Holy Oil

Definition and Meaning

Holy oil (Korean seongyu, 聖油) means "sacred oil" and refers to oil that has been set apart or blessed for use in rites. Olive oil is usually used, and some traditions add spices. In Korea, the term seongyu is used mainly in the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church of Korea. Protestants commonly describe the same act as "applying oil" or "anointing."

Biblical and Historical Background

In the Old Testament, anointing oil (literally "pouring oil") was used to consecrate the tabernacle, its furnishings, and the priests. Exodus 30:22–33 describes how the anointing oil was to be compounded from myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, cassia, and olive oil, and forbids its use for any other purpose. Kings were also anointed with oil when they were installed; a representative example is Samuel's anointing of David (1 Samuel 16:13). Both "Messiah" (Hebrew) and "Christ" (Greek) mean "the anointed one."

The New Testament records that the disciples anointed the sick with oil and healed them (Mark 6:13), and it contains the exhortation to call for the elders to pray over the sick, anointing them with oil (James 5:14–15). From the early church onward, oil was used in baptism and in prayer for the sick, and in the Western church this practice became part of the sacramental system. The Reformers did not regard confirmation or extreme unction (anointing at the time of death) as sacraments instituted by Scripture, and as a result many Protestant churches ceased to use anointing rites.

Practice in Korean Churches

• The Catholic Church distinguishes three holy oils: sacred chrism (olive oil mixed with spices), used in the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and holy orders; the oil of catechumens, applied to those preparing for baptism; and the oil of the sick, used in the sacrament of the anointing of the sick. On Holy Thursday of Holy Week, the diocesan bishop celebrates the Chrism Mass together with the priests of the diocese and blesses these oils.
• The Orthodox Church uses holy oil, called myron (chrism), in the rite of chrismation (anointing) immediately following baptism.
• The Anglican Church of Korea uses holy oil in baptism, confirmation, and rites for the sick, and reportedly maintains the tradition of the bishop blessing the holy oils on Holy Thursday.
• The Presbyterian and Reformed tradition does not regard anointing as a sacrament and generally does not use it in regular worship. Some interpret the oil in James as a medicinal remedy of that time, while others associate it with the extraordinary gifts of the apostolic age. Nevertheless, some churches use it at the pastor's discretion during pastoral visits to the sick.
• Pentecostal and charismatic churches hold that the exhortation in James can still be practiced literally today, and they often apply olive oil to the forehead during prayer for divine healing or prayer with the laying on of hands.

These differences are also connected to the debate over whether the spiritual gifts continue today (see Cessationism and Continuationism).