he Western
Church from Tertullian to Augustine (Hahn, Die Lehre von den
Sacramenten, 1864, p. 5 ff.) differs from that in the classic Romish use
it is of small interest in the history of dogma to trace its various
details. In the old Latin Bible [Greek: mysterion] was translated
"sacramentum" and thus the new signification "mysterious, holy ordinance
or thing" was added to the meaning "oath," "sacred obligation."
Accordingly Tertullian already used the word to denote sacred facts,
mysterious and salutary signs and vehicles, and also holy acts.
Everything in any way connected with the Deity and his revelation, and
therefore, for example, the content of revelation as doctrine, is
designated "sacrament;" and the word is also applied to the symbolical
which is always something mysterious and holy. Alongside of this the old
meaning "sacred obligation" still remains in force. If, because of this
comprehensive use, further discussion of the word is unnecessary, the
fact that revelation itself as well as everything connected with it was
expressly designated as a "mystery" is nevertheless of importance in the
history of dogma. This usage of the word is indeed not removed from the
original one so long as it was merely meant to denote the supernatural
origin and supernatural nature of the objects in question; but more than
this was now intended; "sacramentum" ([Greek: mysterion]) was rather
intended to represent the holy thing that was revealed as something
relatively concealed. This conception, however, is opposed to the
Judaeo-Christian idea of revelation, and is thus to be regarded as an
introduction of the Greek notion. Probst (Sacramente und Sacramentalia,
1872) thinks differently. That which is mysterious and dark appears to
be such an essential attribute of the divine, that even the obscurities
of the New Testament Scriptures were now justified because these
writings were regarded as altogether "spiritual." See Iren. II. 28. 1-3.
Tert. de bapt. 2: "deus in stultitia et impossibilitate materias
operationis suae instituit."]

[Footnote 280: We have explained above that the Church already possessed
this means of grace, in so far as she had occasionally absolved mortal
sinners, even at an earlier period; but this possession was quite
uncertain and, strictly speaking, was not a possession at all, for in
such cases the early Church merely followed extraordinary directions of
the Spirit.]

[Footnote 281: Hoefling, Das Sacrament