Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Sacrament of Confirmation
Chapter 13: On the Ceremonies of Confirmation
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. III, De Sacramento Confirmationis, the second general controversy on the sacraments. The Latin source text is public domain; this English rendering is released with the site. Scripture quotations follow Bellarmine's Vulgate citations, rendered in Douay-Rheims wording where he quotes exactly. Click “Show the Latin” for the original (raw OCR of the scan; scanning errors remain — the scan itself is the authority).
The ceremonies in this sacrament are of two kinds. For first, many ceremonies are used in the consecration of the chrism on Thursday at the Lord's Supper. Then certain ones are used also in the very conferring of this sacrament.
And to begin with the first kind, all who write of the divine offices treat of the rite of consecration, in the chapter on Thursday at the Lord's Supper, as Isidore, Alcuin, Amalarius, Rabanus, Rupert and others.
And four ceremonies are done. First, blessings of the oil and balsam through prayers; and this cannot be found fault with, since the Apostle, 1 Timothy 4, says that all things are sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
Second, blessings of the oil and balsam are also made through the sign of the cross; and not even this can be found fault with, since without this sign nothing can be consecrated, as almost all the Fathers testify, but chiefly Chrysostom, homily 54 on Matthew and in the book That Christ Is God, and Augustine, tractate 118 on John and sermon 181 de tempore, chapter 3.
Third, the bishop breathes several times over the flask of chrism. And indeed this ceremony seems ridiculous and magical to the heretics: for Chemnitz writes so openly, page 285; and Calvin looked to this ceremony when he says, book 4 of the Institutes, chapter 19, section 10, that the chrism is defiled by stinking breath. Yet it is both most ancient, since the authors cited, Amalarius and others, mention it; and besides it is taken from the example of the Lord, who breathed on the apostles, John 20, to show by that ceremony that the Holy Spirit came down upon them. And surely, when the Church wishes to mark the descent of the Holy Spirit to sanctify something, what better sign can she use than that which Christ himself willed to use to mark the same thing? And if this ceremony is magical, we will make Christ a teacher of magic, which is impious and blasphemous. Nor can any ceremony be called magical except when a wonderful effect is expected from the devil, with whom magicians make a pact; but we expect no effect from the devil, but from God alone, from whom we ask it through prayers, as has often been said.
The fourth ceremony is that the chrism, now consecrated, is greeted by the bishop and presbyters with these words: “Hail, holy chrism.” And the adversaries say that this ceremony is idolatrous. Tilemann Heshusius, in the book On the Errors of the Papists, title 22, number 26: “They all but adore the chrism,” he says, “since they order these words to be said: Hail, holy chrism.” Chemnitz too finds fault with this ceremony, page 289, and Calvin, book 4 of the Institutes, chapter 19, section 21. But in the first place they foolishly refer this to idolatry, since to greet is one thing, to adore another; otherwise the Lord too, who in the last chapter of Matthew said to the women, “All hail,” would be said to have adored them. Reverence indeed is shown to the consecrated chrism, because it is a sacred thing and has the power of sanctifying as God's instrument; but it is not adored as God; otherwise the Hebrews too would have been idolaters, who adored the wooden ark of the Lord; and this they did at the prophet's warning, Psalm 98: “Adore his footstool, for it is holy.” You will say: it seems ridiculous to greet a lifeless thing. I answer: it is most customary, as a sign of rejoicing, to greet even lifeless things as if they lived and felt. So Nazianzen, in the oration to the hundred and fifty Fathers, when he was giving up his bishopric, says farewell to the chair, the church, the singing of psalms and other things of that kind. Jerome, in the letter on the death of Paula, describes the greeting which blessed Paula made to Bethlehem when she first saw it. Nay, Aeneas too in Virgil, in the seventh book of the Aeneid, greets Italy when he first enters it. And examples of this kind are altogether countless.
Now in Confirmation itself, besides the essential ceremony of anointing and signing the forehead with the cross, eight other ceremonies are also used. The first, that a sponsor be present, as in Baptism, to present the one to be confirmed to the bishop. And this ceremony is most ancient, as is plain from the decrees of the ancient pontiffs and councils which are cited by Gratian, cause 30, question 1, the canon Si quis and the canon De his, and question 4, the canon Si quis ex uno; and on consecration, distinction 4, the canon In catechismo.
The second, that various prayers be said over those to be confirmed, and indeed with the laying on of hands; which rite alone the adversaries do not find fault with.
The third, that peace be given to the confirmed by the bishop, as a sign of the grace received of the Holy Spirit, whose effect is peace.
The fourth, that the bishop strike the confirmed lightly with his hand, that he may understand that he must be armed chiefly with patience against the disgrace and the words to be borne for Christ.
