Confessor of the Faith
Confessor of the Faith is a title given by some
With the spread of Christianity and the decrease in persecution of Christians in the 5th century, this designation was also given to those Christians who lived a holy life, such as the English King Edward the Confessor.[1]
Etymology
The word confessor is derived from the Latin confiteri, 'to confess; to profess'. In the early church, it was a title of honour, designating those individuals who had confessed Christ publicly in time of persecution and had been punished with imprisonment, torture, exile, or labour in the mines, remaining faithful until the end of their lives. The title thus distinguished them from the martyrs, who were those that had undergone death for their faith. Among writers, St. Cyprian is the first in whose works it occurs.[2]
Western Christianity
In the
The term confessor is also used for non-canonised Catholics who die under persecution, not being executed. For example: the Tudor bishop, Cuthbert Tunstall "became one of the eleven confessor-bishops who died prisoners for the Faith."[3]
Eastern Christianity
In the
See also
- Christianity in late antiquity
- Early Christianity
- List of Confessors
- List of Eastern Orthodox saint titles
- Martyr of charity, one who dies as a result of charitable acts but not from persecution.
- Passion-bearer
- Virgin (title)
References
Citations
- ^ a b Johann Baptist Lüft (1903). "Bekenner" [Confessor]. Wetzer und Welte's Kirchenlexikon. Vol. 2. Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder’sche Verlagshandlung.
- ^ a b Beccari, Camillo (1908). . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ Burton, Edwin Hubert (1911). . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ "Martyrs and Confessors". Department of Christian Education of the Orthodox Church in America. Archived from the original on 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
Sources
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Confessor". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
