Laying on of hands

The laying on of hands at the ordination

In many religions , the laying on of hands is a ritual gesture of conferring blessings or powers .

Judaism

Acts of blessing were already accompanied by the laying on of hands in the Tanach . In the Old Testament the blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh is described by the ancestor Jacob ( Gen 48: 13-16 EU )

“Then Joseph took both Ephraim on his right hand, on the left of Israel, and Manasseh on his left, on the right hand of Israel, and led them to him. Israel stretched out his right hand and placed it on Ephraim's head, although he was the younger, but placed his left hand on Manasseh's head, crossing his hands even though Manasseh was the firstborn. He blessed Joseph and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac went their way, God, who was my shepherd my life until today, the angel who redeemed me from every calamity, he blesses the boys. My name should live on through them, also the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. They should romp around in the country, as numerous as the fish in the water. "

The laying on of hands also served to transfer sins to a sacrificial animal ( Lev 4,22–26 EU ). In the book of Leviticus, the term laying on of hands is mentioned five times in relation to the sin offering.

“Assuming that a clan head sins, does something without intent that the Lord, his God, has forbidden, and thereby becomes guilty or is told of a wrong that he has committed, then he should bring a flawless billy goat as his offering. He is to put his hand on the head of the goat and kill it where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the Lord. It is a sin offering. The priest should put some of the blood of the sin offering on the horns of the burnt offering with his finger, then pour out the blood at the base of the burnt offering and let all the fat, like the fat of the salvation offering, go up in smoke on the altar. Thus the priest atonements the person concerned and releases him from his sin; then he will be forgiven. "

In the formal appointment as rabbi , under the name Semicha , some elements of the laying on of hands have been preserved to this day.

New Testament

Even Jesus Christ practiced by the New Testament often the laying on of hands. One example among many is the child blessing in Mt 19 : 13–15 EU :

“Children were brought to him so that he could lay hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples harshly rejected the people. But Jesus said: Let the children come to me; don't stop them! Because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people like them. Then he laid his hands on them and moved on. "

The healing of the sick was also often accompanied by the laying on of hands ( Lk 4.40 EU ).

“As the sun went down, people brought their sick people, who had all kinds of ailments, to Jesus. He laid hands on every sick person and healed everyone. "

The Acts of the Apostles tells of the laying on of hands in connection with ordination , receiving the Holy Spirit, and healing the sick .

Ordination : They chose Stephen, a man of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip and Prochorus and Nikanor and Timon and Parmenas and Nicholas, the proselytes from Antioch. These they put before the apostles; they prayed and laid hands on them. And the word of God was expanded, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem became very great. Many priests also became obedient to the faith. ( Acts 6.5-6 EU )

Reception of the Holy Spirit: “They went down and prayed for them, they would like to receive the Holy Spirit. For he had not yet come down on any of them; they were baptized only in the name of Jesus the Lord. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. ”( Acts 8.15–17 EU ) According to 1 Tim 4.14 EU and 2 Tim 1.6 EU, the charisms of the Holy Spirit can also be learned through the laying on of hands be received. The apostle Paul exhorts Timothy not to neglect the gifts of grace awakened by the laying on of hands. In 1 Timothy 5:22 EU, Paul warns his young co-worker not to "lay hands on someone too quickly".

Healing of the sick : “Publius's father was lying in bed with a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed; then he laid his hands on him and healed him. Then the other sick people on the island came and were healed. "(Acts 28: 8-9 EU )

According to the biblical accounts of the laying on of hands, there are primarily five areas in which this rite is used:

the blessing
the healing of diseases
the reception of the Holy Spirit and the imparting of special gifts of grace
ordination

Church practice

The Roman Catholic Church , the Orthodox Churches , the Old Catholic and the Anglican Churches practice the laying on of hands in the old church tradition when administering some sacraments or sacramentals . It belongs to the rites of baptism , confirmation , the anointing of the sick and the dispensing of the sacrament of consecration , during which the bishops (if necessary by all priests present) lay hands on the ordinandi. The donation of the consecration of a virgin was at least temporarily connected with the laying on of hands by the bishop.

In the Lutheran churches, the laying on of hands takes place at baptism , confirmation , marriage and ordination . With deacons and deaconesses there are blessing services , in which the laying on of hands is the focus of the service .

In the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church , the rite of the laying on of hands is used in the sacraments of baptism and confession . The laying on of hands is also mandatory at the ordination to the pastor, the confirmation, the wedding ceremony or the anointing of the sick.

The United Methodist Church knows the place of confirmation consecration service , in which the young people are also laid his hands. The ordination of their clergymen ( pastors ) also takes place with the laying on of hands by several officials (e.g. by the bishop and the superintendent ).

In the Evangelical Free Churches and Free Evangelical Churches , especially children , baptized and sick people are blessed with the laying on of hands. The laying on of hands is also often practiced when introducing elders , pastors and other members of the community (e.g. youth leaders, Sunday school leaders , house group leaders ).

Anthropological foundations

In the 20th century it was generally seen by anthropologists, ethnologists, social psychologists and sociologists that the laying on of hands is an integral part of many initiation rites and rites of passage in a wide variety of religions. Arnold van Gennep was one of the pioneers in this field.

literature

Anthony T. Hanson, Friedemann Merkel: Art. Laying on of hands I. Old Testament / Judaism / New Testament / Religious history II. Church history / practical-theological . In: Theologische Realenzyklopädie 14 (1985), pp. 415-428, De Gruyter, Berlin 1976-2004. ISBN 3-11-002218-4 / ISBN 3-11-013898-0 / ISBN 3-11-016295-4 ; Study edition: ISBN 3-11-013898-0 / ISBN 3-11-016295-4
Johannes Behm : The laying on of hands in early Christianity: according to use, origin and meaning. Investigated in the context of the history of religion . Deichert, Leipzig 1911 (2nd unchanged edition, Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 1968)
Nikolaus Adler : Baptism and the laying on of hands. An exegetical-theological study of Acts. 8, 14-17 . New Testament treatises 19.3. Aschendorff, Münster 1951
Dominik Leupold-Kirschneck: The laying on of hands. A medical primal gesture in the past and present . Basel publications on the history of medicine and biology 33. Schwabe, Basel u. a. 1981 ISBN 3-7965-0777-8
Martina Bühring: healers and healing. A study of the laying on of hands and discussion in Berlin . Disease and Culture 6. Reimer, Berlin a. a. 1993 ISBN 3-496-00421-5
Jean Sayre-Adams, Steve Wright: Therapeutic touch in theory and practice . Ullstein Mosby, Berlin a. a. 1997 ISBN 3-86126-615-6