The fifth, that the forehead be bound with a band, both lest the chrism easily run off, and to signify that the grace received is to be carefully kept, according to that of 1 John 2: “Let the unction which you have received abide in you.” But in this matter the custom of the Church is to be kept: for in some places the band of the forehead is kept for seven days, in some for three, in some the chrism is at once washed off and dried by the priests, so that there is no need of a band.
The sixth, that the head or forehead be not washed for seven days. Hugh mentions this ceremony, book 2 On the Sacraments, part 7, chapter 6. Tertullian, in the book On Baptism, writes that from the day of Baptism, through the whole week, Christians used to abstain from the bath; which indeed they did not only because of Baptism, but also, and perhaps chiefly, because of the chrism, which used to be given on the same day.
The seventh, that Confirmation be given on the Saturday of Easter and of Pentecost, because namely on those days Baptism ought to be given, as we said above. Yet at this time, when for the most part these sacraments are not given together, the custom of many bishops is praiseworthy, of confirming chiefly on the feast of Pentecost, because namely on that feast the first Confirmation was given by God to the holy apostles.
The eighth, that Confirmation be given and received by those fasting; on which matter there are extant canons of councils, in Gratian, on consecration, distinction 5, the canon Ut jejuni and the canon Ut episcopi.
To all these Chemnitz says, page 323, that it is a wonder why the papists prefer these ceremonies of theirs to the examination of children, the profession of faith, and the exhortation; and he complains tragically that all these are rejected by us, and that we will not allow any amendment. But all these are idle words. For we reject none of these, but will have all done in their own place and time; nor do we allow the sacrament instituted by Christ, and the ceremonies handed down by the Fathers, to be snatched from us under pretext of an examination of children. And of the sacrament of Confirmation enough has been said.
The end of the books on Baptism and Confirmation. To the honour of God.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPIT XIII. De caercmoniis Confirmationis. Diiplices sunl cneremoniae in hoc sacramenlo. Pnmum rnim multae caeremoniae adliibenlur in ronsecratione Chrisniatis fcria o.in coena Domini. Deinde quaedam eliam adhibenlur in ipsa collalio- nc hojus sacramenli. Ac ul a Primo genere incipiamus, traclant de ri- lu consecrationis omnes, qui scribunl de divinis ofTiciis. cap. de feria 3. in coena Domini,ul Isidu- rus, Alcuinus, Amalarius, Rabanus, Ruperlus et alii. Fiunt aulem quatuor caeremoniae. Primo bene- dicliones olei el balsami per oraliones: el hoc re- prchendi non polest, cum Aposlolus, 1. Timolh.4. dicat, omnia sanctificari per verbum Dei, et ora- lionem. Secundo fmnt etiam benediciiones oloi etbalsa- rai per signum crucis: ac ne id quidem reprehendi polest. cum sine hoc sifrno nihil consecrari possit, ul lestanlur omnes fere Patres,sed praecipue Chry- sostou)us homil. 5'a.in Malth.et in libro quod Chri- slus sit Deus: el Auguslin. tract. 118. in Joan. et ser, 181. de tcmpore, cap. 3, Teriio. halat episcopus aliquoties super ampul- lam Chrismatis. Et quidcm haec caeremonia ridi- cula, et magica videlur haerelicis: nam id aperle scribit Remnilius. pag. 285. et Calvinus ad hanc caeremoniam respexit, cum ait lib. 4.1nslilul.cap. 10. § 10. Chrisma faetido anhelitu inquinari:lamen et aiiliquissima est. cum ejiis meminerinl auctores cilali. Amalarius et alii: ct praelerea nb exemplo Domini sumpta, qui in apostolos insumavit, Joan. 20. ut ea caeremonia demonstraret, Spirilum san- ctum in eos descendcre. Et sane cum vull Eccle- sia desr.ensum sancti Spirilus designare ad aliquid sanclificandum; quo meliori signo uti polest.quam co.quo Christus ipse ad rem eandem designnndam uli voluit? Quod si magica est hnec caeremonia, Christum magiae