21/03/2026
The Roman concept of the church, on the other hand, was developed later and chiefly on Western soil. The question of the church assumed a central position in the West, too, but for a different reason than in the East. The development of the church concept in the West was conditioned by and joined together with a number of different problems relative to both ecclesiastical theory, and practice. The Roman concept took form as the result of long-standing discussions concerning such matters as penance, the holiness of the church, and the validity of heretical baptism.
The basic aspects of the theory and practice of penance which characterized the early church reappeared in the writings of Tertullian. It must be pointed out that this concept of penance is different from that which is held by Protestants. The older Protestant tradition described penance as the work of Law and Gospel, whereby man is crushed by the Law and raised up by the Gospel. Penance was thus defined in terms of contrition and faith. As Tertullian saw it, penance is the way for man to regain peace with God. God becomes angry with the sinner, and He punishes sin according to His norm of justice. But in His grace He has made it possible for man to receive forgiveness and to live again in a right relationship with God. This “way out” is the act of penance, which is looked upon, to a certain degree, as a work of merit, appeasing the wrath of God. It consists of contrition, confession, and satisfaction. The first penance is associated with Baptism, which is a confirmation of the forgiveness of sin. After they are baptized, Christians are to avoid obvious sins. If they should fall, however, they can be restored on the strength of a second act of penance. It was thought that there could be but one more act of penance subsequent to baptism. Originally Tertullian held that a second penance might be possible even for mortal sins, but when he became a Montanist he insisted that those who committed mortal sin.