Blessing

Blessing ( Old High German segan, latin signare provided with the sign [ of the cross ] ') referred to in religions prayer or ritual, whereby any person or property share in divine power or grace to get. The Christian concept of blessing comes from the Latin word benedictio derived from bene " well " and dicere " ( to ) say ," that is: someone good from God predict.

The aim of the blessing is the promotion of happiness and prosperity, or the assurance of protection and preservation. The blessing is done with words and gestures (such as laying on of hands, blessing gesture, spreading out the hands, sign of the cross, anointing ) that symbolize the charitable donation of a God to the blessed person or the blessed thing (see sign of blessing ).

In a broader sense and, derived from the word blessing is also used to describe joy of a gift or a situation ( This child is a blessing for us) or to express abundance ( Erntesegen, Torsegen ). The curse can be understood as the opposite of blessing. Also blessing can be used ironically for an unwelcome or too bounty.

Old Testament

  • The Hebrew word barach (Hebrew: ברך ) for bless appears for the first time on the fifth day of the creation story, in the creation of marine animals and birds. The creation of the sixth day, the animals of the land and the people who God blesses in the same way.
  • In Numbers 6:24-26 EU is the " Aaronic Blessing" is still used today introduced:
  • In Judaism, the history of blessing, be individual or collective loss and its preservation play an existential role (see: Bracha ). The priestly Segenspendung found in Christianity input.

New Testament

  • The blessing which God had granted to Abraham is not limited to Israel but now also applies to all other peoples:
  • Jesus blessed the children (Matthew 19:13-15 EU, Mk 10:13-16 EU, Lk 18:15-17 EU):

And they brought unto him little children, that he should touch. But the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, Let the little children come unto me and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. And he hugged her and put his hands on them and blessed them. ( Mk 10:13-16 EU)

Christianity

In Christianity, a blessing is usually accomplished with the gesture of the cross, sometimes he is also connected with the laying on of hands. In the Catholic and Orthodox Church the blessing is often accompanied by the sprinkling of holy water ( see also Asperges ).

In the Roman Catholic, the orthoxen, the Anglican, Evangelical Lutheran Churches and similar traditions, most blessings by the bishops, priests and deacons sometimes be accomplished. But even laymen can bless, bless parents about their children. Basically: a blessing or consecration act of the celebration of the Eucharist is the closer, the higher are the ordinations that are needed for it.

Most Christian worship services end with the gift of the blessing by the liturgists. In the Catholic Mass and Protestant services, this is always the case.

Blessing and technical feasibility

A blessing and a symbolic purification was higher than the physical cleansing in the Middle Ages. When mice were dropped into wine barrel, could, it was believed, " clean " the blessing of the priest the wine. Behind this was the view that purity can not be produced, but is always received as grace. Against the idea of unassailable purity symbolic sat until the 19th century, the feasibility and measurability of purity (see history of hygiene).

The extensive replacement of blessing by technical feasibility meant a fundamental change of the western civilized society. An analogous example of impurity from a religious point of view, cohabitation is outside of God's will to be so married without actually - see marriage - and without the Church 's blessing.

Various forms of blessing

In the liturgy of the Latin Church different forms of Segensspendung have emerged.

  • Aaronitischer blessing
  • Apostolic Blessing
  • Blaise blessing
  • Mainz blessing
  • Pilgrim blessing
  • First Mass blessing
  • Sacramental blessing
  • Trinitarian blessing
  • Mother blessing
  • Weather blessing
Book of Genesis Priestly Blessing Berakhah Book of Deuteronomy Epistle to the Galatians Grace (Christianity) Blessing of the Throats
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