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          | A 
            much debated term used to signify the bestowal of grace in association 
            with physical signs. |  
 Theologians in the 
        tradition of Augustine of Hippo 
        often describe sacraments as outward and visible signs of invisible grace. 
        Thomas Aquinas proposed a widely 
        accepted definition in the catholic West when he described a sacrament 
        as "the sign of a sacred thing in so far as it sanctifies men." Medieval 
        theologians differed in their use of the term, with some theologians arguing 
        for as many as thirty sacraments. The Sentences 
        of Peter Lombard identify seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, the 
        Mass, penance, holy orders, matrimony and extreme unction. This became 
        the standard list of sacraments in the West and East. The Council 
        of Trent (1546-1563) officially codified this in the West.  
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