doclorem faciemus, quod cst im- pium et blasphemum. Neque magica dici polest ulla caeremonia, nisi curn effectus mirabilis expe- clatur a diabolo, cum quo foedus ineunl magi:nos aulem effectum a diabolo nullum cxpectamus, sed a solo Deo, a quo id pcr oralionespetimus,ulsae- pc diclum est. Quarta caeremonia est, quod Chrisma jnm con- sccratum, salutntur ab episcopo et prcsbylcris,his verbis: Ave sanclum Chrisma. Atque banc caere- moniam idololatricnm essc dicunl adversarii. Til- mannus lleshusius.lib.de crroribus pontiCciorum, lil. 22. num. 26. Chrisma, inquit, tanlumnon a- dorandam : Siquidcm hacc vcrba dicijubent,Ave saiictum Chrisma. licprehendit cliam hanc cnerc- luouiam Ivcmnitius, png. 289. et Calvinus lib. 4. Inslitul. cap. 10. § 21.Sed inepte in primis ad ido- Jolalriam hoc referunt. cum nliud sit salulare, nli- ud ndorare: alioqui eliam Dominus, qui Mallh.ult. dixit niulieribus, Avctc, oas adorassc dicerelur. Adhibelur (|uidt'in Chrismali consccrato revercnlia, quia est rcs sacra, et vim hnbct ut Dci inslrumen- \um sunctificandi-: 5€d non adoralur ut Deus, alio- qui etiam Ilebraei idololalrae fuissent, qui nrcam Domini ligneam adornbant;idque faciebant proplie- ta monente psalm. 98. Adorate scabeilum pedum ejus, quoniam sancium est. Dices: ridiculum vi- fielur sahilare rem inanimam. Respondco: Id esse usitatissimum, in signum grnlulnlionis ciiam res innnimas salutare, ac si viverent cl scnlirent. Ita Nnzinnzenus ornt. nd ITiO. Patres cum episcopalu se abdicaret, vale dicit cathedrne,templo, psalmo- diae, nliisque id genus rebus. Ilieronym. in epist. de obitu Paulae, describit snlulalioncm quam b. Pauln nd Bethlehcm habuit. cum eam primum vi- dit.Immo cl Aeneas apud Virgilium in T.Aeneidos Ilnliam snlutat.cum eam primum ingreditur. Sunt- que ejusmodi exempla plane innnila. Jam vero in ipsa Confirmnlione praeler caeremo- ninm essenlialem ungendi, et sigunndi fronlem cruce; adhibentur etiam aliae oclo cnercmoniae. Prima ul susceptor adsit, sicut in Bnptismo, qui confirmnndum offeral episcopo.Estque haec caere- monia nnliquissima, ut patet ex decrelis nntiquo- rum ponlificum et conciliorum. quae cilanlur a Gratiano, 30. quaest. 1. can.Si quis; et can.dc his; et quaest. 4. can. Si quis ex uno; ct de consecrat. dist. 4. can. in calechismo. Secunda, ut variae preces dicantur super confir- mandos, et quidem cum manus impositionc;qucm ritum solum adversarii non reprehendunl. Tertia, ut confirmato pax detur ab episcopo, in signum acceplae gratiae Spirilus sancli, cujus cf- feclus est pnx. Quartn, ut confirmatum episcopus manu leviler cedal, ut is inlelligat sc contrn ignominiam,el ver- ba pro Christo ferenda, patientia praecipue ar- mandum. Quinta. ul fascia ligelur frons, lum ne Chrisma facilc defluat, tum ut significet, acccptam gratiam diligenlcr conservandam, juxta illud 1. Joan. 2. Vnclioncm, quam accepistis, mancai in vobis. Sed in hac re servanda est Ecclesiae consuetudo: alicubi enim ad scplem dies frontis fascia conscr- vatur, alicubi ad tres, alicubi continuo abluilur,et exsiccalur Chrisma a sacerdotibus, ul fascia opus non sit. Scxla, ut ad seplcm dies non lavelur capul. seu frons. Cujus cacremoniae mcminil Ilugo lib. 2. de sacramentis pnr. 7. cap. G.TcrtulIianus lib. dc Ba- plismo scribit a die Bnplismi per tolnm hebdoma- dam Christianos lavacro abstincrc solitos: quod qiiidem Incicbant non tanlum ob Baptismum, sod etiam et fortnssc praecipue ob Chrisma, quod eo- dem die dari solcbat. Scptima. ut in snbbatho pnscbac et pcntccoslcs dctur Connrmalio.quia videliccl iis dicbus dari dc- bet Bn|)tismus, ul supra diximiis. IIoc tnmen tem- porcfpiia ut pluriinum non dantur siniul hacc sa- cramcnla,lnudnbilis est consuetudo multorum epi- scoporum. ut in fcstis pentccostes praecipuc Con- tirmcnt, (luia nimirum in eo fcsto dala est prima Conlirnialio a IJco sanctis aposlolis. Octava, ul a jcjunis dclur, el accipialur confir- mnlio; dc qua rc exlanl canones conciIiorum,n[tud Gralinnum de consecral. dist. 5. can. L'l jejuni, cl cnn. 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