Altar
An altar is any structure upon which sacrifices or other offerings are offered for religious purposes.
Altars in the Hebrew Bible
Altars (Hebrew mizbe'ah (מזבח), from a word meaning "to slay") in the Hebrew Bible were typically made of earth (Ex. 20:24) or unwrought stone (20:25). Altars were generally erected in conspicuous places (Genesis 22:9; Ezekiel 6:3; 2 Kings 23:12; 16:4; 23:8.) The first altar recorded in the Hebrew Bible is that erected by Noah (Genesis 8:20). Altars were erected by Abraham (Genesis 12:7; 13:4; 22:9), by Isaac (Genesis 26:25), by Jacob (33:20; 35:1, 3), and by Moses (Exodus 17:15, Adonai-nissi).
In the Tabernacle, and afterwards in the temple, two altars were erected.
(1.) The altar of burnt offering (Ex. 30:28), called also the "brasen altar" (Ex. 39:39) and "the table of the Lord" (Mal. 1:7) upon which the korbanot were offered.
This altar, as erected in the tabernacle, is described in Ex. 27:1-8. It was a hollow square, 5 cubits in length and in breadth, and 3 cubits in height. It was made of shittim wood, and was overlaid with plates of brass. Its corners were ornamented with horns (Ex. 29:12; Lev. 4:18).
In Ex. 27:3 the various utensils used with the altar are enumerated. They were made of brass. (Comp. 1 Sam. 2:13, 14; Lev. 16:12; Num. 16:6, 7.)
In Solomon's temple the altar was of larger dimensions (2 Chr. 4:1. Comp. 1 Kings 8:22, 64; 9:25), and was made wholly of brass, covering a structure of stone or earth. This altar was renewed by Asa (2 Chr. 15:8). It was removed by Ahaz (2 Kings 16:14), and "cleansed" by Hezekiah, in the latter part of whose reign it was rebuilt. It was finally broken up and carried away by the Babylonians (Jer. 52:17).
After the return from captivity it was re-erected (Ezra 3:3,6) where it had formerly stood. (Comp. 1 Macc. 4:47.) When Antiochus IV Epiphanes pillaged Jerusalem he defiled the altar of burnt offering by erecting a pagan altar upon it. Judas Maccabeus renewed the altar when he re-took Jerusalem. It was likely refurbushed by Herod during his extensive building activity on the Temple Mount, and remained in its place until the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D.
The fire on the altar was not permitted to go out (Lev. 6:9).
In the Mosque of Omar, immediately underneath the great dome, which occupies the site of the old temple, there is a rough projection of the natural rock, of about 60 feet in its extreme length, and 50 in its greatest breadth, and in its highest part about 4 feet above the general pavement. This rock seems to have been left intact when Solomon's temple was built, and may have been the site of the altar of burnt offering. Underneath this rock is a cave, which may have been the granary of Araunah's threshing-floor (1 Chr. 21:22).
(2.) The altar of incense (Ex. 30:1-10), called also "the golden altar" (39:38; Num. 4:11), stood in the holy place "before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony." On this altar sweet spices were continually burned with fire taken from the brazen altar. The morning and the evening services were opened by the high priest offering incense on this altar. The burning of the incense was a type of prayer (Ps. 141:2; Rev. 5:8; 8:3, 4).
This altar was a small movable table, made of acacia wood overlaid with gold (Ex. 37:25, 26). It was 1 cubit in length and breadth, and 2 cubits in height.
In Solomon's temple the altar was similar in size, but was made of cedar-wood (1 Kings 6:20; 7:48) overlaid with gold. In Ezek. 41:22 it is called "the altar of wood." (Comp. Ex. 30:1-6.)
In the temple built after the Exile the altar was restored. Antiochus Epiphanes took it away, but it was afterwards restored by Judas Maccabeus (1 Macc. 1:23; 4:49). Among the trophies carried away by Titus on the destruction of Jerusalem the altar of incense is not found, nor is any mention made of it in Hebrews 9. It was at this altar Zacharias ministered when an angel appeared to him (Luke 1:11).
