ST. AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY OKC
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • What We Believe
    • The Episcopal Church
    • History
    • How We Worship
    • Community Life
    • Leadership and Governance >
      • Governance Structure
      • Clergy & Staff
      • Vestry
  • Worship
    • Bulletins
    • Service Times
    • What to Expect
    • Liturgical Practices Explained
  • Get Involved
    • Newcomers and Visitors
    • "Belonging" Classes
    • Volunteer Opportunities
  • Donate
  • Volunteer Ministries
    • Community Outreach
    • Christian Education
    • Worship Assistants
    • Small Groups
    • Internal Service Volunteers
  • Announcements
    • COVID-19
    • Announcements
    • Upcoming Events
    • Events Calendar
  • Canterbury Canticle
  • Photos

CANTERBURY CANTICLE

FREE STANDING ALTARS - THE LORD'S TABLE

6/5/2020

0 Comments

 
During the time of Christian persecution, Eucharist was celebrated on the top of a saint’s stone coffin.  Following Constantine’s legalization of Christianity, churches were built with free-standing altars in the middle of the sanctuary towards the west end of the church replicating the orientation of Jerusalem’s Temple.  The Celebrant faced east towards the entrance and the people.  After about the six century, the contrary orientation prevailed with the entrance at the west end and the altar at the east end.  In the middle ages, altars began to be permanently placed against the east wall, and with this orientation, the priest stood with his back towards the congregation.  Despite this architectural innovation, most rubrics envisaged the altar as free-standing so that the officiating Bishop could “circle the altar” during a church’s consecration.  Catholic rubrics declare a free-standing main altar to be “desirable wherever possible”.  The Book of Common Prayer originally assumed a fixed altar, but more recent language does not assume any particular orientation.  Curiously, the Anglican Book of Common Prayer does not mention the word “altar”, but instead “the Lord’s Table” is substituted to avoid any hint of Catholic transubstantiation at an altar.  

~Dr. Gil Haas

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Authors

    Various Clergy and members of St. Augustine contribute to authoring the blog on a variety of topics. 

    Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church - 14700 North May Ave - Oklahoma City, OK  73134 -  (405) 751-7874

GIVE
Contact Us
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • What We Believe
    • The Episcopal Church
    • History
    • How We Worship
    • Community Life
    • Leadership and Governance >
      • Governance Structure
      • Clergy & Staff
      • Vestry
  • Worship
    • Bulletins
    • Service Times
    • What to Expect
    • Liturgical Practices Explained
  • Get Involved
    • Newcomers and Visitors
    • "Belonging" Classes
    • Volunteer Opportunities
  • Donate
  • Volunteer Ministries
    • Community Outreach
    • Christian Education
    • Worship Assistants
    • Small Groups
    • Internal Service Volunteers
  • Announcements
    • COVID-19
    • Announcements
    • Upcoming Events
    • Events Calendar
  • Canterbury Canticle
  • Photos