They were allowed to attend the part of the Mass known as the "Mass of the Catechumens" . They were dismissed immediately after the sermon .
The Competents: are those who were qualified for baptism and could attend a part of the prayer . They could not partake of the sacrament .
In the earliest period of the church , persons were often admitted after very brief preparation; but , in the
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