Early Traditions
The Orthodox Church historically:
“Guarded the inward life of the Church from those outside of her, her Holy Mysteries were secret, being kept from non-Christians. When these Mysteries were performed- Baptism or Eucharist outside the Church were not present; the order of the services was not written down, but was only transmitted orally (Pomazansky, p. 36).”
St. Cyril of Jerusalem wrote that Christians needed to protect the Mysteries from the non-Christians and pagans, saying that:
“this instruction for those who are being illumined is offered to be read by those who are coming to Baptism and by the faithful who have already been received Baptism; but by no means give it either to the catechumens or to anyone else who has not yet become a Christian, otherwise you will have to give an answer to the Lord (Pomazansky, p. 36- 37).”
This secrecy was not an intent to withhold the Gospel from non-Christians, but rather to protect the teachings of the Church while existing in a world where Christianity was criminalized. The legalization of Christianity in the Roman Empire in 311 A.D and 313 A.D. ended a period of violent persecution against Christians which criminalized actions like publishing Christian texts and forced the Christian Church to remain largely underground and dependent on oral traditions. This climate discouraged Christians from creating or sharing written Christian Gospel, much like the periods of Soviet persecution precluded the fullness of Orthodox from existing in certain public and tangible forms.
St. Ambrose
St. Ambrose’s catechesis position viewed baptism as a ritual that was part of a larger process of understanding and partaking in the Holy Mysteries. St. Ambrose believed Christians needed time to understand the meaning of various Orthodox teachings before baptism, explaining how Ephphatha operates as a mechanism to prepare and open the catechumen to receive the Holy Spirit prior to baptism. St. Ambrose explained that “everyone who was to come for the grace of baptism had to understand what he was to be asked and must remember what he was to answer (St. Ambrose).” Baptism “opens” the individual to receive the mysteries of the Church after a priest teaches the catechumen about Christ, with the priest serving as a teacher guiding the catechumen from ignorance to knowledge of Christ.
St. Ambrose presents baptism as a step in the evolution into the fullness of The Church and states that some teachings of the Church are not fully understood until after a Christian is baptized. Because theosis is a deliberate process, St. Ambrose explains that sharing the Sacraments before baptism would misrepresent the Holy Mysteries and that participation in the rites requires progressive spiritual growth and understanding.
St. Ambrose compares this process to the Healing of the Deaf Man, where Christ heals a deaf-mute after He touched his ear, spat on His finger and touched his tongue, and said “Ephphatha (Mark 7:34),” as akin to the kiss of peace before the Eucharist prayer. Christ then commands the witnesses not to share the miracle with others, analogous to how St. Ambrose highlights the importance of not sharing certain sacraments and Mysteries until after an individual has, like the deaf man healed by Christ, opened themselves to God through faith in Christ.
Preparation for baptism and Sacraments is also analogous to how Christ preached the importance of obtaining spiritual purity and circumcision of the heart before offering sacrifices to God. In His Sermon on the Mount, Christ says “First be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift (Matt. 5:25).” A heart stained by anger lacks the virtue required for faithful prayer, meaning that “peace with other believers is a requirement for worship,” which is why the “kiss of peace” precedes the eucharist prayer (OSB, p. 1276). Completing the act of baptism absent faith and love of Christ is akin to bringing a sacrifice to the altar while having hate for your brother in your heart.
Therefore, communion cannot occur despite performing the ritual if one’s heart is separated from God. This concept is at the core of St. Ambrose’s writings about the process of becoming a Chrisitan: spiritual and intellectual growth and understanding are intimately entwined, for failing to understand the spiritual nature of Christianity renders acts or knowledge alone useless while some knowledge of God is needed to open oneself to Him. To fully participate in the ritual of Baptism, one must renounce the devil in word and spirit and open oneself to Christ. When this opening occurs, more understanding of Christ and Christianity occurs as the individual evolves spiritually. Therefore the catechesis process is like preparing an offering to God, with the priest illuminating the catechumen so they can offer themselves to Christ.
According to St. Cyril of Jerusalem, there are outward and inward signs during the Mystery of Baptism:
"Do not attend to the laver as mere water, but to the spiritual grace given along with the water…the mere water, receiving the invocation of the Holy Ghost, and of Christ, and of the Father, acquires a power of sanctity. For since man is a two-fold being composed of soul and body, the cleansing element also is two-fold, the incorporeal for the incorporeal, the bodily for the body. And the water cleanses the body, but the Spirit seals the soul, in order that having our hearts sprinkled by the Spirit, and our bodies washed with pure water, we may draw nigh to God. When, therefore, you are about to go down into the water do not pay attention to the mere nature of the water, but expect salvation by the operation of the Holy Ghost. For without both it is impossible for thee to be perfected (St. Cyril, p. 40).”
