Consecration prayer
In dedicatory prayer of the donor asks the consecration the blessing for a person or thing, the power of attorney granted to exercise a ministry, or he consecrates a person to serve in the Church, making it a consecrated person is.
Temple consecration prayers in the ancient Orient
Temple consecration prayers have been handed down to us from the ancient oriental culture of the Sumerians . For example, the dedication prayer of a Sumerian prince from Lagaš (around 2050 BC), who calls on the maternal city-founding goddess , the Magna mater , for help during the temple consecration.
Temple dedication prayer of the Old Testament
Solomon's temple consecration prayer ( 1 Kings 8,22-53 EU ; 2 Chr 6,12-42 EU ) has been handed down from the Old Testament . There, King Solomon appears before God in connection with the dedication of the Jerusalem temple with seven requests and thus consecrates the house of God. After the temple dedication prayer, Solomon and the people sacrificed 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. The temple is consecrated for a fortnight.
The consecration prayer in the church
In the churches that refer to apostolic succession , consecration prayer is an essential part of some sacraments and sacramentals . Other sacraments act of themselves through the sign with which they are bestowed, such as baptism or marriage . In the ordination of a priest or a deacon the sacrament is the imposition of hands by the bishop donated. With the consecration prayer that follows, the bishop invokes God's blessing on the recipient of the sacrament, for example in the Roman pontifical during the ordination of deacons: “Send down upon them, O Lord, the Holy Spirit. May his sevenfold grace strengthen them to carry out their service faithfully. ”At the priestly ordination it says at the appropriate place in the consecration prayer:“ Almighty Father, we ask you, give these your servants the dignity of the priesthood. Renew in them the spirit of holiness. The office that they receive from your hand, O God, the participation in the priestly service, be their part forever. "
Individual evidence
- ^ Walter Beyerlin: Religious history text book on the Old Testament . Göttingen 1975, p. 137.
- ↑ Pontifical. The ordination of the bishop, priests and deacons. In: Pontifical Romanum. 1994, accessed on June 29, 2012 (General Introduction to the Pontifical): “Everyone pray in silence for the laying on of hands; Everyone participates in the consecration prayer by listening to it and confirming and concluding it with the acclamation. "
- ↑ Diocese of Eichstätt: Sacrament - Consecration. Course of the consecration service. Retrieved on June 29, 2012 (from the website of the Diocese of Eichstätt).
