Anointing
Anointing is the
By extension, the term is also applied to related acts of sprinkling, dousing, or smearing a person or object with any perfumed oil, milk, butter, or other fat.[2] Scented oils are used as perfumes and sharing them is an act of hospitality. Their use to introduce a divine influence or presence is recorded from the earliest times; anointing was thus used as a form of medicine, thought to rid persons and things of dangerous spirits and demons which were believed to cause disease.
In present usage, "anointing" is typically used for ceremonial blessings such as the
Name
The present verb derives from the now obsolete adjective anoint, equivalent to anointed. form of ung(u)ere 'to anoint'. It is thus cognate with "unction".
The oil used in a ceremonial anointment may be called "chrism", from Greek χρῖσμα (khrîsma) 'anointing'.[7]
Purpose
Anointing served and serves three distinct purposes: it is regarded as a means of health and comfort, as a token of honor, and as a symbol of
Health
Used in conjunction with bathing, anointment with oil closes
Applications of oils and fats are also used as traditional medicines. The Bible records olive oil being applied to the sick and poured into wounds.[n 2][11] Known sources date from times when anointment already served a religious function; therefore, anointing was also used to combat the malicious influence of demons in Persia, Armenia, and Greece.[2] Anointing was also understood to "seal in" goodness and resist corruption, probably via analogy with the use of a top layer of oil to preserve wine in ancient amphoras, its spoiling usually being credited to demonic influence.[12]
For sanitary and religious reasons, the bodies of the dead are sometimes anointed.[n 3][11] In medieval and early modern Christianity, the practice was particularly associated with protection against vampires and ghouls who might otherwise take possession of the corpse.[12]
Hospitality
Anointing guests with oil as a mark of hospitality and token of honor is recorded in Egypt, Greece, and Rome, as well as in the Hebrew scriptures.[1] It was a common custom among the ancient Hebrews[n 4] and continued among the Arabs into the 20th century.[11]
Religion
In the
In religions like Christianity where animal sacrifice is no longer practiced, it is common to
Egypt
According to scholars belonging to the early part of the twentieth century (Wilhelm Spiegelberg,[19] Bonnet,[20] Cothenet,[21] Kutsch,[22] Martin-Pardey[23]) officials of ancient Egypt were anointed as part of a ceremony that installed them into office. This assumption has been questioned by scholars like Stephen Thompson, who doubt such anointing ever existed:
"After a review of the evidence for the anointing of officials in ancient Egypt as a part of their induction into office, I must conclude that there is no evidence that such a ceremony was ever practiced in ancient Egypt. Attempts to trace the origin of the Hebrew practice of anointing kings to an Egyptian source are misdirected. The only definite case in which an Egyptian king anointed one of his officials is that of EA 51. In this instance, it is probable that Thutmosis III was engaging in a custom common among Asiatics, rather than that he was introducing an Egyptian custom into Syria-Palestine" [24]
Anointment of the corpse with scented oils was however a well attested practice as an important part of
India
In
Buddhism
Judaism
In antiquity, use of a
Because of its importance, the High Priest and the king were sometimes called "the Anointed One".
The expression "anoint the shield" which occurs in Isaiah[43] is a related or poetic usage, referring to the practice of rubbing oil on the leather of the shield to keep it supple and fit for war.[11] The practice of anointing a shield predates the anointing of other objects in that the "smearing" (Hebrew "mashiach") of the shield renewed the leather covering on a wooden shield. A victorious soldier was elevated on his shield by his comrades after a battle or upon his selection as a new king. The idea of protection and selection arose from this and was extended to the idea of a "chosen one" thus leading to the modern concept of a Messiah (Hebrew for the one who was anointed.)[citation needed]
Christianity
In the
The practice of "
Anointing was particularly important among the
In the Acts of Thomas
In medieval and early modern Christianity, the oil from the lamps burnt before the altar of a church was felt to have particular sanctity. New churches and altars were anointed at their four corners during their dedication, as were tombs, gongs, and some other ritual instruments and utensils.[12]
In particular, James 5:14-15 illustrates that anointing oil, applied in faith, is a powerful weapon against a spiritual attack of the enemy, which can translate into a disease designed to destroy the body.
