Confession only once in life in early church?

[KEP1983]

I’m an RCIA teacher and am given a book to work through for the class. We’re on the sacrament of confession now.

The book says that for the first 6 centuries the church only allowed confession once in your lifetime, and was seen as a second baptism.

I already knew that public confession was more common in the early church, but hadn’t heard that it was only allowed once in your lifetime? I have my doubts that this us true. I looked at the Catholic Encyclopedia which gives historical references, but the article is very long and, from what I looked at, seemed to say that some writers said this, but that it wasn’t a consensus and others disagreed with that?

Does anyone here know much about this, and was it the consensus in the early church that you could only go to confession once in your life?

 

[Todd977]

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. (Matthew 18:21-22)

Confession once in a lifetime in the early Church is my understanding but, in light of the above verses, it seems likely that such a restriction was merely a Church discipline at the time, a pastoral decision subject to later change.

 

[Just_Lurking]

There are rare instances of early Christians being allowed a second confession in their lifetime, with such instances being condemned by the all the other Christians, who only allowed one confession post-baptism.

 

[Todd977]

William A Jergens’ book, The Faith of the Early Fathers, Volume 1, which covers the first three hundred years, lists numerous quotes under the heading, “There are indications that forgiveness through public penitential acts was granted only once to any one penitent,” and also numerous quotes under the heading, “…but there are indications also, and even clear statements, that the private reception of sacramental forgiveness was repeatable.”

 

[grannymh]

I’m an RCIA teacher and am given a book to work through for the class. We’re on the sacrament of confession now.

The book says that for the first 6 centuries the church only allowed confession once in your lifetime, and was seen as a second baptism.

I already knew that public confession was more common in the early church, but hadn’t heard that it was only allowed once in your lifetime? I have my doubts that this us true. I looked at the Catholic Encyclopedia which gives historical references, but the article is very long and, from what I looked at, seemed to say that some writers said this, but that it wasn’t a consensus and others disagreed with that?

Does anyone here know much about this, and was it the consensus in the early church that you could only go to confession once in your life?

My poor memory is that some people, not the Church, decided that they would wait to go to Confession until close to death so that all their sins would be forgiven before they could commit more. I know that sounds odd… maybe the oddness is why that idea is stuck somewhere in my childhood memory – which should not be taken as “gospel.”

In the days of public penance, for some people that may have been a reason for avoiding Confession.

One thing I know for sure is that the Sacrament of Baptism is a one-time event. Please refer to CCC 1272. When using the CCC section on Baptism, there will be paragraphs in smaller print. Please first read CCC 20-21 for the explanation.

Post 4 is important because it comments that private reception of sacramental forgiveness was repeatable.

 

[twf]

I believe there are conflicting accounts and the truth isn’t 100% clear. I imagine practices varied somewhat from region to region. Regardless, it is definitely the case that certain very grave sins (such as adultery or abortion) did require public oenance and the number of times public penance was granted were limited. That being said, I remember reading somewhere that some believe the penitential rite was at one point a form of sacramental absolution akin to the modern concept of general absolution. Only very grave sins were subject to public oenance. Many private sins that we today would still see as grave matter don’t seem to have been subject to public penance, but those sins must have still been forgiven somehow. I personally suspect that General absolution was given during the liturgy but certain very grave sins were “reserved” (in the same way that priests can only absolve certain reserved sins today after the appropriate censures have been lifted by the bishop or by Rome) to the rite of public penance.

 

[otjm]

I have seen the same from several sources.

Consider this: we live in an age where communication is widespread and almost instantaneous. We also live in an age where the Church has had 20 centuries to reflect on the Gospels and Traditions. It is entirely possible that there was no specific rule stating that reconciliation could occur only one time; but that does not mean that there may not have been a widespread practice which limited it to one time.

It is highly likely that there is insufficient documentation to ever answer the question with finality.

It has been a long time since I came across the material, but there seems to be evidence that at least some people (and my recollection had to do with some of those in authority) would not be baptized until either late in life, or on their deathbed, because they only “got two shots” - one being baptism, and the other public reconciliation (allegedly because of the issue of serial adultery). I can’t vouch for it, but it makes sense.

It is also possible that out of something like that - reasons why someone waited to join the Church - filtering down through history has lead to “the Church only did reconciliation once…” which may have been true in practice, or in practice in certain areas, or an unspoken rule, or a rule.

Best I can say is that it appears that may have been a practice, if not a rule, and possibly may have been a rule, although we don’t know how widely.

Coupled with that was information that it was the monks, coming from Ireland, who introduced private confession and “non-public” reparation. Again, I suspect that this is something which may well be true, but of which sources may be less than conclusionary.

There is a tendency, on historical matters, to draw conclusions which may be more absolute than the existing documentation might support; which does not make the matter untrue; but perhaps not as absolute as it sounds or is stated.

