Editing Ritual purification (section)

==Christianity==
{{Main|Ablution in Christianity}}
{{See also|Hygiene in Christianity}}
[[Image:Fuente de Poblet 2.jpg|thumb|[[Lavabo]] in the [[Poblet Monastery]] in [[Spain]]]]
The [[Pentateuch]] (the first five books of the [[Old Testament]]) prescribes many rituals of purification relating to [[menstruation]], [[childbirth]], [[religion and sexuality|sexual relations]], [[keri|nocturnal emission]], [[Zav|unusual bodily fluids]], [[Tzaraath|skin disease]], [[death]], and [[korban|animal sacrifice]]s. [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]] such as the [[Coptic Orthodox Church|Coptic Orthodox]], [[Ethiopian Orthodox]], and [[Eritrean Orthodox]], place a heavier emphasis on Old Testament teachings, and its followers adhere to certain practices such as observing days of ritual purification.<ref>{{cite book |author1=[[Ian Bradley]] |title=Water: A Spiritual History |date=2 November 2012 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-4411-6767-5 |language=English|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last= H. Bulzacchelli|first=Richard|title=Judged by the Law of Freedom: A History of the Faith-works Controversy, and a Resolution in the Thought of St. Thomas Aquinas|publisher=[[University Press of America]]|year=2006|isbn=9780761835011|pages=19|quote=The Ethiopian and Coptic Churches distinguishes between clean and unclean meats, observes days of ritual purification, and keeps a kind of dual Sabbath on both Saturday and Sunday.}}</ref> Before praying, they [[Ablution in Christianity|wash their hands and face]] in order to be clean before and present their best to God.<ref name="Amherst1906">{{cite book |author1=[[Mary Cecil, 2nd Baroness Amherst of Hackney]] |title=A Sketch of Egyptian History from the Earliest Times to the Present Day |date=1906 |publisher=Methuen |page=399 |language=en |quote=Prayers 7 times a day are enjoined, and the most strict among the Copts recite one of more of the Psalms of David each time they pray. They always wash their hands and faces before devotions, and turn to the East.}}</ref><ref name="Dawood2013">{{cite web |last1=Dawood |first1=Bishoy |title=Stand, Bow, Prostrate: The Prayerful Body of Coptic Christianity |url=https://www.clarionreview.org/2013/12/stand-bow-prostrate-the-prayerful-body-of-coptic-christianity/ |publisher=The Clarion Review |access-date=6 August 2020 |language=en |date=8 December 2013 |quote=Standing facing the East is the most frequent prayer position. ... This is further emphasized in the fact that Copts pray facing the East, waiting for the return of Jesus in glory; his return as the enthroned Pantocrator is portrayed in the iconography that is placed before the worshippers. |archive-date=10 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810085554/http://www.clarionreview.org/2013/12/stand-bow-prostrate-the-prayerful-body-of-coptic-christianity/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]] prescribes several kinds of [[hand washing]] for example after leaving the latrine, lavatory or bathhouse, or before prayer, or after eating a meal.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://pwtw.pl/wp-content/uploads/wst/12-2/Pedersen.pdf |title=Is THE CHURCH OF ETHIOPIA A JUDAIC CHURCH ? |access-date=15 January 2016 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304115645/http://pwtw.pl/wp-content/uploads/wst/12-2/Pedersen.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The women in the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]] are prohibited from entering the church temple during [[menses]]; and the men do not enter a church the day after they have had intercourse with their wives.<ref>[http://www.eotc.faithweb.com/liturgy.htm The Liturgy of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]</ref>
[[File:US Navy 030420-N-9236M-025 Chief Electronics Technician Geoffrey Ormston is immersed in the waters of Apra Harbor, Guam by Chaplain Richard Inman during a baptismal ceremony on Easter Sunday.jpg|thumb|[[Baptismal]] ceremony on [[Easter]] [[Sunday]]]]
[[Baptism]], as a form of ritual purification, occurs in several religions related to Judaism, and most prominently in [[Christianity]]; Christianity also has other forms of ritual purification. Many Christian churches practice a ceremony of the [[Maundy (foot washing)|Washing of Feet]],<ref name="common">{{cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=dyWqm3hCMC0C&q=Triduum+Maundy&pg=PA113|title = The Companion to the Book of Common Worship|author=Peter C. Bower|date = January 2003|publisher = [[Geneva Press]]|isbn = 9780664502324|quote=Maundy Thursday (or ''le mandé''; Thursday of the ''Mandatum'', Latin, commandment). The name is taken from the first few words sung at the ceremony of the washing of the feet, "I give you a new commandment" (John 13:34); also from the commandment of Christ that we should imitate His loving humility in the washing of the feet (John 13:14–17). The term ''mandatum'' (maundy), therefore, was applied to the rite of foot-washing on this day.|access-date = 2009-04-11}}</ref> following the example of Jesus in the Gospel.<ref>{{bibleverse|John|13:1–17}}</ref> Some interpret this as an [[Ordinance (Christian)|ordinance]] which the church is obliged to keep as a commandment, see also [[Biblical law in Christianity]].<ref name="common" /> Others interpret it as an example that all should follow. Most denominations that practice the rite will perform it on [[Maundy Thursday]]. Often in these services, the [[bishop]] will wash the feet of the clergy, and in [[monastery|monasteries]] the [[Abbot]] will wash the feet of the brethren.