Latin Catholicism
The
The Oil of Catechumens is used to people immediately before
are anointed with chrism, the hands of a priest, the head of a bishop. (In the older form, a bishop's hands, as well as the head, are anointed with chrism. The traditional Roman Pontifical also has a rite of coronation of kings and queens including anointing with the Oil of Catechumens. In some countries, as in France, the oil used in that rite was chrism.Oil of the Infirm is used for administration of the sacrament of anointing of the sick, the ritual treatment of the sick and infirm through what was usually called Extreme Unction in Western Christianity from the late 12th to the late 20th century.[62]
Sacred Chrism is used in the sacraments of
Any
Send forth, O Lord, we beseech thee, thy Holy Spirit the Paraclete from heaven into this fatness of oil, which thou hast deigned to bring forth out of the green wood for the refreshing of mind and body; and through thy holy benediction may it be for all who anoint with it, taste it, touch it, a safeguard of mind and body, of soul and spirit, for the expulsion of all pains, of every infirmity, of every sickness of mind and body. For with the same thou hast anointed priests, kings, and prophets and martyrs with this thy chrism, perfected by thee, O Lord, blessed, abiding within our bowels in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Orthodoxy and Greek Catholicism
In the
The oil that is used to anoint the
Anointing of the sick is called the "
]In the
Protestantism
Owing to their particular focus upon the action of the
The Pentecostal expression "the anointing breaks the yoke" derives from a passage in Isaiah[65] which discusses the power given the prophet Hezekiah by the Holy Spirit over the tyrant Sennacherib.[citation needed]
Latter-day Saints
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints practice anointing with pure, consecrated olive oil[66] in two ways: 1) as a priesthood ordinance in preparation for the administration of a priesthood blessing, and 2) in conjunction with washing as part of the endowment.[67] The Doctrine and Covenants contains numerous references to anointing[68] and administration to the sick[69] by those with authority to perform the laying on of hands.[70] On 21 January 1836, Joseph Smith instituted anointing during the rites of sanctification and consecration preparatory to the rites practiced in the Kirtland Temple.[71] The anointing would prepare church members to receive the endowment of "power from on high" promised in an earlier 1831 revelation.[72] At the present time, any holder of the Melchizedek priesthood may anoint the head of an individual by the laying on of hands. Olive oil must be used if available, and it must have been consecrated earlier in a short ordinance that any holder of the Melchizedek priesthood may perform.[73]
Royalty
In addition to its use for the Israelite kingship, anointing has been an important ritual in Christian rites of Coronation, especially in Europe. As reported by the jurisconsult Tancredus, initially only four monarchs were crowned and anointed, they were the Kings of Jerusalem, France, England and Sicily:
Et sunt quidam coronando, et quidam non, tamen illi, qui coronatur, debent inungi: et tales habent privilegium ab antiquo, et de consuetudine. Alii modo non debent coronari, nec inungi sine istis: et si faciunt; ipsi abutuntur indebite. […] Rex Hierosolymorum coronatur et inungitur; Rex Francorum Christianissimus coronatur et inungitur; Rex Anglorum coronatur et inungitur; Rex Siciliae coronatur et inungitur.
And [the kings] are both crowned and not, among them, those who are crowned must be anointed: they have this privilege by ancient custom. The others, instead, must not be crowned or anointed: and if they do so unduly it is abuse. [74]
Later French legend held that a vial of oil, the
Not all the water in the rough rude sea
Can wash the balm off an anointed king.[83]
In
In the present day, royal unction is less common, being practiced only upon the monarchs of
See also
- Coronation, the assumption of an office by receiving a crown
- Enthronement, the assumption of an office by sitting upon a throne
- Investiture, the assumption of an office by receiving an item of clothing
- Messiah, the "Anointed One" in Jewish and Christian and Islamic scripture and lore
Notes
- ^ Robert Manning's Handling Sin: . ..Þe prest þat ys a noynt...[5]
- ^ This occurs both in the Old[8] and New Testament.[9][10]
- ^ The Bible records the practice at the time of the New Testament.[13][14]
- Pharisee.[17]
- ^ As, e.g., in Psalm 2[40] and the Book of Daniel.[41][42]
- Temple.[11]
- ^ The passage is somewhat uncertain as the earliest surviving manuscript has "mercy" (ἔλεoς, éleos) instead of "oil" (ἔλαιoν, élaion), but a corrector has emended this to "oil" in agreement with the other two manuscripts.
- ^ See King for the argument in favor of dating the practice to the 631 coronation of Sisenand.[78]
- ^ The rebel general began his letter to his former liege "Flavius Paulus, anointed king in the east, [sends his greetings] to Wamba, king in the east" (Flavius Paulus unctus rex orientalis Wambani regi austro).[80]
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f EB (1878).
- ^ a b c d e f EB (1911), p. 79.
- ^ James Strong, The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville: T. Nelson, 1990) Heb. No. 4899 Gr. No. 5547.
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed. "anoint, v." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1884.
- ^ Mannyng, Robert (1303), Handlyng Synne, l. 7417
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed. "† aˈnoint, adj." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1884.
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed. "chrism, n." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1889.
- ^ Isaiah 1:6
- ^ Mark 6:13
- ^ James 5:14–15
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Easton (1897).
- ^ a b c d e f g h EB (1911), p. 80.