 

[KEP1983]

Great responses everyone! Thanks

 

[Gorgias]

It is entirely possible that there was no specific rule stating that reconciliation could occur only one time; but that does not mean that there may not have been a widespread practice which limited it to one time.

One needs look no further than the Catechism (#1477):

Over the centuries the concrete form in which the Church has exercised this power received from the Lord has varied considerably. During the first centuries the reconciliation of Christians who had committed particularly grave sins after their Baptism (for example, idolatry, murder, or adultery) was tied to a very rigorous discipline, according to which penitents had to do public penance for their sins, often for years, before receiving reconciliation. To this “order of penitents” (which concerned only certain grave sins), one was only rarely admitted and in certain regions only once in a lifetime.

otjm:

It has been a long time since I came across the material, but there seems to be evidence that at least some people (and my recollection had to do with some of those in authority) would not be baptized until either late in life, or on their deathbed, because they only “got two shots” - one being baptism, and the other public reconciliation (allegedly because of the issue of serial adultery). I can’t vouch for it, but it makes sense.

That’s the common understanding.

Augustine talked about three types of reconciliation: first, at baptism (through which there was the remittance of sins); second, in the course of normal prayer (for what we might today call ‘venial’ sin); and third, through sacramental reconciliation (for adultery, murder, or heresy/apostasy). Some are said to have delayed baptism until later in life, when the prospects of committing one of these ‘serious’ sins was diminished.

Coupled with that was information that it was the monks, coming from Ireland, who introduced private confession and “non-public” reparation. Again, I suspect that this is something which may well be true, but of which sources may be less than conclusionary.

No, that’s the consensus of the historical data. It was in Ireland that private confession started becoming the norm, although the practice then would have looked somewhat different than what we’re used to seeing.

 

[Bookcat]

I’m an RCIA teacher and am given a book to work through for the class.

The Sacrament of Penance or Confession which Jesus gave us has had various forms down through the centuries.

At least in some regions and in certain periods certain *particular * mortal sins were absolved only once (i.e. apostasy, murder, adultery)…but this does not mean that confession per se was only permitted once.

This does not mean other mortal sins were not confessed…or could not be confessed more than one time.…but yes in certain regions…for certain very serious sins (like idolatry) …there was but one going through that process to be reconciled… (though one could still “do penance and pray etc”) … but one should remember too that the Christian of those days was very aware of the reality of martyrdom that could happen to them …and was thus often very serious about following Christ by the Holy Spirit …otherwise he did not become a Christian…one really was always conscious of the reality of baptism…the reality of being a Christian…

Of course then as now…‘daily sins’…venial sins could be forgiven in many ways…such as prayer (such as the Our Father)…etc (and the Church now recommends frequent confession even of these…)

**
Catechism of the Catholic Church**: (the smaller print…for more info on such read the intro to it): (with emphasis added)

The sacrament of forgiveness

1446 Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification. the Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as "the second plank [of salvation] after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace."47

1447 Over the centuries the concrete form in which the Church has exercised this power received from the Lord has varied considerably. During the first centuries the reconciliation of Christians who had committed** particularly grave sins** after their Baptism (for example,* idolatry, murder, or adultery*) was tied to a very rigorous discipline, according to which penitents had to do public penance for their sins, often for years, before receiving reconciliation. To this “order of penitents” (which concerned only certain grave sins), one was only rarely admitted and in *certain regions *only once in a lifetime. During the seventh century Irish missionaries, inspired by the Eastern monastic tradition, took to continental Europe the “private” practice of penance, which does not require public and prolonged completion of penitential works before reconciliation with the Church. From that time on, the sacrament has been performed in secret between penitent and priest. This new practice envisioned the possibility of repetition and so opened the way to a regular frequenting of this sacrament. It allowed the forgiveness of grave sins and venial sins to be integrated into one sacramental celebration. In its main lines this is the form of penance that the Church has practiced down to our day.

1448 Beneath the changes in discipline and celebration that this sacrament has undergone over the centuries, the same fundamental structure is to be discerned. It comprises two equally essential elements: on the one hand, the acts of the man who undergoes conversion through the action of the Holy Spirit: namely, contrition, confession, and satisfaction; on the other, God’s action through the intervention of the Church. the Church, who through the bishop and his priests forgives sins in the name of Jesus Christ and determines the manner of satisfaction, also prays for the sinner and does penance with him. Thus the sinner is healed and re-established in ecclesial communion.

scborromeo.org/ccc/ccc_toc.htm

 

[Kay_Cee]

I believe this idea of Confession only once is in The Shepherd of Hermas, a second century book. I read it once and am pretty sure it said Confession was allowed only once.

Some wanted it included in the Bible, but thank goodness it wasn’t!