Anointing

Anointing - an rite of the Orthodox and some other Churches, consisting in the anointing by the priest of the believer's forehead with blessed oil - oil . In this case, the sign of the cross is depicted, which symbolically means the outpouring of God's grace on the anointed one. Not a Sacrament .

Historically, it dates back to the order established through Moses to anoint with holy oil Aaron , his sons, and then all their descendants, who became priests in the Jerusalem Temple (before its construction - in the tabernacle ). Anointing is also mentioned in the New Testament ( James 5:14 ) as a rite performed by the presbyter over the sick.

Content

The Orthodox

Anointing is performed:

on Sunday and a festive matins . In Russia, this happens after reading the Gospel (at the polyeleum ), in Greece - after the matins. Believers after worshiping the festive icon and the Gospel approach a priest who anoints them with the words “In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” , or “The Lord bless Your Holy Resurrection,” or “The Most Holy Theotokos,” save us ) pray to God for us . ” In Typicon, it is described as follows:

And the priest with the censer came forth, I preceded him to the lampstand, censer of analogy with the icon of the holy apostle, and gave the censer, he stood at the right hand of the country of analogy: and the abbot came to the end, and did it quietly. And by kiss, he bowed down: and taking a little streamer for that, he anointed himself from the shackle with holy oil and cruciform, on his forehead: he and the brother like kisses the holy one, and he will anoint the bride and groom. By the anointing of the holy oil, we eat the first hour .

Archbishop Benjamin (Rumovsky-Krasnopevkov) believes that the oil consecrated in lithium should be added to the oil from the chandil (oil lamps ). He builds this tradition as an “unbreakable bond” between the Law of Moses and Christianity.

On Athos, the anointing is performed while singing the so-called. praise psalms. In some monasteries, the ancient custom of anointing with two fingers is preserved ^[1] .

during the sacrament of baptism before immersion in the font . The anointing with “the oil of joy” (“the oil of spells”, “the oil of the announced”) has been known since ancient times, it is reported by Hippolytus of Rome , Ambrose of Mediolansky , Cyril of Jerusalem , Gregory of Nyssa , John Chrysostom , Simeon of Solunsky and others. This action, according to the teachers of the church, reminded the baptized of "spiritual warfare" and prepared him for anointing , and also drove off unclean power. After immersion in the font, the early Christians anointed with “oil of thanksgiving” (later this rite was supplanted by anointing).
over the deceased. This is also a very ancient custom. According to Dionysius and Simeon of Solunsky, he is associated with the previous one and symbolizes the completion of the “feat of life”.

The anointing is also performed at the request of the faithful with oil from oil lamps from revered icons and relics.

Myaphysites

In the Coptic rite, the anointing with oil is widely used in the sacraments of baptism and wedding ^[2] .

Armenians have the rite of anointing the cross , which, according to Kartashev , arose under the iconoclastic influence ^[3] .

Notes

↑ Klimenko M. M. Features of the all-night vigil in the monasteries of the Holy Mount Athos // Theological works . Vol. 33. - M., 1997. - S. 110-137 .
↑ Zheltov M.S. Alexandria service (rite) // Orthodox Encyclopedia . - M .: Church Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia" , 2000. - T. I. - S. 595-601. - 752 s. - 40,000 copies. - ISBN 5-89572-006-4 .
↑ Reflection of iconoclasm in the Armenian church - VII Ecumenical Council of 787. Archived copy of June 4, 2008 on the Wayback Machine // Kartashev A.V. Ecumenical Councils. - Wedge: Atlas Press: Christian Life, 2004. - 685 p.

Literature

Veniamin (Rumovsky-Krasnopevkov) , archbishop. New Tablet or explanation of the church, of the liturgy, and of all services and church utensils. -M., 1999.
Oil anointing // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.

Links

Daniel J. The anointing with oil and baptism in St. Gregory of Nyssa
Anointing (unavailable link) (unavailable link from 06/14/2016 [1137 days]) // Religion: Encyclopedia / Comp. and commonly. ed. A.A. Gritsanov , G.V.Sinilo . - Mn .: Book House, 2007.
Anointing (Dictionary of Church Terms)
Anointing
Hippolytus of Rome. Apostolic tradition
Features of the festive service // Krasovitskaya M. S. Liturgics.

[1] Klimenko M. M. Features of the all-night vigil in the monasteries of the Holy Mount Athos // Theological works . Vol. 33. - M., 1997. - S. 110-137 .

[ПЭ-2] Zheltov M.S. Alexandria service (rite) // Orthodox Encyclopedia . - M .: Church Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia" , 2000. - T. I. - S. 595-601. - 752 s. - 40,000 copies. - ISBN 5-89572-006-4 .

[3] Reflection of iconoclasm in the Armenian church - VII Ecumenical Council of 787. Archived copy of June 4, 2008 on the Wayback Machine // Kartashev A.V. Ecumenical Councils. - Wedge: Atlas Press: Christian Life, 2004. - 685 p.