CONSECRATION
It is the stable and legally valid passage of a person or thing from the profane order (ius humanum) to the sacred order (ius divinum) by means of a rite. In Christian liturgy, the consecration par excellence is that performed by the priest in the Mass, changing bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ (v. EUCHARIST). In addition to this, the Roman Pontifical lists five consecrations properly so called; that is, distinct from a blessing (v.); these are the consecration of a bishop (v. ORDINATION), of a fixed altar, of the sacred stone for the altar, of the chalice and paten, and of a church (v. the individual entries).
Fundamental to all religions, beginning with the most primitive, is the belief in a dual sphere into which being is divided: that of the sacred and that of the profane. The latter is often also considered the sphere of the impure (Lev. 10:10; Ezek. 22:26). Hence, forms of consecration are found everywhere. The objects of consecration are especially temples, altars, sacred groves, other immovable parts of the temple, especially the image of the deity; also men, women, boys, and girls. In general, three moments can be distinguished in consecration: 1) purification, necessary if the profane is also impure: hence the precept of a preliminary bath, of ablutions, of shaving or cutting hair, beard, and nails; thus in Christian worship an exorcism or at least the sprinkling with holy water almost always precedes consecration. 2) Detachment from the profane world, mostly by means of spatial separation, and sometimes more radically by destruction; this element is found in Christian worship, where a consecrated thing is entirely segregated from profane use and serves exclusively for sacred use; and a consecrated person, in order to dedicate himself solely to divine service, is exempt from many civil burdens with special privileges. 3) Admission into the sacred world, with the assimilation of divine force or spirit, by which the one being consecrated himself becomes sacred. In Christian religion, this element is expressed by the handing over of instruments, by putting on sacred vestments, and by the rite of the laying on of hands of the consecrator upon the one being consecrated, a rite used in the Old Testament, where it is found as a means of transmitting to others one's own virtue and office; and in the New Testament also as a means of communicating the Holy Spirit (Gen. 48:14 ff.; Num. 27:18 and 23; Mark 5:25; 8:23-25; 10:13 ff.; Luke 4:40; 13:31 etc.; Acts 6:6; 13:3; 28:8; 1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6); then by incensation, by the anointing with holy oils, especially chrism, according to circumstances, and by the formula of the consecratory prayer, which is generally the most solemn of the Preface. In higher religions, consecration also acquires a more elevated and spiritual sense, of dedication of the person to the service of God as an interpreter of His will toward humanity and as an intermediary between the religious community and God.
In general, in pagan religions, the direct path to pass from the profane order to the sacred is the communication of the divine itself, even if by chance contact. But when the divine does not spontaneously communicate itself to the profane, this, in order to become sacred, must artificially be put in communication with it by means of a consecratory rite.
The negative purpose is achieved, as regards purification, by the usual means of ablution, fasting, etc.; and as regards separation from the profane world, by retreat into the desert, dwelling in a sacred place such as the temple, abstinence from certain common life practices, such as intoxicating drinks, participation in funerals, sexual practices, etc. The positive purpose, that is, the communication of divine supernatural force, is effected by means of word or action, or both. To words is attributed either a magical virtue of various kinds (among primitives) or the efficacy of realizing their meaning; by action, in many ways, the thing or person to be consecrated can be put in contact with a sacred person or thing, so that the divine virtue residing in the latter may flow into the former. Such actions are: introduction into the innermost part of the sanctuary and placement upon or near the altar, the handing over of the instruments of one's office and putting on sacred vestments, touching the statue or the wall, participating in the table of the gods by tasting special foods and drinks or by taking part in sacrificial banquets, sprinkling with lustral water or the blood of the victim, bathing the entire person in the blood of a sacred animal, anointing with oil or other precious unguents, attendance at the representation of the deeds of the gods, and above all the sudden vision of light emanating from the sacred place.
In Christianity, consecrations are generally performed with word and action. Since, according to Roman law, consecration is the act by which a thing is withdrawn from civil commerce and destined for the worship of the gods, making it a res divini iuris (res sacra), the effect of conferring upon the thing the quality of sacredness occurred only if the act was performed by magistrates or others with the authority of the Roman people (in the imperial age the competence belonged to the prince or to the person designated by him), so in Christian religion, for the consecration of a person or thing, it is always required not just any priest, but a bishop, to whom consecration is reserved, or his delegate. Sacred things were considered as belonging to the deity: Gaius (II, 9) excludes any right of ownership (quod divini iuris est, id nullius in bonis est); according to the jurist Trebatius (Macrobius, Saturn., II, 3), whatever the common people consider belonging to the gods is sacred (sacrum est, quidquid est, quod deorum habetur).