Sacrament
A
sacrament is a
Christian rite that mediates
divine grace—a holy
mystery.
In the Western tradition, it is often defined as an outward, visible sign that conveys an inward, spiritual grace.
The root meaning of the
Latin word
sacramentum is "making sacred". One example of its use was as the term for the oath of dedication taken by Roman soldiers; but the ecclesiastical use of the word is derived from the root meaning of the word and not from that particular example.
Among many
Protestants, the word
mediates or
conveys would mean only that it is a visible
symbol or reminder of invisible grace.
The
Roman Catholic Church,
Eastern Orthodox Christians, the
Oriental Orthodox,
Assyrian Christians, members of the
Anglican,
United Methodist, and
Old Catholic traditions, the
Independent Catholic Churches and
Lutherans hold that sacraments are not mere symbols, but rather, "signs or symbols which effect what they signify", that is, the sacraments in and of themselves, rightly administered, are used by God as a means to communicate grace to faithful recipients.
Generally, there are seven sacramental rites used since apostolic times in the Church, though not all of them are accepted as such by all groups. These are:
Baptism,
Chrismation (or
Confirmation), the
Eucharist (Communion),
The Sacrament of Order (
Ordination),
Reconciliation of a Penitent,
Anointing of the Sick, and
Matrimony. Some groups do not consider any of these to be sacraments. Some groups, such as
Anglicans and
Old-Catholics, consider the two dominical sacraments of the Gospel, Baptism and the Eucharist, to be the "precepted, primary, and principal sacraments ordained for our salvation," and consider the other five sacramental rites to be "lesser sacraments" that are derivative of these two. Occasionally, Christians who do not believe in sacramental theology will nevertheless refer to, for example, marriage as a "sacrament" in an effort to underscore their belief in the sanctity of the institution.
Clearly, Christian
churches,
denominations, and
sects are divided regarding the number and operation of the sacraments, but they are generally held to have been instituted by
Jesus. Those who do not believe in sacramental theology refer to these rites primarily baptism and communion, as "ordinances." The sacraments are usually administered by the
clergy to a recipient or recipients, and are generally understood to involve visible and invisible components. The invisible component (manifested inwardly) is understood to be brought about by the action of the Holy Spirit,
God's grace working in the sacrament's participants, while the visible (or outward) component entails the use of such things as water, oil, and bread and wine that is blessed or consecrated; the laying-on-of-hands; or a particularly significant covenant that is marked by a public benediction (such as with
marriage and
absolution).
The seven sacraments are (see also
Sacraments (Catholic Church);
Anglican sacraments;
Sacred Mysteries and
Holy Sacraments):
*
Baptism *
Confirmation*
Holy Eucharist (or Holy Communion)These three sacraments comprise the sacraments of initiation.
*
Matrimony (or
sacramental marriage)
*
Holy Orders*
Reconciliation (or Penance, Confession)
*
Anointing of the Sick (or Extreme Unction, Last Rites)
Other names are used by other Christian bodies for the sacraments which they recognize, notably
Chrismation is the name for the reception of the seal of the Holy Spirit in the
Orthodox Church.
In addition to these seven, some Christian groups (
Anabaptist and
Brethren groups, in particular) consider
foot washing to be a sacrament (see Gospel of John 13:14), and a few Christian groups (such as the
Polish National Catholic Church of America) have argued that the hearing of the Gospel should be considered a sacrament.
The numeration, naming, and understanding of sacraments and the adoption of the remaining sacraments vary according to
denomination.
Some Protestants consider the "evangelical," or "dominical,"
mysteries — Baptism and Communion — to be the
only sacraments, understanding these to be the only such practices directly instituted by Jesus, as reported in the
Gospels. They hold that the other five rites are not made sacraments by the
New Testament. So while almost all Protestant churches have marriage ceremonies, and many have
ordained clergy and a ceremony conferring ordination, these particular groups consider these rites to be
ordinances rather than sacraments.
As is often the case, views within the churches of the
Anglican Communion vary (see
Anglican sacraments). The
Thirty-nine Articles from the 1662
Book of Common Prayer declares that Baptism and Communion are the two dominical sacraments recognized in the English Church, and that the other five practices are "commonly called sacraments."
