How did the early Christians confess?

[arkwright]

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church :-

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.

 

[smichhertz]

PILGRIM CHURCH, REVISED AND EXPANDED, 1991, by William J. Bausch.
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH THROUGH THE AGES: A HISTORY, 2005, by John Vidmar, OP
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA, New Advent . (newadvent.org/cathen/11618c.htm)

The persecutions led to a standardization of the sacrament of Confession. Unfortunately, there were Christins who denied their faith in the face of this crisis. They were called “lapsi”. Many desired to be reconciled with the Church. Some Church leaders did not feel they should be allowed to return. Many of them held that such serious sin could not be forgiven.The hard-liners were led by Novatian. (Vidmar, 28) But, Hermas argued that God wanted repentant sinners back, but not repeatedly. “For there is only one repentance for the servants of God”. (Bausch, 72) Pope Cornelius finally decided the issue. (Vidmar, 28) Confession then was normally given only once in a lifetime.

“Ignatius of Antioch at the close of the first century speaks of the mercy of God to sinners, provided they return” with one consent to the unity of Christ and the communion of the bishop". The clause "…He also says (Letter to the Philadelphians) “that the bishop presides over penance”. (newadvent.org/cathen/11618c.htm)

Tertullian (150-230AD) writes that deacons were sometimes the ordinary ministers of confession and reconciliation in the early days of the Church. (Bausch, 58)

At this time the Church held there were three sins which had to be confessed: adultery, apostacy, and murder. You appeared publicly before the bishop. You were enrolled in the “order of penitents”. The “new” Christians, after completing their public penance, were received back into the Church at the Easter Vigil. This “forgiveness only once” was the norm from the fourth through the sixth century. (Bausch, 72-73)

Irish monks in the 7th and 8th centuries introduced private confession. They were Celtic ascetics who frequently confessed their smallest sins. Since the monastery was an influential structure in Ireland, this practice spread to the laity. Eventually it was introduced to the mainland. (Bausch, 73)

By the 9th century, frequent confession was encouraged by Church leaders such as St. Boniface. Confession was not limited to three sins. (Bausch, 73)

The hearing of penance by deacons became an issue of the church in the 12th and 13th century.

“The Council of York (1195) decreed that except in the gravest necessity the deacon should not baptize, give communion, or “impose penance on one who confessed”…All these enactments,…make exception for urgent necessity.” . (newadvent.org/cathen/11618c.htm)

Use of Deacons as confessors was eventually abolished by the end of the 19th century.

In 1418, the idea of laymen hearing confessions arose.
“That this power does not belong to the laity is evident from the Bull of Martin V “Inter cunctas”… “whether he believes that the Christian . . . is bound as a necessary means of salvation to confess to a priest only and not to a layman or to laymen however good and devout” (Denzinger-Bannwart, “Enchir.”, 670)” . (newadvent.org/cathen/11618c.htm)

In 1520, this crisis reappeared when Martin Luther wrote that anyone could absolve since confession was merely a “symbol”. (Vidmar, 184)

“Luther’s proposition, that “any Christian, even a woman or a child” could in the absence of a priest absolve as well as pope or bishop, was condemned (1520) by Leo X in the Bull “Exurge Domine” (Enchir., 753).” . (newadvent.org/cathen/11618c.htm)

This, along with other issues brought to a head by the Reformation, resulted in the calling of the Council of Trent. "

"The Council of Trent (Sess. XIV, c. 6) condemns as “false and as at variance with the truth of the Gospel all doctrines which extend the ministry of the keys to any others than bishops and priests…”. (newadvent.org/cathen/11618c.htm)

The Council of Trent (1545-1563) is known for insisting that sins be confessed by number and kind. Dogma became difinitive, so there began a shift to moral theology. Confessions increased. Manuals were created outlining even the smallest sins to an excruciating degree. For instance, they would endlessly discuss exactly how much meat had to be consumed on a day of abstinence for it to become a mortal sin. This resulted in a very sin-conscious and scrupulous laity. (Bausch, 277)

Following Trent, things became very legalistic. Certain sins could only be forgiven by the bishop or the pope. Five steps for a good confession were required:
1. Examination of conscience
2. True sorrow for one’s sins
3. True commitment to change
4. Telling sins to the priest
5. Completion of one’s penance
Arguments over the strictness of the codes caused very divisive debates. (Bausch, 277)

While some in the 1600’s encouraged the sinner to confess to anyone present in the absence of the priest, this practice was never accepted by the Church.

“Since, therefore, the weight of theological opinion gradually turned against the practice and since the practice never received the sanction of the Church, it cannot be urged as a proof that the power to forgive sins belonged at any time to the laity.” . (newadvent.org/cathen/11618c.htm)

Following Vatican II, “the Decree on Religious Freedom recognized that all believers of any faith had the right to follow their consciences in matters of faith.” Catholics were unprepared to distinguish what is authentic Church doctrine. Since they no longer felt bound to certain practices, they ceased doing them. Confessions dropped off drastically. (Bausch, 423) This continues to be a problem in the Church.

Thank you! Wonderful history of Confession that I had NEVER heard before!

 

[Bookcat]

catholic.com/tracts/confession

 

[Bookcat]

I read this in my “Little Black Book” of Lenten reflections:

“Once upon a time, confessing one’s sins to another lay person or to monks or persons who were not priests was quite common. That changed with the Council of Trent (1545-1563). The council decreed that only confession to a bishop or priest fulfills the requirements for the sacrament or reconcilliation.”

The practice of non-sacramental “confessing” to a lay person or a non-Priest Monk - can be called a spiritual/penitential practice -seeking humbly advice in following Christ. (Some do it now on the Catholic Answers forums! -though the advice might not be as good…hee hee). Such was for instance practiced in later times for spiritual direction.

Such was not the Sacrament of Penance.

As to the early Church:

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

First off remember 00 In the early Church (as we do today) – “daily sins” (venial sins) could be forgiven by prayers during the liturgy and are forgiven by the Eucharist. Though other ways too where practiced – penance, alms, prayer, the Our Father etc…

Forgiveness of grave sins could be rather more involved.

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.

An example of the only once is that Origen (born 185) noted in one of his homilies that for the graver crimes (such as those mentioned above) there was only one opportunity for penance…

Which one would think – given the rigor involved in the penance – one would not likely fall again into apostasy (or idolatry), or adultery or murder too soon!!

This does not mean other mortal sins were not confessed…or could not be confessed more than one time…but in certain regions…for certain very serious sins (like idolatry) …there was but once 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…

The practice of frequent and private confession (including of venial sins) was spread via monasticism in the west in the 600’s

Catechism:

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