p 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 todays modern idea of publicly professing ones faith and acknowledging ones sins before a recipient, in this case being the congregation as a whole, but it wasnt 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 states that the confession originated from forms of magic, specifically the magic of the spoken word. A ritual intended to expel or eliminate a sin by means of its verbal expression, it was conceived of as a kind of substance that was charged with destructive or obstructive power (Elaide 2). This theory, however, elicited scholarly objections from the Viennese cultural-historical school, which maintained that Pettazzonis unilinar reconstruction of historycould in fact mean a return to a farfetched evolutionism Elaide 2).The modern definition of confession began in first century Christianity as the church practice a penance for sins that were considered to be mortal or capital sins. The act began as the sinner entered the order of the penitents through a confession rendered before the bishop (Elaide 4). Gradually the form of private confession was introduced, and from the seventh century onward a new form of reconciliation came into practice. In Western Christianity the private form of confession emphasized the accusation made by the penitent, while in Eastern Christianity the spiritual personality of the priest was stressed (Elaide 4). Also during this time period the seal of confession began to emerge. This seal binds the priest who hears the confession not to divulge the secrets of the confes...
