"days"/"years" Of Punishment/penance

[Aloysius]

I'm looking for some sort of compilation of all the old old strict medieval style penances and what was standard for each type of sin and such... is there any such source anywhere? All I can think of is some mentions in some Ecumenical Councils where days as "hearers" and "prostrators" et cetera are set standard... but I was wondering if there's any type of medieval guidebook for priests on what types of penances to impose in terms of "days" and/or "years" of something.

See, I'd like to start a personal devotion wherein I count my indulgences by these numbers and apply them to my own specific sins...

anyone know of anything that might be helpful?

[TotusTuusMaria]

[center]J.M.J.[/center]
[quote name='Aloysius' post='1266510' date='May 6 2007, 11:29 PM']I'm looking for some sort of compilation of all the old old strict medieval style penances and what was standard for each type of sin and such... is there any such source anywhere? All I can think of is some mentions in some Ecumenical Councils where days as "hearers" and "prostrators" et cetera are set standard... but I was wondering if there's any type of medieval guidebook for priests on what types of penances to impose in terms of "days" and/or "years" of something.

See, I'd like to start a personal devotion wherein I count my indulgences by these numbers and apply them to my own specific sins...

anyone know of anything that might be helpful?[/quote]

I have a book written by Fr. Laux. It says, "In the early Middles Ages every priest who heard confessions used a [i]Penitential[/i] or [i]Penance Book[/i], which contained precise directions in regard to the penances to be imposed for the various sins. 'Whosoever shall have partaken of food or drink near the temples of the false gods,' we read in the Penitential ascribed to St. Copromise never to do again, and fast forty days on bread and water. If he did not restrain his gluttony even after he had been warned by his parish priest that he was comitting a sacrilege, he shall fast three times forty days (three quarantines). But of his was one of formal demon or image worship, he shall fast for three years."

..... hmm I don't really don't know if that gives you anything. I guess it tells you what the books were called, eh?

[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penitential"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penitential[/url] (says here though that The Council of Paris of 829 condemned the penitentials)

[url="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11636a.htm"]http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11636a.htm[/url]

[url="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12682a.htm"]http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12682a.htm[/url]

In the Catholic Encyclopedia (Revised Edition) by Rev. Peter M.J. Stravinskas is says, "The penitential books were sets of books that contained directions for confessors including prayers, questions to be asked of penitents and exhaustive lists of sins with appropriate penances. The penitentials originated in Ireland in the fifth century at the time when individual confession of sins was replacing public confession and penance. The earliest penitentials are ascribed to St. Patrick, but the best known we probably written by Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury (7th century). Although the use of the penitentials brought a degree of uniformity in discipline, they also contained conlicting information on the degree of gravity and assigned penance for certain sins and also conflicted with canonical legislation on certain points. The penitentials reflected primitive customs to some degree, especially in regard to the administration of justive. Some reflect a curious mixture of Christian mercy, Romen legal enlightenment and primitve concepts of vengeance. Since they were written documents, they quickly took on an authority almost parallel to the canonical legislation, even though they were actually a kind of private law. By the end of the 8th century, Church authorities began to issue legislation condemning the penitentials because of the confusion caused by the apparent double standard of morality. They had totally faded from use by the eleventh century."

[url="http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/history/4_ch08.htm"]http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/history/4_ch08.htm[/url]

In Jesus and Mary,
Marie