laying on of hands

Thân thiện

The bishop performs the laying on of hands during the ordination ceremony.

Definition

Noun: 1. A ceremonial act in Christian ordination: The practice of placing hands on a person's head to invoke a spiritual blessing, consecration, or to confer authority, especially during ceremonies for ordaining priests, deacons, or bishops. 2. A faith healing practice: The application of a healer's hands to a patient's body, based on the belief that spiritual power or divine energy can be transferred to promote physical or emotional healing.

Usage Examples

• In Christian ordination:
  • The bishop performed the laying on of hands to ordain the new priest.
  • The sacrament includes prayer and the laying on of hands.
• In faith healing:
  • The healer believed the laying on of hands could channel divine energy to cure the illness.
  • She experienced a sense of peace after the laying on of hands.

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is often used in passive constructions to describe the recipient's experience.
  • He received the laying on of hands during the healing service.
• It can be part of a longer descriptive phrase.
  • The ceremony featured the ancient rite of the *laying on of hands.

Variants and Related Words

• Imposition of hands: A formal synonym, often used in theological contexts.
• Hands-on healing: A more general, less ceremonial term for the healing practice.
• Ordination (n): The ceremony in which the laying on of hands is a central part.
• Consecration (n): The act of making something sacred, which the laying on of hands can accomplish.

Synonyms

• For the ceremonial act: Imposition of hands, consecration rite.
• For the healing act: Therapeutic touch, faith healing, hands-on prayer.

Notes on Different Meanings

The two primary meanings are distinguished by their purpose and context: 1. The religious/ordination meaning is a formal, institutional ritual within a church hierarchy to confer spiritual office or blessing. 2. The faith healing meaning is a charismatic or personal practice intended for therapeutic effect, which may occur inside or outside formal religious settings.

Học thuật

Noun

1. laying hands on a person's head to invoke spiritual blessing in Christian ordination
2. the application of a faith healer's hands to the patient's body