Quotes by St. Augustine, St. Chrysostom, St. Basil on confession

[jam070406]

I ran across these quotes below on a Protestant website trying to debunk the sacrament of confession. They quote some Church Fathers.

toughissues.org/confess.htm

Can someone verify these quotes to be authentic? Has anyone seen these before? I was wondering everyone’s opinions on these quotes claiming we only need to confess our sins to God in prayer. I was hoping to get some opinions of my Eastern Orthodox brothers because I’m not too familiar with the sacrament of confession in the Eastern Church and a few of the quotes seem to be from Eastern Saints (if authentic). Help! Thanks in advance.

“What have I to do with men that they should hear my confessions, as if they were able to heal my infirmities?”
Augustine (Known as Saint Augustine of Hippo; 354-430) (This quote was taken from Chapter III of his tenth book of Confessions.)

“We do not request you to go to confess your sins to any of your fellow-men, but only to God. …We do not ask you to go and confess your iniquities to a sinful man for pardon – but only to God.”
-John Chrysostom (Known as Saint John Chrysostom; 350-407) (This quote was taken from his homily on the 50th Psalm.)

“Therefore, I beseech you, always confess your sins to God! I, in no way, ask you to confess them to me. To God alone should you expose the wounds of your soul, and from Him alone expect the cure. Go to Him, then, and you shall not be cast off, but healed. For, before you utter a single word, God knows your prayer.” – John Chrysostom (From his homily V., De incomprehensibili De natura, vol. I.)

“What we should most admire is not that God forgives our sins,
but that He does not disclose them to anyone, nor wishes us to do so. What He demands of us is to confess our transgressions to Him alone to obtain pardon.”
-John Chrysostom (From Catethesis ad illuminandos, vol. II, p. 210)

“You need no witnesses of your confession. Secretly acknowledge your sins, and let God alone hear you.”
– John Chrysostom (From his homily De Paenitentia, vol. IV., col. 901)

“Confess your sins every day in prayer. Why should you hesitate to do so? I do not tell you to go and confess to a man, [who is a] sinner as you are, and who might despise you if he knew your faults. But confess them to God, who can forgive them to you.” – John Chrysostom (His homily on Psalm 1, vol. V., p. 589)

“I have not come before the world to make a confession with my lips. But I close my eyes, and confess my sins in the secret of my heart. Before Thee, O God, I pour out my sighs, and Thou alone art the witness. My groans are within my soul. There is no need of many words to confess: sorrow and regret are the best confession. Yes, the lamentations of the soul, which Thou art pleased to hear, are the best confession.” – Saint Basil (His commentary on Psalm 37)

 

[Isa_Almisry]

Unfortunately I dont’ have the time to go through these now. But I would think they are correct, because the Protestants are smart enough to know they can be looked up.

I can also guarantee they are twisted out of context. Why? I know the saints they quote, and ALL of them believed in the Church’s authority to forgive sins.

I also know Protestants. The worst example I saw was a Chick publication which used “Look at how this man blasphemes! Who can forgive sins but God alone” as a proof text against sacramental confession, in oblivion of who “this Man” is in the Gospel.

 

[Isa_Almisry]

I notice that the web site doesn’t have any forum, like the excellent ones here. Wouldn’t want to record what people found “Examining the Tough Issues.”

 

[RobNY]

Unfortunately I dont’ have the time to go through these now. But I would think they are correct, because the Protestants are smart enough to know they can be looked up.

I can also guarantee they are twisted out of context. Why? I know the saints they quote, and ALL of them believed in the Church’s authority to forgive sins.

I suggest that our holy Saints are suggesting the salutary practice of examining oneself for sins, and confessing them daily. And it is true, if you take this practice, you will be confessing them daily to God, and you will also be doing it so that no one may see or hear you (as prayer should be done… privately, like Jesus commands).

This is altogether different than sacramental confession. These guys need to show that he’s referring to sacramental confession.

I recommend trying to find these on the web-- NewAdvent.com or ccel.org, and reading them in context. That, or go to the catholic.com patristic proof texts and do a patristic slinging with them. Ok… that’s not the best idea, but it’s a good counter balance.