Chrismation is an anointing performed after baptism, with baptism symbolizing the adoption of the baptized by Christ and the anointing outwardly representing the ability to receive the Holy Spirit. An individual must be "adopted" by Christ before receiving the Mysteries of the Holy Spirit. This is similar to how Christ healed a deaf-mute by performing certain physical acts to prepare the individual and then saying "Ephphatha (Mark 7:34)" right before the man was healed. Christ first touched the deaf-mute twice and then said "Ephphatha" and the deaf-mute was cured. Christ therefore "prepared" the sick man to receive the mysteries of healing and chrismation after baptism following this tradition: the individual must be prepared to receive the Holy Spirit, which requires a synthesis of acts and faith.
St. Cyril described how the "sealing" of a Christian occurs after the baptism, as the baptism serves to forgive sins and as an act of adoption that immediately proceeds Chrismation and the receipt of the Holy Spirit. Chrismation represents the sealing of the soul to God after the Body of Christ adopts a Christian, which is a direct antithesis to how the permanent outward mark of the beast "seals" individuals to the Antichrist.
St. Cyril writes about the outward sign of Chrismation being distinct from Baptism and representative of a spiritual seal required to take part in the Mysteries of the Church and receive the Holy Spirit:
"The Lord, preventing us according to His loving-kindness, has granted repentance at Baptism, in order that we may cast off the chief—nay, rather the whole burden of our sins, and having received the seal by the Holy Ghost, may be made heirs of eternal life..this holy ointment is no longer plain (ψιλόν) ointment, nor, as one might say, common, after Invocation, but Christ’s gift of grace (χάρισμα), and is made effectual to impart the Holy Ghost by the presence of His own Godhead...the body is anointed with the visible ointment, and the soul is sanctified by the Holy and Life-giving Spirit” (St. Cyril, p. 41)."
The Orthodox Church teaches individuals how to change to obtain theosis, with the ability to understand and participate in the Holy Mysteries a fundamental aspect of spiritual ascension. The Apostles did not perform miracles until after they were baptized and anointed, demonstrating that baptism and Chrismation are in preparation for greater spiritual evolution as progress requires an ability to, like the Apostles during the Pentecost, to receive gifts and mysteries bestowed by Christ. Chrismation ends the process of an individual joining the Orthodox Church and allows them to participate in the Eucharist, marriage, and other Mysteries and rituals in the Church. Most importantly, Chrismation represents the ability of the individual to receive the gifts of the Church and the Holy Mysteries.
Baptism and Chrismation
Chrismation involves anointing of the forehead because, according to St. Cyril, it symbolizes the "Royal Sign" and the "seal of the fellowship of the Holy Ghost." Additionally, Canon 7 states that "converts from heretical sects were to be “sealed or anointed with the holy ointment on the forehead, eyes, nostrils, mouth, and ears. And in sealing them we say, ‘The seal of the gift of the Holy Ghost (Nazianzen, p. 33).’”
The forehead is likewise symbolic of where an individual receives knowledge of God, making it a type of blessing to open the individual to Godly and spiritual knowledge. Since evil thoughts are sinful, an anointment on the forehead is likewise a way to seal the mind to God, promote righteous thoughts, and warn against the dangers of evil thoughts. During liturgy and other services, kisses on the forehead represent an oneness of spirit and is like a "receiver" of blessings and love from the clergy and congregation because the anointment of the forehead is a sanctification "by the Holy and Lifecrating Spirit (St. Cyril, p. 360)."
St. Cyril wrote that enlightenment of the heart was required to be truly baptized as a Christian and to receive the gifts of grace. He described baptism as involving a "sprinkling" of the heart by the Holy Spirit:
"And the water cleanses the body, but the Spirit seals the soul, in order that having our hearts sprinkled by the Spirit, and our bodies washed with pure water, we may draw nigh to God (St. Cyril, p. 40)."
St. Cyril explains that absent a conversion of the heart to God, rituals and acts have no spiritual or mystical communion with Christ. Without an enlightened heart, one can't receive the mysteries of the Holy Spirit. For "just as a writing pen or a dart has need of one to employ it, so also does grave have need of believing hearts. It is God's part to confer grace but yours to accept and guard it (Jurgens, p. 348)...for whenever anyone says this according to faith, and believes it will happen, and does not doubt it in his heart, then will he be given the grace (Jurgens, p. 352).'
St. Paul adds in Galatians that "because ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts (Nazianzen, p. 40)," which further represents the significance of the human heart in Christianity. Because Christ was sent to the hearts of men, those who did not love could not accept Christ as the Messiah, for their hearts were cold and caused spiritual blindness. Those blinded by hate had closed their hearts to God and chose to persecute Christ despite proclaiming to be followers of God.
The Apostles were able to see Christ as God incarnate because of their faith and love of Christ, as exemplified when Apostle Peter confesses that Christ is The Messiah and Christ responds by declaring His Church is built upon Apostle Peter's confession. Apostle Peter had no doubts of Christ as the Messiah and his confession represents how our faith is the victory, as the inerrant faith and love of Christ prevents the gates of hell from prevailing against God.
This is demonstrated in the contradictory responses by believers and non-believers during Christ's ministry: those rejecting Christ had no love in their hearts, choosing to use the gift of Mosiac law to abuse others and ultimately demanding Christ's execution instead of converting their hearts. They chose to reject God's grace because their hearts were poisoned by pride. Conversely, those who believed in their hearts that Christ was the Messiah received gifts and grace, ranging from physical and spiritual healing to the power of resurrection.
