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Encyclopedia of Religion entry forBellsBells have been used in religious worship from a remote period. They have been found among Buddhists and Brahmans and in the Shintoo temples of the Sun goddess in Japan. Bells are mentioned in the English translation of the Bible, but the words so translated do not seem to denote bells in our sense of the word. The Mohammedans object to the use of bells. In front of the porch before the door of a temple dedicated to Siva (q.v.), Monier-Williams noticed three long rows of bells. Whenever a worshipper entered the shrine, he rang one of the bells. In the shrine itself "there was a constant ringing of small portable bells and clapping of hands, as if to draw the attention of the deity worshipped to the prayers muttered by his worshippers." In the Hindu ceremony called Panc`ayatana one of the sacred objects of worship is a small bell. At the adoration of the bell, the worshipper says: " O bell, make a sound for the approach of the gods, and for the departure of the demons. Homage to the goddess Ghanta (bell). I offer perfumes, grains of rice, and flowers, in token of rendering all due homage to the bell." Among the Lamas of Tibet a bell forms part of the sorcerer‘s equipment (see L. A. Waddell). The bells already referred to were hand-bells. It is not known when exactly the large church-bells in Christian churches were introduced. It is possible that when in the early days of the Church basilicas or halls of justice were used as places of worship, the bells belonging to them were rung to call the people to divine worship. Paulinus, Bishop of Nola in Campania, however, is reputed to have introduced their use. In France they seem to have been used before the seventh century; and they were in use elsewhere in the ninth century (e.g., in the Greek Church). In Germany and Switzerland they came into use in the eleventh century. In the tenth century the custom arose of giving them names. In the eleventh century we begin to hear of " the baptism of a bell." This is a popular expression for the ceremony of consecration, which is still observed in the Roman Catholic Church. " The bishop washes the bell with blessed water, signs it with the oil of the sick outside, and with chrism inside, and lastly places under it the thurible with burning incense. He prays repeatedly that the sound of the bell may avail to summon the faithful, to excite their devotion, to drive away storms, and to terrify evil spirits." It is explained " this power of course is due to the blessings and prayers of the Church, not to any efficacy superstitiously attributed to the bell itself. Thus consecrated, bells become spiritual things, and cannot be rung without the consent of the ecclesiastical authorities " (Addis and Arnold). Small bells are also in use in the Roman Catholic Church. A bell is rung during Mass at the Sanctus and at the Elevation of the Host. See Cath. Diet; Chambers‘ Encycl.; Monier-Williams, Brahmanism. citations: Encyc. of Rel., Canney
article created 2006-04-12 , last updated 2006-04-12 |
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