Anointing in the New Testament

THE LETTER of JAMES	CHAPTER 5

¹³ IS any one among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise.	Κακοπαθεῖ τις ἐν ὑμῖν; προσευχέσθω· εὐθυμεῖ τις; ψαλλέτω.
¹⁴ Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders (presbyteroi) 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 will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶	^.514 ἀσθενεῖ τις ἐν ὑμῖν; προσκαλεσάσθω τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς ἐκκλησίας͵ καὶ προσευξάσθωσαν ἐπ΄ αὐτὸν ἀλείψαντες ἐλαίῳ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι [τοῦ] κυρίου· ^5.15 καὶ ἡ εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως σώσει τὸν κάμνοντα͵ καὶ ἐγερεῖ αὐτὸν ὁ κύριος· κἂν ἁμαρτίας ᾖ πεποιηκώς͵ ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ. ^5.16
Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.	ἐξομολογεῖσθε οὖν ἀλλήλοις τὰς ἁμαρτίας καὶ εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων͵ ὅπως ἰαθῆτε.
The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man of like nature with ourselves and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit.	πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη. ^5.17 Ἠλίας ἄνθρωπος ἦν ὁμοιοπαθὴς ἡμῖν͵ καὶ προσευχῇ προσηύξατο τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι͵ καὶ οὐκ ἔβρεξεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐνιαυτοὺς τρεῖς καὶ μῆνας ἕξ· ^5.18 καὶ πάλιν προσηύξατο͵ καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς ὑετὸν ἔδωκεν καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐβλάστησεν τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς.
¹⁹ My brethren, if any one among you wanders from the truth and some one brings him back, ²⁰ let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.	^5.19 Ἀδελφοί μου͵ ἐάν τις ἐν ὑμῖν πλανηθῇ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ ἐπιστρέψῃ τις αὐτόν͵ ^5.20 γινώσκετε ὅτι ὁ ἐπιστρέψας ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐκ πλάνης ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ σώσει ψυχὴν [αὐτοῦ] ἐκ θανάτου καὶ καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν.

THE GOSPEL of MARK	CHAPTER 2

AND when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. ² And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them.	Καὶ εἰσελθὼν πάλιν εἰς Καφαρναοὺμ δι΄ ἡμερῶν ἠκού σθη ὅτι ἐν οἴκῳ ἐστίν. ^2.2 καὶ συνήχθησαν πολλοὶ ὥστε μηκέτι χωρεῖν μηδὲ τὰ πρὸς τὴν θύραν͵ καὶ ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς τὸν λόγον.
³And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. ⁴ And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay.	^2.3 καὶ ἔρχονται φέροντες πρὸς αὐτὸν παρα λυτικὸν αἰρόμενον ὑπὸ τεσσάρων. ^2.4 καὶ μὴ δυνάμενοι προσενέγκαι αὐτῷ διὰ τὸν ὄχλον ἀπεστέγασαν τὴν στέγην ὅπου ἦν͵ καὶ ἐξορύξαντες χαλῶσι τὸν κράβαττον ὅπου ὁ παραλυτικὸς κατέκειτο.
⁵ And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.” ⁶ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ⁷ “Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”	^2.5 καὶ ἰδὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν λέγει τῷ παραλυτικῷ͵ Τέκνον͵ ἀφίενταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. ^2.6 ἦσαν δέ τινες τῶν γραμματέων ἐκεῖ καθή μενοι καὶ διαλογιζόμενοι ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν͵ ^2.7 Τί οὗτος οὕτως λαλεῖ; βλασφημεῖ· τίς δύναται ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ θεός;
⁸ And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question thus in your hearts? ⁹ Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, `Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, `Rise, take up your pallet and walk’ ?	^2.8 καὶ εὐθὺς ἐπιγνοὺς ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ ὅτι οὕτως διαλογίζονται ἐν ἑαυτοῖς λέγει αὐτοῖς͵ Τί ταῦτα διαλογίζεσθε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν; ^2.9 τί ἐστιν εὐκοπώτερον͵ εἰπεῖν τῷ παραλυτικῷ͵ Ἀφίενταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι͵ ἢ εἰπεῖν͵ ῎εγειρε καὶ ἆρον τὸν κράβαττόν σου καὶ περιπάτει;
¹⁰ But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” -- he said to the paralytic -- ¹¹ “I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.”	^2.10 ἵνα δὲ εἰδῆτε ὅτι ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆςλέγει τῷ παραλυτικῷ͵ ^2.11 Σοὶ λέγω͵ ἔγειρε ἆρον τὸν κράβαττόν σου καὶ ὕπαγε εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου.
¹² And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”	^2.12 καὶ ἠγέρθη καὶ εὐθὺς ἄρας τὸν κράβαττον ἐξῆλθεν ἔμπροσθεν πάντων͵ ὥστε ἐξίστασθαι πάντας καὶ δοξάζειν τὸν θεὸν λέγοντας ὅτι Οὕτως οὐδέποτε εἴδομεν.

