Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Theologies of Confirmation for the 21st Century

by Sharon Ely Pearson (Compiler)

Overview

• An all-in-one volume sharing the history, practice, and viewpoints of Confirmation in the Episcopal Church and the first book on the subject for at least 15 years

• Resolutions regarding Confirmation are coming to the 2015 General Convention

• Includes questions for reflection and study by individuals and groups

Many clergy and educators would say that the rite of Confirmation in the Episcopal Church today is a sacrament in search of a meaning. Some believe Confirmation is an essential rite of passage for adult leadership in the governance of the church. Some believe it is a rite that no longer has a place in the life of the church, understanding the importance that Baptism now holds in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer’s ecclesiology.
Following a history of how the rite of Confirmation came about and its implications for youth and adults in the church today, voices in the Episcopal Church (bishops, liturgical scholars, confirmation leaders, and youth themselves) offer fresh viewpoints here in a conversational format to engage the reader.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780819228925
Publisher:	Morehouse Publishing
Publication date:	04/01/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	166
File size:	369 KB

About the Author

Sharon Ely Pearson a retired Christian educator, editor, and author with 35-plus years of experience in Christian formation on the local, judicatory, and church-wide level. Known for her knowledge of published curricula across the church, she has written or edited numerous books. She is a graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary and a lifelong Episcopalian. She lives in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Read an Excerpt

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Theologies of Confirmation for the 21st Century

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By Sharon Ely Pearson

Church Publishing Incorporated

Copyright © 2014 Sharon Ely Pearson
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-8192-2892-5

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CHAPTER 1

Rites of Initiation in the Christian Tradition

Christian baptism in the New Testament is a complete and adequate entrance into a new relationship with the Father, the Messiah and the Holy Spirit, becoming a full member of the new Church. Households were baptized together, including slaves and children. If children could not answer the questions of renunciation and commitment for themselves, others answered for them. The newly baptized emerged from the water and (in many parts of the Church) were anointed, usually over the entire body. Being marked with the sign of the cross with oil, a part of the rite called consignation, the newly baptized were then re-clothed (later in the era they received white garments). Being brought into the Eucharistic assembly for the first time, they shared in the kiss of peace and the people's prayers, made their own offering of bread and wine, and received the Body and Blood of Christ. Baptism was seen as a water moment of the washing from sin and a cleansing act of forgiveness. The anointing, a representation of the rich, flowing life of the Spirit, was a sealing of the gift of the Holy Spirit, being marked as Christ's own forever. The name "Christian" means anointed. The use of anointing in making prophets, priests, and kings would carry a spiritual association to any Jew, including the first Christians.

There are many allusions to anointing, such as in 2 Cor 1:21–22, that speak of receiving the seal of the Holy Spirit as a sign of commissioning for apostolic ministry. In the King James Version of the Bible, the Greek word translated as "commissioned" means literally "anointed." The conveying of responsibility by the laying on of hands was also an ancient practice existing in Israel; it was a regular and agreed upon method of either transferring or shifting responsibility in the community. This custom predates Exodus, and following this laying on of hands, or public binding, a participation in a common meal as a form of communion with the divine ancestor was shared. Many of these Jewish customs found their way into the initiation rites of the early Church.

While the water ritual was the central part of baptism and was seen as the act of initiation, the laying on of hands, the "stirring up" of the Spirit, had an eschatological quality. In Acts 8:4–8, 14–17, the mission of Peter and John to Samaria laid hands on those who had previously been baptized, and they received the Holy Spirit. Daniel Stevick believes this narrative is about a missionary advance into schismatic Jewish Samaria and should not be seen as a continuation of the initiation rite. In Acts 19:1–7, twelve disciples in Ephesus had been baptized with John the Baptizer's "baptism of repentance," but had not received (nor heard of) the Holy Spirit. They are then baptized "in the name of the Lord Jesus" by Paul, and then through the laying on of Paul's hands, receive the Holy Spirit. These stories from Acts of the Apostles have led to many interpretations of how the Spirit is received throughout Church history.

