In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. James Prothro to talk about the historical and biblical roots of the Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation. Where does the idea of the Sacraments come from? Where do we see the roots of repentance, reconciliation, and forgiveness in the Old Testament? What about penance? And how do these historical roots connect to how Catholics practice the Sacrament of Reconciliation – commonly called Confession – today. Dr. Prothro gives a through treatment of this incredibly important sacrament linking it all the way back to the Garden of Eden and the beginning of mankind and explaining – all the way to today – why confessing our sins to a priest is one of the greatest gifts God gave his followers, and mankind. For more from Dr. Prothro you can follow him on Twitter and his published material on Academia. Check out his book The Bible and Reconciliation: Confession, Repentance, and Restoration from Baker Academic. He also recommended The Sacrament of Reconciliation by Dr. Robert Fastiggi and the following Scriptures, for context: 2 Corinthians 5-6 and the Gospel of Luke (focusing on the Parable of the Prodigal Son). For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to [email protected]. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests! To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel. Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me. If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page. Thank you to those already supporting the show! This show is brought to you in a special way by our Patron Co-Producers. Thanks to Eli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, Victor and Susanne, Phil, Noah, Nicole, Michelle, Jordan, Jon, James, Gina, and Eyram. Support the Show. Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media: Instagram: @cordialcatholic Twitter: @cordialcatholic YouTube: /thecordialcatholic Facebook: The Cordial Catholic TikTok: @cordialcatholic