Many ancient churches were built with a large fountain in the courtyard. It was the tradition for Christians to wash before entering the church for worship.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140924055251/http://www.ccel.org/ccel/benedict/rule2/files/rule2.html#ch35 The Holy Rule of St. Benedict]</ref> This usage is also legislated in the ''[[Rule of St. Benedict]]'', as a result of which, many medieval [[monasteries]] were built with communal lavers for the [[monk]]s or [[nun]]s to wash up before the [[Daily Office]]. Catholic religious orders of the [[Augustinians]]' and [[Benedictines]]' rules contained ritual purification,<ref>{{cite book|title=The English Spa, 1560-1815: A Social History|first=Phyllis|last= Hembry|year= 1990| isbn= 9780838633915|publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press}}</ref> and inspired by [[Benedict of Nursia]] encouragement for the practice of therapeutic bathing; [[Benedictine]] monks played a role in the development and promotion of [[spa]]s.<ref name=ASpiritualHistory>{{cite book | title = Water: A Spiritual History| first =Ian |last=Bradley | year =2012| isbn= 9781441167675|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing}}</ref>

The requirement that a Catholic priest wash his hands before saying [[Mass in the Catholic Church|Mass]] began as a practical precaution of cleanness, which was also interpreted symbolically.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09044b.htm Fortescue, Adrian. "Lavabo." The Catholic Encyclopedia] Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 12 July 2017</ref> "In the third century there are traces of a custom of washing the hands as a preparation for prayer on the part of all Christians, and from the fourth century onwards it appears to have been usual for the ministers at the [[Catholic mass]] or [[divine liturgy]] to ceremonially wash their hands before the more solemn part of the service as a symbol of inward purity."<ref>[http://justus.anglican.org/resources/pc/pwra/rced4/section3.html ''Report of the Royal Commission on Ecclesiastical Discipline''] ([[Church of England]]) 1906</ref>
[[File:Bishop Sebouh - Washing of Feet.jpg|thumb|Bishop Sebouh Chouldjian of the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]] [[Maundy (foot washing)|washing the feet]] of children]]
Traditionally, Christianity adhered to the biblical regulation requiring the purification of women after childbirth; this practice, was adapted into a special ritual known as the [[churching of women]], for which there exists liturgy in the [[Church of England]]'s [[Book of Common Prayer]], but its use is now rare in [[Western Christianity]]. The churching of women is still performed in a number of [[Eastern Christianity|Eastern Christian]] churches ([[Eastern Orthodox]], [[Oriental Orthodox]] and [[Eastern Catholic]] churches).

