The hidden history of the Catholic Altar

The Catholic Altar is an element of great value; placed in the center between the two aisles at the back of the church, it attracts the faithful who are preparing to attend the liturgical celebration. Since its origin, the Altar is considered to be where the sacrifice or religious rite is performed.

This Catholic Altar is present in numerous religions, albeit with minor differences. The Catholic Altar was used to practice rites of purification or offering to one’s God. Today we want to tell you about the Catholic Altar’s story and its religious significance. Are you curious to know more? Keep reading!

The Holy Catholic Altar is the holiest part of a church, followed by the nave, the pronaos, and the porch. As in the Old Testament, the Jews had the Temple called the “Holy of Holies,” where only the priest was allowed to enter, so Christians now have the “Holy Altar,” where only the priests can enter. Thus, if there are the faithful in the pronaos and the nave, there are always the holy ministers in the Holy Altar.

The Holy Catholic Altar symbolizes the Last Supper table and the heavenly Throne on which Christ sat after His resurrection. This Holy Table is placed in the middle of the Holy Catholic Altar. And the Holy Table is often decorated with incense and spices. The Holy Table cannot be missing from any church. The Catholic Altar is the image of the tomb of the risen Christ.

In the middle of the Holy Altar is the Holy Mass, on which the Holy Liturgy is celebrated. That is the offering of the Sacrifice of the Saviour Jesus Christ. In addition to the Holy Mass, there are other places of honor on the Altar. Such as the Proscomidary, where the Holy Gifts are prepared. The Upper Chair represents the Throne of God; and the Deaconicon.

Since the origins of the Christian religion, the Catholic altar has always been present. It is said that when God showed Moses the model of the Dwelling, there were two altars : one for burnt offerings , placed in the center of the temple and dedicated to the sacrifice of animals, and the other for incense, placed in front of the “holy of holies”. Behind which the Ark of the Covenant was hidden. Both altars were built with acacia wood and were distinguished by the external cladding. The one for burnt offerings was coated in bronze, the one for incense was coated in pure gold.

The first Catholic altar was invented by Moses and Abraham, who were teached by God how to build it. Also, Abraam built a lot of altars, at Shechem, Beersheba, Mount Moriah, and at Bethel. Jacob errected a Catholic althar at Bethel. Moses at Horeb and Rephidim. Joshua erected another one on Mount Ebal and Saul at Michmash. And also, Elijah built the altar before Israel on Mount Carmel (1 Tim.18)

Both altars had horns on the four corners to symbolize the strength of God and which were bathed with blood for purification. In the construction of the altar, Moses, David and Solomon do nothing but follow the “plan of God”. In the book Revelation there is a passage that gives us a vision of the liturgy of heaven thanks to the testimony of John the Evangelist: “Then another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer. He was given many perfumes so that he would offer them together with the prayers of all the saints by burning them on the golden altar, placed in front of the throne.” (Apostles 8:3)

catholic altar

Representation of the Catholic Altars

The Holy Altar is the mystical symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven. Where – unseen – is the throne of the Most Holy Trinity, the Mother of God with all the Saints and angels together with the sanctified servants of the Church.

The Bible states that the Altar is the holiest place on earth, where God dwells unseen and where our Lord Jesus Christ sacrifices Himself daily during the Holy Mass.

The Scriptures asserts that the nave is the mystical image of the visible world of the faithful, that is, the struggling Church on earth, the altar is the image of Heaven, that is, the victorious Church above, made up of angels and all the saints, who pray for us and help us to overcome the temptations of the devil and to obtain the salvation of the soul.

As the earliest church writings and documents testify, and as has been customary since the beginnings of Christianity, Christian Cahtolic churches, which were meant to suggest the presence of God as well as closeness to Him and connection with Him during the divine service, are usually built on higher ground and with the altar facing east. Their high placement is a symbol of the spiritual church, the ‘city that stands on the mountain’. To which the people will go, as the prophet Malachi or the Saviour Christ himself says.

