Number and nature of sacraments
- S06.1 An anointing and laying on of hands invoking the Spirit followed baptism as part of one rite (T2 onward); a separate later sacrament is a later development (medium–high)
- S06.2 Confession and reconciliation through the church’s ministers (public penance, T2–T3); obligatory private enumeration is later (medium)
- S06.3 Anointing of the sick by elders for healing and forgiveness (Jas 5; T3); restriction to the dying is later (medium)
- S06.4 Marriage a holy, indissoluble bond (sacramentum, Augustine); not yet a counted sacrament (medium)
From the study it came from: Mostly agree: the rites have biblical roots; later systems (seven sacraments, private enumeration, deathbed-only anointing) go beyond both.
Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 4 questions each rests on). This doctrine is second-order (tier weight 2). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation
Closeness to Scripture
Closeness to the fathers
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
- c. 205 Tertullian S06.1
- c. 205 Tertullian S06.1
- c. 205 Tertullian S06.2
- c. 252 Cyprian S06.1
- c. 252 Cyprian S06.2
- c. 350 Cyril of Jerusalem S06.1
- c. 395 Chrysostom S06.2, S06.3
- c. 395 Chrysostom S06.3
- c. 415 Augustine S06.4
- 1439 Council of Florence Catholic
- 1531 Apology of the AC Lutheran
- 1547 Trent VII Catholic
- 1646 Westminster Confession Presbyterian
S6 · Number and nature of sacraments
Seven, two, or ordinances; the other rites.
Tier: Second-order (scoring weight 2). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Site structure: structure.
Questions
- S06.1 Chrismation and confirmation (was
other-sacraments/K1) - S06.2 Confession and penance (was
other-sacraments/K2) - S06.3 Anointing of the sick (was
other-sacraments/K3) - S06.4 Marriage (was
other-sacraments/K4)
Verdicts and trace
S06.1 · Chrismation and confirmation
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S06.1 | An anointing and laying on of hands invoking the Spirit followed baptism as part of one rite (T2 onward); a separate later sacrament is a later development | Med–high | S06.1.1 · S06.1.3 weighing | tertullian-osr-s1 · tertullian-osr-s2 · cyprian-osr-s1 · cyril-of-jerusalem-osr-s1 | S06.1.4: low-medium |
S06.2 · Confession and penance
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S06.2 | Confession and reconciliation through the church’s ministers (public penance, T2–T3); obligatory private enumeration is later | Medium | S06.2.1 · S06.2.3 weighing | tertullian-osr-s3 · cyprian-osr-s2 · chrysostom-osr-s1 | S06.2.4: medium |
S06.3 · Anointing of the sick
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S06.3 | Anointing of the sick by elders for healing and forgiveness (Jas 5; T3); restriction to the dying is later | Medium | S06.3.1 · S06.3.3 weighing | chrysostom-osr-s1 · chrysostom-osr-s2 | S06.3.4: medium-high |
S06.4 · Marriage
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S06.4 | Marriage a holy, indissoluble bond (sacramentum, Augustine); not yet a counted sacrament | Medium | S06.4.1 · S06.4.3 weighing | augustine-osr-s1 | S06.4.4: medium |
Post-750 development
Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes.
| Tradition | Closest to the fathers on | Departs or sharpens on |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | partly S06.1; S06.2; S06.3; partly S06.4 | partly S06.2; partly S06.3 |
| Orthodox | S06.1; partly S06.2; S06.3; S06.4 | partly S06.4 |
| Oriental Orthodox | S06.1; partly S06.2; S06.3; partly S06.4 | — |
| Lutheran | S06.1; partly S06.2; partly S06.4 | partly S06.1; S06.3 |
| Anglican | partly S06.1; partly S06.2; partly S06.4 | S06.3 |
| Presbyterian | S06.2; S06.4 | S06.1; partly S06.2; S06.3; partly S06.4 |
| Reformed Baptist | S06.2; S06.4 | S06.1; partly S06.2; S06.3; partly S06.4 |
| General Baptist | S06.1; S06.2; S06.3; partly S06.4 | partly S06.2; partly S06.3 |
| Anabaptist | partly S06.2; partly S06.4 | S06.1; S06.3 |
Origin
Plan, overall verdict and verification status of the former other-sacraments category (shared with the other doctrines that came from it)
The other sacraments and rites
Method and conventions: docs/conventions.md. Reasoning: other-sacraments reasoning. Traditions’ sources: confessional sources.
1. Plan
Baptism and the Eucharist have their own categories. Questions: K1 post-baptismal anointing or laying on of hands (confirmation, chrismation); K2 confession, penance and absolution; K3 anointing of the sick; K4 marriage as a sacrament. Ordination is treated under ordained ministry. Scripture: Acts 8:14–17; 19:6; Heb 6:2; 1 John 2:20, 27; John 20:22–23; Jas 5:14–16; Matt 18:15–18; Eph 5:32; Matt 19:6–9. Fathers: Tertullian, On Baptism 7–8 and On Repentance 9; Cyprian, Letter 72 and On the Lapsed 28; Cyril of Jerusalem, Mystagogical Catechesis 3; Chrysostom, On the Priesthood III.6; Augustine, On the Good of Marriage 24. Developmental: the number seven (Peter Lombard, Florence, Trent) is not a patristic question.
2. Verdicts and trace
Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father tiers T1–T4.
3. Post-750 development
4. Overall verdict
K1: a laying on of hands invoking the Spirit follows baptism from T2; the Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and General Baptists keep it closest. K2: confession and ministerial absolution are early, private enumeration later. K3: James’s anointing of the sick is plain in Scripture; only the Orthodox families keep it as given. K4: Augustine’s indissoluble bond; not yet a counted sacrament.
5. Verification status
Trent, AC XI/XIII, WCF XXVII–XXX and the 1662 Confirmation and Visitation offices are cited from standard editions; Oriental Orthodox practices and General Baptist anointing are to verify. Early T1–T2 evidence for K3 and K4 was not found in this pass.