The Form of the Larger Catechism

Catechisms were not new during the Reformation. They were a method of Christian teaching dating back to the time of at least St. Augustine’s De Catechizandis Rudibus (Catechizing the Unlearned). Before Augustine, other ancient symbols were used for catechetics: the Didache and the Apostles’ Creed both served pedagogical purposes.

From the early centuries of the Christian faith, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments (what Christians believe, how Christians practice, and how Christians live, respectively) were the divisions within catechesis. This triple knowledge of doctrine, spirituality, and ethics has instructed catechumens for much of the history of the church.

During the time of the Reformation, the popularity of catechisms exploded as the churches of Europe were filled with catechisms smaller and longer, shorter and larger. This increased popularity was due to several factors, such as advanced technology (the printing press) and increased literacy rates among European men and women (literacy rates in England during the time of the Westminster Assembly were just about 50% of adults, women included. A century prior, literacy rates were around 7%). The Larger Catechism would swim in this stream of popular thought, not departing from traditional catechesis but building on that which came before it.

Questions 1–3 of the Larger Catechism stand as an introduction and give the reader a proper framework for thinking about his or her place before God and how one may seek God through His Word. Questions 4–90 exegete the Apostles’ Creed; questions 91–152 are a full Christian ethic, one of the most thorough expositions of the moral law ever penned. The means of grace and the corporate practice of the Christian faith, by far the most innovative aspect of the Larger Catechism, are discussed in questions 154–177. With questions 178–196 the Catechism concludes with a beautiful exposition of the Lord’s Prayer broken down in petitions from the very words of Jesus Christ.

This catechetical form would not have been a surprise to any 17th Century Christian, Protestant or Catholic, but the depth to which the Larger Catechism took the disciple proved that presbyterianism sought to speak to both the head and the heart of the Christian disciple.

The Treasure of the Larger Catechism

“The Larger Catechism’s debt to the Confession is easily measured by the frequent recycling of phrases and even whole paragraphs,” states John Bower. “However, the Catechism also explored fresh areas by expanding on material covered in the Confession such as the fall, the covenants, the mediatorial office and life of Christ, and the benefits of redemption” (Bower, The Larger Catechism, p. 19). The Larger Catechism has proved to be essential in properly interpreting the Confession of Faith as well as the Shorter Catechism. The three documents are intended to be read together, and without the Larger, something is missing from the richness and fullness of our Presbyterian heritage.

The Westminster Assembly, presenting the Larger Catechism for Parliament’s approval, said that the “catechism is agreeable to the Word of God, and in nothing contrary to the received doctrine, worship, discipline, and government” of the church. The assembly went as far as saying that the Larger Catechism was “a necessary part of the intended uniformity of religion” as well as a “rich treasure” and “excellent” catechism for “catechizing such as have made some proficiency in the knowledge of the grounds of religion.”

Whether you have made “some proficiency” in your spiritual and theological walk, or whether this catechism is intended to help you to get there, in the upcoming installments of this column you will find treasures that remain buried for many, but treasures that were always intended to point us to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to the religion revealed for our good and God’s glory.

Enjoy your newfound wealth.

Nathan Eshelman | pastor, Los Angeles, Calif., RPC