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
Altars in Jewish synagogues
Known as the bimah, the altar in a synagogue can be a large over-sized elevated platform with a wide table on top of it roughly in the center of the synagogue upon which the Torah scroll/s (Sifrei Torah) are placed and unrolled so that they can be read after they have been removed and brought over from the "Ark" (aron in Hebrew) where they are stored (which is at the front of the synagogue). The synagogue altar usually has a few steps upwards when it is elevated. The altar may also be simply a large table or a large flat-topped cabinet in the center of the synagogue. Traditionally, when the Torah is opened to be cantillated ("read" with a special tune) on the altar, two people stand on either side of it as a mark of respect. In some synagogues the Hazan (the one leading the prayers) stands on the altar facing most of the congregation, and in other synagogues the altar is only used for the Torah readings, but further prayers are led from the front of the synagogue away from the altar itself.
Christianity
The use of word "altar" (Greek: θυσιαστηριον) appears twenty-four times in the New Testament, all in relation to the concept of the altar in the Second Temple of Jerusalem. Significantly, Hebrews 13:10 speaks of Jesus Christ as a metaphorical altar. The doctrine of Christ's substitutionary atonement allowed for an interpretation of the Christian celebration of the Last Supper - the Eucharist - to be a memorial or re-enactment of Christ's sacrifice. Hence, the table upon which the meal (the bread and the wine) is prepared came to be seen as an altar.
Altars in Christian churches
Altars occupy a prominent place in the chancels of many churches, especially in Anglican, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist, and other highly sacramental denominations. It plays a central role in the sacrament of the Eucharist, or Holy Communion. The bread and the wine are placed upon the altar, and prayers of consecration and/or thanksgiving are offered by a priest or minister. In some churches the area around the altar may be surrounded by altar rails, which provide a symbolic barrier between the sanctity of the altar and the surrounding space. In Eastern Christian churches, this sense of "fencing off" is heightened by the appearance of an iconostasis or "icon wall," separating the chancel from the nave. In some Anglican and Roman Catholic churches, a more open rood screen separates the quire from the nave. In Reformed and Anabaptist churches, a table that serves an analogous function is often called a communion table. In some Protestant denominations, the word altar is used to denote the chancel or sanctuary area of the church, although this usage is technically incorrect.
Christian altars are of three types: fixed, free standing, or portable:
- Fixed altars: Beginning in the Early Middle Ages, stone altars were "fixed" against the east wall of the chancel, and the sacred ministers (priest, deacon, and subdeacon) would perform the Mass facing east (ie., the same direction as the congregation). Symbolically, this eastward orientation represents the collective focus on and worship of the Blessed Sacrament. Many churches - typically Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox - still retain fixed altars.
- Free-standing altars emerged as a result of the liturgical renewal of the Reformation when wooden altars or tables were placed in the quire in front of the high altar. The purpose of this innovation was a theological belief that the liturgical action should be seen by the congregation, so that it not be construed as "magical" or that the attitude toward the bread and wine not slip into idolatry. Expansion of this practice in Roman Catholic and Anglican settings, beginning after World War II, was intended to assert the participation of the whole congregation in the liturgical action. Since the Reformation, churches have been constructed with free-standing altars in place of where the high altar would have once stood. As the sacred ministers face the congregation in this arrangement, it is known as a westward orientation (even in churches not built on the traditional east-west axis).
- Portable altars are essentially free-standing altars that are set up specifically for the celebration of a Eucharist, and then removed subsequently. These are frequently found in Protestant churches in which the focus of worship is not on the Eucharist, which may be celebrated rarely, or in Roman Catholic or Anglican parishes which want to make use of both a fixed and free-standing altar at different services. In keeping with portability, these altars are generally smaller and more modest, and may be constructed in drop-leaf form and placed on wheels.
