Religious Signs

Anoint/ anointing: anointing means rubbing oil or perfumed ointment on the body. It is ancient practice, and there are many references to it in the Old Testament. When kings or priests took office, they were anointed, as were sacred things used in the Jerusalem temple. Bodies of the dead were also anointed, and in the New Testament there are the stories of the women who went on the tomb of Jesus to anoint him. Also, if people were sick, they were encouraged to be anointed, as the letter of James says.

In some Christian churches, anointing is used in baptism, confirmation, ordination, and the sacrament of the sick.