Editing Christianity (section)

=== Sacraments or ordinances ===
{{Main|Sacrament}}
{{See also|Sacraments of the Catholic Church|Lutheran sacraments|Anglican sacraments|Ordinance (Christianity)}}
{{further|Rite (Christianity)|Pre-Tridentine Mass}}
{{quote box
| title = 2nd-century description of the [[Eucharist]]
| quote = And this food is called among us ''Eukharistia'' [the Eucharist], of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Savior, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh.
| source = [[Justin Martyr]]<ref name=justin />
| align = right
| width = 30%
| bgcolor = #BCF5A9
}}
In Christian belief and practice, a ''sacrament'' is a [[Ritual|rite]], instituted by Christ, that confers [[divine grace|grace]], constituting a [[Sacred Mysteries|sacred mystery]]. The term is derived from the [[Latin]] word ''sacramentum'', which was used to translate the Greek word for ''mystery''. Views concerning both which rites are sacramental, and what it means for an act to be a sacrament, vary among Christian denominations and traditions.<ref name="ODCC1435">Cross/Livingstone. ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church''. pp. 1435ff.</ref>

The most conventional functional definition of a sacrament is that it is an outward sign, instituted by Christ, that conveys an inward, spiritual grace through Christ. The two most widely accepted sacraments are [[Baptism]] and the Eucharist; however, the majority of Christians also recognize five additional sacraments: [[Confirmation (Christian sacrament)|Confirmation]] ([[Chrismation]] in the Eastern tradition), [[Holy Orders]] (or [[ordination]]), [[Penance]] (or [[Confession (religion)|Confession]]), [[Anointing of the Sick]], and [[Matrimony]] (see [[Christian views on marriage]]).<ref name="ODCC1435" />

Taken together, these are the [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|Seven Sacraments]] as recognized by churches in the [[High Church]] tradition—notably [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|Catholic]], [[Eastern Orthodox]], [[Oriental Orthodox]], [[Independent Catholic Churches|Independent Catholic]], [[Old Catholic]], some [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]] and [[Anglican sacraments|Anglicans]]. Most other denominations and traditions typically affirm only Baptism and Eucharist as sacraments, while some Protestant groups, such as the Quakers, reject sacramental theology.<ref name="ODCC1435" /> Certain denominations of Christianity, such as Anabaptists, use the term "[[ordinance (Christianity)|ordinances]]" to refer to rites instituted by Jesus for Christians to observe.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Krahn |first1=Cornelius |last2=Rempel |first2=John D. |title=Ordinances |year=1989 |publisher=Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia |url=https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Ordinances |quote=The term "ordinance" emphasizes the aspect of institution by Christ and the symbolic meaning.}}</ref> Seven ordinances have been taught in many [[Conservative Mennonite]] Anabaptist churches, which include "baptism, communion, footwashing, marriage, anointing with oil, the holy kiss, and the prayer covering".<ref name="Hartzler2013" /> 
 
In addition to this, the [[Church of the East]] has two additional sacraments in place of the traditional sacraments of Matrimony and the Anointing of the Sick. These include [[Holy Leaven]] (Melka) and the [[sign of the cross]].<ref>''Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and Lebanon.''</ref> The [[Schwarzenau Brethren]] Anabaptist churches, such as the [[Dunkard Brethren Church]], observe the [[agape feast]] (lovefeast), a [[Rite (Christianity)|rite]] also observed by [[Moravian Church]] and [[Methodist Church]]es.<ref>{{cite news |title=Love Feast of the Dunkards; Peculiar Ceremonies of a Peculiar Sect of Christians |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1891/04/26/archives/love-feast-of-the-dunkards-peculiar-ceremonies-of-a-peculiar-sect.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=25 December 2023 |date=26 April 1891}}</ref>