The ''Penitential of Cummean'' is an Irish

penitential A penitential is a book or set of church rules concerning the Christian sacrament of penance, a "new manner of reconciliation with God" that was first developed by Celtic monks in Ireland in the sixth century AD. It consisted of a list of sins ...

, presumably composed c. 650 by an Irish monk named Cummean (or Cominianus). It served as a type of handbook for confessors.

Manuscripts

Of the remaining manuscript versions, notable are Codex Vat. Pal. Lat. 485, written in the ninth century in Irish-influenced

Lorsch Abbey Lorsch Abbey, otherwise the Imperial Abbey of Lorsch (german: Reichsabtei Lorsch; la, Laureshamense Monasterium or ''Laurissa''), is a former Imperial abbey in Lorsch, Germany, about east of Worms. It was one of the most renowned monasteries ...

(in modern-day Germany), and Codex Vat. 1349. Although Codex Vat. Pal. Lat. 485 was written in Lorsch, J. Zettinger believed that the book was compiled about the middle of the seventh century in either Scotland or Ireland.Mc Neill, J., ''Medieval Handbooks of Penance: A Translation of the Principal Libri Poenitentiales and Selections from Related Documents'', Chapter 1, “Early Irish Penitentials,”, ser: Records of Civilization Sources and Studies, no. 29 (Columbia University Press, New York, 1938) The precise identification of Cummean is fraught with difficulties. The prologue of Codex Vat. 1349 shows an ascription to “Cumianus Longus” (Cummean Fada/ Cumean the Long). Cummean Fada, who lived about 592-662 A.D., was the son of King Fiachna of West Munster, and founded the monastery of Kilcummin. He may also be the Cummean of St. Brendan's foundation of Clonfert. One possible identification is with a bishop Cummean who retired to

Bobbio Abbey Bobbio Abbey (Italian: ''Abbazia di San Colombano'') is a monastery founded by Irish Saint Columbanus in 614, around which later grew up the town of Bobbio, in the province of Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It is dedicated to Saint Columbanus. ...

(in modern-day Italy) between 711 and 744. The later '' Excarpsus cummeani'', or ''Pseudo-Cummeani'', is named such in reference to the penitential of Cummean.

Content

The penitential follows the scheme of vices set up by

John Cassian John Cassian, also known as John the Ascetic and John Cassian the Roman ( la, Ioannes Eremita Cassianus, ''Ioannus Cassianus'', or ''Ioannes Massiliensis''; – ), was a Christian monk and theologian celebrated in both the Western and Eastern c ...

(c. 360 – 435) in his ''De institutis coenobiorum''. A preface includes a homily on the "twelve remissions of sins", based on early patristic sources.

Example

Of Gluttony: "He who compels anyone, for the sake of good fellowship, to become drunk, shall do penance in the same manner as one who is drunk. ..."Bieler, Ludwig. "The Irish Penitentials', ''Scriptores Latini Hiberniae'', 10, (Dublin 1975)

References

Penitentials {{RC-book-stub