Anglo-Catholics have always counted the sacraments at seven. The
catechism of the
Episcopal Church in the United States of America, in the completely revised version of 1979, states: "God does not limit himself to these rites; they are patterns of countless ways by which God uses material things to reach out to us."
Various churches of the
Catholic tradition also have
sacramentals, acts of worship that differ from sacraments proper, but which are also means of grace. Items such as the
rosary or the various
scapulars and holy
medals issued by some groups are counted among these sacramentals.
The seven sacraments accepted by Roman Catholicism are generally also accepted by
Eastern Orthodoxy and
Oriental Orthodoxy and by many in the Anglican Communion, as well, but the latter traditions do not limit the number of sacraments to seven, holding that anything the Church does as Church is in some sense sacramental. To be more accurate, for the
Eastern Orthodox and
Oriental Orthodox Christian the term “Sacrament” is a Westernism that seeks to classify something that may be impossible to classify. Preferably the term “Mystery” is used, the reason being that the “How it is possible” is unanswerable to human understanding. God touches us through material means such as water, wine, bread, oil, incense, candles, altars, icons, etc. How God does this is a Mystery. On a broad level, the Mysteries are an affirmation of the goodness of created matter, and are an emphatic declaration of what that matter was originally created to be. On a specific level, while not systematically limiting the mysteries to seven, the most profound
Mystery is, without a doubt, the Eucharist, in which the partakers, by participation in the liturgy and receiving the consecrated bread and wine, understood to have become the body and blood of Christ itself, direct communion with God occurs. This perceived vagueness is considered by the Orthodox to be piety and respect for something profound and incomprehensible. Orthodox do not like to try to classify things to any great degree as this is seen to be a fruitless and unnecessary waste of time.
This approach is characteristic of Orthodox theology in general, and is often called "
apophatic," meaning that any and all positive statements about God and other theological matters must be balanced by negative statements. For example, while it is correct and appropriate to say that God exists, or even that God is the only Being which truly exists, such statements must be understood to also convey the idea that God transcends what is usually meant by the term "to exist."
Orthodox divines do write, however, about there being seven "principal" mysteries.
The
Salvation Army does not practice formal sacraments for a variety of reasons, including a belief that it is better to concentrate on the reality behind the symbols; however, it does not forbid its members from receiving sacraments in other denominations [
1].
Quakers do not practice formal sacraments, believing that all activities should be considered holy.
*
Eucharistic theologies contrasted*
Means of Grace*
Sacrament (Mormonism)*
Manna*
Entheogen*
Mystery*
Real Presence*
CharismaEcumenical
*Stookey, Laurence Hull.
Baptism: Christ's Act in the Church. Nashville, Abingdon Press, 1982. ISBN 0687023645
*Stookey, Laurence Hull.
Eucharist: Christ's Feast With the Church. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993. ISBN 0687120179
*
World Council of Churches.
Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry. Faith and Order paper. Geneva:
World Council of Churches,1982. ISBN 2825407097
Orthodox
*Coniaris, Anthony.
These Are the Sacraments: The Life-Giving Mysteries of the Orthodox Church Minneapolis: Light & Life Publishing, 1981. ISBN 0937032220
Roman Catholic
*Martos, Joseph.
Doors to the Sacred: A Historical Introduction to Sacraments in the Catholic Church. Revised Ed. Liguori, MO: Liguori Publications, 2001. ISBN 0764807188
*Power, David Noel.
Sacrament: The Language of God's Giving. New York: Herder & Herder, 1999. ISBN 0824517989
Anglican
*MacQuarrie, John ''A Guide to the Sacraments'.' London: Continuum International Publishing, 1997. ISBN 0826410278
Protestant
*Neal, Gregory S.
Grace Upon Grace Koinonia Press, 2000. ISBN 0967907403
*Stamm, Mark W.
Sacraments & Discipleship: Understanding the Sacraments in a United Methodist Context. Discipleship Resources, 2001. ISBN 0881772852
*White, James F.
The Sacraments in Protestant Practice and Faith. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1999. ISBN 0687034027
*
Baptism, Eucharist, & Ministry (an
ecumenical statement by the
World Council of Churches)
*
The Sacraments as Means of Grace from Grace upon Grace: Sacramental Theology in the Christian Life. By Gregory S. Neal