417 Pope Innocent I asserts bishop's right to visit and anoint sick. Presbyters were asserting that this was their responsibility and right.

5th century: Caesarius of Arles encourages laity to obtain holy oil from the church to anoint themselves and their families in times of sickness

830 Anointing of penitents, widely practiced in the East and in antiquity, begins to be performed in West (Penitential of Haltigar). Anointing, together with confession and viaticum, comes to be part of ministry to sick.

9th-12th centuries Anointing to be by priests, accompanied by prayer, using oil blessed by bishops. Anointing made in form of cross on various parts of body, often between fifteen and twenty (noted that Apostles and Greek Church only anoint in three places). In some rituals, anointings could be repeated for seven successive days.

Confusion exists in regard to obligations of persons who recover after anointing. Must they be regarded as penitents who receive Great Penance? This would require celibacy, abstention from meat, and the wearing of a penitential garment.

10th-11th century, sacrament more and more reserved to dying and is first called Extreme Unction. This usage is very common from 12th century onwards.

12th Century - private anointing of the sick by laypersons not considered a sacrament, but listed among ecclesiastical anointings (including baptism, confirmation, and the sick) by Hugh of St. Victor and Peter Lombard

St. Thomas and the scholastics see in the anointing of the dying the consummation of the efforts of the Church for the salvation of the soul. Opinions differed as to precise effect of sacrament. Spiritual Healing? Forgiveness of Sins? Thomas favored idea that this remove reliquae peccati. Evantually concensus arose that the essential purpose of annointing is the overcoming of spiritual weakness arising from sin.

1430 Symeon of Thessalonica reproaches the Latin Church that it has transformed the sacrament of the healing of the sick into the sacrament of the dying.

MANUAL OF INDULGENCES
12. AT THE POINT OF DEATH	12. In articulo mortis
§ 1. A priest who administers the sacraments to someone in danger of death should not fail to impart the apostolic blessing to which a plenary indulgence is attached.	*§ 1. Sacerdos, qui christifideli in vitae discrimen adducto sacramenta administrat, eidem benedictionem apostolicam cum adiuncta indulgentia plenaria* impertire ne omittat.**
§2 If a priest is unavailable, Holy Mother Church benevolently grants to the Christian faithful, who are duly disposed, a plenary indulgence to be acquired at the point of death, provided they have been in the habit of reciting some prayers during their lifetime; in such a case, the Church supplies for the three conditions ordinarily required for a plenary indulgence.	§ 2. Quodsi haberi nequit sacerdos, pia Mater Ecclesia eidem christifideli rite disposito benigne indulgentiam plenariam in articulo mortis acquirendam concedit, dummodo ipse durante vita habitualiter aliquas preces fuderit; quo in casu Ecclesia supplet tres condiciones ad indulgentiam plenariam de more requisitas.
§3 In this latter case, the use of a crucifix or a cross in obtaining the plenary indulgence is commendable.	§ 3. Laudabiliter ad hanc indulgentiam plenariam acquirendam adhibetur crucifixus vel crux.
§4 The faithful can obtain this plenary indulgence at the hour of death, even if they have already acquired a plenary indulgence on that same day.	§ 4. ²³ Eamdem indulgentiam plenariam in articulo mortis christifidelis consequi poterit, etiamsi eodem die aliam indulgentiam plenariam iam acquisiverit.
(23) §§ 1-4: EI 1986, conc. 28. (Cf. ID, nn. 6, 18; EI 1968, n. 24 § 2; Ordo unctionis infirmorum eorumque pastoralis curae, 7 dec. 1972, 122; CIC 1983, can. 530; EI 1986, n. 21 § 2).
§5 The catechetical instruction of the faithful should ensure that they are duly made aware and frequently reminded of this salutary benefaction of the Church.	§ 5. De hac salutari Ecclesiae dispositione in catechesi tradenda fideles opportune et saepe certiores fiant.