- published: 04 Nov 2012
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Holy water is water that, in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, Oriental Orthodoxy, and some other churches, has been sanctified by a priest for the purpose of baptism; the blessing of persons, places, and objects; or as a means of repelling evil.
The use for baptism and spiritual cleansing is common among several religions, from Christianity to Sikhism and Hinduism. The use of holy water as a sacramental for protection against evil is almost exclusive to Roman Catholics.
The use of holy water in the earliest days of Christianity is attested to only in somewhat later documents. The Apostolic constitutions which go back to about the year 400, attribute to the precept of using holy water to Apostle Matthew. Hence the first historical testimony goes back to the fifth century. However, it is plausible that, in the earliest Christian times, water was used for expiatory and purificatory purposes, in a way analogous to its employment under the Jewish Law. Yet, in many cases, the water used for the Sacrament of Baptism was flowing water, sea or river water, and it could not receive the same blessing as that contained in the baptisteries.