-Rob

 

[paradoxy]

In the sacrament of confession, we ARE confessing to God.

What I understand from these quotes is that we don’t need to “chat” with others (friends, family, strangers in the street) about our sins. If I’m wrong, correct me.

 

[joe370]

Firstly, regarding Augustine, who believed in penance:

Augustine Believed in the Sacrament of Penance

"When you shall have been baptized, keep to a good life in the commandments of God so that you may preserve your baptism to the very end. I do not tell you that you will live here without sin, but they are venial sins which this life is never without. Baptism was instituted for all sins. For light sins, without which we cannot live, prayer was instituted. . . . But do not commit those sins on account of which you would have to be separated from the body of Christ. Perish the thought! For those whom you see doing penance have committed crimes, either adultery or some other enormities. That is why they are doing penance. If their sins were light, daily prayer would suffice to blot them out. . . .** In the Church, therefore, there are three ways in which sins are forgiven: in baptisms, in prayer, and in the greater humility of penance" (Sermon to Catechumens on the Creed 7:15, 8:16 [A.D. 395]).**

"I realize what the incontinent can say: . . . that if a man, accusing his wife of adultery, kills her, this sin, since it is finished and does not perdure in him *, if it is committed by a catechumen, is absolved in baptism, and if it is done by one who is baptized,** it is healed by penance and reconciliation" **(Adulterous Marriages 2:16:16 [A.D. 419]).

I ran across these quotes below on a Protestant website trying to debunk the sacrament of confession. They quote some Church Fathers.

toughissues.org/confess.htm

Can someone verify these quotes to be authentic? Has anyone seen these before? I was wondering everyone’s opinions on these quotes claiming we only need to confess our sins to God in prayer. I was hoping to get some opinions of my Eastern Orthodox brothers because I’m not too familiar with the sacrament of confession in the Eastern Church and a few of the quotes seem to be from Eastern Saints (if authentic). Help! Thanks in advance.

“What have I to do with men that they should hear my confessions, as if they were able to heal my infirmities?”
Augustine (Known as Saint Augustine of Hippo; 354-430) (This quote was taken from Chapter III of his tenth book of Confessions.)

“We do not request you to go to confess your sins to any of your fellow-men, but only to God. …We do not ask you to go and confess your iniquities to a sinful man for pardon – but only to God.”
-John Chrysostom (Known as Saint John Chrysostom; 350-407) (This quote was taken from his homily on the 50th Psalm.)

“Therefore, I beseech you, always confess your sins to God! I, in no way, ask you to confess them to me. To God alone should you expose the wounds of your soul, and from Him alone expect the cure. Go to Him, then, and you shall not be cast off, but healed. For, before you utter a single word, God knows your prayer.” – John Chrysostom (From his homily V., De incomprehensibili De natura, vol. I.)

“What we should most admire is not that God forgives our sins,
but that He does not disclose them to anyone, nor wishes us to do so. What He demands of us is to confess our transgressions to Him alone to obtain pardon.”
-John Chrysostom (From Catethesis ad illuminandos, vol. II, p. 210)

“You need no witnesses of your confession. Secretly acknowledge your sins, and let God alone hear you.”
– John Chrysostom (From his homily De Paenitentia, vol. IV., col. 901)

“Confess your sins every day in prayer. Why should you hesitate to do so? I do not tell you to go and confess to a man, [who is a] sinner as you are, and who might despise you if he knew your faults. But confess them to God, who can forgive them to you.” – John Chrysostom (His homily on Psalm 1, vol. V., p. 589)

“I have not come before the world to make a confession with my lips. But I close my eyes, and confess my sins in the secret of my heart. Before Thee, O God, I pour out my sighs, and Thou alone art the witness. My groans are within my soul. There is no need of many words to confess: sorrow and regret are the best confession. Yes, the lamentations of the soul, which Thou art pleased to hear, are the best confession.” – Saint Basil (His commentary on Psalm 37)*

 

[joe370]

Basil on the necessity of confession of sins:

“It is necessary to confess our sins to those whom the dispensation of God’s mysteries is entrusted.” Basil, Rule Briefly Treated, 288 (A.D. 374).

