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Doctrine Category

The Sacraments

37 claims
Doctrine All Apostolic Succession Christology church Ecclesiology Eschatology existence-of-god Grace & Free Will grace-justification Mariology moral-theology natural-law Petrine Ministry Pneumatology Prayer & Devotion Purgatory salvation Scripture & Tradition Soteriology The Eucharist The Priesthood The Resurrection The Sacraments The Trinity
37 claims in this doctrine
The Sacraments
ST III, Q84, A1: Whether Penance Is a Sacrament
Aquinas demonstrates that Penance (Confession) is a true sacrament of the New Law. It has the necessary elements: an outward sign (the…
Historically Verified
The Sacraments
ST III, Q62, A1: Whether the Sacraments Are the Cause of Grace
Aquinas addresses a fundamental question: do the sacraments actually cause grace, or are they merely signs? He argues that they are both…
Historically Verified
The Sacraments
ST III, Q66, A1: Whether Baptism Is the Mere Washing of Water
Aquinas asks what constitutes the sacrament of Baptism. He argues that Baptism is not mere water, nor mere washing, but the washing…
Historically Verified
The Sacraments
ST III, Q60, A1: Whether a Sacrament Is in the Genus of Sign
Aquinas establishes that sacraments are efficacious signs — they both signify grace and actually cause it.
Historically Verified
The Sacraments
Confession — Why Catholics Confess to a Priest
Historically Verified
The Sacraments
What Sacraments Are — and What They Do
Historically Verified
The Sacraments
Augustine teaches that marriage has three goods: fidelity, offspring, and sacramental bond
Historically Verified
The Sacraments
Tertullian attests the practice of sponsoring candidates for baptism — the origin of godparents
Historically Verified
The Sacraments
Cyprian of Carthage teaches that valid baptism cannot be conferred outside the Church
Historically Verified
The Sacraments
Tertullian is the first to use the word sacramentum to describe Christian rites
Historically Verified
Primary Sources

Patristic Texts Addressing The Sacraments

These texts from the Fideograph library contain annotated passages directly bearing on this doctrine. Each passage is tagged so you can filter to the relevant chapters immediately.

c. AD 96 Intermediate
Clement of Rome
The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
The earliest post-apostolic document asserting Roman pastoral authority — c. AD 96. 12 key chapters with annotations.
3 chapters on The Sacraments
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c. AD 107 Intermediate
Ignatius of Antioch
Ignatius of Antioch — Letter to the Smyrnaeans
Contains the first use of Catholic Church in Christian literature, the clearest early statement on the Real Presence, and the most concentrated early treatment of episcopal authority — written en route to martyrdom, c. AD 107.
2 chapters on The Sacraments
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c. AD 350 Intermediate
Cyril of Jerusalem
Cyril of Jerusalem — Mystagogical Catecheses
Five post-baptismal lectures delivered at the Holy Sepulchre c. AD 350 — the most systematic early treatment of the sacraments, including the clearest patristic account of Real Presence and the Epiclesis.
9 chapters on The Sacraments
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c. AD 50–120 Introductory
Anonymous (Apostolic)
The Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles)
The oldest surviving Christian catechism outside the New Testament — containing the earliest extra-biblical instructions for Baptism, the Eucharist, fasting, and church order. c. AD 50–120.
4 chapters on The Sacraments
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