what is the history of the catholic confessional?

Answer 1

The sacrament of reconciliation was prefigured in the Jewish Temple Worship System, by the priest and the scapegoat, on the day of atonement.

Then, the first thing Jesus chose to do after he was resurrected, was to appear to the apostles and give them the power to forgive sins in his name:

Joh 20:19 Now when it was late the same day, the first of the week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said to them: Peace be to you.
Joh 20:20 And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord.
Joh 20:21 He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you.
Joh 20:22 When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost.
Joh 20:23 Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them: and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.

How main line Protestantism can ignore this is beyond me!

Then over time, the sacrament developed from a public confession, to a private one, and then to a secret and confidential one, making use of the confessional booth, as well as the "seal" of the church, to keep it that way.

Answer 2

Hi, well it all started when Jesus gave the power of the keys of the Kingdom to St.Peter and instructed the Apostles to forgive sin,this was one of the earliest ministries that the Apostles performed as well as offering the Holy Eucharist.
In the early days the young church held public confessions and forgive peoples sins in Jesus name,but it was later decided that other s should not be privy to peoples personal sins and so the idea of an inclosed and more private confession was established.
the Priest forgives a persons sins by the ministry of the church and not on his own authority but represents Jesus when forgiving sins.

Answer 3

Jesus breathed upon the first priests of His Church, symbolizing empowerment by the Holy Spirit, and told them "whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven them". Pretty difficult to misinterpret. Jesus gave priests the power to forgive men's sins in His name. But He did not give them the power to read men's minds. Therefore it is obvious that the special power He gave them could not be used unless men confessed their sins. Which is why oral confession has been the practice of the Christian Church from day one.
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Answer 4

Well, that priest are really nosey but the disobey the bible an have an unbalance view of the world,and how to live life, & everthing else, so they told people to come into a little box and pray to all the bad things they to God infront of them so that they could feel important.

There is no where in the bible that say that should be done. Ask a priest, they know they are lying. ha ha ha

Answer 5

I'm not entirely sure of the actual history... but it is an excellent method for cult brainwashing/control.

Numerous cults have used such tactics. It is not unique to Catholics.

By having a person "confess" his/her sins to a religious leader, the religious leader can then "guilt" the person into behaving as the leader wants. It also lowers the self-esteem that person has and the person is usually given a penance where they enter into a self-reinforcing circle of prayer.

Answer 6

I believe the Catholic confessional doesn;t have a leg to stand on.

In the Bible; it says that Jesus is to ne our intercessor or high priest

Answer 7

the actual booth was offered to give anonimity to the pennetant and the priest. people were not really confessing to the priest but rather to God himself - the preist was there to offer council and make people nmore accountable.
many confessions now are face to face.

Answer 8

Christ told the apostles to follow his example: "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you" (John 20:21). Just as the apostles were to carry Christ’s message to the whole world, so they were to carry his forgiveness: "Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 18:18).

This power was understood as coming from God: "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5:18). Indeed, confirms Paul, "So we are ambassadors for Christ" (2 Cor. 5:20).

The sacrament of penance is clearly in use, for Irenaeus (AD 180) speaks of making an outward confession (versus remaining silent) upon which the hope of eternal life hangs, but it is not yet clear from Irenaeus just how, or to whom, confession is to be made. Is it privately, to the priest, or before the whole congregation, with the priest presiding? The one thing we can say for sure is that the sacrament is understood by Irenaeus as having originated in the infant Church.

But the basics of the sacrament have always been there, as the following quotations reveal.

Tertullian

[Regarding confession, some] flee from this work as being an exposure of themselves, or they put it off from day to day. I presume they are more mindful of modesty than of salvation, like those who contract a disease in the more shameful parts of the body and shun making themselves known to the physicians; and thus they perish along with their own bashfulness. (Repentance 10:1 [A.D. 203])

The Church has the power of forgiving sins. This I acknowledge and adjudge. (ibid., 21)

Hippolytus

[The bishop conducting the ordination of the new bishop shall pray:] God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . Pour forth now that power which comes from you, from your Royal Spirit, which you gave to your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and which he bestowed upon his holy apostles . . . and grant this your servant, whom you have chosen for the episcopate, [the power] to feed your holy flock and to serve without blame as your high priest, ministering night and day to propitiate unceasingly before your face and to offer to you the gifts of your holy Church, and by the Spirit of the high-priesthood to have the authority to forgive sins, in accord with your command. (Apostolic Tradition 3 [A.D. 215]

Origen

[A final method of forgiveness], albeit hard and laborious [is] the remission of sins through penance, when the sinner . . . does not shrink from declaring his sin to a priest of the Lord and from seeking medicine, after the manner of him who say, "I said, 'To the Lord I will accuse myself of my iniquity.'" (Homilies in Leviticus 2:4 [A.D. 248])

Answer 9

I don't know, but I do know that a priest cannot forgive them of their sins. Jesus is the one we should confess to and ask forgiveness for those sins.

Answer 10

It was designed to help people discover the pleasures of the dark side.
(disclaimer: please use condoms and lubricant)