The Encyclopedia of World Religions

328 S ordination

Then, in the 20th century, Jews revived the ancient practice. In the Middle Ages, Christians not only retained the ancient practice, they also elaborated on it. They presented the person being ordained with many symbols of office, such as special clothes and a staff. During the R EFORMATION , Prot estants simplified the ritual once again or elimi nated it altogether. In the past, Jews and Christians only ordained men to the rabbinate and ministry. In the 20th cen tury, more liberal groups began to ordain women, too. At the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century many Buddhist women, too, were attempting to reestablish the order of nuns in areas where it had died out, such as the Theravada countries of southeast Asia. Orphism A religious movement in ancient Greece associated with the mythical singer Orpheus. Orphism seems to have arisen in the area around Athens in the sixth century B . C . E . It was also practiced in southern Italy and in the region of the Black Sea, regions in which the Greeks had colonies. Orpheus and Orphism are depicted in scenes painted on vases, mentioned in references in writers such as Plato and ancient poems that go by its name, and represented in a few recent archaeological discoveries. Although knowledge of Orphism is limited, these sources reveal some things about Orphic practices and teachings. People who followed Orphism were strict veg etarians: They ate no meat ( see D IET AND R ELIGION ). What is more, they refused to SACRIFICE animals to the gods. Such sacrifices were part of the festivals that held Greek states together, but according to Plato the Orphics gave the gods only honey-soaked cakes and fruit. Orpheus, whom they followed, was said to have come from Thrace, that is, far northern Greece. A famed singer, he could charm wild beasts. When his wife Eurydice died of a snakebite, he went to the underworld and won her release. He was told not to look at her until they reached the surface of the earth. Unfortunately, he violated this instruc tion and lost her forever. It is said that, faithful

most important of all MANTRAS or sacred sounds. They intone or chant it at the beginning and end of prayers and religious recitations, among other occasions. It is known as pranava , “humming,” and ekakshara , “the one syllable.” It is customary to say that the syllable om contains three sounds, a, u, and m. As a result, it is sometimes written “aum” in English. The three sounds stand for very many things, including the three parts of the universe (earth, atmosphere, sky) and the three major gods (B RAHMA , V ISHNU , S IVA ). The most philosophical interpretation says that the three sounds stand for the three states of con sciousness: waking consciousness, dreaming con sciousness, and sleep without dreams. It also says that the silence that follows the syllable stands for the fourth state, the indescribable source of all that exists ( see BRAHMAN ). The symbol that Hindus use for om ( ॐ ) has become well known in North America. It is found on T-shirts, CD covers, skateboards, and tattoos, to name just a few places. Many Hindus, however, find the way that American popular culture uses this, their most sacred symbol, disrespectful. Peo ple using the symbol for om should remember that to many people it is a sacred symbol that should not be used just for fun. ordination A RITUAL that appoints a person to a religious office. North Americans usually asso ciate ordination with Christian rituals that make someone a priest or minister. Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians think of ordination as a SACRA MENT . But other religious groups ordain, too. Jews ordain rabbis. Some people speak of ordination when Buddhists become MONKS AND NUNS . Used broadly, ordination can be applied to virtually every religion. In ancient times, Jews and Christians ordained in the same way, by “laying on hands.” Those with authority would place their hands on top of the head of the person to be ordained. But Jewish and Christian ordination developed differently. Jews stopped laying on hands. They instead presented rabbis with certificates testifying to their office.