Laying on of hands

The laying on of hands is a Christian ceremony that may be used either as part of prayer for healing, or of commissioning of workers, or for receiving the Holy Spirit.

In its healing form is based on the belief that through the power of Jesus, man can act as a carrier of His healing power. This is a popular Jesuit ceremony in which prayer for forgiveness is often the prelude, along with cleansing one's spirituality, to creating Union with the Spirit, and through Jesus's name actually healing a given illness. Faith healers, Christian and non-Christian sometimes 'lay hands' on people when praying for healing.

In biblical times the laying on of hands was an action which conferred blessing or authority. Jacob blessed his son Joseph in this fashion. Jesus Christ laid hands on children to bless them, and on the sick to heal them. The High Priest Aaron laid his hands on the head of a goat at the Feast of Atonement thus transferring the sins of the people of Israel to it (Leviticus 16:21). In the Old Testament priests were ordained by the laying on of hands.

In the New Testament the laying on of hands was associated with the receiving of the Holy Spirit (e.g. Acts 8:14-19). Initially the Apostles laid hands on new believers. Believers chosen for particular service also had hands laid on them (e.g. Acts 6:5). The practice continued to be used in ordination in early church times. It is continued today in ceremonies of initiation into the church, such as the Anglican ceremony of confirmation, where the bishop lays hands on the confirmand and prays for him to receive the Holy Spirit. Many churches also lay hands on a person when commissioning them to particular work, such as missionary or pastoral service.

It was an long held belief in England and France that the King could perform this rite. Known as the 'divine touch' it was claimed to cure scrofula, a name given to a number of skin diseases. The notion was first introduced by Clovis in France, and Edward the Confessor in England. The belief continued to be common throughout the Middle Ages but began to die out with the Enlightenment. Queen Anne was the last English monarch to claim to possess the divine ability. The French monarchy continued to believe and perform the act up until the French Revolution. The act was usually performed at large ceremonies, often at Easter or other holy days.

References:

 * New Bible Dictionary (ISBN 0851106307)