Confession to God and Reconciliation with Neighbours

Abstract

Guy de Brès collected biblical and patristic quotations in the chapter on confession to God in his first work, Le baston de la foy chrestienne, to demonstrate that confession to priests was not supported by the Church Fathers or the Bible. This essay examines de Brès’ intention in using various quotations in the chapter by comparing his usage of quotations with the original text and with his colleagues’ use of them. The paper also discusses the revisions made by the reformer and what his intentions were there. In particular, de Brès placed the chapter on confession between the chapters on baptism and the Lord’s Supper, leading readers to consider what confession is within the context of the doctrine of the sacraments. Furthermore, this essay shows that he implied that we must be reconciled with each other before the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, suggesting a public confession, which later became part of the Dutch Reformed tradition.