laying on of hands
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- For the ceremonial act: Imposition of hands, consecration rite.
- For the healing act: Therapeutic touch, faith healing, hands-on prayer.
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.
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laying hands on a person's head to invoke spiritual blessing in Christian ordination
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the application of a faith healer's hands to the patient's body
