7. Priests were set apart by a. In the case of Aaron, and probably all hit'li priests, this was done twice : first by pouring the holy oil on his head after his robing, but before the sacrifice of consecration (Lv 8", Ps 133') ; and next by sprinkling after the •acrifice (Lv 8*°). The ordinary priests were only sprinkled with oil after theaiiiilication of the blood of the sacrifice. Hence the nigh priest is called the anointed priest (Lv 4'- ' and 6"). The holy oil for this purpose was made of olive oil, cinnamon, cas.sia, flowing myrrh, and the root of the sweet cane (Acurtis Calamus). It was to be used only for these ceremonials, and its unauthorised com- pounding was strictly forbidden (Ex SO''). In Egypt there were nine sacred oils for ceremonial use. A. in the ordination of presbyters and deacons came into use in the 8th cent., but was not practised in the early Church.
8. Of designation to kingship by a. wo have examples in Saul (I S 10') ami Daviil (1 S Hi"). This act was accompanied by the gift of the Spirit ;
so, when David was anointed, the Spirit descended on him, and departed from Saul ; and llazael was anointed over Syria by God's command (I K 19'"). Kings thus designated were called the Lord's anointed. David thus speaks of Saul (1 S26") and of himself (Ps 2-). This passage is used by the apostles as prophetic of Christ (Ac 4^).
9. Uj' a. Kings were installed in office. David was again anointed when maile king of Judah, and a third time when made king of united Israel (2 S 2' 5'). Solomon was anointed in David's life- time, and he refers to the a. in his dedication prayer. It is not said that those who succeeded by right of primogeniture were anointed ; but when the succession was disputed, Jehoiada anointed Joash (2 K 11"). Jehoahaz the younger son ol Josiah was anointed (2 K 23™) in place of his eldei brother Jehoiakim (see 23"- "'l. Kings of othei lands were anointed. This was early known to the Israelites, as we learn from Jolham's parable (Jg 9*). The kings of Egypt were anointed, and the a. is said to have been done by the goda (Uiimichen, Hist. Inschri/t, i. 12); hence they are called the 'anointed of the gods.' The kin" oi Tyre is also called the ' anointed ' (Ezk 28'^). Jehu was anointed as beginning a new d3'nasly (2 K 9'-). Zedekiah is referred to as anointed (La 4'-^'). liritisb kings were anointed in pre-Saxon days (Gildas, de excidio Brit. i. 19), as were the Christianised Saxons ; but the first mention of a. at coronation elsewhere in Europe is in a.d. C3i in the Acts of the Gill Council of Toledo. Charlema''ne, A.I). 800, was the first emperor anointed (by Pope Leo III.). A. is now a part of the ceremonial of coronation in most Christian kingdoms.
10. A. is used metaphorically to mean setting apart to the prophetic ollice ; so Elijah is told to anoint Elisha. This does not a|i|iear to have been literally done (1 K 19'«). In Ps 105" the words anointed iind prop/icts are used as .synonyms. The Servant of the Lord calls himself anointed to preach (Is 61'), and Christ tells the people of Nazareth that this prophecy is fulfilled in Him (Lk 4").
IL Similarly in a metaphorical sense any one chosen of God is called an anointed one; thus the patriarchs are called God's Mes.siahs (Ps 105"), and Israel as a nation (Ps 84», Hab 3'", Ps SQ"^- »'), being promised deliverance on this account (Is lO", 1 S 2'"). Cyrus is akso called a Messiah (Is 45'). The name Christ is the Gr. equivalent of the Heb. Messiah=' anointed.' The anointing of Ps 45' is taken in He I" as prophetic of the Saviour's anointing.
In this sense, as a chosen people, believers are .said to be God's anointed (2 Co 1^, 1 .In 2-'»-»'), the unction being the gift of the Holy Spirit. In post- apost. times these words gave ri.so to the practice of anointing with oil at baptism. This was done by way of exorcism before the washing in the E. (Jliurcli in the days of Cyril {Caferh. Afi/stai;. ii. I)), as it seems from St. Augustine to have been the jiractice in Africa (see Tr. 44 in Juainiis, § 2, refer- ring to anointing the blind man's eyes before the washing). UutTertullian puts the a. after the wash- ing (J^e resurr. Carnis, § viii.), as does Optatus, who says that Christ was anointed by the dove aftrr baptism {de Si-/iism. Donat. iv. 70). Ul>on these texts, quoted above, couiiled with the 'scaling' men tioned in Ei>h 1" 4*" and 2 Co l-'''', the jiost-aposlolic Church baseil the ceremony of coulini.aiioii, in connexion with which in the W. Church another anointing became customary in the 5th cent.
LlTBRATcnil. — Besidea the refcrencoa given fthovp, st-c for fuller details cotirL-rninif the above section!) — 1. l'aj>yr\u Khrrn, p, flU ; Ernmn. .r.:}yptni. l.K.S.'i, p. 318. 4. Marteiie. ./<• A nl. Keel, int., Roiion, 1700, i. 7; Oulluiim, df duohua Ijulinorum SaerO' iiirntig, Oenevo, ltI6I> : lJrcrrl.u}n Kuaetiii 1 1', de Srpt, Eeel. Sticram., Ixiuvain, 15.'>7. 6. Arnobiiis, adv. (lent. t. 31H ; Fubri. cius, da Tempt. (Christ , Ueuiutodl, 17U4 ; Pausaiiios, vif. '.:2