Premium
A Wholesome Cure for the Wounded Soul: Confession, Emotions, and Self in Eighteenth‐ and Nineteenth‐Century C atholicism
Author(s) -
Hofman Elwin
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of religious history
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.117
H-Index - 13
eISSN - 1467-9809
pISSN - 0022-4227
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9809.12455
Subject(s) - confession (law) , soul , shame , conscience , insignificance , aesthetics , reflection (computer programming) , history , sociology , philosophy , psychology , social psychology , theology , epistemology , archaeology , computer science , programming language
This article explores how C atholic practices of auricular confession related to emotions and self in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, focusing on the situation in B elgium as a revealing case study. Relying on both prescriptive sources and depositions in criminal case records, it is argued that the sacrament of penance occupied a central place in everyday life, influencing modes of self‐reflection. Penitents were to examine their conscience, practise contrition, and overcome shame, so that they could be absolved of their sins and experience relief. An analysis of these practices reveals that, starting in the late eighteenth century, confession made a “turn inwards,” by putting a greater stress on depth, interiority, and relief.