BIBLICAL ANOINTING

In evangelical circles, the word “anoint” often raises eyebrows and is met with varied thoughts, experiences, and perhaps even controversy. Hyper cessationists often act as if it is some kind of Star Wars-type force power (only the mature Jedi masters can do certain things) that some have and some don’t. There is possibly a small element of truth to that concept though. Many others in mainstream Christianity discount acts of anointing to only the physical acts and feel that anointing itself has little if any place in the modern church today. Still, others talk about the “anointed” as if they have some kind of branded stamp of approval from God that makes them “special” or potentially even “higher” than others. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard “don’t touch God’s anointed one” to indicate the idea that a minister is untouchable or needs no reproof or accountability. Most of these instances are perpetuated by the ministers themselves creating a type of “limited hangout” of self-protecting theology.

I believe everyone has received or is given the same anointing at spiritual rebirth. The Holy Spirit Himself IS the anointing of God. What we, in partnership with God, do with that anointing varies greatly based on the receiver, their revelation, and their discipline. Our Father through a covenant within the church intends to bring us through discipleship in Christ and lead us to spiritual maturity in our New Life. Anointing is a sign of the invitation of God to work in us and through us. Additionally, the grace that comes with the anointing will empower us to lay down our own will and desire calling on the indwelling of the spirit. Less of me more of Him.

This article will serve as a theological launchpad to help you understand how to recognize what anointing means and represents in the Bible but will by no means be exhaustive. There have been many books written on this subject and my goal is simply to get readers aligned with a more biblical approach to understanding anointing and greater discernment of what they hear and read. I cannot make a better introduction than my friends have done at the Bible project so start with this short video.

What does the Bible say about anointing?

Anointing is the ritual act of pouring aromatic oil over a person’s head or entire body.^[1] There are 44 occurrences of anointings in the Bible (how divinely ironic…). There are at least 7 Hebrew words and 5 Greek words that describe anointing in varied ways. As you have heard me (us) say before, everything begins and ends in a picture of Eden, God’s ideals. As per the video above, “its meaning is rooted in the story of the garden of Eden, where God provided water for the dry land and formed the human, filling him with his Spirit”. This is the first Biblical allusion to anointing. The oil is a liquid symbol. It’s the water of life and God’s Spirit combined, used to mark a person or a place as a bridge between Heaven and Earth.” ^[2]

ANOINT: (Eng. tr. of several Heb. words— דָּשֵׁנ֒, H2014, to make fat, Ps 23:5 only, Gr. λιπαίνειν, to oil or anoint; סוּכְ֮, H6057, to pour, Gr. tr. nearly always by ἀλείφειν, to anoint, cf. Micah 6:15; מָשַׁח, H5417, to smear, Gr. tr. χριειν, to anoint, Exod 29:36, or ἀλείφειν, to anoint).

In antiquity, the use of holy anointing oil was significant in the Hebrews’ consecration of kings, priests (specifically the Kohen Gadol – High Priest), and sacred tabernacle/temple vessels.^[3] Contrary to what some have claimed, Judaism is the only place in Ancient Near Eastern culture where we see anointing. The only definite case in which an Egyptian king anointed one of his officials is that of EA 51 (much later than the Biblical accounts). In this instance, Thutmosis III was probably engaging in a custom common among Asiatics, rather than that he was introducing an Egyptian custom into Syria-Palestine” ^[4] Gordon asserted that the practice of anointing was “well attested in Babylonian and Egyptian customs well before Biblical times citing the anointing of a king mentioned in the 14th cent. b.c., Amarna Letter # 37. One text from Ras Shamra refers to anointing Baal (Gordon, # 76; ANET. p. 142a; Baal & Anat, Syria, XVII [1936] pp. 150-173). However, this has been largely contested and I would agree that calling the aforementioned “an anointing” is a stretch. It was common practice in Ancient Near Eastern cultures to adopt language and practices from each other, especially in a religious context. It is always important to follow through with in-depth research to determine the oldest references to help determine their origins.

