Everything about Anointing totally explained
To
anoint is to grease with perfumed oil, milk, water, melted butter or other substances, a process employed ritually by many religions and races. It also means to be in the presence of
God. People and things are anointed to symbolize the introduction of a sacramental or divine influence, a holy emanation, spirit or power. It can also be seen as a spiritual mode of ridding persons and things of dangerous influences and diseases, especially of the demons (Persian
drug, Greek κηρες, Armenian
dev) which are believed to be or cause those diseases.
Unction is another term for anointing. The oil may be called
chrism.
The word is known in English since c.
1303, deriving from Old French
enoint "smeared on," pp. of
enoindre "smear on," itself from Latin
inunguere, from
in- "on" +
unguere "to smear." Originally it only referred to grease or oil smeared on for medicinal purposes; its use in the
Coverdale Bible in reference to Christ (cf.
The Lord's Anointed, see
Chrism) has spiritualized the sense of it.
Because of its "smeared on" root, the word is also used for the unique practice by
hedgehogs of coating their quills with a froth when encountering new smells or tastes in their environment.
Antecedents
The
indigenous Australians believed that the virtues of one killed could be transferred to survivors if the latter rubbed themselves with his caul-fat. So the
Arabs of
East Africa anoint themselves with lion's fat in order to gain courage and inspire the animals with awe of themselves. Such rites are often associated with the actual eating of the victim whose virtues are coveted. Human fat is a powerful charm all over the world; for example, as R. Smith points out, after the blood, the fat was peculiarly the vehicle and seat of life. This is why fat of a victim was smeared on a sacred stone, not only in acts of homage paid to it, but in the actual consecration thereof. In such cases the influence of the deity, communicated to the victim, passed with the unguent into the stone. According to some beliefs, the divinity could, by anointing, be transferred into men as well.
Milk or butter made from the milk of the cow, the most sacred of animals, is used for anointing in the
Hindu religion. A newly-built house is smeared with it; so are those believed to be suffering from
demonic possession, care being taken to smear the latter downwards from head to foot. Anointments are also part of certain Hindu Monarchies'
enthronement ritual, when waters from sacred rivers, sandal-wood paste, milk etc can also be used.
Hebrew Bible
Among the
Hebrews, the act of anointing was significant in
consecration to a
holy or sacred use: hence the anointing of the high priest (; ) and of the sacred vessels .
Medicinal and funerals
Oil was used also for medicinal purposes. It was applied
to the sick, and also to wounds (; ).
The expression, "anoint the shield", refers to the custom of rubbing oil on the leather of the shield so as to make it supple and fit for use in war.
Hospitality
It was the custom of the Jews in like manner to anoint themselves with oil, as a means of refreshing or invigorating their bodies (; ; ;, etc.). The
Hellenes had similar customs. This custom is continued among the Arabs to the present day.
Priests and kings
In the
Hebrew Bible, the High Priest and the king are each sometimes called "the anointed" (; ; ). Prophets were also anointed (; ; ).
Anointing a king was equivalent to crowning him; in fact, in Israel a crown wasn't required (;, etc.). Thus
David was anointed as king by the prophet
Samuel:
» Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.—.
Christian Gospels
The Messiah
Distinct from the Jewish view, Christians believe the "anointed" one referred to in various biblical verses such as and is the promised
Messiah. According to the
Jewish Bible, whenever someone was anointed with the specific
holy anointing oil formula and ceremony described in, the Spirit of God came upon this person, to qualify him or her for a God-given task. Understanding that Jesus was never anointed in this way, Christians take a spiritual reading of
anointed, and believe that Jesus was "anointed" with the
Holy Spirit directly. According to the
New Testament,
Jesus of
Nazareth is this Anointed One, the
Messiah (; ; ;, ), and the Gospels state that
he was physically "anointed" (although not in the fashion described in Exodus) by an anonymous figure who is interpreted by some as
Mary Magdalene. The word
Christ which is now used as though it were a surname is actually a title derived from the Greek
Christos roughly meaning 'anointed' (
creamy or
greased would be more
cognate as translations).
Hospitality
Anointing was also an act of hospitality, as Jesus was anointed in the house of the Pharisee .
Medicinal
The New Testament records that oil was applied to the sick, and also to wounds ; ).
The bodies of the dead were sometimes anointed (; ).
Christian monarchy
In Christian Europe, the
Merovingian monarchy was the first to anoint the king in a coronation ceremony that was designed to epitomize the Catholic Church's conferring a religious sanction of the monarch's divine right to rule. A number of Merovingian, Carolingian and Ottonian kings and emperors have avoided coronation and anointing.
