As the early Church grew rapidly, bishops—who traditionally presided over baptisms—could no longer personally baptize every infant. To preserve the bishop's direct role, the Church separated the ritual into two parts: local priests performed the baptism, while the bishop's subsequent anointing (or "chrismation") became a separate sacrament sealing the believer with the Holy Spirit. In Western Christianity, this separate rite eventually evolved into a milestone where individuals personally claim and affirm the faith for themselves.
Today's Catholic Church usually confirms believers just after the age of seven (in the restored order of sacraments, though practices vary by diocese, sometimes occurring in early adolescence). But adults who are converting to Catholicism and have successfully completed the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA, now often referred to as OCIA) are baptized and confirmed during the Easter Vigil by either a bishop or a priest. For these adult converts, the sacrament is typically accompanied by receiving the Eucharist for the first time, completing the traditional "Sacraments of Initiation" (Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist together).
If the converting adult has already been baptized through a recognized Christian denomination (such as Presbyterian, Methodist, or Lutheran), they're confirmed without having to be baptized again. For Catholics it's not possible to be baptized twice because, as Deacon Ed puts it, baptism imparts an "indelible mark on the soul."¹ This permanent spiritual seal—character—means the sacrament can only be received once in a lifetime, a theological rule shared with both Confirmation and Holy Orders.
Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant confirmations are similar, usually not allowing a person to receive Holy Communion until after their confirmation. In these traditions, confirmation functions as a public affirmation of the vows made on one's behalf at infant baptism, allowing youth to take personal responsibility for their faith before partaking in the Lord's Supper. Within all Churches the confirmed become full members of their Church, granted full voting and participatory rights in the life of the congregation.
Eastern Chrismation vs. Western Confirmation
Sacramental initiation in Eastern Orthodoxy is fully unified, allowing an infant to receive Baptism, Chrismation, and the Holy Eucharist together in a single service administered by the parish priest. Although the local priest performs the rite, the essential link to the episcopate is preserved through the Myron (holy chrism), which is consecrated exclusively by a council of bishops. Orthodox theology holds that spiritual grace does not depend on cognitive maturity, so Chrismation acts as a personal Pentecost that equips the child with spiritual gifts for lifelong growth (theosis) and grants immediate access to Holy Communion.
Western traditions, however, separate these sacraments across time. While infants are baptized, Confirmation is traditionally delayed until the "age of reason" (typically around age 7 into the mid-teens), with Holy Communion often preceding or accompanying it. The bishop serves as the primary minister to highlight the confirmand’s direct connection to the apostolic Church. Spiritually, Western Confirmation emphasizes a personal ratifying of baptismal vows, conferring an indelible character on the soul and strengthening the maturing believer to actively live out and defend their faith.
Jewish Confirmation
There is also a Jewish understanding of Confirmation. Distinct from Bar and Bat Mitzvah (which mark coming-of-age under Jewish law at ages 13 and 12/13), modern Jewish Confirmation was developed in the 19th century—primarily within Reform Judaism—as a ceremony for teenagers (typically around Shavuot) to publicly commit to ongoing Jewish learning and community life.²
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¹ http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=196262
² More differences among Christian denominations, the Jewish faith and other beliefs can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation.
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