Holy Unction

The mystery of anointing for the healing of soul and body, given on the warrant of the Epistle of James: “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

Tradition: Pan-Orthodox

Holy Unction (the Euchelaion, “oil of prayer”) is the Church’s mystery of healing — for the whole person, soul and body — and emphatically not merely a preparation for death. This section treats its theology and its rite. The first file, the-mystery-of-anointing.md, reads the mystery through James 5:14–15, treats the healing of soul and body and the forgiveness of sins, and corrects the reduction of unction to “last rites.” The second file, the-rite-of-the-seven-priests.md, treats the rite itself, its seven priests, seven readings, and seven anointings, and the Holy Week general unction, linking the hub essay on Holy Unction.

Contents

File Description
the-mystery-of-anointing.md James 5:14–15; healing of soul and body; forgiveness of sins; not “last rites”
the-rite-of-the-seven-priests.md The rite of the seven priests, readings, and anointings; the Holy Week general unction

See Also