We see by Biblical account, that Prophets and the Israelite kings were anointed as well, in most (or all) cases, the kings were anointed from a horn. Anointment by the ‘chrism’ (a consecrated mixture of oil and balsam) prepared according to the ceremony described in Exodus 30:22–25 was considered to impart the “Spirit of the Lord”. It was performed by Samuel in place of a coronation of both Saul and David, although perhaps the anointings varied slightly by “horn” vs “flask” but that is arguable, and I will come back to this point. The practice of anointing was not consistently observed in royal coronations in Israel and scholars have scratched their heads trying to figure out why. The scriptural inconsistencies have created a theological problem to be debated among serious Bible academics. Some scholars believe anointing was only essential at the consecration of a new line or dynasty.^[5] Some believe it is simply just not mentioned, while still others believe the lack of anointing in later biblical narratives suggests how far away Israel had wandered from doing things God’s way.

1 Kings 19:16, 1 Chronicles 16:22, Psalms 105:15, Exodus 40:15, and Numbers 3:3 all display kingly anointings; but after these instances, anointing seems to have been specially reserved for the High Priest. Exodus 29:29 and Leviticus 16:32 are examples as well and “the priest that is anointed” in Leviticus 4:3 are all generally thought to mean the High Priest. Adding even more facets of polemic discussion, we read David was thrice anointed.

“Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.” – 1 Samuel 16:13

“And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.” – 2 Samuel 2:4

“So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.” – 2 Samuel 5:3

Additionally, Inanimate objects were also anointed with oil, in token of their being ‘set apart’ for religious service. Thus, Jacob anointed a pillar at Bethel (Genesis 31:13; Exodus 30:26-28). As there are several theological views, I lean toward believing that we are simply reading the narrative of Israel’s slow decline or walking away from God and the lack of continued anointings is just another, of many, examples implying this. Because it was customary to anoint kings, the phrase “the Lord’s anointed” became a synonym for “king” (1 Sam 12:3; 24:6, 10; 26:9, 11, 16, 23; 2 Sam 1:14, 16; 19:21; Ps 20:6; Lam 4:20).

The High Priest and the king were both sometimes called “the Anointed One”. The term—מָשִׁיחַ, Mashiaẖ—gave rise to the prophesied figure of the Messiah and various foreshadows of Christ whose name meant ‘the anointed one’.^[6] The Hebrew word Messiah and the Greek word Christ both mean “the anointed.”

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing” (Isaiah 10:27).

The Bible spiritually defines the anointing as “God on flesh doing those things that flesh cannot do.” There was more being implied than just a position or title being confirmed with a shot of lubrication. In other words, it is God doing something Himself through people like us that we couldn’t do on our own (2 Corinthians 4:7). There is a divine empowerment and/or a divine appointment that is unattainable without the Spirit.

It is the pre-eminent calling of the Bible, the core of a disciple – to be used completely God.

Like a combustion engine requires the fuel of petroleum-based energy to run, so the authentic Christian is baptized in the oil of the Holy Spirit to be burned up by the ‘all-consuming’ fire of God in service to the Kingdom.

In the Old Testament, the anointing was a ‘commissioning’ or calling for Yahweh to work through you. It was usually reserved for priests and kings but there are a few other cases. Under the New Covenant according to many scriptures such as 1 Peter 1:9, we are all commissioned as a royal priesthood, and therefore all have the anointing in us. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, now. When we receive Christ, it means more than just becoming followers of Jesus. It means “the anointings” of Christ are in us. The diversity of that radical thought mostly dispels the current ideology of someone “having an anointing” to do some small ministry function or gift. If Christ Himself has anointed us with His anointing, then there is an infinite amount of possibility within each of us.

If you are “in Christ,” there is an anointing for everything you are called to do, no matter how small or how great the task. That’s why the Apostle Paul could say, “I can do all things through Christ (the Anointed and His Anointing) who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Notice the personification of the anointing being a “who” and not a “what”.

“And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His TRUE and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught.” (1 John 2:27).

In the New Testament author/audience context, the “anointing” would likely have referred to another way of saying that a person was filled by, baptized by, endued by, or appointed by the person of The Holy Spirit. Look at the commentary here from the IVP (InterVarsity Press) Bible Background Commentary.

