Note 75 — Chapter VII · POST-CHRISTIAN GNOSTICS

It could be even self-administered, as in the Acts of Paul and Thekla, where Thekla baptizes herself in the arena. See Tischendorf’s text. The Clementine Homilies (Bk XIV. c. 1) show that it could be immediately followed by the Eucharist without any intermediate rite or preparation. Contrast with this the elaborate ceremonies described by Cyril of Jerusalem, where the white-robed band of converts after a long catechumenate, including fasting and the communication of secret doctrines and passwords, approach on Easter Eve the doors of the church where the lights turned darkness into day. See Hatch, H. L. pp. 297, 299.