- ^ Mark 14:8
- ^ Luke 23:56
- ^ 2 Samuel 14:2
- ^ Psalms 104:15
- ^ Luke 7:38–46
- ^ Smith, William Robertson, Lectures on the Religion of the Semites
- ^ 1 W. Spiegelberg, "Die Symbolik des Salbens im A.gyptischen," Recueil de travaux relatifs... (RT) 28 (1906): 184-85
- ^ 10 H. Bonnet, Reallexikon der dgyptischen Reli gionsgeschichte (Berlin, 1952
- ^ " E. Cothenet, "Onction," in L. Pirot, A. Robert, H. Cazelles, eds., Dictionnaire de la Bible, Suppld ment, vol. 6 (Paris, 1960
- ^ 12 E. Kutsch, Salbung als Rechtsakt (Berlin, 1963), pp.
- ^ 13 E. Martin-Pardey, "Salbung," LA, vol. 5, cols. 367-69
- S2CID 162870303.
- ^ McCreesh, N.C. (2009). Ritual anointing: analyses of hair and coffin coatings in ancient Egypt. The University of Manchester Library (PhD). Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- ^ Exodus 29:7
- ^ Exodus 29:29
- ^ Leviticus 4:3
- ^ Exodus 30:26
- ^ 1 Kings 19:16
- ^ 1 Chronicles 16:22
- ^ Psalm 105:15
- ^ a b 1 Samuel 16:13
- ^ Exodus 30:22–25
- ^ 1 Sam 10:1
- ^ Leviticus 4:3–5
- ^ 4:16
- ^ 6:20
- ^ Psalm 132:10
- ^ Psalm 2:2
- ^ Daniel 7:13
- ^ Daniel 9:25–26
- ^ Isaiah 21:5
- ^ John 1:41
- ^ Acts 9:22
- ^ 17:2–3
- ^ 18:5
- ^ 18:28
- ^ Isaiah 61:1
- ^ John 12:1–12:11; also Matthew 26:6–26:13, Mark 14:1–14:11, and Luke 7:36–7:50.
- JSTOR 3266438.
- ^ 1 John 2:20
- ^ 1 John 2:27
- ^ ISBN 978-0802827487.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link - ^ Theophilus of Antioch, "To Autolycus", 1.12.
- ISBN 978-1463202187.
- Romans", 5.8.3.
- ^ Vatican Library MS Reginensis 316.
- ^ Rituale Romanum: Rite for ordination of priests
- ^ Ordination of Priests, 133
- ^ Rite of Ordination of a Bishop, 28
- ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3), article "unction"
- ^ Pavlos Menesoglou. "The Sanctification of the Holy Chrism". Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Archived from the original on 2003-03-01. Retrieved 2008-03-09..
- ^ "The Consecration of Holy Christ". Orthodox Church in America. 5 April 2004. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27.
- ^ Isaiah 10:27
- ^ "When did the use of consecrated olive oil in priesthood blessings originate?". www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
- ^ "Prophetic Teachings on Temples: Washing and Anointing - Initiatory". www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
- ^ "Anointing, Anoint". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
- ^ "Administration to the Sick". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
- ^ "Hands, Laying on of". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
- ^ "Anoint", The Joseph Smith Papers, archived from the original on September 10, 2013, retrieved 24 October 2012
- ^ "Endowment of Power". www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
- ^ "Consecrating Oil". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
- ^ Tancredus, De Regibus Catholicorum et Christianorum 6:18 (https://books.google.com/books?id=CTVgAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA130)
- ^ Lupoi (2000), pp. 251 f.
- ^ Moorhead (2001), p. 173.
- ^ a b Darras (1866), p. 270.
- ^ King (1972), pp. 48–49.
- ^ Wolfram (1997), pp. 273–274.
- ^ a b Wolfram (1997), p. 273.
- ^ a b Lupoi (2000), p. 252.
- ^ Lupoi (2000), pp. 251 f..
- ^ Shakespeare, William. Richard II, II.ii.
References
- Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 3d ed., London: T. Nelson & Sons, 1897. ,
- Baynes, T. S., ed. (1878), Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 2 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 90 ,
- Conybeare, Frederick Cornwallis (1911), , in Chisholm, Hugh (ed.), Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 2 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, pp. 79–80
- Darras, Joseph Éphiphane (1866), A General History of the Catholic Church: From the Commencement of the Christian Era until the Present Time, Vol. II, New York: P. O'Shea [Originally published in French; translated by Martin Spalding].
- King, Paul David (1972), Law & Society in the Visigothic Kingdom, ISBN 978-0-521-03128-8.
- Lupoi, Maurizio (2000), The Origins of the European Legal Order, ISBN 0-521-62107-0.
- Moorhead, John (2001), The Roman Empire Divided: 400–700, London: Pearson Education [Republished 2013 by Routledge], ISBN 9781317861447.
- Wolfram, Herwig (1997), The Roman Empire and its Germanic Peoples, University of California Press [Originally published in German as Das Reich und die Germanen by Wolf Jobst Siedler Verlag in 1990; translated by Thomas Dunlap], ISBN 9780520085114.
Further reading
- Spieckermann, Hermann (1999), "Anointing", The Encyclopedia of Christianity, Vol. I, Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, p. 66, ISBN 0802824137.