1 John 2:24-27.

Many commentators hold that the “anointing” (v. 27) is the *Spirit (cf. In 1417, 26; Acts 10:38); others suggest that it refers in context to the word, the message of the *gospel; in either case it alludes to the Old Testament practice of God setting particular people apart for his calling, which here applies to all believers. The Old Testament used anointing oil symbolically to consecrate or separate people (such as kings) or objects (such as the tabernacle) for sacred use. The ultimate consecration for such use arose when the Spirit came on people (Is 61:1; cf. 1 Sam 101, 9; 16:13). (Page 710, Second Edition 2014)

In the Gospels, we see a rebirth of ‘anointings’ happening in Jesus and His ministry. Anointing with oil had culturally become a tradition among the Hebrews and later the Christians alike as a practice of welcoming someone to their home. This was a way of declaring everything and everyone to be sanctified and made holy (person, ground, and space being sacred – all that we are and have are signified to be in Jesus). It also was common for early Christians to anoint themselves as a way to revive or energize their bodies a tradition similar to how taking communion was a reminder of the atonement and life of Jesus being active within the believer. A common use of anointing oils would be to honor someone as an act of hospitality or commissioning for a sacred function (apostolic mission). This is also where the idea of an ‘ordination service’ (laying on of hands, anointing with oil, sending forth [set apart]) was likely birthed.

In ancient Near Eastern culture, and particularly during the 2nd temple period, oil was used for the sick as well as applied to injuries. High-quality anointing oils, medicines, and fragrances that were created with pure ingredients had calming and therapeutic properties from the medicinal attributes of the natural plant extracts in them. This practice has seen a resurgence in recent times, so much so, that you can likely find someone in your church who will sell you some ‘essential oils’ to provide medicinal relief or benefit. The traditional practice would be to anoint those who are sick and pray (appeal) for healing in conjunction with the faith action of anointing them. In intertestamental and NT times actual anointing for medicinal (healing) purposes is attested in Judith 10:3; 16:10; James 5:14; and Revelation 3:18.

As a mark of hospitality or special honor, guests were anointed (Luke 7:37-46; John 11:2). We see this when the Magi from the East (likely descendants of Daniel’s wise men) brought oils (the best and most expensive) to the birth of Jesus which would have a connection to His royal inauguration as a king or priest but also strangely carry an application for His honored burial as a king and priest. The oils presented at the birth of Christ should be considered as an expression by which Jesus would bring healing to the world through His birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension after which He would send His Spirit to offer the same anointing to all who place their allegiant faith in Him and join His Kingdom.

The word “Christ” is a form of the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew title. He was not anointed by the High Priest following the ceremony described in Exodus. This was likely because the priesthood had become defiled before the Lord and had turned into a political office and was entangled in the ways of the world. This is why Hebrews informs us that Jesus was a Priest after the ‘order of Melchizedek’ and specifically NOT after the order of the Levitical lineage. Jesus didn’t join or align with any systems of the world but represented His sole Kingdom. Jesus was considered to have been anointed by the Holy Spirit during his baptism. A literal anointing of Jesus also occurs when He is lavishly oiled by Mary of Bethany.^[7] Performed out of affection, the anointment is said by Jesus to have been preparation for his burial. In I John 2:20 John describes “anointing from the Holy One” and “from Him abides in you”. From dust to dust. we are given back to God.

The practice of “chrismation” (baptism with oil) appears to have developed in the early church during the later 2nd century as a symbol of Christ, rebirth, and inspiration.^[8] The earliest surviving account of such an act seems to be the letter written “To Autolycus” by Theophilus, bishop of Antioch. In it, he calls the act “sweet and useful”, punning on khristós (Greek: χριστóς, “anointed”) and khrēstós (χρηστóς, “useful”). The practice is also defended by Hippolytus in his “Commentary on the Song of Songs”^[9] and by Origen in his “Commentary on Romans”. Origen opines that “all of us may be baptized in those visible waters and in a visible anointing, in accordance with the form handed down to the churches”.^[10]