The writings of the Apostolic Fathers speak of water as Spirit-giving. Clement of Rome (c. 90) is aware that we have "one God and one Christ and one Spirit of Grace who was poured out on us." The Epistle of Barnabas (c. 90s) opens by asking its readers to share how the Spirit is "poured out on them from the riches of the Lord's fount." In the Shepherd of Hermas (c. 140–150), there are six examples of where the readers are said to have received the Spirit, in most cases with water.

At this time, converts to Christianity were now being made almost exclusively from the ranks of pagans, so a period of preparation for baptism became an important rule. The immediate and personal responsibility for the spread of the Christian mission that characterized the apostolic age was not as important as renouncing Satan and confessing the faith of Christ. There was a period of catechesis in which the story of Jesus Christ was shared, as well as the teachings of the apostles and prayers of the people. This preparation took place over a period of time prior to the celebration of Easter when all new converts were baptized into the Church. The earlier "confirmation" to mission of the Gospel was no longer as immediate as it had been during the apostolic period. Following their baptism, the new Christians were welcomed into the household of faith and participated in the community meal, the Eucharist.

As the early church grew and spread, there were differences in the rite of initiation as practiced in Carthage and in Rome. The first documented description of baptism in the Church is from Tertullian (c. 155–220) of Carthage, describing the washing as cleansing and blessing of our bodies so that the imposition of hands can invite the coming of the Holy Spirit. He speaks of the Spirit's resting on the waters of baptism, being active throughout the rite. In Tertullian's Liber de Baptismo, he says, "the giving of Baptism is the right of the High Priest, who is the bishop and others have it only as delegates." For him, it is not the water but the "seal" which imparts the Spirit, being given by the bishop. The whole rite remains one service, and its "minister" is the bishop. Noted liturgist Dom Gregory Dix asserts that this is the general pre-Nicene understanding of the rite of Baptism.

The first known text of a full baptismal liturgy can be found in the Apostolic Tradition (c. 215) of Hippolytus (c. 170–236), from the church in Rome. It is elaborate: thanksgiving over oil of thanksgiving, exorcism of oil of exorcism, renunciation of Satan, anointing with oil of exorcism by a presbyter, affirmation of a creed, baptism in water, anointing with oil of thanksgiving by a presbyter. Following their baptism, drying themselves and being newly vested, the neophytes are brought into the church. At the end of the rite according to Apostolic Tradition 21–22, the bishop laid a hand on each of the candidates, in prayer. Although the rite of Hippolytus appears to presuppose that most of the candidates would be mature persons who had gone through extensive preparation, there is also a rubric regarding who these neophytes might be:

They shall baptize the little children first. And if they can answer for themselves, let them answer. But if they cannot, let the parents answer or someone from their family.

Thus we have sponsors speaking on behalf of children who were too young to speak for themselves. Infant candidates are baptized, confirmed, and communicated at one sacramental action with the bishop present, just as adult candidates are initiated into the Christian community.

Theologian Aidan Kavanagh does not believe that the bishop's "confirmation prayer" is an epiclesis of the Holy Spirit, but a dismissal, or missa, leading to the breaking of the bread and admission to the Eucharistic community. He believes that the structure we know as "confirmation" today originated with this liturgical action. The purpose of a missa rite was to conclude and formally "seal" a unit of public worship or instruction by dismissing the assembly with prayer and physical contact by its chief minister—bishop or presbyter.

Cyprian (c. 200–258), Bishop of Carthage, believed in the presence and power of the Spirit in Baptism, but the Spirit was given and received by the power of the laying on of hands. Ambrose of Milan (340–397) speaks of a "spiritual seal" and a "perfecting" or invocation of the Holy Spirit and its gifts on the neophytes, which takes place after the post-baptismal anointing and foot washing. With Ambrose, it appears that this northern Italian practice began the Western theory that confirmation is the "completion" of baptism.

During the fourth century, the Church increased in numbers and many of its members lived in remote rural areas. The presence of a bishop was not always possible, as baptisms were a more frequent occurrence in an expanding church. Jerome (c. 347–420) writes of his distress that presbyters and deacons in churches that are far from the bigger cities have baptized many without the bishop's presence.

As the Church expanded, practices adapted and changed to the local circumstances. John Chrysostom (347–407) describes the rites of Antioch as having no anointing following baptism; it is in the water that the Holy Spirit descends on the baptized "through the words and hands of the priest." In different regions of the Church, the newly baptized received a signing with the cross (Milan, Rome, Spain, and North Africa), a laying on of hands (Rome and North Africa), a second anointing by the bishop (Rome), and even in some places pedilavium, or foot washing (Milan and Spain).

