Yesterday I had the privilege of receiving two people into Holy Orthodoxy.

Since they had been previously baptized (outside the Orthodox Church), they were received by anointing only. This ceremony is called chrismation (it’s typically done as a part of the baptismal rite).

This is a short ceremony, but a necessary one. The culmination is when the person entering the church is anointed with oil (called chrism) while the priest says, “the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

This ceremony, however, raises some questions. Protestant churches don’t have this ceremony, and the Catholic ceremony has a different emphasis.

What does this ceremony mean?
Does it matter? Can’t we just declare someone to be Orthodox?
Is this ceremony biblical?

Let’s take a look!

THE CEREMONY

The actual ceremony doesn’t take very long, but it has a few different parts.

First the priest blesses and questions the candidate. He asks her if she desires to be united with the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Orthodox Church. After answering in the affirmative, the priest then questions the candidate and asks if she believes the major tenets of the faith.
Next, the opening prayers and blessings are recited. After the opening prayer, and after the hymn for Pentecost is sung, the candidate kneels for the blessing, and her sponsor calls her by her new name; the name by which this person will be received into Orthodoxy.
The candidate gives their confession of faith. This confession is simply the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.
The candidate is anointed with chrism. As this is done the priest says, “The Seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit,” and the people respond, “Amen.”
A hymn is sung. This hymn declares that a “robe of light” has now been bestowed on the newly illumined person. This recognizes that this person is now a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The newly illumined person is shorn. This simply means that the priest cuts a few bits of the person’s hair in a crosswise fashion. This becomes her first offering to Christ.
Finally, there is a final prayer and the dismissal.

This is a moving ceremony, and it’s always very beautiful when someone comes home to the Orthodox Church. But, is it biblical?

THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS PART OF THE BIBLICAL STORY!

Many people know that baptism is foreshadowed in the Old Testament in such stories as: Noah and the flood, and the crossing of the Red Sea by the Hebrews. (You can read more about those stories in one of my previous posts here.)

But is chrismation, the gift of the Holy Spirit, also foreshadowed in the Old Testament?

I believe it is.

NOAH AND THE DOVE

Often the dove is seen as an image of the Holy Spirit. After the flood (an image of baptism), Noah and his family were floating around in the ark waiting for the waters to recede.

To see if dry land had yet appeared, Noah sends out a dove from the ark. After a few tries, the dove finally returns with an olive leaf, a sign of peace. This is a sign of the Holy Spirit, who also brings us peace, and it’s a foreshadowing of the gift of the Holy Spirit through chrismation.

THE ISRAELITES AT MT. SINAI

We all know the story of the Exodus. The Hebrews are saved from slavery in Egypt by crossing the Red Sea (another image of baptism).

Finally they arrive at Mt. Sinai to receive the law. Here’s how scripture portrays that scene:

And the LORD said to Moses, “Lo, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you for ever.” …And the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments, … On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. … And Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and the smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. (Exodus 19:9-10, 16, 18 RSV)

Here’s an image of God coming to the people. He consecrates them and gives them his law so that they may have life! This, of course, is the work of the Holy Spirit, and many Orthodox Christians pray a prayer that calls the Spirit the “Giver of Life.”

Later, the prophets will say that the Holy Spirit will write the law on the people’s hearts.

It seems this is a foreshadowing of chrismation!

(Today, this giving of the Law is celebrated by Jews in a feast called Pentecost! The Christian feast will be discussed below.)

CHRIST IS BAPTIZED BY JOHN

We are all familiar with the baptism of Christ by John as told in several of the Gospels.

However, very few of us pay attention to the dove.

“And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him;” (Matthew 3:16 RSV)

The Orthodox hymn for Theophany (the celebration of Christ’s baptism) says this:

When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan, worship of the Trinity wast made manifest; for the voice of the Father bore witness to Thee, calling Thee His beloved Son. And the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the truth of His word. O Christ our God, Who hath appeared and enlightened the world, glory to Thee.

In other words, this is Christ’s chrismation! Just as the Spirit descended upon Christ, so too does he descend upon us at chrismation!

THE APOSTLES ARE “CHRISMATED” ON PENTECOST

As I mentioned above, the Jewish feast of Pentecost celebrates the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai.

The Christian feast of Pentecost celebrates the giving of the “law” through the Holy Spirit, a law that is written on our hearts – just as the prophets foretold.

“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” (Acts 2:1-4 RSV)

In short they were chrismated: sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit!

THE APOSTLES CARRY THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT FORWARD.

The Apostles are commissioned to go forth and baptize all nations, but they also bring the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s take a look:

“Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Sama’ria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:14-17 RSV)

“But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has commissioned us; he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22 RSV)

“But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all know. … but the anointing which you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that any one should teach you; as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie, just as it has taught you, abide in him.” (1 John 2:20, 27 RSV)

THE LAYING OF HANDS BECOMES CHRISMATION

As you see above, the laying of hands and the anointing with oil seem to be used interchangeably.

Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky tells us that the foundation of the Christian Church comes through the Apostles.[1]

Obviously, the Apostles couldn’t be everywhere, so priests started anointing people with myrrh that had been received from the Apostles.

This is still the practice today.

Only the head of a self-governing church makes chrism.

In the case of the Greek Archdiocese, this means His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who is the successor of Apostle Andrew, makes our chrism.

So, when a person is chrismated into the Orthodox Church, it’s as if one of the apostles has reached out through time and geography to lay his hands on us to personally give us the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.

THROUGH CHRISMATION WE BECOME A PART OF THE BIBLICAL STORY

So, when we are chismated, we become part of a larger story:

The Holy Spirit descended upon Noah as a dove and gave him peace.
The Holy Spirit descended upon Mt. Sinai and gave life through the Law of Moses to the Hebrew people.
The Holy Spirit again appeared as a dove and descended upon Christ at his baptism.
The Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, after Christ’s resurrection, to write the law on their hearts.
The Holy Spirit descended upon the first Christians through the Apostles’ touch.

Now we join the biblical story: the Holy Spirit descends upon us, and all Orthodox Christians, when we are sealed with chrism by the priest.

P.S. WE BECOME LITTLE “CHRISTS”

When we join the biblical story, we are transformed!

The word chrismation means, “anointing.” The name “Jesus Christ” literally means, Jesus the Anointed One. So, to be chrismated, means that we are transformed into little “christs.” To put it another way, we become, “Christians.”

After all, through baptism and chrismation, we have “put on Christ” as the baptismal hymn says.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem says, “Having become participants of of Christ, you are worthily called ‘Christians,’ that is, ‘anointed ones’; and concerning you God has said, ‘Touch not Mine anointed ones’.”

In Chrismation we are sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit; we are saved, transformed, and we come under the protection of God!

Come, this Sunday to St. Elias and be transformed by the Holy Spirit! (NEW TIME: 9:30 am, 2001 Asbury Rd, Dubuque, IA)(or find your nearest Orthodox Church by clicking here.)

[1] Orthodox Dogmatic Theology, 3^rd edition (Platina: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 2005), pg. 276-7.

BECOMING CHRIST!?!