In I John 2 the Greek, xrísma (from xríō, “anoint with oil” where we get the English word charisma) refers to the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit, guiding the receptive believer into the fullness of God’s preferred will. This anointing functions through faith (pístis), i.e. God inwardly enabling the believer of His divine preferences (cf. also Hab 2:1-4; 1 Jn 5:4). Although this use is ONLY found in 1 John, it has become a common and regularly understood dynamic of anointing; by this text we regard anointing connected to a believers spiritual gifting (1 Samuel 16:13; Isaiah 61:1). Many have made the connection including Josephus. He links 1 John 2:20 (where ἀπό τοῦ ἁγίου is so used as to imply that this χρῖσμα renders them ἁγίους and τό χρῖσμα is used of the gift of the Holy Spirit, as the efficient aid in getting a knowledge of the truth; see χιω. (Xenophon, Theophrastus, Diodorus, Philo, others; for מִשְׁחָה, Exodus 29:7; Exodus 30:25; Exodus 35:14; Exodus 40:7.)^[11] I also need to note that within the better-understood textures of biblical interpretation and hermeneutics, we should be careful in over-emphasizing something found in one passage with what seems to be some serious theological gymnastics (at least as displayed by Josephus in this case), yet at the same time recognize and understand that the Bible does teach this even if it is only in one place with a stretched possible connection to a singular Old Testament text.

One of the most noted instances in the New Testament for the usage of ‘anointing’ is found in Luke 4:18. This is the famous inaugural message of Jesus just after the infilling of the Holy Spirit associated with John’s baptism in the Jordan and then a forty-day showdown with the Adversary who intended to capture the man Jesus like he had done with every other mortal before Him. But, as we all know and rejoice over, Jesus would not be snared by the devil. This victory led Him shortly back to His hometown, at His home church, with His neighbors, family, and friends in attendance on that Sabbath day.

The scriptures say that the Scroll of Isaiah was handed to Him by the leader of the synagogue and then Jesus FOUND the place where it was written… This world ‘found’ is important for the context of our conversation and for what was happening that day of His ministerial launch. It was important that Jesus tied in His ministry with that of the Jewish ‘messiah’ (anointed one) and publically show and declare that He was being anointed by God for this calling, and not by man. We see here that the ‘proof’ of this was the person of the Holy Spirit being the anointing, instead of some human with naturally produced oil. This was God, all God, and nothing but God.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me…” (Luke 4:18a)

Notice how the language describes that the reason that the Holy Spirit is empowering Jesus to do all the works listed in the later part of the verse is that Jesus “has” been anointed. In Greek, this verb is Aorist Indicative Active. Aorist means it is a simple past tense usage, Indicative means it is a verb type that describes the action, and the Active is the ‘voice’ that means the action is still ongoing. So, Jesus was anointed or appointed by God previously (we know this because Jesus was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world as noted in Rev. 13: 8) but was empowered for that specific function or calling by the Holy Spirit when He (Holy Spirit) anointed Him (Jesus) with His power and presence. Simply stated, the Holy Spirit was the anointing.

In Chapter 7 of the Didache, (also known as The Lord’s Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations is a brief anonymous early Christian treatise (ancient church order) written in Koine Greek, dated by modern scholars to the first or second century) it describes the process of baptism. While it does not explicitly state anointing, some interpretations suggest a potential anointing with oil following the baptismal meal. This interpretation stems from a variant reading of verse 10:8, which mentions the outpouring of the Holy Spirit “after this.” Some scholars believe this “after this” refers to an anointing with oil. We can glean that in very early Christianity the church embraced the idea that an anointing of oil was symbolically connected to the actual anointing of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. It’s important to note that the Didache doesn’t provide detailed instructions or explanations regarding anointing. The text doesn’t specify the purpose, method, or frequency of the practice. This would seem to mean that the early church did not accentuate any heirachial interpretation or application to being ‘anointed’ but mostly looked at it as something done by God that they were collectively acknowledging. This would have made all believers humbly equal in ‘the brotherhood’ because the ‘anointing’ was from God and was God.

CONNECTING THE TEXT AND APPLICATIONS

Recently our friend Frank Viola give a discourse on anointing and it was very good, I highly recommend it . You can listen here. He brings out the difference that Saul was anointed by a man-made flask and David by a horn made by God. I agree mostly with Frank or at least on his conclusive thoughts regarding anointing, but as theologians, we need to address the basic premise of his message. He would allude that the flask was man-made, yet we don’t know that for sure, the Bible doesn’t tell us this, it is an assumption. The Hebrew word used for flask is פַּךְ (pak) and is only found in three places in the Bible and is translated with the words flask, box, or vial. It is used as a noun but is derived from the verb פָכָה (pakah) which is more common and simply means ‘to pour, trickle, or run out’. We usually read that anointings were done by a horn. The idea was that each anointed person should be anointed by the same “amount” as others were, it was a unit of measurement. This way no one could claim that one received a greater portion than the other and make a spiritual argument for one person having more power than another because of the anointings.

