Studia Paradyskie

At the beginning of the 20th century, a return to the sources of Christianity took place. Its fruition was, among others, the new research on the practice of repentance in the original Church, for which the theology of holy baptism played an essential role. The original Christianity repentance is frequently identified with the first stage of the formation of today’s repeatable sacramental confession. The initial believers posed a question regarding the possibility of repentance and forgiveness of sins committed after holy baptism. The concept of the second penance (poenitentia secunda), introduced by Tertullian, particularly demonstrated the fact that the first Christians could, anew, take advantage of forgiveness and admission to the Church community. Simultaneously, the new interpretation of repentance poignantly manifested the openness of the original Church to the readmission of the repentant sinner. The possibility of renewed forgiveness made repentance a process extended to the whole Christian existence. The interpretation of life from the perspective of holy baptism led to the continued penitential attitude embracing the entire life of a Christian. The believers who sinned after holy baptism could, again, take advance of forgiveness and admission to the community of believers. The readmission consisted of three stages: excommunication, confession of sins, and reconciliation. At every single stage, the Church community played an essential role. The very bishop participated in reconciliation. Excommunication and reconciliation reveal the fact that repentance in original Church was a particular event embracing the entire life of a believer. This exceptional, initially once-in-a-lifetime, reconciliation practice seems to have had a different nature than that of the present confession. Contemporarily, in this repeatable “event of reconciliation,” the realization of spiritual life care is more observable than a one-time event in a life of a Christian.