Baptism and Confirmation: Shadow of the Torturer

I repost my previous post, revised. Sorry, I made a mess.

Of course, of course, this is the essential point (and I have missed it in my post): the power bestowed to Severian is so measureless that the sacraments administered by Abaia and his followers are irrelevant.

The meaning of baptism is rebirth (from sin). The resurrection of Severian from water represents his admission in the ranks of the followers of Abaia. At this baptism the Undine is his godmother. This is Severian's rambling on the power of symbols (the coin with the face of Autarch): "We believe that we invent symbols. The truth is that they invent us; we are their creatures, shaped by their hard, defining edges. When soldiers take their oath they are given a coin, an asimi stamped with the profile of the Autarch." At confirmation Catholics confirm the pledge of allegiance to Christ made at baptism by their godparents, becoming ?soldier of Christ"; and Severian confirms his baptism declaring himself a vodalarius, a ?soldier of Vodalus". The choice is sealed by the symbolic power of a false chrisos. Like for the Gild of Torturers, Severian will break this oath of allegiance.

Personally, nine years old, I receveid Confirmation Thursday and First Eucharist next Sunday. This was the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church, at the least in Italy; today also, I think.

Hildegrin is searching for Severian, with him are Vodalus and Thea, the leaders of the insurgency. Why Hildegrin would be interested in a peasant's woman? Moreover, the necropolis is organised by social rank: higher there are the masoleums of the optimates, lower the burial mounds of peasants and labourers. Severian is watching the scene behind a calcedony angel, the grave of the dark-haired woman is the grave of an armigette, at least. Thanks for your comments. Marco Cecchini

"We're the volunteers," one of the others said. "We come to protect our own dead." But then of course while we saw a peasant, we did not see the man who was going to watch over his mother. A man who had not spoken before said, "I'm going to watch over my mother. We've wasted too much time already. They could have her a league off by now." And they split up and went in several directions, Presumably they came from a variety of social classes. All seemed to fear, correctly or not, that their kins' graves might be robbed. And indeed, perhaps Vodalus deliberately takes corpses from various walks of society. - Gerry Quinn

Well well well ... looks like I was taught a "false theology" according to this article. http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=13621 In America, however, I am pretty sure we have done confirmation a bit after communion for a good while. This is one of those things I should have known but didn't. It's all moot as far as the procees Gene underwent, however - he came to the church as an adult.