Page 37 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

C H R I S M AT I O N A N D T H E G I F T O F T H E H O LY S P I R I T
Chrismation and
the Gift of the Holy Spirit
If we turn to Confirmation and place it in the light of the one
mystery of Christ, we must first clear the ground of later
meanings attached to this rite. From the beginning, Confir-
mation—whether through the laying-on of hands or Chris-
mation—was understood as the bestowing of the Holy Spirit
upon the baptized. This understanding was for a long time
common to both East and West.
Gradually, however, in the West the emphasis shifted to-
ward the idea of the perfection of Baptism by Confirmation.
The use of the term perfectio, and later confirmatio, made it
increasingly clear that Confirmation was considered neces-
sary because something was lacking in Baptism—either in the
rite itself or in the person who received it. This opened the way
to viewing Confirmation as an opportunity for the response
of the faithful, especially in the case of those baptized as chil-
dren.
This development took place alongside another important
evolution: the separation of the “Baptism of water” from that
of the “Spirit,” already evident in the third century. Once these
two were separated, Confirmation, identified with the second,
became a self-sufficient act and acquired meanings necessary
for the completion of the first. At the same time, its reservation
to the laying-on of hands and to the bishop linked it indi-
rectly to penitential discipline and contributed to a particular
understanding of the layman.
Such developments remained foreign to the East. There, no
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