Free to follow every thread. No paywall, no dead ends.
Altar: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Altar
The modern English word altar derives from the Latin altare, meaning burning place, a linguistic root that reveals the object's primal function as a site of fire and transformation. This etymological connection to adolere, to burn, displaces the native Old English word wēofod, marking a historical shift in how the concept was understood in the English-speaking world. In antiquity, these structures were not merely tables for display but active instruments of sacrifice, where libations and animal offerings were consumed by flames to communicate with deities. The Ara Pacis, dedicated by Augustus Caesar at the beginning of the Pax Romana, stands as one of the most important surviving Roman altars, inscribed with the donor's name and the deity to whom it was dedicated, serving as a permanent monument to peace and imperial power. These early altars were often inscribed with the donor's name and the deity to whom the altar was dedicated, creating a tangible link between the human worshipper and the divine realm through the medium of stone and fire.
The Stone And The Blood
In the Hebrew Bible, the first altar recorded was that erected by Noah, followed by those built by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, establishing a lineage of sacred construction that began with earth or unwrought stone. These early altars were generally erected in conspicuous places, such as the three rock-hewn altars discovered in the Land of Israel below Tel Zorah, at the foot of Sebastia, and near Shiloh. After the theophany on Mount Sinai, the Tabernacle and later the Temple utilized only two altars: The Altar of Burnt Offering and the Altar of Incense, both positioned near where the Ark of the Covenant was located. The physical nature of these altars was strictly regulated, with the Hebrew Bible specifying that they were typically made of earth or unwrought stone, rejecting the use of cut stone to avoid the defilement of the altar by human tools. This emphasis on natural materials underscored the belief that the altar was a direct conduit to the divine, untouched by the artifice of human craftsmanship.
The Table Of The Lord
In the earliest days of the Church, the Eucharist appears to have been celebrated on portable altars set up for the purpose, often using the sarcophagi of martyrs as altars on which to celebrate during the persecutions in the Catacombs of Rome. This practice, disputed by some historians but widely thought to be the origin of the tradition of placing relics beneath the altar, transformed the Christian understanding of the altar from a place of sacrifice to a table of the Lord. When Christianity was legalized under Constantine the Great and Licinius, formal church buildings were built in great numbers, normally with free-standing altars in the middle of the sanctuary, which in all the earliest churches built in Rome was at the west end of the church. The Christian replication of the layout and the orientation of the Jerusalem Temple helped to dramatize the eschatological meaning attached to the sacrificial death of Jesus the High Priest in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Over time, the orientation shifted, and after the sixth century the contrary orientation prevailed, with the entrance to the west and the altar at the east end, so that the ministers and congregation all faced east during the whole celebration.
What is the etymological origin of the word altar?
The modern English word altar derives from the Latin altare, meaning burning place. This linguistic root reveals the object's primal function as a site of fire and transformation. The etymological connection to adolere, to burn, displaces the native Old English word wēofod.
What materials were used to build altars in the Hebrew Bible?
The Hebrew Bible specifies that altars were typically made of earth or unwrought stone. These early altars rejected the use of cut stone to avoid the defilement of the altar by human tools. This emphasis on natural materials underscored the belief that the altar was a direct conduit to the divine.
When did the orientation of Christian altars shift to face east?
After the sixth century the contrary orientation prevailed, with the entrance to the west and the altar at the east end. This shift allowed ministers and congregation to face east during the whole celebration. The Christian replication of the layout and the orientation of the Jerusalem Temple helped to dramatize the eschatological meaning attached to the sacrificial death of Jesus the High Priest.
How many legs does a Holy Table in an Eastern Orthodox church have?
A Holy Table in an Eastern Orthodox church typically has five legs. These include one leg at each corner plus a central pillar for holding the relics placed within it at its consecration. The altar is normally free-standing and about one meter high.
What is the carroccio in the context of a war altar?
The carroccio was a four-wheeled mobile shrine pulled by oxen and sporting a flagpole and a bell. It served as the army standard and functioned as a mobile altar on which Mass was celebrated before a battle. Altar stones were used by army chaplains of the Latin Church in the period leading up to the 20th century.