Basil is, of course, referring to the act of Christ whereby he endowed the Apostolic ministry with the office of remitting sins:

“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (Jn 20:23).

I ran across these quotes below on a Protestant website trying to debunk the sacrament of confession. They quote some Church Fathers.

toughissues.org/confess.htm

Can someone verify these quotes to be authentic? Has anyone seen these before? I was wondering everyone’s opinions on these quotes claiming we only need to confess our sins to God in prayer. I was hoping to get some opinions of my Eastern Orthodox brothers because I’m not too familiar with the sacrament of confession in the Eastern Church and a few of the quotes seem to be from Eastern Saints (if authentic). Help! Thanks in advance.

“What have I to do with men that they should hear my confessions, as if they were able to heal my infirmities?”
Augustine (Known as Saint Augustine of Hippo; 354-430) (This quote was taken from Chapter III of his tenth book of Confessions.)

“We do not request you to go to confess your sins to any of your fellow-men, but only to God. …We do not ask you to go and confess your iniquities to a sinful man for pardon – but only to God.”
-John Chrysostom (Known as Saint John Chrysostom; 350-407) (This quote was taken from his homily on the 50th Psalm.)

“Therefore, I beseech you, always confess your sins to God! I, in no way, ask you to confess them to me. To God alone should you expose the wounds of your soul, and from Him alone expect the cure. Go to Him, then, and you shall not be cast off, but healed. For, before you utter a single word, God knows your prayer.” – John Chrysostom (From his homily V., De incomprehensibili De natura, vol. I.)

“What we should most admire is not that God forgives our sins,
but that He does not disclose them to anyone, nor wishes us to do so. What He demands of us is to confess our transgressions to Him alone to obtain pardon.”
-John Chrysostom (From Catethesis ad illuminandos, vol. II, p. 210)

“You need no witnesses of your confession. Secretly acknowledge your sins, and let God alone hear you.”
– John Chrysostom (From his homily De Paenitentia, vol. IV., col. 901)

“Confess your sins every day in prayer. Why should you hesitate to do so? I do not tell you to go and confess to a man, [who is a] sinner as you are, and who might despise you if he knew your faults. But confess them to God, who can forgive them to you.” – John Chrysostom (His homily on Psalm 1, vol. V., p. 589)

“I have not come before the world to make a confession with my lips. But I close my eyes, and confess my sins in the secret of my heart. Before Thee, O God, I pour out my sighs, and Thou alone art the witness. My groans are within my soul. There is no need of many words to confess: sorrow and regret are the best confession. Yes, the lamentations of the soul, which Thou art pleased to hear, are the best confession.” – Saint Basil (His commentary on Psalm 37)

 

[joe370]

Hey Jam, it would be nice to have access to the actual source of these quotes as opposed to just that anti-Catholic source? Here are 2 examples out of the four that should provide some clarity. As far as I can tell, the last quote you give does not occur anywhere in Homily V of Chrysostom’s “De Incomprehensibili.” Here is what it says:

“Therefore, I exhort, I entreat, and I beg you never to stop confessing your faults to God. I am not leading you onto a stage before your fellow servants nor do I force you to reveal your sin to men. Open your conscience before God, show him your wounds, and beg him for medication to heal them. Do not point them out to someone who will reproach you but to one who will cure you. Even if you remain silent, God knows all things. Tell your sins to him so that you may be the one who profits. Tell them to him so that, once you have left the burden of all your sins with him, you may go forth cleansed of your faults and free from the intolerable need to make them public.”