Churches have altars because the Catholic altar represents the symbol and icon of the holy city. The heavenly Jerusalem which is coming down to us. Just as the teaching of the Church must dominate the souls of the faithful, so must the place of worship dominate the place. And also the surroundings in which it is built with its location and height.

The Catholic Church is keen to keep its places of worship oriented to the east. Without thereby being an obsolete church, but only a guardian of the truth. Consequently, it is not the previous location of the surrounding buildings that should determine the orientation of the church. But the rule established from the beginning. The church must also be a means of orientation for people in terms of its location.

The word “altar” is Hebrew for “altar” (Jn 27:1) and in Greek it means “place of sacrifice”. In Latin, the word altar is derived from “altus”, which means “high platform”. Therefore, since ancient times, the altar has been a high place or consecrated stone (in Latin ‘ara’), which was used for the celebration of religious rituals addressed to the divinity, such as offerings and sacrifices.

According to biblical sources, the power of an altar is to enable believers to take part in the Last Supper and to allow them to give thanks to God and then be blessed.

In early Christianity, the Altar was not separated from the rest of the Church. It was considered the place where the priests made the Sacrifice in the Tabernacle of David, and in the New Testament, the place where the priests made the Holy Eucharist/Sacrifice of the Saviour, so it is the place of service. Later came the Catapetasma which separated the Holy Altar from the rest of the church. Through the piety of the faithful it was adorned with icons over time. It should be noted that in the Western church there is no altar.

Primary Takeaways

In ancient Israel, the Catholic altar was placed in the center of the temple. And it is used to sacrifice animals and celebrate the worship of God. The procedure was rather bloody and we spare ourselves to tell you about it here. But the thing that is important to know is that the Catholic altar was the place where the sacrifices were born.
There is an event that is connected to the story of the Catholic altar and it is that of the expulsion of the sellers from the temple in Jerusalem. On this occasion Jesus says: “destroy this temple and in three days I will rebuild a new one”. In this prophecy we speak of “rebuilding”. And after His resurrection the disciples understood that the meaning of these words was much broader. The temple Jesus refers to is his body.
It also speaks of three days, a clear reference to the Resurrection. But also to the birth of the new cult, linked to the three moments linked to the salvific event: the Supper, the Cross and the Resurrection. Jesus refers to the Eucharist comparing it to a fraternal supper with a strong spiritual meaningand depriving the Catholic altar of its sacrificial meaning aimed at redemption. And this is why we can speak of the Catholic altar as the “Table” that recalls the Last Supper.

Conclusion

To understand the history of the Catholic altar we must begin to understand the meaning of its name. The term altar is composed of the participle of the Latin verb alere or to feed and the noun ara. Which in turn derives from the verb arere or to burn. For this reason, initially the Catholic altar was made of stone. And a fire-resistant material and therefore more suitable to represent the meaning of the altar itself. Indeed, a Christian key is the idea of fire that descends from heaven is part of the cult of the Trinitarian. It is the Holy Spirit who descends from heaven who burns the bread and wine to communicate that the presence of Christ is alive.

Starting from the 4th century, the Christian Catholic altar was made of stone and built inside the basilicas . The Catholic altar is Christ and for this reason it is kissed, incense, honored as the stable symbol of the One who gave himself for us. So, from this moment on, a solemn rite of dedication began to be built, consecration of the altar. Based mainly on anointing with sacred chrism. Between the 4th and 6th centuries, the great Christian churches began to be identified. While the temples were converted into churches and the Tables into altars. Therefore, the custom of building the Catholic altar in wood with the addition of a sacred stone continues to be widespread.

Quizlet about the Holy Catholic Altar

[ays_quiz id=”123″]

What does the Catholic altar symbolize?

You Might Also Like

Saint Patrick. Who Was St. Patrick?

Maundy Thursday. What Does Maundy Thursday Mean and Why Celebrate it?

Leah in the Bible. Why is Leah important in the Bible?