Are you following this important thought?

We aren’t supposed to think that one person has been given a greater portion than another, this is one place where the Bible addresses spiritual equality and there are many others, there is no hierarchy in and under Christ and His church. What God does in you isn’t you, it’s Him.

This carries over into the New Covenant where we all start with the same anointing. In other words, the Hebrew usage functions as a noun that describes something that pours out and implies it to be a standard device of measurement. Could Saul’s “flask” have been a horn? Maybe. We don’t have the answer one way or another, but I would lean towards the “flask” actually being a horn because that is what we see in the rest of scripture. Other kings seem to be equally as “worldly” as Saul and were anointed by the horn including Jehu (2 Kings 9:1-13), Joash (11:12), and Jehoahaz (23:30). In Zechariah 4:14 the postexilic successor to David’s claim to the throne, Zerubbabel, is also called the “anointed.” In Isaiah 45:1 the Persian king, Cyrus, (a gentile ruler outside of the covenant) is called the Lord’s anointed. ^[12]

The implication seems to be that all of these kings started with an equal portion of God’s merit to serve Him, but most fell short of that calling and ended up serving themselves or perhaps the popularity of Israel’s finicky people rather than giving complete devotion to Yahweh. Yet at the same time, David seems to keep his “anointing” despite displaying the actions of someone living in continual sin. To that, we don’t know how God viewed David towards the end of His life. What we know was that he “had” a heart after God’s own and that is usually written in past tense which should cause you some further consideration on that point. Was that heart eventually lost as we typically interpret to be the case for the rest of the kings that were also anointed? We typically view David as a “man of God” but I would challenge you to consider the fact that he led Israel further from God rather than closer. Consider the eighteen women, multiple sons, palace intrigue, rebellion, hints of vindictive revenge, adultery (more than once since Ahinaom was Saul’s wife), conspiracy, and of course premeditated murder (certainly more than once). On the other hand, he was submissive, displayed a keen appreciation for God’s instruction, and was a brilliant narrator of God’s glory. He was obviously repentant and possibly even humble and of course loyal to One God to the very end. He gives hope to all of us yet was a person I would not have encouraged my (our) sons (children) to be friends with or would have described as someone that was “anointed” in the way that we use the term today.

David is the story of one who was anointed but still led Israel way from God rather than to God. David was clearly anointed and seems to have an intimate relationship with God… which means our thoughts of the modern or evangelical current definition of “anointing” as some clearly defined stamp of approval from God doesn’t seem to line up with the biblical definition. As I began saying at the beginning of this article, anointing has never been a stamp of God’s unending approval and certainly does not represent any kind exemption from biblical accountability and ongoing discipleship or shepherding. In I Samuel 26:9 David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?” you have to remember that we are simply interpreting a statement that David makes. David (and every other Biblical author or character in the narrative) may display theology that is correct or incorrect. In this case we aren’t given the assertion as to whether this is How God would view David’s thoughts. This narrative of wondering if the character’s perspective is “of God” or not is similar to what we see in the Job story. Job’s friends seem to be giving “good” counsel and if we aren’t careful we would even read into it a theology or think that God would “agree” with them. Yet at the end of the book God makes it clear that He was not in agreement with their counsel. Unfortunately we don’t always get that clear direction in the Biblical authorship and stories and are left to determine some of this for ourselves.