In this quote, Chrysostom says to confess sins to God. He contrasts this, however, not with auricular confession to a priest, but to forced confession before men or confession as on a stage before one’s “fellow servants.” True, he also says that there is no need to make one’s sins “public,” but that is not the case with private confession. The only line in this quote that really might be taken to deny the necessity of auricular confession is the one that says, *“Even if you remain silent, God knows all things.” *What Chrysostom appears to be saying is that God will know your sins even if you do not confess them; of course, that is not a good reason not to confess them! Even if you do refuse to confess, and so remain silent, God will still know your sins… So we should confess anyway, so we can partake of the holy Eucharist without the guilt of profaning the body and blood of our Savior! That fits best with the rest of what Chrysostom says here, where he insists on “telling,” “confessing,” and “begging,” and presents himself as eagerly exhorting us to do so. So, that quote, in view of its actual wording, does not deny auricular confession.

Regarding the following quote, which, again, I can find only in the aforementioned anti-Catholic source:

“You need no witness of your confession. Secretly acknowledge your sins and let God alone hear you” (Chrysostom, De Paenitentia, Volume IV, Col. 901). I don’t have access to any “De Paenitentia” by Chrysostom, so I can’t try checking that source myself, but I can tell you that, based on my research, this quote also does not exist (look here for support of this: bringyou.to/apologetics/a135.htm#Chrysostom).

The closest quote to this one, provided by that non-Catholic site, appears to be this one, from Chrysostom’s “Homilies on Lazarus:”

*“Unless you tell the magnitude of your debt, you do not experience the abundance of grace. ‘I do not oblige you,’ He says, ‘to come into the middle of a theater and to be surrounded by many witnesses. Tell your sin to Me alone in private, so that I may heal your wound and release you from your pain.’”
*
Again, though, the contrast in this quote is between private telling of sins and telling one’s sins in “the middle of a theater . . . surrounded by many witnesses” - this doesn’t oppose private, auricular confession. True, Chrysostom does present Jesus as saying, “Tell your sin to Me alone,” but this has to be taken in the wider context of what Chrysostom says, as well as in the context of the theology of the priesthood. The priest stands “in persona Christi.” To confess in private with a priest is to confess to Christ, both in the context of wider theology, and, more importantly for present purposes, in the context of Chrysostom’s other sayings. In his Homilies on the Gospel of John, for example, Chrysostom mentions the passage where the apostles are given the power to forgive sins, and says, *“The things that are placed in the hands of the priest, it belongs to God alone to give.” *So, the things given by the priest (from the priest’s hands) are given by “God alone.” That is, the action of the priest and the action of Jesus, are not opposed, in Chrysostom’s thought; one does not exclude the other. The priest, by virtue of his office, is the one by whom or through whom God acts, not unlike Baptism. Nothing inconsistent with auricular confession. What is inconsistent, if that anti-Catholic site is correct, is the following:

John Chrysostom:

Priests have received a power which God has given neither to angels nor to archangels. It was said to them: “Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose, shall be loosed.” Temporal rulers have indeed the power of binding: but they can only bind the body. Priests, in contrast, can bind with a bond which pertains to the soul itself and transcends the very heavens.** Did [God] not give them all the powers of heaven? “Whose sins you shall forgive,” he says, “they are forgiven them; whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.” The Father has given all judgment to the Son. And now I see the Son placing all this power in the hands of men [Matt. 10:40; John 20:21-23]. They are raised to this dignity as if they were already gathered up to heaven (The Priesthood 3:5 [A.D. 387]).**

 

[joe370]

Certainly if there was any validity to those somewhat paraphrased quotes, then that would certainly contradict the following Early Church Fathers, ranging from the 1st century to the 3rd century, who taught that Jesus Christ had in fact passed on His authority to forgive sins - to His priests.

The Didache

Confess your sins in church, and do not go up to your prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of life. . . , On the Lord’s Day gather together, break bread, and give thanks, **after confessing your transgressions so that your sacrifice may be pure **(Didache 4:14,14:1 [A.D.70]).

The Letter of Barnabas

You shall judge righteously. You shall not make a schism, but you shall pacify those that contend by bringing them together. You shall confess your sins. You shall not go to prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of light (Letter of Barnabas 19 [A.D. 74]).

