Confession in Christianity

In Orthodox theology, due to the use of the same terms, the concepts of confession are often combined as a church sacrament consisting in the recognition of specific sins and the actual repentance ( metanoia ), as radical changes occurring in a person’s consciousness (“in the heart”) of a person (more in the article Repentance (in Christianity) ). Theoretically, confession includes repentance, that is, it is assumed that the Christian who starts the confession has already repented, and in this case, the confession itself will be only an external manifestation of the completed changes in the person’s thinking ^[2] .

For example, the Archbishop of Thessaloniki Simeon writes about the following about repentance ^[3] :

By repentance, we rectify more and more our sins. The gift of repentance is given to us because after baptism there is no other way to call us to salvation except for the deeds of <to Christ> and tears, except for confession of sins and removal from evil. The rank of monks is especially close to this gift, as a constant guarantee of repentance.

- Simeon of Solunsky

This combination of different concepts is reflected in the Russian Synodal translation of the Bible . For example, the word “repentance” also translated the Hebrew word ידה, which is used to mean “confessing sin before other people” in the Old Testament ( Numbers 5: 6-7 ), and the Greek word “ metanoia ” ( μετάνοια ) used in the New Testament, which means a change in consciousness.

Erasing the difference between repentance, as a change in consciousness, and confession, as an external manifestation of such repentance, can provoke ceremonies in some believers ^[4] .

In early Christian communities , a public confession was practiced, when the repentant revealed his sins to the whole church (community), and all Christians present prayed for the repentant, and considered his sins to be their own. However, by the 5th century, this practice was disappearing ^[5] . The penitents excommunicated from the Eucharist were not allowed into the church , but stood together with those announced in the narthex , from where they had to go out with them before the start of the liturgy of the faithful . In the 4th century, St. Basil the Great introduced secret penances for adulterous wives who could have been killed by their angry husbands (in the early Byzantine Empire, women were not equal in rights with men, and husbands did not bear almost any punishment for the state). State (imperial) officials began to demand a secret confession. However, up to the 15th century, it was possible to find a precept in the Orthodox consumables that the priest lay his hand on the neck of the penitent and thereby take on all the sins of the penitent Christian. The rite of confession, which is now contained in the inscription, appeared only in the XVII century ^[6] . After the transformation of Emperor Peter I , who was guided by European practice, a Catholic secret prayer was introduced in the Russian Orthodox Church, in which the priest only said the words: “ Az priest (name of the rivers), by the authority given to me from God I forgive and allow from all sins ... ” , - the priests did not have the right to divulge the sins of the penitents. At the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, St. John of Kronstadt popularized the general confession ^[4] .

The repentant, first of all, needs to forgive all those who, one way or another, have caused insults and disappointments for himself ( Matthew 6: 14-15 ), and also ask for forgiveness for inadvertently or deliberately caused insults. In preparation for the confessor, it is advisable to fast, abstain, and pray additionally. The Christian is recommended to spiritually prepare for the sacrament of confession: read penitential prayers, spiritual books and reflect on his sinfulness and the goodness of God. You need to take a repentant look at your life and your soul, analyze your actions, thoughts and desires from the point of view of God's commandments (it’s better to even write down your sins so as not to miss something during the sacrament).

All Orthodox Christians over the age of 7 are called to confession. Man is only responsible for his personal sins. A Christian should confess only of his own free will. The priest is forbidden to force a person to confession.

You can confess at any time and in any setting, but confession in the church is generally accepted - during worship or at a time specially designated by the priest. The confessed person must be a member of the Orthodox Church , that is, baptized , consciously believing (recognizing all the foundations of the Orthodox faith) and repenting of their sins. The priest must keep the secret of confession, that is, he must not retell to anyone what he heard in the confession.

In the temple, the priest confesses before the lectern , on which the Cross and the Gospel are located . Usually the priest covers the head of the penitent with epitrachilism , prays, asks the name of the confessor and what he wants to confess before God, but sometimes epitrachilum is put on the head of the penitent only when the priest reads the permissive prayer.

The repentant must name his sins . The sacrament cannot be accomplished without sincere repentance of one's sins. If the confessor hesitates or has forgotten sins, the priest may ask leading questions. Having listened to the confession, the priest as a witness and intercessor before God , asks questions if necessary, and gives instructions (he can appoint some penance ), then prays for the forgiveness of the penitent and, when he sees sincere repentance and desire for correction, reads the permissive a prayer. Although the very forgiveness of sins is not performed at the time of reading the permissive prayer, but rather through the totality of the order of confession. At the same time, and this is often indicated by the Holy Fathers , with the conscious concealment of sins or the absence of sincere repentance before God, the Sacrament of Confession does not take place, even if the priest read the permission prayer.

In the traditions of the Russian and a number of other local Orthodox churches, the confession of the laity (along with worship ) is required before the Sacrament of Communion , but, for example, in the Serbian Orthodox Church, parishioners receive communion every week and confess at will. Confession of priests before the liturgy and the sacrament is not mandatory ^[7] and exists as a local tradition ^[8] . Confession is also encouraged before marriage , ordination , monastic tonsure , before the upcoming difficult and dangerous surgical operation and, in general, before any important matter. You can also confess before baptism , which is a pious custom and is not a sacrament (only baptized persons can participate in the sacraments), therefore epitrachil is not placed on the head and a permissive prayer is not read ^{[9] [10]} .

