Gildas, Penitential

 A presbyter or deacon committing natural fornication or sodomy who has previously taken the monastic vow shall do penance for three years…

If any monk of lower rank (does this), he shall do penance for three years…

But if a monk (merely) intends to commit (such) a sin, (he shall do penance) for a year and a half. The abbot has authority, however, to modify this if his obedience is pleasing to God and the abbot.

A monk who has stolen a garment or any (other) thing shall do penance for two years…

Translation Ludwig Bieler

Gildas was not content merely with exposing the wretched state of the clergy of Britain in the first half of the 6^th century. He sought to bring restoration to lapsed clergy, especially those who had devoted themselves to a monastic lifestyle, by publishing his rules for restoring sinners to spiritual health within their communities. His is one of the earliest examples of a penitential handbook, in which guidelines are provided for helping those who have committed sin to be restored to good standing before the Lord and their brethren.

Various examples of such penitentials are extant. They are important for understanding the state of the Church during this period for a number of reasons. First, they show that penance was regarded as a spiritual discipline engaged for the purpose of overcoming the evil of sin with a regimen designed for good (Rom. 12.21). Any monk or lay person within a community who was convicted of sin – whether by open confession or upon being accused by another – would be expected, first, to confess and admit the heinous nature of his transgression. Then the pastor – abbot, in the case of a monastery – would prescribe a course of corrective action which was designed (1) to remind the penitent that sin has consequences and must be dealt with by more than “ordinary” means; (2) restore the penitent to spiritual health by requiring practices, sometimes for an extended period, which could train soul and body for a different course; and (3) provide a regimen for periodic review and adjustment as needed or indicated. By undergoing penance one who had fallen into sin did not regain his salvation. Salvation once received cannot be lost. Rather, by undergoing penance one undertook a more concerted and rigorous effort to “work out” his salvation to a higher level of maturity (Phil. 2.12).

Thus, penance is a form of passive discipline, imposed rather than sought, designed to lead a wayward believer back to the path of righteousness. As such, penance was not intended to be pleasant or convenient; rather, its purpose was to correct, and correction could at times be severe, especially when it was extended for a long period of time (Heb. 12.3-11).

Second, handbooks of penance show us that the religious of the early middle ages were susceptible to a wide variety of sins, not unlike the lay people they served. Gildas’ brief handbook mentions fornication, sodomy, intending to commit these, theft, drunkenness, carelessness with respect to the Lord’s Supper, bestiality, consorting with those who have been excommunicated, failure of duty, tardiness, nocturnal emissions, breaking a tool, or failing to obey instructions. Later penitentials expand that litany considerably. The penance applied to such transgressions could be minor – going without supper or having to sing a solo in church (if one were late for the singing of psalms) – to major, involving courses of action such as daily or even hourly prayer, alteration of diet (a reminder to bridle the lusts of the flesh), hard labor, and extended periods of fasting.

As we see in the book of Leviticus, it is an easy thing for the people of God to fall into sin; however, it is a matter costly and involved to overcome that sin through sacrifices of various kinds. The practice of penance embraces that pattern, substituting a variety of daily and even hourly practices for the offerings and sacrifices outlined for ancient Israel. The general rule for the practice of penance was captured in the phrase, “contraries are by contraries cured.” Someone whose behavior was contrary to the Word of God or the rule of the community would submit to practices marking out an opposite course of conduct, in the belief that wickedness in soul and body can only be overcome by doing good.

Third, the penitential handbooks that appeared during the period of the Celtic Revival (ca. 430-900 AD) remind us that even in periods of spiritual growth and Gospel expansion, we may expect men to fall into sin, and we must be prepared to address their sins in constructive, restorative ways. The general procedure for bringing a sinner to penance followed the guidelines for church discipline outlined in Matthew 18. Here is how Gildas summarized this procedure: One who sees any of the brethren violate the commands of the abbot out not to conceal the fact from the abbot, but he out to admonish the offender to confess alone to the abbot the wrong he is doing. Let him be found not so much an informer as one who truly practices the rule.

We’ll take a closer look at other penitentials in a subsequent installment in this series.

T. M. Moore

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