Ignatius of Antioch, a pupil of the apostles:

For as many as are of God and of Jesus Christ are also with the bishop. And as many as shall,** in the exercise of penance, return into the unity of the Church**, these, too, shall belong to God, that they may live according to Jesus Christ (Letter to the Philadelphians 3 [A.D. 110]).

For where there is division and wrath, God does not dwell. To all them that repent, the Lord grants forgiveness, if they turn in penitence to the unity of God, and to communion with the bishop (ibid. 8).

Irenaeus

[The Gnostic disciples of Marcus] have deluded many women. . . Their consciences have been branded as with a hot iron. Some of these women make a public confession, but others are ashamed to do this, and in silence, as if withdrawing from themselves the hope of life of God, they either apostatize entirely or hesitate between two courses (Against Heresies 1:22 [A.D. 189]).

Tertullian

[Regarding confession, some] flee from this work as being an exposure of themselves, or they put it off from day to day. I presume they are more mindful of modesty than of salvation, like those who contract a disease in the more shameful parts of the body and shun making themselves known to the physicians; and thus they perish along with their own bashfulness (Repentance 10:1 [A.D. 203]).

The Church has the power of forgiving sins. This I acknowledge and adjudge (ibid. 21).

Hippolytus

[The bishop conducting the ordination of the new bishop shall pray:] God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . pour forth now that power which comes from you, from your Royal Spirit, which you gave to your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and which he bestowed upon his holy apostles. . . and grant this your servant, whom you have chosen for the episcopate, [the power] to feed your holy flock and to serve without blame as your high priest, ministering night and day to propitiate unceasingly before your face and to offer to you the gifts of your holy Church, and by the Spirit of the high priesthood to have the authority to forgive sins, in accord with your command (Apostolic Tradition 3 [A.D. 215]).

Origen

[A filial method of forgiveness], albeit hard and laborious [is] the remission of sins through penance, when the sinner . . . does not shrink from declaring his sin to a priest of the Lord and from seeking medicine, after the manner of him who say, “I said, to the Lord, I will accuse myself of my iniquity” (Homilies in Leviticus 2:4 [A.D. 248]).

Cyprian

The Apostle [Paul] likewise bears witness and says: "Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord "*. But [the impenitent] spurn and despise all these warnings; before their sins are expiated, before they have made a confession of their crime, before their conscience has been purged in the ceremony and at: the hand of the priest . . . they do violence to his body and blood, and with their hands and mouth they sin against the Lord more than when they denied him (The Lapsed 15:1-3 (A.D. 251]).

Of how much greater faith and salutary fear are they who . . . confess their sins to the priests of God in a straightforward manner and in sorrow, making an open declaration of conscience. . . I beseech you, brethren; let everyone who has sinned confess his sin while he is still in this world, while his confession is still admissible, while the satisfaction and remission made through the priests are still pleasing before the Lord (ibid. 28).

Sinners may do penance For a set time, and according to the rules of discipline come to public confession, and by imposition of the hand of the bishop and clergy receive the right of Communion. But now some with their time [of penance] still unfulfilled . . . they are admitted to Communion, and their name is presented and while the penitence is not yet performed, confession is not yet made, the hands of the bishop and clergy are not yet laid upon them, the Eucharist is given to them; although it is written, “Whosoever shall eat the bread and drink the cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord” * (Letters 9:2 [A.D. 253])**

 

[JDaniel]

I ran across these quotes below on a Protestant website trying to debunk the sacrament of confession. They quote some Church Fathers.

toughissues.org/confess.htm

Can someone verify these quotes to be authentic? Has anyone seen these before? I was wondering everyone’s opinions on these quotes claiming we only need to confess our sins to God in prayer. I was hoping to get some opinions of my Eastern Orthodox brothers because I’m not too familiar with the sacrament of confession in the Eastern Church and a few of the quotes seem to be from Eastern Saints (if authentic). Help! Thanks in advance.

“What have I to do with men that they should hear my confessions, as if they were able to heal my infirmities?”
Augustine (Known as Saint Augustine of Hippo; 354-430) (This quote was taken from Chapter III of his tenth book of Confessions.)

