Historical and Biblical Foundation of the

Sacrament

What is a sacrament?

The Sacraments are signs of God’s love. Sacrament is an

efficacious and visible sign of God’ grace or an outward
sign instituted by Christ to give grace.
The sacraments are gifts of faith, as Pope Francis
explains in this excerpt from “On Faith.”

Where did the sacraments originate?

In the Bible, Christ gives his followers clear instructions

on how to administer and receive each of the
sacraments. This is seen through his work with the
Apostles, healing the sick, parables, giving his body and
blood to nourish our souls and forgiving sinners. The
Church administers these holy sacraments as instructed,
in order for all to worship God and receive His
salvation.
History of the Sacrament

Roman Catholic theology enumerates seven sacraments:

Baptism, Confirmation (Chrismation), Eucharist (Communion), Penance (Reconci
liation, Confession), Matrimony (Marriage), Holy Orders (ordination to
the diaconate, priesthood, or episcopate) and Anointing of the Sick (before
the Second Vatican Council generally called Extreme Unction). The list of seven
sacraments already given by the Second Council of Lyon (1274) and the Council
of Florence (1439) was reaffirmed by the Council of Trent (1545–1563).
During the Middle Ages, sacramental records were in Latin. Even after the
Reformation, many ecclesiastical leaders continued using this practice into the
20th century. On occasion, Protestant ministers followed the same practice.
Since the letter ‘W’ was not part of the Latin alphabet, scribes only used it when
dealing with names or places. In addition, names were modified to fit a "Latin
mold". For example, the name Joseph would be rendered as Iosephus or
Josephus.