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Oct 11, 2022 · A church altar is used for kneeled prayers, communion, weddings, and other sacred rituals. Historically, the altar is a structure where people make offerings to a god (such as an animal, or even a person, in some cultures). The Hebrew word for altar is mizbeah, which means “to slaughter.”
The altar in the Catholic Church is used for celebrating the Sacrifice of the Mass. [1] The altar, typically centrally located in the sanctuary, is to be the focus of attention in the church. [2] At the beginning of the Roman Rite of Mass, the priest first of all reverences the altar with a kiss and only after that goes to the chair at which he ...
altar, Raised structure or place used for sacrifice, worship, or prayer. Altars probably originated with the belief that objects or places (e.g., a tree or spring) were inhabited by spirits or deities worthy of prayers or gifts. Sacrifice to deities required a structure on which the victim could be killed and blood channeled off or flesh burned.
Add to word list Add to word list. a structure with a flat top, often shaped like a table, that is used in some religious ceremonies, for example as a place to put important religious objects: The ancient Egyptians erected altars to Isis. The chapel contains a splendid early Baroque altar.
Sep 29, 2022 · When St. Paul speaks of the “table of the Lord” in 1 Corinthians 10:21, he refers more to the Eucharist than to the place where it is celebrated. But the words “we have an altar ” in Hebrews 13:10 may well be the earliest reference to a distinctive Christian Eucharistic altar. Altar and Holy Table.
Description. This article is intended as a general guide in the history, development, and meaning of that which stands symbolically at the center of Christian worship, the altar. Larger Work. The...
The Christian altar consists of an elevated surface, tabular in form, on which the sacrifice of the Mass is offered. The earliest Scripture reference to the altar is in St. Paul (I Cor. x, 21); the Apostle contrasts the "table of the Lord" (trapeza Kyriou) on which the Eucharist is offered, with the "table of devils", or pagan altars.