“We do not request you to go to confess your sins to any of your fellow-men, but only to God. …We do not ask you to go and confess your iniquities to a sinful man for pardon – but only to God.”
-John Chrysostom (Known as Saint John Chrysostom; 350-407) (This quote was taken from his homily on the 50th Psalm.)

“Therefore, I beseech you, always confess your sins to God! I, in no way, ask you to confess them to me. To God alone should you expose the wounds of your soul, and from Him alone expect the cure. Go to Him, then, and you shall not be cast off, but healed. For, before you utter a single word, God knows your prayer.” – John Chrysostom (From his homily V., De incomprehensibili De natura, vol. I.)

“What we should most admire is not that God forgives our sins,
but that He does not disclose them to anyone, nor wishes us to do so. What He demands of us is to confess our transgressions to Him alone to obtain pardon.”
-John Chrysostom (From Catethesis ad illuminandos, vol. II, p. 210)

“You need no witnesses of your confession. Secretly acknowledge your sins, and let God alone hear you.”
– John Chrysostom (From his homily De Paenitentia, vol. IV., col. 901)

“Confess your sins every day in prayer. Why should you hesitate to do so? I do not tell you to go and confess to a man, [who is a] sinner as you are, and who might despise you if he knew your faults. But confess them to God, who can forgive them to you.” – John Chrysostom (His homily on Psalm 1, vol. V., p. 589)

“I have not come before the world to make a confession with my lips. But I close my eyes, and confess my sins in the secret of my heart. Before Thee, O God, I pour out my sighs, and Thou alone art the witness. My groans are within my soul. There is no need of many words to confess: sorrow and regret are the best confession. Yes, the lamentations of the soul, which Thou art pleased to hear, are the best confession.” – Saint Basil (His commentary on Psalm 37)

Jam:

This is a slightly different take on your discovery, and it is in no way meant to be disrespectful. It appears that most, if not all, have been taken out of context - purposely. As to why, I can only speculate. For the past number of years, the Protestant Churches have been dwindling. The Pastors show what appears to be plenty of parishioners, but the actual number of “Churched” brethren has consistently declined. During most of that time, the Catholic Church, on the other hand, has grown, and grown in the category of the “Churched.” Somewhere in Pennsylvania is an Episcopal center that keeps such records and makes estimates of the numbers of adherents of the various denominations and individual Churches.

Because of this downtrend, I can speculate concerning the needs of some, shall we say, “less than Christian people” to produce something along those lines, that skirts the Truth, in opposition to Catholicism. From what I have been given to understand there are proportionately fewer Catholics leaving the Church for new homes in Protestant Churches than there are Protestants leaving their brand of Protestantism for Catholicism. Now, overall there may be more Catholics leaving the Church for other reasons, but not to join the Protestant denominations.

As the one-time producer of The Church Guide, in the area of central Florida where I live, I was made privy to these things as they related to my ministry in producing such a Guide. Still, despite seeing, hearing, and being drilled on such near-slanderous suggestions, most of the Protestant denominations have been either losing or not gaining as they should. Of course, some of them leave their Churches for other reasons as well.

The biggest reason that we noticed was the mobility of the American people. Upon arrival at a new home, in some distant region, a father and mother will discuss the eventuality of their getting back into a Church, but, for usually reasons of laziness, they never do. Or, they try out a Church or two, find them not to their liking, and quit going altogether. At least, these are the dynamics in America.

Of course, the non-scholarly will not try to find the truth. They will believe what they are told about Catholicism. Strangely enough, a great many Protestant Pastors and Ministers are leading the way back home. Usually because they have come to some Biblical revelation themselves that propels them.

It would certainly be great if all Christians were one. That is what Christ openly spoke for, and it is something we should pray for.

God bless,
jd

 

[Betterave]

“What have I to do with men that they should hear my confessions, as if they were able to heal my infirmities?”
Augustine (Known as Saint Augustine of Hippo; 354-430) (This quote was taken from Chapter III of his tenth book of Confessions.)

