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charge brought against him. In this sense it is now little used, except in Scottish law in the forms assoilzie and absolvitor. The ecclesiastical use of the word is essentially different from the civil. It refers not to an See also:

ACCUSATION (Lat. accusatio, accusare, to challenge to a causa, a suit or trial at law)

accusation, but to See also:

sin actually committed (after See also:

BAPTISM

baptism); and it denotes the setting of the sinner free from the See also:

GUILT

guilt of the sin, or from its ecclesiastical See also:

PENALTY (Lat. poena, punishment)

penalty (See also:

EXCOMMUNICATION (Lat. ex, out of, away from; communis, common)

excommunication), or from both. The authority of the See also:

church or See also:

MINISTER (Lat. minister, servant)

minister to pronounce absolution is based on See also:

John xx. 23; Matt. xviii. 18; See also:

James v. 16, &c. In See also:

PRIMITIVE

primitive times, when See also:

CONFESSION (Lat. confessio, from confiteor, acknowledge, confess)

confession of sins was made before the See also:

CONGREGATION (Lat. congregatio, a gathering together, from cum, with, grex, gregis, a flock, herd)

congregation, the absolution was deferred till the See also:

PENANCE (Old Fr. penance, fr. Lat. poenitentia, penitence)

penance was completed; and there is no See also:

RECORD (Lat. recordari, to recall to mind, from cor, heart or mind)

record of the use of any See also:

SPECIAL

special See also:

formula. Men were also encouraged, e.g. by See also:

CHRYSOSTOM

Chrysostom, to confess their See also:

SECRET (Lat. secretum, hidden, concealed)

secret sins secretly to See also:

God. In course of See also:

time changes See also:

GREW, NEHEMIAH (1641-1712)

grew up.

(r) From the 3rd See also:

CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century onwards, secret (auricular) confession before a See also:

bishop or See also:

PRIEST (Ger. Priester, Fr. pretre)

priest was practised. For various reasons it became more and more See also:

COMMON

common, until the See also:

FOURTH

fourth Lateran See also:

COUNCIL (Lat. concilium, from cum, together, and the root cal, to call)

council (1215) ordered all Christians of the See also:

ROMAN

Roman obedience to make a confession once a See also:

YEAR

year at least. In the See also:

Greek church also private confession has become obligatory. (2) In primitive times the penitent was reconciled by See also:

IMPOSITION (from Lat. imponere, to place or lay upon)

imposition of hands by the bishop with or without the See also:

clergy: gradually the See also:

OFFICE (from Lat. officium, " duty," " service," a shortened form of opifacium, from facere, " to do," and either the stem of opes, " wealth," " aid," or opus, " work ")

office was See also:

LEFT

left to be discharged by priests, and the outward See also:

ACTION

action more and more disused. (3) It became the See also:

CUSTOM (from O. Fr. costume, costume or coustume; Low Lat. costuma, a shortened form of consuetudo)

custom to give the absolution to penitents immediately after their confession and before the penance was performed. (4) Until the See also:

MIDDLE

Middle Ages the See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form of absolution after private confession was of the nature of a See also:

prayer, such as " May the See also:

Lord absolve thee "; and this is still the practice of the Greek church. But about the 13th century the Roman formula was altered, and the council of See also:

Trent (1351) declared that the "form " and See also:

POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power of the See also:

SACRAMENT

sacrament of penance See also:

lay in the words Ego to absolve, &c., and that the accompanying prayers are not essential to it. Of the three forms of absolution in the See also:

ANGLICAN

Anglican Prayer See also:

BOOK

Book, that in the Visitation of the Sick (disused in the church of See also:

Ireland by decision of the Synods of r871 and 1877) runs "I absolve thee," tracing the authority so to act through the church up to See also:

Christ: the form in the Communion Service is precative, while that in See also:

MORNING

Morning and Evening Prayei is indicative indeed, but so See also:

general as not to imply anything like a judicial See also:

DECREE (from the past participle, decretus, of Lat. decernere)

decree of absolution. In the Lutheran church also the practice of private confession survived the See also:

Reformation, together with both the exhibitive (I forgive, &c.) and declaratory (I declare and pronbunce) forms of absolution. In granting absolution, even after general confession, it is in some places still the custom for the minister, where the See also:

numbers permit of it, to lay his hands on the See also:

head of each penitent. (W. O.

End of Article: ABSOLUTION (Lat. absolutio from absolvo, loosen, acquit)

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