The eyes, ears, and lips are anointed during Holy Chrismation because the spirit can proceed through each of those body parts and each is needed to receive certain spiritual gifts. For example, Christ routinely healed the blind after they professed faith in Christ. An inability to see, hear, or speak is consistently related to ignorance of God through the miracles performed by Christ, with love and faith in Christ as The Messiah serving as the cure for the spiritual cause of physical conditions. The physical elements of the world are ultimately the result of spiritual conditions and choices, making the body parts agents of either good or bad thoughts, feelings, actions, and beliefs.
The mouth, eyes, and lips are members of the body that have the potential to reap good or bad fruit, and anointing them represents the commitment to use the body and its members as agents for God. To share the graces and mysteries of The Church, Christians must use their body parts as a mechanism to spread the Gospel and help others find Christ. Since the Church is the Body of Christ, each member is to The Church as body parts are to the human body: to act with unity of faith, the parts must be "sealed" along with the heart and spirit.
Christians are not supposed to speak heresy, meaning the anointment of the lips is a reminder of the importance of our words and that we should focus on using them to further the message and purpose of Christ. A kiss also "blends souls one with another...and a sign of the intermingling of souls and the banishment of every remembrance of injury (St. Cyril, p. 362)," making the anointment of the lips a type of preparation for an expression of love and worship, such as through kisses, and prayer.
Apostle Peter warned about evil speech and highlighted the importance of eyes (sight) and ears (hearing), demonstrating why The Fathers and The Church would want to seal and bless these body parts following baptism:
"For He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers, but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil
-1 Peter 3:10-12
Without "opening" our body and spirit to Christ, we are unable to receive grace or the Mysteries and end up blind to God's presence, deaf to His teachings, and unable to express them verbally. The Holy Chrismation anoints the ears, lips, and eyes to express the oneness of the body united by faith and as a way to ensure a Christian is capable of giving and receiving acts of grace and worship. The anointment prepares the eyes to see Christ, the ears to hear His word, and the lips to receive the Body and Blood of Christ.
The hands and feet are anointed during Holy Chrismation because they represent actions and the anointing blesses the parts as well as the actions associated with them.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem wrote that:
"Since the hands are a symbol of action, by washing them, it is clear, we represent the purity and blamelessness of our actions...the washing of hands, therefore, is a symbol of immunity from sin (St. Cyril, p. 362)."
Hands can be used to build homes for orphans or to yield weapons that kill and create orphans, just as the heart can put forth love or hate. The anointment of the hands ensures Christians understand the importance of "right actions." Hands are used for prayer, to make the sign of the cross, to greet others, and to signify acceptance of an agreement, meaning that if they act in contradiction of God, they are proxies for evil. But if they are used with a pure heart, they can move mountains, heal the sick, and raise the dead. Because labor is required for humanity to grow food, "clean hands" lead to a "good harvest," meaning that right actions produce bountiful harvests (both literally and spiritually).
Feet, like hands, also represent action. Walking is commonly used as a metaphor for following or disobeying God in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 8:6, 10:12-13, Joshua 22:5, Jeremiah 6:16) and is used by Christ and the Apostles to teach people about God. Christ calls upon humanity to follow Him by walking in the light (John 8:12, 1 John 1:7). The Apostles literally and spiritually chose to walk with Christ. Their unity of faith allowed unity in action, such as when every Apostle miraculously arrived during the Dormition of The Theotokos.
Christ and The Apostles calling upon humanity to walk with Christ is a request for action: it is not enough to sit and wait to receive the graces of God. Instead, Christ commands followers to act with urgency instead of passivity. Those who wait for Christ to arrive in their lives likely won't see Him unless they pick up their cross to follow Him, meaning that a refusal to act is a type of intentional rejection of Christ. The anointment of the feet thus represents the urgency to actively follow Christ while the anointment of the hands symbolizes the need to act with Godly intent, as feet can be used to chase or follow while hands can be used to build or destroy. Therefore, the blessing by anointment is pledging that the individual is prepared to use their feet to follow God instead of running away from Him like those who rejected Christ. Anointment of the hands is a commitment to use one's hands to build and sow good things instead of using them to crucify God.
References
Jurgens, William A. The Faith of the Early Fathers. Volume One, a Source-Book of Theological and Historical Passages from the Christian Writings of the Pre-Nicene and Nicene Eras. Collegeville, Minn. Liturgical Press, 1979.
Jurgens, William A. (1979). The Faith of the Early Father Volume 2. The Order of St. Benedictine.
NPNF2-07. Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory Nazianzen. CCEL.
“On the Mysteries.” CHURCH FATHERS: On the Mysteries (St. Ambrose), www.newadvent.org/fathers/3405.htm.
Pomazansky, Michael, and Seraphim Rose. Orthodox Dogmatic Theology: A Concise Explanation. St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 2005.
St. Athanasius Orthodox Academy. (2008). The Orthodox study Bible. Thomas Nelson.