It does appear that there may be some good old-fashioned deceit going on over at toughissues.org. For the Augustine quote above, here’s the whole paragraph:

1. What is it to me that men should hear my confessions as if it were they who were going to cure all my infirmities? People are curious to know the lives of others, but slow to correct their own. Why are they anxious to hear from me what I am, when they are unwilling to hear from thee what they are? And how can they tell when they hear what I say about myself whether I speak the truth, since no man knows what is in a man “save the spirit of man which is in him” [1 Cor. 2:11]? But if they were to hear from thee something concerning themselves, they would not be able to say, “The Lord is lying.” For what does it mean to hear from thee about themselves but to know themselves? And who is he that knows himself and says, “This is false,” unless he himself is lying? But, because “love believes all things” [1 Cor. 13:7]–at least among those who are bound together in love by its bonds–I confess to thee, O Lord, so that men may also hear; for if I cannot prove to them that I confess the truth, yet those whose ears love opens to me will believe me.

From the context here it seems pretty clear that Augustine’s reference to men anxious to “hear my confessions” refers to those who are anxious to read his book, the Confessions. Nothing to do with the sacrament at all.

 

[JDaniel]

It does appear that there may be some good old-fashioned deceit going on over at toughissues.org. For the Augustine quote above, here’s the whole paragraph:

1. What is it to me that men should hear my confessions as if it were they who were going to cure all my infirmities? People are curious to know the lives of others, but slow to correct their own. Why are they anxious to hear from me what I am, when they are unwilling to hear from thee what they are? And how can they tell when they hear what I say about myself whether I speak the truth, since no man knows what is in a man “save the spirit of man which is in him” [1 Cor. 2:11]? But if they were to hear from thee something concerning themselves, they would not be able to say, “The Lord is lying.” For what does it mean to hear from thee about themselves but to know themselves? And who is he that knows himself and says, “This is false,” unless he himself is lying? But, because “love believes all things” [1 Cor. 13:7]–at least among those who are bound together in love by its bonds–I confess to thee, O Lord, so that men may also hear; for if I cannot prove to them that I confess the truth, yet those whose ears love opens to me will believe me.

From the context here it seems pretty clear that Augustine’s reference to men anxious to “hear my confessions” refers to those who are anxious to read his book, the Confessions. Nothing to do with the sacrament at all.

Betterave:

It could have been an honest mistake.

God bless,
jd

 

[Pioro]

Betterave has found the Augustine quote in context and proven that the Protestant site was - as they so often do - quoting out of context.

The Catholic Encyclopedia quotes Augustine and several others on the necessity of confessing to a priest:

St. Augustine (d. 450) tells the sinner: “an abscess had formed in your conscience; it tormented you and gave you no rest. . . . confess, and in confession let the pus come out and flow away” (Enarration on Psalm 66, no. 6). St. Jerome (d. 420) comparing the priests of the New Law with those of the Old who decided between leprosy and leprosy, says: “likewise in the New Testament the bishops and the priest bind or loose . . . in virtue of their office”, having heard various sorts of sinners, they know who is to be bound and who is to be loosed" . . . (In Matt., xvi, 19); in his “Sermon on Penance” he says: “let no one find it irksome to show his wound vulnus confiteri) because without confession it cannot be healed.” St. Ambrose (d. 397): “this right (of loosing and binding) has been conferred on priests only” (On Penance I.2.7); St. Basil (d. 397): “As men do not make known their bodily ailments to anybody and everybody, but only to those who are skilled in healing, so confession of sin ought to be made to those who can cure it” (Reg. brevior., 229).

For those who sought to escape the obligation of confession it was natural enough to assert that repentance was the affair of the soul alone with its Maker, and that no intermediary was needed. It is this pretext that St. Augustine sweeps aside in one of his sermons: “Let no one say I do penance secretly; I perform it in the sight of God, and He who is to pardon me knows that in my heart I repent”. Whereupon St. Augustine asks: “Was it then said to no purpose, ‘What you shall loose upon earth shall be loosed in heaven?’ Was it for nothing that the keys were given to the Church?” (Sermo cccxcii, n. 3, in P.L., XXXIX, 1711).