One whose charge is to instruct by questions, or to question the uninstructed concerning religion. The catechists of the ancient churches were usually ministers, and distinct of the bishops and prebyters; and had their catechumena, or auditories, apart. But they did not constitute any distinct order of the clergy, being chosen out of any order. The bishop himself sometimes performed the office; at other times, presbyters, readers, or deacons. It was his business to expose the folly of the pagan superstition, to remove prejudices, and answer objections; to discourse on behalf of the Christian docrines; and to give instruction to those who had not sufficient knowledge to qualify them for baptism.