A Note about Anointing

 In this week's lesson there are several passages that refer to the "anointed one".  In 2 Nephi 25:16 Nephi refers to both the Christ and the Messiah.  Both these titles mean "the anointed one"  In 2 Nephi 20 it says, "And it shall come to pass in that day his burden shall be taken away from thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing."  Of course, these are not the only scriptures that reference anointing.  The Old Testament accounts of temple worship includes several instances where people or things are anointed.  Kings and priests were anointed as part of their investiture. Jesus is repeatedly called either Christ or Messiah. 

I have long wondered how the tradition of anointing something got started, and why applying oil to something is a symbol of sanctification and empowerment.  It was clearly seen as beneficial to have oil put on something in the olden days, but why?  What did it accomplish in real life that made it a good symbol in a ceremony?

When I googled the question, I got a variety of responses.  One said that anointing something was a symbol of preparing it for burial.  Still another said that the presence of oil represented the presence of the Holy Spirit.  These may be all true, but they don't really answer my question. Why was oil used in burial? Why did oil represent the Holy Spirit?  Other pages said that oil was a symbol of prosperity and that it was sometimes used as medium of exchange, like money.  That is getting a little closer to my question.  Maybe by putting oil on something you are communicating that it is valuable.  But was oil really the most valuable thing in their society?  Why not call the Messiah the "golden one." instead of the "anointed one?" 

This week on one of my morning walks I hit upon an idea that may or may not be true, but it makes sense to me. (I haven't seen this idea anywhere else, so I may be totally off).  What if the main value of oil, beyond just as a calorie source, was as a lubricant. In ancient Israel all the simple machines they would have used in their day to day life were made out of either metal, stone, or wood--wheels, pullies, cranks, grinding stones, etc.  How much better would one of these things work if it were lubricated? If you had a wooden shaft with a wooden wheel, that wheel would not turn very well and would quickly wear out unless it was generously lubricated.  If you have a metal crank or pully, with metal against metal, how much easier it would work if it was lubricated.  They hadn't invented ball bearings yet. All these things would heat up or wear out, or be hard to turn if not lubricated.  

I can imagine that in an iron age society putting oil on something could be associated with making it work better. Anointing could be synonymous with enabling. So if you want a king to be a good king and work well, without wearing out, you put oil on him.  You know it won't actually make him work better, like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, but the symbol is obvious and clear to you. Could it be that simple?

In ancient rituals in the Old Testament, olive oil was used.  Many have discussed the symbolic significance of olive oil. It is only produced under great pressure, and once created, it does not spoil or go rancid as easily as animal fat would. It is costly to produce and edible, so it is a symbol of prosperity and wealth. The symbolism is particularly apt if you think of Christ, suffering for our sins, as like the olive being crushed in the olive press to bring us healing, nurturing oil. 

In ancient as well as modern temple ritual, olive oil is symbolically applied to different parts of the body and a prayer is offered promising that that part of the body will function well.  In the ancient temple and tabernacle, it was applied to different parts of the temple so they would work well and be protected.  I like the idea of people putting oil on something and thinking, "there you go.  Now you will work better."  If Jesus is "the" anointed one, the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek), then perhaps he works best of all.  His work is the most efficacious, like a well oiled instrument, at accomplishing his purposes.

A picture of the oldest oil flask ever found intact.