Christians count their sacraments as seven, three, two or none
A sacrament, in Augustine's phrase, is an outward sign of an inward grace. Yet churches disagree sharply on how many there are. Catholics fixed the number at seven and condemned anyone who said otherwise, many Protestants accept two, Lutherans often add a third, and Quakers observe none of the rites at all.
The English word comes, via church Latin sacramentum, from sacer, meaning holy. In ancient Rome a sacramentum was a soldier's oath of loyalty, and the 3rd-century writer Tertullian compared that oath, marking the start of a new life, to entry into the Christian community through baptism and the Eucharist. Many denominations, from Catholic to Baptist, still use Augustine's definition, adding that each sacrament was instituted by Jesus.
The Catholic list of seven had already appeared at councils in 1274 and 1439 before the Council of Trent reaffirmed it in the 16th century. It groups them in threes and twos: baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist initiate believers; penance and anointing of the sick heal; marriage and holy orders mark vocations. Catholic teaching holds that a sacrament works by the very act of being performed, whatever the minister's personal holiness, though the recipient's disposition matters. It also teaches that God is not bound by his sacraments, so salvation remains possible without baptism in some cases.
Eastern Orthodox churches prefer the term sacred mysteries. They name seven principal ones but decline to fix an exact number, since in their view all of the Church's life carries a sacramental quality. Of these the Eucharist is the deepest, and believers make no attempt to explain how bread and wine become Christ's body and blood.
Reformed Protestants recognise only baptism and the Lord's Supper as instituted by Christ, a view shared by Anglican and Methodist teaching. Philip Melanchthon's narrow definition, a rite commanded by God with a promise of grace attached, left Lutherans with three, adding absolution. Luther nonetheless championed marriage after his own wedding. The Plymouth Brethren call such rites ordinances, reminders that confer no grace.
Source: Sacrament
