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Chrismation consists of the sacrament or mystery in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches, as well as in the Assyrian Church of the East initiation rites. The sacrament is more commonly known in the West as confirmation, although some languages such as Italian and Portuguese normally use the terms cresima and crisma ("chrismation") rather than confermazione or confirmação, respectively ("confirmation").
The term chrismation comes about because it involves anointing the recipient of the sacrament with chrism (holy oil), which according to eastern Christian belief, the Apostles sanctified and introduced for all priests to use as a replacement for the laying on of hands by the Apostles.[1]
Chrism consists of a "mixture of 40 sweet-smelling substances and pure olive oil"[2] sanctified by a bishop with some older chrism added in,[3] in the belief that some trace of the initial chrism sanctified by the Apostles remains therein.
- ^ Menevisoglou, Pavlos (2000). "The Sanctification of the Holy Chrism". Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Archived from the original on 22 May 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
- ^ Gialopsos 1997, p. 35.
- ^ Sokolof 1899, p. 103.