The laying on of hands is a religious practice found throughout the world in varying forms. In Christian churches, this practice is used as both a symbolic and formal method of invoking the Holy Spirit during baptisms, healing services, and ordination of priests, ministers, elders, deacons, and other church officers, along with a variety of other church sacraments and holy ceremonies. Fishers of Men, oil on panel by Adriaen van de Venne (1614) Various religious symbols Religion is a human phenomenon that defies easy definition. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on Jesus of Nazareth, and on his life and teachings as presented in the New Testament. ... This article uses excessive clichés and jargon associated with topic . ... Baptism in early Christian art. ... Spiritual healing redirects here. ... Ordination is the process in which clergy become authorized by their religious denomination and/or seminary to perform religious rituals and ceremonies. ... Roman Catholic priests in traditional clerical clothing. ... For other types of minister, see Minister In Christian churches, a minister is a man or woman who serves a congregation or participates in a role in a parachurch ministry; such persons can minister as a Pastor, Preacher, Bishop, Chaplain, Deacon or Elder. ... An elder can refer to various topics: Elder (administrative title) Elder (religious) Elder - person of knowledge or high degree Elderberry plant (Sambucus) Box-elder plant (maple) Box elder bug (Leptocoris trivittatus or Boisea trivittatus) Elderly person - see: Old age William Henry Elder bishop and Archbishop of Cincinnati Joycelyn Elders Elder... Deacon is a role in the Christian Church which is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. ... A sacrament is a Christian rite that mediates divine grace—a holy mystery. ...

A 1946 laying on of hands ceremony at the Pentecostal Church of God in Lejunior, Kentucky.

From NARA, ARC Identifier: 541337 NARAs caption: Healing laying on of hands ceremony in the Pentecostal Church of God. ... From NARA, ARC Identifier: 541337 NARAs caption: Healing laying on of hands ceremony in the Pentecostal Church of God. ... // Basic Information The Pentecostal Church of God (PCG) is a predominantly white Pentecostal Christian denomination. ...

History

Judaism

In a larger context, the Christian tradition of the laying on of hands has its roots in Jewish beliefs and practices. In biblical times the laying on of hands was an action which conferred blessing or authority. To wit, Jacob blessed his son Joseph in this fashion, and Jesus laid hands on children to bless them and on the sick to heal them. Moreover, the High Priest Aaron laid his hands on the head of a scapegoat at the Feast of Atonement, thus transferring the sins of the people of Israel to the goat. (Leviticus 16:21.) Finally, in the Old Testament priests were ordained by the laying on of hands. This article describes the Jewish religion; for a consideration of ethnic, historic, and cultural aspects of the Jewish identity refer to the article Jew. ... The Gutenberg Bible owned by the United States Library of Congress The Bible (Hebrew: תנ״ך tanakh, Greek: η Βίβλος hē biblos, the book) (sometimes The Holy Bible, Scripture, is the name used by Jews and Christians for their differing (and overlapping) canons of sacred texts. ... It has been suggested that Yaqub be merged into this article or section. ... Joseph, in the Hebrew Bible appears in the Book of Genesis. ... Jesus (8–2 BC/BCE — 29–36 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity. ... Aaron (אַהֲרֹן, a word meaning bearer of martyrs in Hebrew (perhaps also, or instead, related to the Egyptian Aha Rw, Warrior Lion), Standard Hebrew Aharon, Tiberian Hebrew ʾAhărōn), was one of two brothers who play a unique part in the history of the Hebrew people. ... The scapegoat was a goat that was driven off into the wilderness as part of the ceremonies of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, in Judaism during the times of the Temple in Jerusalem. ... Yom Kippur (1878) Yom Kippur (יום כפור yome kippūr, day of atonement) is the Jewish holiday of the Day of Atonement. ... SiN is a computer game developed by Ritual Entertainment and published by Activision in late 1998. ... Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, also the third book in the Torah (five books of Moses). ... NOTE: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh, but not Old Testament, because it does not recognize the New Testament as a continuation or completion of the Jewish bible. ...