A [[cantharus (Christianity)|cantharus]] is a fountain used by [[Christians|Christian]]s for ablution before entering a [[church (building)|church]].<ref name="Bradley2012">{{cite book |author1=[[Ian Bradley]] |title=Water: A Spiritual History |date=2 November 2012 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-4411-6767-5 |language=en|quote=It was probably out of the Jewish rite that the practice developed among early Christians, especially in the east, of washing their hands and feet before going into church. Early Christian basilicas had a fountain for ablutions, known as cantharus or phiala, and usually placed in the centre of the atrium. They are still found in some Eastern Orthodox churches, notably at the monastery of Laura at Mount Athos, where the phiala is an imposing structure in front of the entrance covered by a dome resting on eight pillars. In several Orthodox churches today worshippers take off heir shoes and wash their feet before entering the church just as Muslims do before going into a mosque.}}</ref><ref name="Soloviĭ68">{{cite book |last1=Soloviĭ |first1=Meletiĭ M. |title=Eastern Liturgical Theology: General Introduction |date=1970 |publisher=Ukrainian Catholic Religion and Culture Society of Etobicoke (Toronto) and Ukrainian Catholic Youth of Canada |page=68 |language=en |quote=In the Book of Exodus (30, 18-20) Aaron and his sons were required to wash before approaching the altar. Here water is used as a symbol of purification and expiation. But water is also the most common and most indispensable drink. ... So much was the practice a part of the life of the early Church, that in the period after Constantine the “cantharus”, or water fountain, became a standard fixture in the courtyard before the basilica to permit the faithful to purify themselves before entering the presence of God.}}</ref><ref name="Bingham1849">{{cite book |last1=Bingham |first1=Joseph |title=The antiquities of the Christian Church |date=1840 |publisher=W. Straker |page=396 |language=en |quote=In the middle of which stood a Fountain for washing as they entered into the Church, called Cantharus and Phiala in some authors. It is further to be noted, that in the middle of the atrium, there was commonly a fountain, or a cistern of water, for people to wash their hands and face, before they went into the church.}}</ref> These ablutions involve the washing of the hands, face, and feet.<ref name="Bingham1849"/> The cantharus is traditionally located in the [[narthex|exonarthex]] of the church.<ref name="Soloviĭ68"/><ref name="Ferguson2013">{{cite book |last1=Ferguson |first1=Everett |title=Encyclopedia of Early Christianity: Second Edition |date=8 October 2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-61158-2 |page=6 |language=en}}</ref> The water emitted by a cantharus is to be running water.<ref name="Lowrie1901">{{cite book |last1=Lowrie |first1=Walter |title=Christian Art and Archæology: Being a Handbook to the Monuments of the Early Church |date=1901 |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers]] |page=179 |language=en |quote=In the middle of this court there was as a rule a fountain of running water (the ''cantharus'') for the symbolical purification of those who ere about to enter the church.}}</ref> The practice of ablutions before prayer and worship in Christianity [[Christian symbolism|symbolizes]] "separation from sins of the spirit and surrender to the Lord."<ref name="Ferguson2013"/> [[Eusebius]] recorded this practice of canthari located in the courtyards of churches, for the faithful to wash themselves before entering a Christian house of worship.<ref name="Bingham1849"/> The practice has its origins Jewish practice of performing ablutions before entering into the presence of God (cf. {{Bibleverse|Exodus|30:17-21|KJV}}).<ref name="Soloviĭ68"/><ref name="Bradley2012"/> Though [[cantharus (Christianity)|cantharus]] are not as prevalent anymore in [[Western Christianity]], they are found in [[Eastern Christianity|Eastern Christian]] and [[Oriental Christianity|Oriental Christian]] churches.<ref name="Bradley2012"/> However, in the [[Latin liturgical rites]] of the [[Catholic Church]], worshippers sprinkle themselves with [[holy water]] before entering the nave of the Church or approaching the [[altar]].{{cn|date=January 2023}}

In [[Reformed Christianity]],{{citation needed|date= December 2024|reason=Does 'ritual purity' relate to Reformed Christianity at all?}} [[ritual purity]] is achieved through the Confession of Sins, Assurance of Forgiveness, and [[Sanctification]]. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, believers offer their whole being and labor as a 'living sacrifice'; and cleanliness becomes a way of life (See Romans 12:1, and John 13:5-10 (the Washing of the Feet)). Prior to praying the [[canonical hours]] at [[fixed prayer times|seven fixed prayer times]], [[Oriental Orthodox Christians]] wash their hands, face and feet (cf. ''[[Agpeya]]'', ''[[Shehimo]]'').<ref name="Smith1909">{{cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Bertha H. |title=The Bath as a Religious Rite among Mohammedans |journal=Modern Sanitation |date=1909 |volume=7 |issue=1 |publisher=Standard Sanitary Mfg. Co. |language=en |quote=The Copts, descendants of these ancient Egyptians, although Christians, have the custom of washing their hands and faces before prayer, and some also wash their feet.}}</ref><ref name="Amherst1906"/><ref name="Tadros2015">{{cite book |last1=Tadros |first1=Emile |title=Reconstruction the Origins of the Coptic Church through its Liturgy |date=2015 |publisher=[[McMaster Divinity College]] |page=16 |language=en |quote=The Coptic Church observes strict practices concerning circumcision, rituals surrounding menstruation, weekly two-days fasting, 40 ablution, and many other rituals.}}</ref>

The [[Anal hygiene|use of water]] in many [[Christian countries]] is due in part to the Biblical toilet etiquette which encourages washing after all instances of defecation.<ref>{{cite book|title=Contemporary Biology: Concepts and Implications|first=Mary|last= E. Clark|year= 2006| isbn= 9780721625973|publisher=University of Michigan Press}}</ref> The [[bidet]] is common in predominantly [[Catholic countries]] where water is considered essential for [[anal cleansing]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Contemporary Biology: Concepts and Implications|first=Mary|last= E. Clark|year= 2006| isbn= 9780721625973| page =613 |publisher=University of Michigan Press|quote= Douching is commonly practiced in Catholic countries. The bidet ... is still commonly found in France and other Catholic countries.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |date= 2013|title= Made in Naples. Come Napoli ha civilizzato l'Europa (e come continua a farlo)|trans-title=Made in Naples. How Naples civilised Europe (And still does it)|language=it |publisher= Addictions-Magenes Editoriale|isbn=978-8866490395}}</ref> and in some traditionally [[Eastern Orthodox|Orthodox]] and [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] countries such as [[Greece]] and [[Finland]] respectively, where [[bidet shower]]s are common.<ref>[http://en.biginfinland.com/hose-always-next-every-finnish-toilet/ "Bidets in Finland"]</ref>