Some Roman Catholic and Orthodox altars are built with a reliquary to hold relics of saints. This practice began in the early centuries of Christianity, when many Christians were forced to hide and worship in catacombs. In these places, the altar was often a coffin holding the body of a Christian, out of simple necessity. The practice of placing relics within an altar is observed even today.
Altars in Roman Catholic churches
Until the Second Vatican Council, the altar in the Catholic Church was a table standing on a platform with three steps (altar steps), and placed under one or more statues or a picture of a saint or a sacred event. Most churches would usually have three altars - a main altar called the high altar, a side altar dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and another dedicated to Saint Joseph. Up until the council the Tridentine Mass was celebrated in Catholic churches. The priest used to stand facing the same direction, known as the "liturgical East" as the congregation for most of the Mass. During the canon he would offer up bread and wine, then changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, according to Catholic belief, towards the altar.
Six candlesticks were placed on the altar. For High Mass, all six candles must be lit. For Low Mass, only two (one on each side) were lit. Three altar cards were placed at center, right and left sides of the altar. The veiled chalice was placed in front of the middle altar card, which rested against the Tabernacle. The Missal was placed on a brass stand on the right side of the altar, to be moved to the left side by the altar server during the Mass before the Gospel was read.
Since the council and the introduction of the new order (Novus Ordo) of the Mass, various options have been introduced regarding style and location of the altar, usually free-standing. In some cases the new altar is usually placed in front of the old high altar. In other cases either the side altars or all the old altars are removed - but that is usually a controversial move. The altar can be made from a variety of materials, such as wood or stone.
In churches that have retained the original high altar, the tabernacle is kept on the old altar. With many old altars, the tabernacle is built directly into the altar. For those churches that were built after the council, or for those that have removed the old altars the tabernacle is placed on a stand of its own. The tabernacle may also be in a special side chapel called the Blessed Sacrament chapel, and consecrated hosts would be kept there. Such chapels are found in churches built before and after Vatican II. The chapel may or may not have its own altar.
- See also:
Altars in Eastern Christian Churches
"Altar" has a meaning in Orthodoxy that varies with context. Its most common usage does not denote the table itself, but the area surrounding it, behind the iconostasis, that is also called the sanctuary. When one enters the sanctuary, one is said to be "going into the altar". The table may alternately be referred to as the Holy Table or the Throne. This section will describe the Holy Table, not the sanctuary.
Orthodox altars are typically about one meter high, and although they may be made of stone they are generally built out of wood. The exact dimensions may vary, but it must be square in plan of a size in reasonable proportion to the sanctuary. It has five legs: one at each corner plus a central pillar for supporting the altar's relics. Over all is a plain linen cover bound to the altar with cords, and this cover is never removed after the altar is consecrated. (Since the altar is never seen uncovered thereafter, they tend to be constructed more with sturdiness than aesthetics in mind.) Above this first cover is a second ornamented cover, often in a brocade of a color that may change with the liturgical season. Atop the altar is the tabernacle, a miniature shrine sometimes built in the form of a church, inside of which is a small ark containing the reserved Sacrament for use in communing the sick. Also kept on the altar is the Gospel book and the antimension, a silken cloth imprinted with an icon of Christ being prepared for burial, which has a relic sewn into it and bears the signature of the bishop. The Divine Liturgy must be served on an antimension even if the altar has been consecrated and contains relics. When not in use, the antimension is left in place wrapped in the eiliton, a cloth of plain silk, linen or cotton.
The altar may only be touched by ordained men, and nothing which is not itself consecrated or an object of veneration should placed on it. Objects may also be placed on the altar as part of the process for setting them aside for sacred use. For example, icons are usually blessed by laying them on the altar for a period of time or for a certain number of Divine Liturgies before sprinkling them with holy water.
