κατηχέω

κατηχέω — katēchéō

κατηχέω, κατήχω: 1 aorist κατήχησα; passive, present κατηχοῦμαι; perfect κατήχημαι; 1 aorist κατηχήθην; nowhere met with in the O. T.; very rare in secular authors;

1. properly, to sound toward, sound down upon, resound: ἁρμονία κατηχει τῆς θαλαττης, Philostr., p. 791 (icon. 1, 19); to charm with resounding sound, to fascinate, τινα μύθοις, Lucian, Jup. trag. 39.

2. to teach orally, to instruct: Lucian, asin. § 48; Philopatr. 17. In the N. T. only used by Luke and Paul: τινα, 1Co 14:19; passive ἐκ τοῦ νόμου, by bearing the law, accustomed to be publicly read in the synagogues, Rom 2:18; with the accusative of the thing, αὐτός σε πολλά κατηχήσω τῶν ἀγνωυμενων, Josephus, de vita sua §65 at the end; with accusative of a thing and of a person, τοῦ ἀληθοῦς λόγου βραχέα κατηχησας με, Clement. hom. 1, 13; passive with the accusative of the thing: τήν ὁδόν τοῦ κυρίου, Act 18:25; τόν λόγον, Gal 6:6; hence, some ((see Meyer, in the place cited)) resolve Luk 1:4 thus: περί τῶν λόγων, οὕς κατηχήθης (see below).

3. to inform by word of mouth; passive to be orally informed: followed by ὅτι, Philo de leg. ad Gaium § 30; περί τίνος (the genitive of person), followed by ὅτι, Act 21:21; with the accusative of the thing, ὧν, κατήχηνται περί σου i. e. τούτων, ἅ κτλ., Act 21:24 (κατηχηθεις περί τῶν συμβεβηκότων (pseudo-) Plutarch, de fluviis (7, 2); 8, 1; 7, 1). To this construction the majority refer Luk 1:4, construing it thus: τήν ἀσφάλειαν τῶν λόγων, περί ὧν κατηχήθης (Winers Grammar, 165 (156); Buttmann, § 143, 7; (see above)). Cf. Gilbert, Dissertatio de christianae catecheseos historia (Lipsius 1836) Part i., p. 1ff; Zezschwitz, System der christl. Katechetik (Leipz. 1863) i., p. 17ff; (and for ecclesiastical usage, Suicer, Thesaurus 2:69ff; Sophocles' Lexicon, under the word).