7 sacraments

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Ortega

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I just finished reading several books on the sacraments. Yet, I am at a loss of explaining well the issue that Jesus did institute all the sacraments via his CHurch - his body on Earth. I by Tim Gray where he sows how Christ inaguarated the sacramewnt of confirmation in his life yet I can’t recall it.
Is it better to believe the sacraments are 7 or two.
 
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Ortega:
I just finished reading several books on the sacraments. Yet, I am at a loss of explaining well the issue that Jesus did institute all the sacraments via his CHurch - his body on Earth. I by Tim Gray where he sows how Christ inaguarated the sacramewnt of confirmation in his life yet I can’t recall it.
Is it better to believe the sacraments are 7 or two.
In order to understand the seven sacraments we have to realize that the early Church did not have the theology of sacraments that we have today – that is a development over time. In fact, the first time the seven sacraments that we have today were listed as such was in the 12th century with Peter Lombard’s classic work Sentences. However, in Scripture we see that some converts were baptized with water but “did not receive the Holy Spirit.” The then received what we today call confirmation (chrismation in the East).

In the early Church (roughly the 1st through 5th centuries) confirmation was celebrated immediately following baptism. Then the newly confirmed was fed “milk and honey” and, later the Eucharist. This pattern remained in the East while, for a number of reasons, the West shifted to baptism then, years later, communion and, finally, confirmation. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) has restored the traditional order.

Deacon Ed
 
Yes, but did the early Church write in defense of the sacraments in a way that we can see the foundation of the 7 sacraments as institued directly by Christ in his own actians or thru his body the CHurch.
 
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Ortega:
Yes, but did the early Church write in defense of the sacraments in a way that we can see the foundation of the 7 sacraments as institued directly by Christ in his own actians or thru his body the CHurch.
Again, the seven sacraments we know about today were not the only “sacraments” of the early Church. However, they describe what Lombard eventually definined as the seven as being from Christ rather than from the Church. It’s just hard to find all the references because the theology did not yet exist to discuss them.

Deacon Ed
 
Deacon so is it fair to say that Luthera was right that the number of sacraments as instituted by Christ for the Church is two vs 7 ?
 
You are familiar with 1. Baptism and 2. Confirmation.
3. The Eucharist was instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper.
4. Marriage was elevated to a sacrament when Jesus declared it indissoluble.
5. Holy Orders has a very good example in Acts when the eleven remaining disciples chose Mathias to replace Judas, by castin lots and by laying hands on him.
6. Annointing the sick has a good example in the book of James.
7. Reconciliation (Confession) was initiated when Jesus gave the power to forgive or retain sins to the apostles immediately after he breathed the Holy Spirit on them.

A sacrament is defined as an outward sign of a conveying of an inner and spiritual grace. (roughly)

Check out the Catholic Answers library, where you can find great explanations along with quotes from the early Church.

God Bless
Dave
 
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Ortega:
Deacon so is it fair to say that Luthera was right that the number of sacraments as instituted by Christ for the Church is two vs 7 ?
No, it would not be fair or correct to say that. What the Church did was an what Jesus did. That we don’t see Jesus marrying anyone doesn’t mean he didn’t institute the sacrament of marriage. In fact, in his discourse on marriage he established it as sacrament rather than the contractual understanding the Jews had. In baptizing he probably anointed with oil bringing the Holy Spirit in what we think of as Baptism and Confirmation/Chrismation. We know that Jesus healed the sick, and that is the sacrament of the anointing of the sick. Jesus certainly raised the 12 men he called to what would come to be called Holy Orders. And, of course, it’s clear that he celebrated the first eucharist.

Deacon Ed
 
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