(from *χρίω, I anoint*), oil consecrated by the bishop, and used in the Romish and Greek churches, in the administration of baptism, confirmation, ordination, and extreme unction, which is prepared on holy Thursday with much ceremony. In Spain it was anciently the custom for the bishop to take one third of a sol for the chrism distributed to each church, on account of the balsam that entered its composition.

Du Cange observes, that there are two kinds of chrism; the one prepared of oil and balsam, used in baptism, confirmation, and ordination; the other of oil alone, consecrated by the bishop, used anciently for the catechumens, and still in extreme unction. The Maronites, before their reconciliation with Rome, besides oil and balsam, used myrrh, saffron, cinnamon, roses, white frankincense, and several other drugs mentioned by Rynaldus, in 1541, with the doses of each. The Jesuit Dandini, who went to mount Lebanon in quality of the pope's nuncio, ordained, in a synod held there in 1596, that chrism for the future should be made only of two ingredients, oil and balsam; the one representing the human nature of Jesus Christ, the other his divine nature. The action of imposing the chrism is called *chrismation*: this the generality of the Romish divines hold to be the next matter of the sacrament of confirmation.

The chrismation in baptism is performed by the priest; that in confirmation by the bishop; that in ordination, &c. is more usually styled *unction*.

**CHRISM Pence**, **CHRISMALES Denarii**, or **CHRISMALES Denarii**, a tribute anciently paid to the bishop by the parish-clergy, for their chrism, consecrated at Easter for the ensuing year: this was afterwards condemned as simoniacal.