Each Orthodox is recommended to have his own confessor - a priest (preferably from his own parish ), mainly who would constantly confess this Christian , and who would help him in his spiritual growth. The inhabitants of some monasteries daily reveal to their spiritual father not only their sins, but also their thoughts. The revelation of thoughts was a universal practice in the initial monasticism, and is the best way to deal with passions ^[11] . In addition to confessing with the priest , Christians are invited to constantly repeat silently the repentant prayer to Jesus , or the shorter prayer of the publican, “God, have mercy on me a sinner”, or simply “Lord have mercy!” ^[12] . With the help of deep repentance, monks - Hesychasts contemplated the "uncreated" Tabor light .

The full confession is contained in the Trebnik ^[13] .

Confession ( poenitentia ) is one of the seven sacraments and is strictly required for all Catholics once a year, even if there are no major sins . Many priests recommend confessing once a month, or even more often if there is such a need.

In order for the confession to be valid, the following conditions must be met:

• Test of conscience.
• Sincere repentance of sins.
• The firm intention is to no longer sin.
• A sincere confession before God (in the presence of a priest).
• Satisfaction of sins with God and neighbor (first of all, the fulfillment of penance and feasible compensation for damage caused to people).

The order of confession is the same as in Orthodoxy. At the end of the confession, the priest says a permissive prayer.

Confession of sins usually takes place in a special booth called a confessional or confessional (confession is possible also outside the confessional). The confessional is designed in such a way that the priest has the opportunity to hear the confession, but has not been able to see the confessor's face (the window of the confessional is covered with matter).

In Protestant communities, there are several slightly different practices for confessing sins. Thus, in Lutheranism, confession consists of two parts: the actual confession of sins and the remission of sins. Absolution, usually pronounced by a pastor or preacher, comes from God himself. The forgiveness of sins is granted for free, by the grace of God, no penance is imposed in the Lutheran church. Forgiveness of sins depends only on the mercy of God and faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, granting forgiveness and salvation. A confession does not require a listing of all sins; The XXV article of the Augsburg religion indicates that a person is not able to remember and list all his sins (referring to Psalm 18:12).

Both private and public confession are practiced. Private Confession - Confessing sins in private with a pastor or preacher. The public confession of sins takes place during worship and in most Protestant communities is an integral part of it. Only those believers who have confessed their sins are admitted to Holy Communion (therefore, public confession is always present at divine services with Holy Communion), while the need for confession and repentance does not depend on the gravity of the sin committed, since Protestant theology emphasizes that any sin is grave sin.

Until the end of the 5th century, according to A. F. Koni , confession before the presbyter and public confession in the church were allowed in the Christian church ; since the beginning of the VI century, the only accepted form of confession, coupled with observance of silence about everything with it open, is a secret confession ^[1] .

The Roman Catholic Church , based on the opinions of Thomas Aquinas and other scholars, theologians , established a "seal of silence", forbidding priests to tell anyone what they heard during the confession. Violation of this rule, according to article 21 of the Fourth Lateran Council , threatened with life imprisonment in the monastery of the "strictest" order. Bull Pope Clement VIII May 26, 1594 speaks of the same responsibility revealed the secret of confession.

In Orthodoxy, the secret of confession was also strictly observed. The Nomocanon at the 1662 yearbook prohibits revealing the secret of confession and threatens the guilty with the most severe punishment.

However, the unconditionality of the mystery of confession was violated during the reign of Peter I. The “Spiritual Rules” of that time provided for in three paragraphs of “additions to the rules of the clergy of the church” cruel punishment for revealing the secrets of confession, in the other three paragraphs it was allowed to disclose the secrets of the confession to those who, “having invented or pretended to make, would disclose a false miracle” , and to those who committed a state crime, if they, “by declaring a deliberate evil, show themselves that they are not repenting, but put in their truth and intentions without delaying, they confess sin” ^[14] .

According to the Complete Orthodox Theological Encyclopedic Dictionary :

“Now everything that is said in the confession is kept secret, except in cases where the concealment poses a danger to the monarch, the imperial house or the state” ^[15] .

Art. 19 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR defined the type of implications under consideration as failure to report a reliably prepared or committed crime and established that failure to report crimes entails liability only in cases specially provided for by law.

Modern Russian legislation protects the confidentiality of confession. In accordance with Part 7 of Art. 3 of the Federal Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations” “confidentiality of confession is protected by law. A priest cannot be held responsible for refusing to testify due to circumstances that became known to him from confession ” ^[16] . This rule is specified in the procedural legislation: so, according to paragraph 4 of part 3 of article 56 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation, a clergyman cannot be questioned as a witness about circumstances that became known to him from confession; a similar rule applies in the civil process (paragraph 3 of part 3 of article 69 of the Code of Civil Procedure of the Russian Federation ).