On teaching religion: debates about religious education in late antique Christianity

Religion and education coexist in a field of tensions; their interaction can be fruitful but also conflictuous. This was already true for early Christianity. According to Jesus' commandment, people should receive education before and after baptism. But can one give rise to faith? And if so, how? The present paper starts with pagan philosophers' criticism that early Christianity was, in their view, hostile towards education and with Christian attempts to establish a form of genuine religious instruction. In a second step, it examines educational procedures within the framework of the 4 th and 5 th century catechumenate and investigates how the teaching of the faith was subject to didactic reflection. After this, the paper focusses a Christian group that was apparently abstinent from education, namely, monasticism. However, a closer look reveals that the early monks formed an educational movement sui generis. Finally, the paper highlights the triangulation of Christian education between teachers, disciples, and God as the proper teacher; it closes with some thoughts on the possibility of adapting late antique ideas to modern discourses on (religious) education.