Penitence, repentance, penance

The root meaning of penitence is connected with the idea of ‘regret’, but is also closely linked with repentance, or being repentant, which has the sense of ‘turning round’ or ‘turning away’ from a former life and beginning again. Jews and Christians believe it is important to repent of sin and begin a new life lived in obedience to God; this is central to their faith. In the Gospels (Luke 3:3), John the Baptist is shown preparing for the coming of the Messiah by urging people to be baptised as a sign of repentance (see Big ideas: Baptism; Messiah, Christ, Jesus; Sin).

Repentance

Some Christians believe that, when Christ died on the cross, he made a sacrifice, which paid the necessary price for the sin of humankind. This act of redemption offers salvation to the world (see Big ideas: Atonement and sacrifice; Cross, crucifixion; Death and resurrection; Redemption, salvation). Consequently, God’s forgiveness is freely granted to those who do repent (see Big ideas: Forgiveness, mercy and grace). However, some Christians believe that a sincere wish to repent is necessary before the sinner can receive God’s forgiveness.

Repentance in literature

In his play Hamlet, Shakespeare shows that the murderer Claudius cannot truly repent because he wishes to keep the throne and queen for which he has killed his brother: ‘Try what repentance can: what can it not? Yet what can it when one cannot repent?’

Acts of penance

In previous centuries, it was more common than it is nowadays to perform public acts of penance. These were acts of humiliation undertaken as a penalty for sin and to show true penitence. Examples include walking in a public place barefoot or wearing sackcloth, or by the person approaching a holy place on their knees.

Historically, there have been instances of leading figures in society undertaking such public penance. For example, when King Henry II was implicated in the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket, he walked barefoot, clothed in sackcloth and covered with ashes, to Canterbury Cathedral where he was flogged by the monks. Processions of robed and hooded penitents are still a common sight today in Spain during Holy Week.

Expressing penitence

Nowadays penitence is usually indicated by confession of sins, whether in public or in private. The Book of Common Prayer, used for over four centuries in the Church of England, urges worshippers to,

‘confess our sins with an humble, lowly, penitent and obedient heart’.

A modern version asks the congregation to,

‘confess our sins, in penitence and faith, firmly resolved to keep God's commandments and to live in love and peace with all men.’

Penitence in literature

Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter

In his novel The Scarlet Letter, set in Massachusetts, America, in the seventeenth century, Nathaniel Hawthorne shows how outward signs of penitence, imposed by church officials, might not reflect the mind and soul of the offender. Hawthorne’s heroine, Hester Prynne, is made to wear a scarlet letter ‘A’ as a sign of adultery, but she rejects the harsh attitudes of her society and feels no inward penitence.

Other cultural references

Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter

Shakespeare’s Hamlet

King James Version
Today's New International Version

¹Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, ²Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. ³And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; ⁴As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. ⁵Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; ⁶And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. ⁷Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. ⁹And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. ¹⁰And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? ¹¹He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. ¹²Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? ¹³And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. ¹⁴And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. ¹⁵And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; ¹⁶John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: ¹⁷Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. ¹⁸And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. ¹⁹But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, ²⁰Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. ²¹Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, ²²And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. ²³And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, ²⁴Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, ²⁵Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, ²⁶Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, ²⁷Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, ²⁸Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, ²⁹Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, ³⁰Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, ³¹Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David, ³²Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, ³³Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda, ³⁴Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor, ³⁵Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, ³⁶Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, ³⁷Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, ³⁸Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

¹In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar - when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene - ²during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: 'A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. ⁵Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. ⁶And all people will see God's salvation.'' ⁷John said to the crowds coming out to be baptised by him, 'You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ⁹The axe has been laid to the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.' ¹⁰'What should we do then?' the crowd asked. ¹¹John answered, 'Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.' ¹²Even tax collectors came to be baptised. 'Teacher,' they asked, 'what should we do?' ¹³'Don't collect any more than you are required to,' he told them. ¹⁴Then some soldiers asked him, 'And what should we do?' He replied, 'Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely - be content with your pay.' ¹⁵The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. ¹⁶John answered them all, 'I baptise you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.' ¹⁸And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them. ¹⁹But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother's wife, and all the other evil things he had done, ²⁰Herod added this to them all: he locked John up in prison. ²¹When all the people were being baptised, Jesus was baptised too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened ²²and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.' ²³Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli, ²⁴the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melki, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, ²⁵the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, ²⁶the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josek, the son of Joda, ²⁷the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, ²⁸the son of Melki, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, ²⁹the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, ³⁰the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, ³¹the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, ³²the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, ³³the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, ³⁴the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, ³⁵the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, ³⁶the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, ³⁷the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Kenan, ³⁸the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Modern: The following or another authorized confession. Jesus says, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.' So let us turn away from our sin and turn to Christ, confessing our sins in penitence and faith. All: Lord God, we have sinned against you; we have done evil in your sight. We are sorry and repent. Have mercy on us according to your love. Wash away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin. Renew a right spirit within us and restore us to the joy of your salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.(Common Worship)
Traditional: A general Confession to be said of the whole Congregation after the Minister, all kneeling. ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father; We have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou them, O God, who confess their faults. Restore thou them that are penitent; According to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesu our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.(Book of Common Prayer)

