More on early Christian rites

A few more curiosities regarding early Christian rites:

Socrates of Constantinople, writing just before the mid-5th c., writes in his Church History (ch. 22)

"The Egyptians in the neighborhood of Alexandria, and the inhabitants of Thebaïs, hold their religious assemblies on the sabbath, but do not participate of the mysteries in the manner usual among Christians in general: for after having eaten and satisfied themselves with food of all kinds, in the evening making their offerings they partake of the mysteries. At Alexandria again, on the Wednesday in Passion week and on Good Friday, the scriptures are read, and the doctors expound them; and all the usual services are performed in their assemblies, except the celebration of the mysteries. This practice in Alexandria is of great antiquity, for it appears that Origen most commonly taught in the church on those days. He being a very learned teacher in the Sacred Books, and perceiving that the `impotence of the law' of Moses was weakened by literal explanation, gave it a spiritual interpretation; declaring that there has never been but one true Passover, which the Saviour celebrated when he hung upon the cross: for that he then vanquished the adverse powers, and erected this as a trophy against the devil. In the same city of Alexandria, readers and chanters are chosen indifferently from the catechumens and the faithful; whereas in all other churches the faithful only are promoted to these offices."

Here:

1) The Alexandrians celebrate their mysteries in the evening
2) During Lent, the scriptures were given a "spiritual interpretation" (dating at least back to Origen in the early 3rd c., a tradition still extant more than two centuries later)
3) Readers (a minor order, like subdeacons) are chosen from both catechumens and faithful

We also have Logion 37 of GThomas, discussed at length in Johnathan Z. Smith's 1966 article "The Garments of Shame":

His disciples said: "When will you appear to us, and when will we see you?"
Jesus said: "When you undress without being ashamed and take your clothes
(and) put them under your feet like little children (and) trample on them,
then [you] will see the son of the Living One, and you will not be afraid."

Peter Jeffery even mentions this in his book (p. 114), but only to glibly dismiss it as no evidence that a sindon was used in early 2nd c. baptismal ceremony. Perhaps it is no evidence of a sindon, but it is certainly not counter-evidence either! Surely it is evidence of a disrobing ceremony (whether symbolic or literal) in at least some early Christian baptismal rituals. It is amazing that Jeffery cannot acknolwedge this. Furthermore, Jeffery himself brings attention to the fact that there is actually evidence of sindon use in early Christian baptism, in the Acts of Thomas! Jeffery wants to link this to Syrian practices for women alone (unfortunately I haven't found a copy of his reference for this yet), but it's at least a historical example of sindon use which Jeffery tries so hard to dismiss. Jeffrey provides ample evidence that the post-baptismal garment was not a sindon. But that is not necessarily what Secret Mark indicates: the sindon seems to be the garment of an initiate. I'm not sure if this initiate is really a pre-baptismal initiate, or if the sindon somehow represents the sinful state of the initiate prior to any church rite. But see my notes to the passage from Socrates of Constantinople above: minor orders, like reader and subdeacon (which Secret Mark may allude to) were sometimes chosen from catechumens. (And, as we shall see below, we shouldn't assume Secret Mark was read only for the parallels with the rich man; it may also have been read for parallels with Jesus as the minister of the rite.)

There are also the following passages in F. E. Brightman's 1899 article "The Sacramentary of Serapion of Thmuis" (Journal of Theological Studies)

"The preparation of the catechumen is covered by nos. 8, 9, 15, 10. It is clear from the terms of the question and response mentioned in the last paragraph (eziwn, proeiselqwn), that this part of the rite did not take place in the baptistery itself, but in the vestibule (cp. Cyr. Hier. Cat. myst. i 2)."

"The renunciation (apotagh), alluded to in the title of [prayer] no. 9, follows [in Serapion's rite]. It was the function of the deacons 'to prepare the catechumens to make the renunciation' (paraskeuazein tous kathcoumenous apotaxasqai [Tim. Al.] Resp. 10), where the allusion is clearly to the undressing and the adjustment of the catechumens' attitudes, facing to the west and outstretching the right hand (Assemani i 157; Denzinger i 19, 223: cp. Cyr. Hier. Cat. myst. i 4)." (249)

"The catechumens have now passed into the baptistry (to agion baptishrion St. Ath. Encycl. 2) and they are there presented (apididonai) and their names proclaimed by the deacon, or in his absence by a subdeacon or a reader ([Tim. Al.] Resp. 11)." (252)

Here:

1) Alexandrian 4th c. catechumens were prepared in semi-secluded room, i.e. the vestibule
2) preparation for baptism involved an undressing (at least symbolic?)
3) the subdeacon and/or reader, in some cases, assume the deacon's role

While we're at it, here's Origen, Contra Celsus, iii. 51:

"The Christians, however, having previously, so far as possible, tested the souls of those who wish to become their hearers, and having previously instructed them in private, when they appear (before entering the community) to have sufficiently evinced their desire towards a virtuous life, introduce them then, and not before, privately forming one class of those who are beginners, and are receiving admission, but who have not yet obtained the mark of complete purification; and another of those who have manifested to the best of their ability their intention to desire no other things than are approved by Christians; and among these there are certain persons appointed to make inquiries regarding the lives and behaviour of those who join them, in order that they may prevent those who commit acts of infamy from coming into their public assembly, while those of a different character they receive with their whole heart, in order that they may daily make them better."

So,

1) The early-mid 3rd c. Christians instruct initiates in private
2) They then divide initiates into two groups, also private:
a) beginners, those who are not purified
b) those who manifest ideal desires (and would receive "the mark of complete purification")
3) They exclude those with bad character, but receive others, "in order that they may daily make them better", i.e. more perfect.