II. Tkeprinc^ Cateckisms,—!. Luthenm.—ln 1520 Lather published his first Short Catechism, containing a short form of the Creed, the Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer ; but his experience of the gross igno- nnoe of the people in religious things, especially as seen by him in Ids visitations of 1527, led him to pre- pare Larger and Smaller Catechisms, which afterwards found a place among the symbolical books or stand- ards of the Lutheran churches. They are to be found hi Hase, JJbri JSymboUci Ecdes, Ltdkercmm (Lips. 1846), where a brief Bketch of their history b given ; also in Ftancke, Ub. Symb, Eceht, LutherancB (Lips. 1847). Translations in German and English are abundant. The Cateekumui Major was intended for the use of the dergy and schoohnasters, the Minor for the use of tilie people and the children. The Formtda Concordia calk these Catechisms ** quasi laicorum Biblia, in qui- bos omnia ilia breviter oomprehenduntUr quas in sacra Scriptura ftialus tractantur" (Pars I, § 5 ; also Pars II, § 8). The Smaller Catechism is in the form of ques- tion and answer ; the Larger is not. Th6 contents of the Smallo' are : Prefoce ; Chap. I. The Decalogue ; Chap. IL The Apostles' Creed ; Chap. III. The Lord's Prayer; Chap. IV. The Sacrament of Baptism ; Chap. V. The Lord's Supper; Appendix 1. Morning and Bvening Devotion ; App. 2. Blessing and Grace at Ta- ble ; App. 8. The Home Table (containing a brief sum- mary of ethics). This arrangement of topics is fol- lowed also in the Larger Catechism (omitting the ap- pendices), but more amply treated. The German charches still use Luther's Catechism generally, but not without opposition. See Zezschwitz, System der ckri^SMdrckUeken KatecheUh (Lelpeig, 1864, 1866, 2 vols. 8vo) ; Nitzsch, /7ra£<. Theol. II, 1, 191, and Jahr- ykher/ir deuUche Thecioffie, x, II, 895 sq. For the various editions of Luther's Catechisms, and the works wrkten upon them, see Walch, BibUotheca Tkeoiogioc^ i, 462 sq. ; Winer, theoL LitercOur, pt. xi, pt. xxvii.
2. Beformed,—(l.) Geneva Cofecftim.— Calvin drew op a Catechism hi French in 1586 ; in Lathi, 1538 (the Cateehinuu Geneventie), This was revised and pub- lished m French m 1541, and in Latin, 1545. Its heads •re, 1. Doctrine, or Truth (the Apostles' Creed) ; 2. Duty (the Decalogue) ; 8. Prayer (Lord's Prayer) ; 4. The Word; 5. The Sacraments. Appended is a form for pnblic prayer and the administration of the sacra- OMitB (see Calvini Opera, Geneva, 1617, voL xv, p. 12 •q* ; Augnsti, Oorpm JJSbr, affmbolicor. 460 sq.). It was ^PMdily translated into other languages, and adopted in the Befoimed churches of Switzerland, France^ Eng- ,
land, Scotland, Hungary, and the Netheriands. As late as 1578 it was ordered to be used in the University of Cambridge, England. See Kdcher, katechei. Gesch. der r^orm, Kirchey Jena, 1756, 8vo, 210 sq. ; Bonar, Cateckienu of the Scottish Reformation (Lond. 1866).
(2.) Heidilberff,^The most important of the Reform- ed Catechisms is that of Heidelberg, compiled by Cas- par Olevianus and Zacharias Ursinus, at the request of the Elector of the Palatinate, Frederick III, and pub- lished at Heidelberg in 1562. After its approval by the Synod of Dort (q. v.), it became one of the symbol- ical books of the Beformed Church of Holland, as well as of the German Reformed Church. It may be found in Latin in Augusti, Liifr. SymboUcor, 532 sq. ; in Eng- lish in many separate editions. The best English ver- sion is the Tercentenary (N.Y. 4to, 1863) ; the best Ger- man ed. is that of Schaff (Phila. 1866, 18mo). In view of the special importance of this Catechism, it is treated in a separate article. See Heidblbebo Cateohism.
8. Ckurch of England.— We give the following ac- count from Procter, On Common Prayer, chap, v :
'* Previously to 1661 the Catechism was inserted in the Order of Confirmation. The title in the Prayer- books of Edward Y I and Elizabeth was. Confirmation, wherein ie contained a Catechism for Children ; and in 1604, The Order of Confirmation, or laying on of hands upon ddldren bajiized, and able to render an account of ^eir faith, cuxording to the Catechism following ; with a farther title to the Catechism itself, that is to say. An In^ struotion to be learned of every Child before he be brought to be confirmed by the Bishop, The insertion in the prayer-book of such an authorized exposition of the elements of the Christian fSaith and practice belongs to the Reformation. English versions and expositions I of the Lord's Prayer and Creed had existed in early I times. But immediately before the Reformation, it ap- I pears that these elements wero by no means generally , known. The origin of the rubrics about catechizing may be referred to the injunctions issued in 1586 and 1538 (Strype, Ecd, Mem. Hen. VIII, i, 42), which or- dered the curates to teach the people the Lord's Pray- er, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments, sentence by sentence, on Sundays and holydays, and to make all persons recite them when they came to confession (Burnet, Hist. Ref iv, 101, ed. Nares [Records, book iii, No. xi]). As soon as a book of service was prepared, a Catechism was placed in it, that the exposition of these Christian elements might not depend on the care or ability of the curates. This manual still remains in the Prayer-book, with only a few verbal alt^ations, and the addition of an explanation of the sacraments in 1604. The composition of this latter part is gener- ally attributed to bishop Overall, who was the prolo- cutor of the Convocation, and at that time dean of St. Paul's. It was added by royal authority, * by way of explanation,' in compliance with the wish which the Puritans had expressed at the conference at Hampton Court (Cardwell, Conf p. 187), and, with two emenda- tions, was afterwards confirmed by Convocation and Parliament in 1661.