An individual's sincere acknowledgement of their guilt, sinfulness and desire to seek forgiveness, especially the forgiveness of God.

The act of turning away, or turning around from, one's sins, which includes feeling genuinely sorry for them, asking for the forgiveness of God and being willing to live in a different way in the future.

1) In the Bible a member of the Hebrew race 2) Someone who belongs to the Jewish faith which believes in one God and the importance of Jewish Law.

Name originally given to disciples of Jesus by outsiders and gradually adopted by the Early Church.

Disobedience to the known will of God. According to Christian theology human beings have displayed a pre-disposition to sin since the Fall of Humankind.

The Bible describes God as the unique supreme being, creator and ruler of the universe.

Belief and trust in someone or something.

Gospel - Literally 'good news' - used of the message preached by Jesus recorded in the New Testament. 1. The central message of the Christian faith 2. Title given to the four New Testament books which describe the life of Jesus Christ

A prophet, described in Luke's Gospel as related to Jesus. John foretold the coming of Jesus as the Saviour of mankind, and who baptised repentant people in the River Jordan as a sign that their sins were washed away. Later executed by King Herod.

A Hebrew word meaning 'anointed one', describing someone who will be the saviour of the people. Title (eventually used as name) given to Jesus.

To immerse in or pour over water, in the name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to signify the washing away of away of sin. Baptism in Christian churches marks the acceptance of the baptised child or adult into the church.

Title (eventually used as name) given to Jesus, refering to an anointed person set apart for a special task such as a king.

1. Instrument of execution used in the Roman Empire. 2. The means by which Jesus Christ was put to death and therefore the primary symbol of the Christian faith, representing the way in which he is believed to have won forgiveness for humankind.

1. The giving up of something deeply valued 2. Offerings a worshipper gives to God to express devotion, gratitude, or the need for forgiveness. 3. In the Bible, the sacrifice is seen to take away guilt and blame.

In Christian belief, the redemption of humanity was achieved by Jesus who in his death on the cross made a complete sacrifice sufficient to pay for the sins of the world.

In the Bible, salvation is seen as God's commitment to save or rescue his people from sin (and other dangers) and to establish his kingdom.

1. The action of forgiving; pardon of a fault, remission of a debt. 2. Being freed from the burden of guilt, after committing a sin or crime, through being pardoned by the one hurt or offended.

An act expressing repentance.

An individual's sincere acknowledgement of their guilt, sinfulness and desire to seek forgiveness, especially the forgiveness of God.

Coarse garment worn as sign of repentance or mourning.

Set apart, sacred.

The title given to the bishop who oversees the other bishops within his province.

In the Bible mourning was signified by covering the head with ashes, a symbol of death and destruction.

Generally a large and magnificent place of Christian worship that houses the 'cathedra' (the bishop's chair or throne).

Member of male religious community.

The week leading up to Easter Sunday.

1. The part of a service of Christian worship where people say sorry to God for not living according to his will. 2. The practice of privately telling a priest of wrongdoing.

The book of prayers and church services first put together by Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury in the time of King Edward VI (1547-53) for common (ie. general) use in English churches.

The 'Established' or state church of England, the result of a break with the Catholic church under Henry VIII and further developments in the reign of Elizabeth I.

Someone who responds in devotion to the perceived presence of the divine.

The spirit which gives life to a human being; the part which lives on after death; a person's inner being (personality, intellect, emotions and will) which distinguishes them from animals.

crossref-it.info - AS/A2 English Literature Study Guides - texts in context.