English and Scottish monarchs in common with the French included anointing in the
coronation rituals (
sacre in French). The Sovereign of the
United Kingdom is the last anointed monarch. For the coronation of
King Charles I in 1626 the holy oil was made of a concoction of
orange,
jasmine, distilled roses, distilled
cinnamon, oil of
ben, extract of
bensoint,
ambergris,
musk and
civet.
However this doesn't symbolize any subordination to the religious authority, hence it isn't usually performed in Catholic monarchies by the pope but usually reserved for the (arch)bishop of a major see (sometimes the site of the whole
coronation) in the nation, as is sometime the very act of crowning. Hence its utensils can be part of the
regalia, such as in the French kingdom an
ampulla for the oil and a
spoon to apply it with; in the Norwegian kingdom, an
anointing horn (a form fitting the Biblical as well as the Viking tradition) is the traditional vessel.
The French Kings adopted the
fleur-de-lis as a baptismal symbol of purity on the conversion of the Frankish King
Clovis I to the
Christian religion in
493. To further enhance its mystique, a legend eventually sprang up that a vial of oil (cfr. infra the crowning
ampulla) descended from
Heaven to
anoint and sanctify Clovis as King. The thus "anointed" Kings of France later maintained that their authority was directly from
God, without the mediation of either the
Emperor or the
Pope.
Legends claim that even the lily itself appeared at the baptismal ceremony as a gift of blessing in an apparition of the
blessed Virgin Mary.
Christian sacramental usage
Early Christian usage
In early Christian times, sick people were anointed for healing to take place:
»
14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
» 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they'll be forgiven him.
Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox usage
In
Roman Catholic and
Eastern Orthodox usage,
anointing is part of the
sacrament of
Anointing of the Sick (or, using the Orthodox terminology, the
Mystery of Unction). The Orthodox use Unction not only for physical ailments, but for spiritual ailments as well, and the faithful may re-request Unction at will, and it's normal for everyone to receive Unction during
Holy Week.
Consecrated oil is also used in
confirmation, or, as it's sometimes called (especially in Eastern Orthodox and
Eastern Rite Catholic churches),
Chrismation, from the Greek word
chrisma (χρίσμα), meaning the medium and act of anointing. The Eastern Churches perform the
sacrament of Chrismation immediately after the sacrament of
Baptism during the same ceremony.
Consecration of the Oil in the Orthodox Churches
Among
Eastern Orthodox Churches, the
Myron (Μύρον, Holy Oil) for Chrismation (and, prior to the 20th century, for the
Anointing of monarchs) is prepared periodically by the Orthodox Patriarchates (such as the
Church of Constantinople -- see an
announcement and process
for preparation, with some sample dates of preparation) and by the various heads of
autocephalous churches (such as the
Orthodox Church in America -- see
photos of the process). The Consecration of the Oil, when performed, occurs during
Holy Week, and thereafter the Oil is distributed to the
Orthodox Churches within the authority of the administration. The Myron is made of olive oil and a guarded recipe of aromatics (
myra) that are infused therein.
At the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the process is under the care of the
Archontes Myrepsoi, lay officials of the Patriarchate. Various members of the clergy may also participate in the preparation, but the Consecration itself is always performed by the Patriarch or a bishop deputed by him for that purpose.
Pentecostal churches
As in the early Christian church, anointing with oil is used in
Pentecostal churches for healing the sick and also for consecration or ordination of pastors and elders.
The word "anointing" is also frequently used by Pentecostal Christians to refer to the power of God or the Spirit of God residing in a Christian: a usage that occurs from time to time in the Bible (for example in ). A particularly popular expression is "the anointing that breaks the yoke", which is derived from :
» And it'll come to pass on that day, that his burden shall be removed from upon your shoulder, and his yoke from upon your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of oil.
The
NIV translates this passage as, "the yoke will be broken because you've grown so fat." The context of this passage refers to the yoke of
Sennacherib, and how his oppressive nature is overturned by that of
Hezekiah who was said to be as mild as oil.
Biblical metaphor
OBS Anointing isn't only used by Pentecostal churches but by many other denominations to describe the work of the Holy Spirit among believers. In so doing they only recognize the spiritual anointing that the Bible speaks of.
But you've an anointing from the Holy One .
But the anointing, which you've received from Him abides in you .
Sources and references
Further Information
Get more info on 'Anointing'.
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