ADORATION, the act of rendering divine honours, or of addressing a being, as supposing it a god. The word is compounded of ad, to, and os, oris, mouth; and literally signifies to apply the hand to the mouth; manum ad os admovere, to kiss the hand; this being in the eastern countries one of the great marks of respect and submission.—The Romans practised adoration at sacrifices and other solemnities; in passing by temples, altars, groves, &c.; at the sight of statues, images, or the like, whether of stone or wood, wherein any thing of divinity was supposed to reside. Usually there were images of the gods placed at the gates of cities, for those who went in or out to pay their respects to. The ceremony of adoration among the ancient Romans was thus :—The devotee, having his head covered, applied his right hand to his lips, the fore finger resting on his thumb, which was erect, and thus bowing his head, turned himself round from left to right The kiss thus given was called osculum labratum ; for ordinarily they were afraid to touch the images of their gods themselves with their profane lips. Sometimes, however, they would kiss their feet, or even knees, it being held an incivility to touch their mouths; so that the affair passed at some distance. Saturn, however, and Hercules were adored with the head bare; whence the worship of the last was called institutum peregrinum, and ritus Graecanicus, as departing from the customary Roman method, which was to sacrifice and adore with the face veiled, and the clothes drawn up to the ears, to prevent any interruption in the ceremony by the sight of unlucky objects.—The Jewish manner of adoration was by prostration, bowing, and kneeling. The Christians adopted the Grecian rather than the Roman method, and adored always uncovered. The ordinary posture of the ancient Christians was kneeling, but on Sundays standing; and they had a peculiar regard to the east, to which point they ordinarily directed their prayers.

Adoration is also used for certain extraordinary civil honours or respects which resemble those paid to the Deity, yet are given to men.

The Persian manner of adoration, introduced by Cyrus, was by bending the knee and falling on the face at the prince’s feet, striking the earth with the forehead, and kissing the ground. This ceremony, which the Greeks called πgοσκυνειν, Conon refused to perform to Artaxerxes, and Calisthenes to Alexander the Great, as reputing it impious and unlawful.

The adoration performed to the Roman and Grecian emperors consisted in bowing or kneeling at the prince’s feet, laying hold of his purple robe, and presently withdrawing the hand and clapping it to the lips. Some attribute the origin of this practice to Constantius. It was only persons of some rank or dignity that were entitled to the honour. Bare kneeling before the emperor to deliver a petition was also called adoration.

The practice of adoration may be said to be still subsisting in England, in the ceremony of kissing the king’s or queen’s hand, and in serving them at table, both being performed kneeling.

Adoration is also used among Roman writers for a high species of applause given to persons who had spoken or performed well in public. See Acclamation. We meet with adoration paid to orators, actors, musicians, &c. The method of expressing it was, by rising, putting both hands to their mouth, and then returning them towards the person intended to be honoured.

Adoration is also used in the court of Rome for the ceremony of kissing the pope’s feet. It is said of Dioclesian, that he had gems fastened to his shoes, that divine honours might be more willingly paid him, by kissing his feet. The like usage was afterwards adopted by the popes, and is observed to this day. These prelates, finding a vehement disposition in the people to fall down before them and kiss their feet, procured crucifixes to be fastened on their slippers; by which stratagem the adoration intended for the pope’s person is supposed to be transferred to Christ.

Adoration is also used for a method of electing a pope. The election of popes is performed two ways; by adoration and by scrutiny. In election by adoration, the cardinals rush hastily, as if agitated by some spirit, to the adoration of some one among them, to proclaim him pope. When the election is carried by scrutiny, they do not adore the new pope till he is placed on the altar.

Barbarous ADORATION is a term used, in the laws of King Canute, for that performed after the manner of the heathens, who adored idols. The Romish church is charged with the adoration of saints, martyrs, images, crucifixes, relics, the virgin, and the host; all which by Protestants are generally aggravated into idolatry, on a supposition that the honour thus paid to them is absolute and supreme, called by way of distinction Latria, which is due only to God. The Roman Catholics, on the contrary, explain them as only a relative or subordinate worship, called Dulia and Hyperdulia, which terminates ultimately in God alone. But may not the same be said of the idol worship of the heathens? The Phoenicians adored the winds, on account of the terrible effects produced by them: the same was adopted by most of the other nations, Persians, Greeks, Romans, &c. The Persians chiefly paid their adorations to the sun and fire; some say also to [7:2:162]rivers, the wind, &c. The motive of adoring the sun was the benefits they received from that glorious luminary, which of all creatures has doubtless the best pretensions to such homage.