Anointing, an ancient custom of pouring aromatic oils on persons as a token of honor. It was employed in consecrating priests, prophets, kings, and the places and instruments appointed for worship. In the Old Testament, the anointed of the Lord is a person upon whom God has conferred a particular dignity, and whom he has appointed to a special ministry. The anointing oil was often a very costly preparation. Olive oil, spikenard, and myrrh were the more common materials. A very precious oil, the holy oil, was used in the service of the sanctuary, and could not be applied to any ordinary purposes. The Roman Catholic church has retained anointing as a symbol in its sacraments of baptism, confirmation, ordination, and extreme unction. In consecrating a church, the bishop anoints the walls of the edifice and the altars which are to serve in the celebration of the mass. Anointing with perfumed oil was in common use among the Greeks and Romans as a mark of hospitality to guests, and modern travellers in the East still find it a custom for visitors to he sprinkled with rose water, or to have their head, face, and beard anointed with olive oil.