What is Confession?:
The Latin root of confession is confiteor, which means “to acknowledge a sin or fault,” or sometimes more broadly, to simply acknowledge or avow. In this way we might have sinners who confess their crimes or believers who confess their faith. The two are more closely connected than is usually realized, however, because the context in which a person confessed their faith in early Christianity was typically at a tribunal where they might be punished.
Confession & Community:
A confession might occur privately or publicly, but either way there is a necessarily public aspect to the act of confessing. For one thing, it is normal for there to be someone who is authorized to hear the confession. They may or may not have the authority to absolve the person, but it’s not really a confession if it is made alone. Secondly, a primary reason for making a confession is to help reintegrate the person back into the community.
Confession & Ritual:
Because of the communal aspects of the act of confession, it’s only to be expected that it would typically involve ritual as well. Confessions are hardly ever just blurted out in an unstructured way. There are usually specific phrases used, both by one making the confession and the one hearing it. Some argue that the act of confession retains magical aspects derived from early religions, perhaps in connection to belief in the magical powers of spoken words.