During Augustine's time (354–430), people were largely illiterate, so Christian preparation took place through worship, biblical preaching, and reading Scripture aloud. Catechumens continued to go through a lengthy period of instruction in the faith. Augustine's doctrine that baptism cleansed inherited sin and guilt reinforced the practice of baptizing children as early as possible. Pope Innocent I also stated that children were to receive the sacrament upon their baptism, and he decreed that consignation of baptized infants should be only by the bishop, for this specific ministry belongs only to those of "the highest rank of the pontificate." The hand laying and bishop's participation were viewed as a pastoral presence, not to be seen as a completion of the full initiation rite of the water baptism.

Local councils (Riez in 439 and Orange in 441) are when the words confirmare or perficere are used in reference to particular rites associated with the ministry of bishops in baptismal initiation. These rites involved the imposition of hands with prayer for the Holy Spirit. Innocent I reinterpreted the missa as to be a ceremonial gesture of signation on the forehead of the neophytes. Outside of southeast Gaul, the word confirmation is not used in regard to the post-baptismal rites, but of Eucharistic communion. The chalice "completes" the eating of the consecrated bread, or, as with Alcuin, the bread and cup "confirms" the participants.

A Pentecost sermon attributed to the semi-Pelagian bishop Faustus of Riez (southern Gaul) around 450 serves as a benchmark for the classic Western theology of confirmation.

In baptism we are washed; after baptism we are strengthened. And although the benefits of rebirth suffice immediately for those about to die, nevertheless the helps of confirmation are necessary for those who will prevail. Rebirth in itself immediately saves those needing to be received in the peace of this blessed age. Confirmation arms and supplies those needing to be preserved for the struggles and battles of this world.

Faustus also argued that confirmation should be deferred until a suitable maturity had been attained. Prior to this homily, Hispano-Gallican liturgies were simple baptisms in water followed by a single chrismation by a presbyter or deacon. From the sixth through the ninth centuries, the Romanizing and sacramentalizing of Hispano-Gallican practices of episcopal disciplinary oversight of baptism became known as "confirmation of neophytes."

Eighth century reforms under Charlemagne sought a greater standardization of liturgical, ecclesiastical, and political practice in the West. Service books were obtained from Rome, and new texts were introduced throughout Europe. Episcopal confirmation was part of the Roman rites, so became part of the liturgy in places that had not known it before. This was reinforced by Rabanus Maurus (d. 835), Bishop of Mainz who speculated on the theological significance of the separation of the two rites, stating that "episcopal chrismation and laying on of hands brings the grace of the Spirit into the Baptized with all the fullness of sanctity, power and knowledge." His rite also contained a rite of confirmation to be celebrated at a later time. The length of time between the two parts of initiation (baptism and confirmation) grew longer.

In the middle of the ninth century, Pseudo-Isidore, compiler of the False Decretals, took parts of Faustus' sermon and attributed them to Melchiades and Urban I, popes who lived (and died) during church persecutions in the early fourth century. From the eighth to the twelfth centuries, the rite of initiation consisted of baptism, confirmation, and first communion being three parts of one whole, not always experienced at the same moment, with each additional rite adding new strength to the individual.

In the eleventh century a major change in the practice of the doctrine of "real presence" began to influence the life of the Church. In many areas of the Church, infants ceased to receive communion, believing the grace that they received at baptism could suffice until they were of an age to commit actual sin. They could not receive the presence of Christ until they were thought to understand its meaning, and the age of seven became a standard in many regions. This "age of discretion" has shaped Western thinking ever since.

The Middle Ages were a time when each action comprising the rites of initiation took on a separate meaning, to include: the work of the Holy Spirit, the timing of each event, the catechumenal period, and the administrator of such actions. Thomas Aquinas' systematic theology influenced the church and continues to remain at the heart of much of Catholic theology today. The host and the cup became such awesome vehicles of God's grace that concern for proper reception overruled any thought that infants and children must have the Sacrament for their salvation. What if a child should receive the Sacrament without understanding its significance? His writings refer to the words of Pope Melchiades, which are really from Faustus' homily!