Architecturally, there are two types of altars: those that are attached to the eastern wall of the chancel, and those that are free-standing and can be walked around, for instance when incensing the altar. In Western Christian churches, as a result of the former abandonment of concelebration of Mass, so that priests always celebrated Mass individually, larger churches have had one or more side chapels, each with its own altar. The main altar was also referred to as the high altar, and since the revival of concelebration in the West, the Roman Missal recommends that in new churches there should be only one altar, which in the gathering of the faithful will signify the one Christ and the one Eucharist of the Church. The rules regarding the present-day form of the Roman Rite liturgy declare a free-standing main altar to be desirable wherever possible, allowing the priest to celebrate Mass facing the people and making the altar the natural center of attention of the whole congregation. This shift from fixed to movable altars reflects a theological evolution from a sacrificial understanding to a communal meal, where the physical separation of the altar from the wall symbolizes the accessibility of the divine to the gathered faithful.
The Table Without The Sacrifice
A wide variety of altars exist in various Protestant denominations, with Calvinist churches from Reformed, Baptist, Congregational, and Non-denominational backgrounds instead having a Communion Table adorned with a linen cloth, as well as an open Bible and a pair of candlesticks. It is not referred to as an altar because they do not see Holy Communion as sacrificial in any way, and such a table may be temporary, moved into place only when there is a Communion Service. Some nondenominational churches have no altar or communion table, even if they retain the practice of the altar call that originated in the Methodist Church, whereby those who wish to make a new spiritual commitment to Jesus Christ are invited to come forward publicly. In Lutheran churches, altars are often similar to those in Roman Catholic and Anglican churches, commonly made out of granite, with a crucifix put above the altar and sometimes relics placed around it. The Anglican Communion varies widely, with the Book of Common Prayer using the term Lord's Table or Holy Table, and the use of candles or tabernacles was banned by canon law, with the only appointed adornment being a white linen cloth.
The Throne And The Tomb
In an Eastern Orthodox or a Byzantine Rite Eastern Catholic church, the sanctuary includes both the area behind the iconostasis, and the soleas, and the ambo, and it is also called the bema. The altar itself in such a church may be referred to as either the Holy Table or the Throne, and it is normally free-standing, although in very small sanctuaries it might be flush against the back wall for reasons of space. They are typically about one meter high, and may be made of stone or more often, wood, and it has five legs: one at each corner plus a central pillar for holding the relics placed within it at its consecration. A plain linen covering is bound to the Holy Table with cords, this is never removed once the altar is consecrated, and is considered to be its baptismal garment, symbolizing the winding sheet which wrapped the body of Christ he was laid in the tomb. The Holy Table is the place for offering 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, and it is also where presiding clergy stand at any service, even when no Eucharist is being celebrated and no offering is made other than prayer.
The War And The Home
A war altar was a mobile altar on which Mass was celebrated before a battle, with the ultimate example being the carroccio of the medieval Italian city states, which was a four-wheeled mobile shrine pulled by oxen and sporting a flagpole and a bell. The carroccio also served as the army standard, and altar stones were used by army chaplains of the Latin Church in the period leading up to the 20th century, allowing for the celebration of Mass in the field. In Hinduism, altars generally contain pictures or statues of deities, with large, ornate altars found in Hindu temples, while smaller altars are found in homes and sometimes also in Hindu-run shops and restaurants. Home shrines can be as simple or as elaborate as the householder can afford, with large, ornate shrines purchased in India and countries with large Hindu minorities, like Malaysia and Singapore, and they are usually made of wood and have tiled floors for statues to be placed upon. In Shinto, altars are found in shrines, originating in ancient times, and are temporarily erected sacred spaces or altars used as a locus of worship, with a physical area demarcated with branches of green bamboo or sacred border ropes.
The High Places And The Fire
High places are elevated areas on which altars have been erected for worship in the belief that, as they were nearer heaven than the plains and valleys, they are more favourable places for prayer. High places were prevalent in almost all ancient cultures as centers of cultic worship, and in Israelite or Canaanite culture were open-air shrines, usually erected on an elevated site. Prior to the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites in the 13th century BCE, the high places served as shrines of the Canaanite fertility deities, the Baals and the Asherot, and in addition to an altar, matzevot, stone pillars representing the presence of the divine, were erected. The practice of worship on these spots became frequent among the Hebrews, though after the temple was built it was forbidden, and such worship was with difficulty abolished, though denounced time after time by the prophets as an affront to God. In Norse paganism, a basic altar, called a hörgr, was used for sacrifice, constructed of piled stones, possibly in a wood, and would be used in sacrifices and perhaps other ceremonies as well, with a possible use of the hörgr during a sacrifice to place upon it a bowl of the blood of an animal sacrificed to a Norse deity, then dipping a bundle of fir twigs into it and sprinkling the participants with the blood.