Christianity

In the New Testament the laying on of hands was associated with the receiving of the Holy Spirit (See Acts 8:14-19). Initially the Apostles laid hands on new believers as well as believers who were called to a particular service. (See Acts 6:5). In the early Christian church, the practice was also used in ordination ceremonies and is still used in a wide variety of church ceremonies, such as the ceremony of confirmation, where a bishop, priest, or minister lays hands on the confirmand and prays for him to receive the Holy Spirit. Many churches also lay hands on a person when commissioning them to particular work, such as missionary or pastoral service. John 21:1 Jesus Appears to His Disciples--Alessandro Mantovani: the Vatican, Rome. ... This article uses excessive clichés and jargon associated with topic . ... The Acts of the Apostles (Greek Praxeis Apostolon) is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. ... The Twelve Apostles (in Koine Greek απόστολος apostolos, Liddell & Scott, Strongs G652, someone sent forth/sent out) were men that according to the Synoptic Gospels and Christian tradition, were chosen from among the disciples of Jesus for a mission. ... Confirmation is a rite used in many Christian Churches. ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... A missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. ... Main article: Minister of religion A pastor is the head minister or priest of a Christian church. ...

"The royal gift of healing": Charles II of England depicted in a contemporary popular print

In its "healing" form, the laying on of hands is based on biblical precedent set by Jesus. This is a popular Jesuit ceremony in which prayer for forgiveness is often the prelude that along with the cleansing of one's spirit, creates union with the Holy Spirit. Both Christian and non-Christian faith healers will lay hands on people when praying for healing, and often the name of Jesus is invoked as the spiritual agency through which the healing of physical ailments is believed to be obtained. The Royal Gift of Healing: Charles II of England in a contemprary print. ... The Royal Gift of Healing: Charles II of England in a contemprary print. ... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ... Jesus (8–2 BC/BCE — 29–36 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity. ... The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ...

In Europe

The laying on of hands, known as "the Divine Touch," was performed by kings in England and France, and was believe to cure scrofula, a name given to a number of skin diseases. The rite of the king's touch began in France with Robert II the Pious, but legend later attributed the practice to Clovis as founder of the kingdom, and Edward the Confessor in England. The belief continued to be common throughout the Middle Ages but began to die out with the Enlightenment. Queen Anne was the last British monarch to claim to possess this divine ability, though the Jacobite pretenders also claimed to do so. The French monarchy continued to believe and perform the act up until the French Revolution. The act was usually performed at large ceremonies, often at Easter or other holy days. Look up monarch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi   - Water (%) Population... King Henry IV of France touching a number of sufferers of scrofula who are gathered about him in a circle. ... Robert II the Pious (French: Robert II le Pieux) (March 27, 972 - July 20, 1031) was King of France from 996 to 1031. ... Clovis I, King of the Franks. ... Edward the Confessor or Eadweard III (c. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... ... Anne (6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714) became Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. ... Charles Edward Stuart, Bonnie Prince Charlie, wearing the Jacobite blue bonnet Jacobitism was (and, to a very limited extent, is) the political movement dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England and Scotland. ... A Pretender is a claimant to an abolished or already occupied throne. ... Liberty Leading the People, a painting by Delacroix commemorating the July Revolution of 1830 but which has come to be generally accepted as symbolic of French popular uprisings against the monarchy in general. ... This article is about the Christian festival. ...

Lay on Hands in Fantasy

In video games, pen and paper RPGs, etc, this term is generally used for some form of powerful healing ability or spell, used by Paladins, in the majority of cases. In Dungeons and Dragons, this ability allows the Paladin to heal a large amount of health, but is generally seen as a class-specific ability, and has a rule which limits the uses to 'uses per day', depending upon how powerful the character is. In the MMORPG World of Warcraft, this ability is used by a Paladin to heal a friendly target by an amount equal to that of the Paladin's maximum health, at the cost of 100% of their mana. The original Dungeons & Dragons set Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) published by Gary Gygax and David Arneson in January 1974. ... A Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) is a type of online computer role-playing game (RPG) in which a large number of players interact with one another in a virtual world. ... World of Warcraft (commonly abbreviated as WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Blizzard Entertainment. ... Human Male Paladin as seen in the World of Warcraft. ...

Depiction in Film

• Carnivàle (the HBO miniseries)
• Resurrection

Carnivàle was an American dramatic television series produced by HBO. Created by Daniel Knauf, it starred Nick Stahl and Clancy Brown. ... HBO (Home Box Office) is a premium cable television network with headquarters in New York City. ... A miniseries (sometimes mini-series), in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. ... Resurrection is a 1980 film which tells the story of a woman who survives the car accident which kills her husband, but discovers that she has the power to heal other people. ...

See also

• Faith healing
• Reiki
• Paladin (Dungeons & Dragons)

Spiritual healing redirects here. ... Reiki is performed through a technique similar to the laying on of hands. ... In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, paladin is one of the base character classes. ...

Reference

• New Bible Dictionary (ISBN 0-85110-630-7)