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Teleioi

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

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(τέλειοι or τελειούμενοι, the perfect), a name of early Christians, which had relation to the sacred mysteries, and denoted such as had been initiated. Baptism was denominated τελετή ); to join the Church was styled ἐλθεῖν ἐπὶ τὸ τέλειον, to attain to perfection; the participation of the eucharist, which followed immediately on baptism, was called τελετὴ τελετῶν, perfection of perfections; and the absolution granted in the eucharist was called τὸ τέλειον, the perfection of a Christian. The word is, however, used frequently in the New Test., not indeed in this sense, but in relation to Christian perfection.