altar
Sign in to savethumb|Altar in Roskilde Cathedral|Roskilde Lutheran Cathedral beneath a carved [[reredos]] An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and modern paganism. Many historical-medieval faiths also made use of them, including the Roman, Greek, and Norse religions.
AI overview
An altar is a table or platform used in religious settings for making offerings, performing sacrifices, or conducting rituals. Altars are central features in many world religions including Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and modern paganism, as well as in historical faiths like those of ancient Rome, Greece, and Norse cultures.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
35 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Altars in antiquity
- Judaism
- Christianity
- In Western Christian churches
- Catholic Church
- Protestant churches
- Lutheran churches
- Anglican churches
- Eastern Christian Rites
- Syro-Maronite Church
- Oriental Rites
- Armenian Rite
- Alexandrian Rite
- Ethiopic Rite
- West Syriac Rite
- East Syriac
- [[Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church|Indian Orthodox]]
- War altar
- Hinduism
- Taoism
- Buddhism
- Shinto
- Norse paganism
- Asatru
- Neopaganism
- Wicca
- Neo-Druidism
- High places
- See also
- Footnotes
- References
- Sources
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|Altar in Roskilde Cathedral|Roskilde Lutheran Cathedral beneath a carved [[reredos]] An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and modern paganism. Many historical-medieval faiths also made use of them, including the Roman, Greek, and Norse religions.
==Etymology== The modern English word altar was derived from Middle English altar, from Old English alter, taken from Latin altare ("altar"), probably related to adolere ("burn"); thus "burning place", influenced by altus ("high"). It displaced the native Old English word wēofod.