The Holy Ghost bestows at the font the fullness of innocence; but in Confirmation, He confers an increase in grace. Man is spiritually advanced by this sacrament to a perfect age.

In Summa TheologicaIII3a.72.8, he describes Confirmation as a "sacrament of maturity," bringing an increase of grace for a different phase of life.

In Baptism, the Holy Spirit worked externally for regeneration and adoption; in Confirmation, the Holy Spirit was an internal effect that strengthened for Christian discipleship, allowing the presence (given at Baptism) to become more effective. This increase of grace (augmentium gratiae) gave strength (robur) to live and fight the battles of the Christian life, or spiritual warfare (confirmamur ad pugnam). The kiss of peace at the end of the ceremony was replaced with a slap on the cheek, a Roman practice closely associated with medieval guild practice used in commissioning and sending forth journeymen. Here emerged a distinct rite, separate from baptism, as a sacrament of the Holy Spirit for an increase of grace, strength to live and fight the battles of the Christian life, a sacrament of maturity. This reflects a synthesis of the Roman episcopal post-baptismal rites of hand laying with prayer and anointing, and the Spanish-Gallican practice of episcopal oversight and supervision of baptism called "confirmation."

At the Council of Cologne in 1280 it was declared that children under seven were too young to be confirmed, because one should learn the rudiments of faith in preparation: the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ave Maria. It is apparent that confirmation was being changed from being a sacrament of initiation to one with catechetical dimensions associated with an appropriate age.

Archbishop of Canterbury John Peckham issued a canon in 1282 requiring that Confirmation be the prerequisite to receiving communion. His aim was to rescue Confirmation from "damnable negligence" because bishops were not visiting parishes for Confirmation. It had the opposite effect. Daniel Stevick notes, "Gradually but inevitably, Confirmation in the West became the privilege of the few rather than the obligation of many." What had become a source of strength had become a closed gate to fellowship. This medieval theology and practice of confirmation was canonized at the Council of Florence in 1439, in a Decree for the Armenians, officially stating that in confirmation Christians grow in grace and are strengthened in faith. The "age of discretion" was the key to a child's admittance to communion; a child was then old enough to know the difference between the sacramental meal and the family meal.

The Protestant Reformation returned to the understanding that baptism was complete in and of itself; there was new birth in water and the Holy Spirit. Paul Turner calls the meaning and practice of confirmation one of the controversies of the sixteenth century as the Church struggled to interpret the meaning and importance of the sacraments. He believes that although the origins of confirmation are with initiation, making it more a seal than strength, he agrees with the Reformers that baptism is so powerful a sacrament that it does not need to be sealed. For him, the seal of grace at baptism is the pouring out of grace of the Holy Spirit.

(Continues...)

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Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction, v,
Part I / Christian Initiation,
1. Rites of Initiation in the Christian Tradition, 3,
2. Liturgical Renewal of Christian Initiation Rites, 15,
3. Christian Initiation and the Adolescent, 19,
4. The Catechumenate, 26,
Part II / A Public Affirmation,
5. Re-Imagining Confirmation Ruth A. Meyers, 33,
6. A Liturgy for the Messy Middle James R. Mathes, 53,
7. A Rite in Search for a Reason of Being Lee Alison Crawford, 63,
8. Contemplating Our "One Wild and Precious Life" Victoria L. Garvey, 73,
9. Confirmation and Sacraments in Latino Ministries Tom Callard and Anthony Guillén, 80,
10. Christian Identity Prince G. Singh, 88,
Part III / Duly Prepared,
11. Everything You Need to Know to Be Confirmed Laura Darling, 95,
12. Practical Matters Jenifer Lee Gamber, 102,
13. Confirmation and Catechesis Moisés Quezada Mota, 115,
14. Rites of Passage Sharon Ely Pearson, 123,
15. Building Base Camps Lisa Kimball, 131,
Part IV / A Theology of Confirmation for the Future,
16. Lifelong Christian Formation, 139,
17. A Proposed Theology, 143,
Discussion Guide, 149,
Appendix I: News Articles, 154,
Appendix II: Annotated Bibliography of Confirmation Resources, 158,
Appendix III: Sample Diocesan Guidelines, 161,