In place of the outer covering, some altars have a permanent solid cover which may be highly ornamented, richly carved, or even plated in precious metals. A smaller brocade cover is used on top of this if it is desired that the altar decorations reflect the liturgical season.
The altar is used as the place of offering in the celebration of the eucharist, where bread and wine are offered to God the Father and the Holy Spirit is invoked to make his Son Jesus Christ present in the gifts. It is also the place where the presiding clergy stand at any service, even where no eucharist is being celebrated and no offering is made but prayer.
Altars in Anglican Churches
Altars in the Anglican Communion vary widely. At the time of the Reformation, altars were fixed against the east end of the church, and the sacred ministers would celebrate the Mass standing at the middle of the altar. Beginning with the rubrics of the Second Prayer Book of Edward VI published in 1552, and through the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (which prevailed for almost 300 years), the priest is directed to stand "at the north syde of the Table." This was variously interpreted over the years to mean the north side of the front of a fixed altar, the north end of a fixed altar (ie., facing south), the north side of a free-standing altar (presumably facing those intending to receive the elements who would be sitting in the quire stalls opposite), or at the north end of a free-standing altar placed lengthwise in the chancel, facing a congregation seated in the nave. Often, where a celebrant chose to situate himself was meant to convey his churchmanship (that is, more Reformed or more Catholic). The use of candles or tabernacles were banned by canon law, with the only appointed adornment being a white linen cloth.
Beginning with the Catholic Revival in the 19th Century, the appearance of Anglican altars took a dramatic turn in many churches. Candles and, in some cases, tabernacles were reintroduced. In some churches two candles, on each end of the altar, were used; in other cases six - three on either side of a tabernacle, typically surmounted by a crucifix.
In Anglican practice, conformity to a given standard depends on the ecclesiastical province and/or the liturgical sensibilities of a given parish. In the Parson's Handbook, an influential manual for priests popular in the early-to-mid-twentieth century, Percy Dearmer recommends the size of an altar be "as nearly as possible 3 ft. 3 in. high, and at least deep enough to take a corporal [the square of linen placed underneath the Communion vessels] 20 in. square with a foot or more to spare." He also recommends that the altar stand upon three steps for each of the three sacred ministers, and that it be decorated with a silk frontal in the seasonal colour. In some cases, other manuals suggest that a stone be set in the top of wooden altars, in the belief that the custom be maintained of consecrating the bread and wine on a stone surface.
In many other Anglican parishes, the custom is considerably less rigorous, especially in those parishes which use free-standing altars. Typically, these altars are made of wood, and may or may not have a solid front, which may or may not be ornamented. In many Anglican parishes, the use of frontals has persisted. With free-standing altars, only two candles are placed on either end of the altar, since six would obscure the liturgical action, undermining the intent of a westward orientation (ie., that it be visible to the congregation). A tabernacle may stand to one side of or behind the altar, or an aumbry may be used.
Sensibilities concerning the sanctity of the altar are widespread in Anglicanism. In some parishes, the notion that the surface of the altar should only be touched by those in holy orders is maintained. In others, there is considerably less strictness. Nonetheless, the continued popularity of altar rails in Anglican church construction suggests that a sense of the sanctity of the altar and its surrounding area persists. In most cases, moreover, the practice of allowing only those items necessary for the Eucharist to be placed on the altar is maintained (that is, the linen cloth, candles, missal, and the Eucharistic vessels).
High places
High places are elevated spots on which altars were erected for worship in the belief that, as they were nearer heaven than the plains and valleys, they were more favourable places for prayer. The practice of worship on these spots, though from the first forbidden, became frequent among the Hebrews, and was with difficulty abolished, though denounced time after time by the prophets as an affront to God.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wood, James, ed. (1907). The Nuttall Encyclopædia. London and New York: Frederick Warne. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
External links
- Altars (in Scripture) from the Catholic Encyclopedia
- Setting Up a Puja Altar
- How to make your own Altar, and the use of gem stones