Earliest historical list of the 7 Sacraments

[Arandur]

What is the earliest historical evidence we have of the Church recognizing the seven Sacraments?

I think that when we Catholics make claims of the historicity of the Catholic Church, and point to Catholic distinctives in contrast to that of other Christian sects, I think we should be able to corroborate some of our most significant distinctives or explain why it took them so long to develop (if indeed it did).

I think early on we can see things like Baptism, the Eucharist, Holy Orders, Laying on of Hands (Confirmation), and Anointing, but Reconciliation and Matrimony (as Sacraments) seem more nebulous in the historical record from my knowledge, and even some of the others may not have clarity in their form.

Can anyone help me locate an early list, whether catechetical, apologetic, ceremonial, etc that might enumerate the Seven?

What about the form of them, particularly that Holy Orders pertained to the three ordained offices, that Confirmation was distinct from baptism, that Matrimony was elevated as a full Sacrament, what form Anointing took, and that Reconciliation was formally administered by a priest or bishop?

Reconciliation seems to become more formalized and obvious in the historical record in the 5th century or later; I’d like to find sources on what earlier forms it took, and that it did indeed involve absolution given exclusively by a priest or bishop.

Anyone have anything for any of this?

 

[Todd_Easton]

On the sacraments in general, the lengthy article on “Sacraments” in the Catholic Encyclopedia should be of some help. The article includes links to other encyclopedia articles on the individual sacraments.

 

[GraceJ]

The Didache was an first century book that described several sacraments- I don’t remember if it had all of them in it. But it is definitely worth checking.

 

[twf]

The seven sacraments are all in Scripture and evidenced in the early Church. A definitive list of seven sacraments came much later. I don’t see why that would be problematic. The Church has gradually come to a fuller understanding of the deposit of faith over time… we had the seven sacraments from the beginning, but it took us time to distinguish between sacraments and sacramentals…

Is the profession of a monk or nun a sacrament or sacramental? Is the blessing of an abbot a sacrament or sacramental? Is the ordination of a subdeacon a sacrament or sacramental? In each case the Church today would answer sacramental, but I don’t think that was always clear. That’s ok. The bottom line is that the seven rites we now identify as sacraments all go back to Christ.

 

[TK421]

There wasn’t a definitive list of the 7 sacraments until the Middle Ages. Matrimony was the last one to be defined as a sacrament in explicit terms. Baptism was the first. The list of Sacraments (with a big S) was set in stone at Trent.

During St Augustine’s time, for example, remarrying when you still had a living spouse was seen as ‘forbidden’, whereas by the Middle Ages it was seen as ‘impossible’. This nuanced change in perspective came through a more developed understanding of matrimony.

A lot of the more hashed out, systematic theology we owe to the great theologians and cathedral-universities of the Middle Ages. Prior to this time period things were murkier in definition and explanation and that includes a lot more than just the sacraments.

 

[dochawk]

And for the Christian East, it’s still “at least seven” rather than an exact count . . .

 

[ziapueblo]

I thought I heard once even the consecration of a new Church.

ZP

 

[dochawk]

The consecration of the Byzantine emperor was considered either a sacrament, or an equal to the sacraments, (or some other eastern imprecision :crazy_face:)

 

[HeDa]

We all have to remember that until there was a controversy, the Church didn’t formally meet in councils and write something down. There was a need for a council after the tumult in the early 1600s, as people were starting their own ecclesial communions, to decide which the sacraments were since some of the people didn’t accept all of them.