Confession

con*fes*sion

"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned." This simple phrase from Roman Catholic dogma conjures up images of famous Hollywood confessions and dramatizations, but the real root of the phrase has a much more obscure past. Not only found in modern Catholicism, the confession of sin, along with the confession of faith, can be seen in religious practices throughout the world. The simplest definition Webster gave the confession of sin is "a written or oral statement acknowledging guilt, made by one who has been accused or charged with an offense" (Bookshelf). However, Webster also recognizes the less thought of definition of the confession of faith as "an avowal of belief in the doctrines of a particular faith; a creed" (Bookshelf).

The double-edged meaning of the word "can be partially explained by the etymology" (Eliade 1). The word confession derives from the Latin word confiteor which means to "confess a sin or fault," but in a more general since the word can also mean "to acknowledge or avow." Thus, with the understanding of the Latin root, one may speak of the sinner who confesses his sin, or of the martyr who confesses his faith. Regardless of which usage is being applied, the religious rules of the confession must be followed. It must take place in front of a recipient, or one who hears the confession. "In many cases, it is preformed in the interest not only of the one confessing but also of the community to which both the confessing person and the recipient belong" (Eliade 1). With an understanding of the underlying meanings of the confession one may begin to explore the development of the phenomenon and its function in modern religion.

A common way to view the confession of sin is as one part of the entire sacrament of penance. The confession along with the elements of prayer, sacrifice, and penance lead up to the act of absolution or forgiveness ( Gentz 280). In early Christian religion the confession began as a "ritualized group avowal of sin as part of Sunday worship;" moreover, in Judaism it developed into the annual congregational confession of sins known as Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (Gentz 290). Both examples of early confession resemble today's modern idea of publicly professing one's faith and acknowledging one's sins before a recipient, in this case being the congregation as a whole, but it wasn't until later in Eastern and Western Christianity that the individual confession emerged.

The exact origin of the confession is unknown, but there are many theories surrounding the development of this institution. One approach conceived by Raffaele Pettazzoni