Holy Oil/Holy Water

What is the biblical/historical basis for holy oil and holy water for the ACNA? I come from more of a Lutheran background but am curious. Why are these used? How would one argue for their legitimacy?

 

I would think for similar reasons as the Lutherans, who retained much of Catholic practice.

Cranmer and other reformers wanted to preserve some aspects of the Catholic faith when the English Church broke with Rome. These included vestments and the triune order of ministry. Practices, such as blessing the baptismal water and making the sign of the cross, were vigorously attacked by the more radical Protestants, yet they did not succeed in stopping their use. Those who presented King James I with the millennial petition even tried to ban the practice of using a wedding ring. Fortunately, more sane minds prevailed, and these traditional practices continued, growing in fact, and becoming more diverse with the rise of the Tractarian movement in the second half of the 19th century.

I was just reading yesterday about the struggle in the Church to stop Queen Elizabeth I from using a crucifix and candles in the Royal Chapel. They failed, but apparently Her Majesty replaced the crucifix with a cross without a corpus. It seems that the struggle between traditionalists and radicals has plagued Anglicanism from the start but, by and large, most have accepted a middle-of-the-road position, and practices that the radicals had a fit about in the past, such as using a cross and candles, are almost universal now.

 

Their legitimacy does not depend on scripture but on church praxis, there is more than adequate scripture however to support the practice.

And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre. Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him. Ex.29:5-7.

And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy. And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy. And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it. And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water. And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. Ex.40:9-14

And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him. Lev.8:12, and many others.

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: Jas.5:14.

And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. Lev.8:6.

And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Heb.10:21-22.

 

They are not forbidden and thus are res indiferentes.

The Articles lays out that the Church has the right to declare rites/rituals as long as they are not forbidden.

 

I don't know about the ACNA but in the Church of England it's common practice now for Cathedrals to hold a Chrism Eucharist on Maundy Thursday in which the Holy Oils are blessed by the Bishop. It's also a time for clergy (and lay ministers) to renew their commitment to ministry. During the service three oils are blessed: The Oil of the Sick is used for anointing of the sick; the Oil of Catechumens is used prior to Baptism and the Oil of Chrism can be used at Baptism, Confirmation and Ordination. Pure olive oil is used for each of the oils and Balsam is added to the Oil of Chrism to make it fragrant. The clergy in attendance then carry a supply of each oil back to their churches for use during the year. There may be a brief ceremony at the start of the Eucharist of the Last Supper to 'receive' the oils into the parish church.

The First Book of Common Prayer 1549 had provision for anointing of the sick and anointing at Baptism, but not (if I remember rightly) for Confirmation. Anointing was omitted in the 1552 BCP, perhaps because ++Cranmer saw it as a superfluous or superstitious practice despite the fact that it had Biblical precedent. Subsequent English BCP's also omitted anointing. I believe that post Reformation English monarchs were still anointed at their Coronation; this was certainly the case with our present Queen.

The blessing and use of Holy Oil in the CofE was re-introduced along with other so called 'Romish' practices by the Ritualists during the mid/late 19th Century and was the cause of much dispute and unrest at the time. Such practices are now widely though not universally accepted. Common Worship 2000 has provision for the blessing and use of oils.

 

Good to know!