In the case of David, we are simply being told David’s thoughts. In fact, some scholars believe that David was not in alignment with God’ s purpose or direction in this part of his story. God apparently delivered Saul to him more than once and David may not have been in alignment to carry out God’s fulfillment. ^[13] I do not typically agree with this theological interpretation, but it is a viable view worth noting. Was Abishai is alignment with the Lord and had the eyes to see (when David was not, but still submitted to him?) This ideology fits with other texts that we are told sometimes when we can’t see God’s intentions for us others around us do. The term “seer” is often used in this way and particularly with kings of Israel. So as I do not personally subscribe to the view that in this story that David was intended by God to take Saul’s life, it is worth consideration. If anyone would need counseling (a friend’s spiritual counsel) at a specific time or place in History, it would have been David at this time in his life. But we also don’t get God’s perspective on this story like we did in Job, so we are left to figure this out for ourselves. The beautiful mystery of the Bible!

My final point is that we, similar to the coronation of priests and kings in the Old Testament, all function as New Testament priests and kings and receive equal anointing. Christ is the ‘Anointed One’ and through His Spirit, we all have HIS anointing.

John 1:16 “And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.”

1 Corinthians 6:17 “But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with Him in spirit.”

Romans 8:9b “And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”

We all start with the same thing. From there it comes down to the circular relationship of the gifts and our reception to God’s plan in each of our lives. This is easily illustrated by the level of devotion to which we all live for Him. I have spoken about the reciprocal circle many times. God gives us the vessel and we choose our response to that gift. Will we be devout and submit to God in us or believe that we can operate in it ourselves by our own power?

Frank points out that there is a difference between operating on our own accord in the name of God and actually letting God operate in and out of us. This is the key to anointing.

I do not believe that anyone has simply “won the lottery” of chance from God in terms of a special force of anointing. It is also not something you can ‘lose’ (like you lose your car keys) either. If you are in Christ you have it… you might just not be operating in it or using it very well. I do believe that there is an order or perhaps algorithm to the way that the Kingdom of God aligns with the perfect will of the Father that can be influenced by us through devotion and spiritual maturity in Christ. As we develop (conform to the Image of Christ, renew our mind) we are given greater privileges and responsibilities for sure. This is the transformational ‘way’ (This Is The Way) that we should all be committed to.

Many claim to represent God or say they are for God, but they are likely operating in and of themselves. They are not fully submitted and living in devotion moving towards a complete indwelling of God in them. In one sense being ‘for’ God is a great thing, but it can also actually be a sign of infant spirituality; when we arrive at a place of being the vessel (horn) where God outpours from, we begin to understand spiritual maturity. Our actions become the hands and feet of God himself when we take on the submission and humility of simply being the vessel of the Almighty God. We are not just ‘for’ God, but God is literally IN us accomplishing His will His way.

We are dead to ourselves and made alive in Christ.

To be clear, anointing can bring about healing, it can signify a missional endeavor or calling, it can refer to the using of a gift given, but in all these things the central definition of anointing is to recognize and assert that the power is God Himself looks like taking on the attitude of Christ in you and not anything of yourself.

This is shepherded by devotion, practice, accountability, humility, and application towards spiritual maturity calling on the name and power of the Lord in you.

The presence of God at work.

-written by Dr. Will Ryan in collaboration of authorship with Dr. Steve Cassell

WORKS CITED:

Baynes, T. S., ed. (1878), “Anointing” , Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 2 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, p. 90
https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/anointing/
“Anoint” , Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 3d ed., London: T. Nelson & Sons, 1897
Thompson, Stephen E. (1994). “The Anointing of Officials in Ancient Egypt”. Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 53
Baynes, T. S., ed. (1878), “Anointing” , Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 2 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons
Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed. “chrism, n.” Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1889.
Fleming, Daniel (1998). “The Biblical Tradition of Anointing Priests”. Journal of Biblical Literature. 117 (3): 401–414. doi:10.2307/3266438.
Ferguson, Everett (2009). Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries.
Smith, Yancy (2013). The Mystery of Anointing. Gorgias. p. 30. ISBN 978-1463202187.
Origen, “Commentary on Romans”, 5.8.3.
Josephus, Antiquities 6, 8, 2 πρός τόν Δαυιδην
J. Pedersen, Israel, III/IV (1940, 1959), passim; P. deVaux, AIs (1961), 103-106; W. LaSor, “The Messianic Idea in Qumran,” Studies and Essays in Honor of Abraham A. Neuman (1962), 343, 364.
Kent, Charles Foster; Ginzberg, Louis (1901–1906). “Abishai or Abshai”. In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.

Related