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Jam 5:14. Πρεσβυτέρους, the elders) For while they pray, it is much the same as though the whole Church should pray.-ἀλείψαντες αὐτὸν ἐλαίῳ, anointing him with oil) That which Christ had committed to the apostles, Mar 6:13, was afterwards continued in the Church, even after the times of the apostles: and this very gift, remarkably simple, conspicuous, and serviceable, was of longer continuance than any other. See an instance in the works of Macarius, p. 272. And Ephraim Syrus has a remarkable testimony, συμβουλ. οστ.: Ἐὰν οἰκονομίαν πληρῶν ἀλείφῃς ἐλαίῳ τὸν κάμνοντα, κ.τ.λ.: If in discharge of thy office, thou anointest the sick with oil. It even seems to have been given by God with this intent, that it might always remain in the Church, as a specimen of the other gifts: just as the portion of Manna laid up in the ark was a proof of the ancient miracle. It is clear that James assigns the administration of this oil to the presbyters, who were the ordinary ministers. This was the highest Faculty of Medicine in the Church, as in 1 Corinthians 6 we have its highest Judicial order. O happy simplicity! interrupted or lost through unbelief (ἀπιστίαν). For inasmuch as the Latin Church has its extreme unction,[75] and the Greek Church its εὐχέλαιον, from the force of experience, they assign much less efficacy for the restoring of health to this mystery (μυστηρίῳ), or sacrament, as they term it, than James does to the apostolic usage. Whitaker says with great force against Duræus, Let them use oil, who are able by their prayers to obtain recovery for the sick: let those who are not able to do this, abstain from the use of the empty sign. For the only design of that anointing originally was miraculous healing: and in the failure of this result, it is nothing but an empty sign. But the laying on of hands is also a holy outward rite, although it does not by the mere act confer the Holy Spirit. For not even in the beginning was it always used with this one design.-ἐν, in) This is certainly not less connected with the verb, let them pray, than with the participle, anointing; whence there follows (Jam 5:15), the prayer of faith.-τοῦ Κυρίου, the Lord) Jesus Christ.
[75] εὐχέλαιον. This word (as its derivation shows) appears at first to have denoted the prayers which were used at the consecration of the oil with which the sick were to be anointed, but it has generally been applied to the act of extreme unction. For a full account of the word, see Suicer’s Thesaurus.
The Greek Church practises the rite of extreme unction, though its usage in this respect does not entirely correspond with that of the Church of Rome. See Riddle’s Christian Antiquities, and Willetts’ Synopsis Papismi.-T.