Difference between revisions of "Altar"

<p> The first of which we have mention was built by Noah after leaving the ark (&nbsp;Genesis 8:20). The English (from the Latin) means an elevation or high place: not the site, but the erections on them which could be built or removed (&nbsp;1 Kings 12:7; &nbsp;2 Kings 23:15). So the Greek bomos , and [[Hebrew]] bamath . But the proper Hebrew name mizbeach is "the sacrificing place;" [[Septuagint]] thusiasterion. Spots hallowed by divine revelations or appearances were originally the sites of altars (&nbsp;Genesis 12:7; &nbsp;Genesis 13:18; &nbsp;Genesis 26:25; &nbsp;Genesis 35:1). Mostly for sacrificing; sometimes only as a memorial, as that named by [[Moses]] [[Jehovah]] Nissi, the pledge that Jehovah would war against [[Amalek]] to all generations (&nbsp;Exodus 17:15-16), and that built by Reuben, Gad, and half Manasseh, "not for burnt offering, nor sacrifice, but as a witness" (&nbsp;Joshua 22:26-27). </p> <p> Altars were to be made only of earth or else unhewn stone, on which no iron tool was used, and without steps up to them (&nbsp;Exodus 20:24-26). Steps toward the E. on the contrary are introduced in the temple yet future (&nbsp;Ezekiel 43:17), marking its distinctness from any past temple. No pomp or ornament was allowed; all was to be plain and simple; for it was the meeting place between God and the sinner, and therefore a place of shedding of blood without which there is no remission (&nbsp;Leviticus 17:11; &nbsp;Hebrews 9:22), a place of fellowship with God for us only through death. The mother dust of earth, or its stones in their native state as from the hand of God, were the suitable material. The art of sinful beings would mar, rather than aid, the consecration of the common meeting ground. The earth made for man's nourishment, but now the witness of his sin and drinker in of his forfeited life, was the most suitable (see Fairbairn, Typology). The altar was at "the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation" (&nbsp;Exodus 40:29). </p> <p> In the tabernacle the altar of burnt offering was made of shittim (acacia) boards overlaid with brass, terming a square of five cubits, or eight feet. three cubits high or five feet, the hollow within being probably filled with earth or stones. A ledge (Hebrew karkob ) projected on the side for the priest to stand on, to which a slope of earth gradually led up on the S. side, and outside the ledge was a network of brass. At the grainers were four horn shaped projections. to which the victim was bound (&nbsp;Psalms 118:27), and which were touched with blood in consecrating priests (&nbsp;Exodus 29:12), and in the sin offering (&nbsp;Leviticus 4:7). The horn symbolizes might. The culmination's of the altar, being hornlike, imply the mighty salvation and security which Jehovah engages to the believing worshippers approaching Him in His own appointed way. Hence it was the asylum or place of refuge (&nbsp;1 Kings 1:50; &nbsp;Exodus 21:14). </p> <p> So the Antitype, Christ (&nbsp;Isaiah 27:5; &nbsp;Isaiah 25:4). To grasp the altar horns in faith was to lay hold of Jehovah's strength. In Solomon's temple the altar square was entirely of brass, and was 20 cubits, or from 30 to 35 feet, and the height 10 cubits. In &nbsp;Malachi 1:7; &nbsp;Malachi 1:12, it is called "the table of the Lord." In Herod's temple the altar was 50 cubits long, and 50 broad, and 15 high; a pipe from the S.W. grainer conveyed away the blood to the brook Kedron. Except in emergencies (as &nbsp;Judges 6:24; &nbsp;1 Samuel 7:9-10; &nbsp;2 Samuel 24:18; &nbsp;2 Samuel 24:25; &nbsp;1 Kings 8:64; &nbsp;1 Kings 18:31-32) only the one altar was sanctioned (&nbsp;Leviticus 17:8-9; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 12:13-14), to mark the unity and ubiquity of God, as contrasted with the many altars of the manifold idols and local deities of pagandom. Every true Israelite, wherever he might be, realized his share in the common daily sacrifices at the one altar in Zion, whence Jehovah ruled to the ends of the earth. </p> <p> Christ is the antitype, the one altar or meeting place between God and man, the one only atonement for sinners, the one sacrifice, and the one priest (&nbsp;Acts 4:12; &nbsp;Hebrews 13:10). Christ's Godhead, on which He offered His manhood, "sanctifieth the gift" (&nbsp;Matthew 23:19), and prevents the sacrifice being consumed by God's fiery judicial wrath against man's sin. To those [[Judaizers]] who object that [[Christians]] have no altar or sacrificial meats, Paul says, "we have" (the emphasis in Greek is on have; there is no we) emphatically, but it is a spiritual altar and sacrifice. So &nbsp;Hebrews 4:14-15; &nbsp;Hebrews 8:1; &nbsp;Hebrews 9:1; &nbsp;Hebrews 10:1; &nbsp;Hebrews 10:19-21. The interpretation which makes "altar" the Lord's table is opposed to the scope of the [[Epistle]] to the Heb., which contrasts the outward sanctuary with the unseen spiritual sanctuary. </p> <p> Romanisers fall under the condemnation of &nbsp;Hosea 8:11. The Epistle to the Hebrew reasons, servile adherents to visible altar meats are excluded from our [[Christian]] spiritual altar and meats: "For He, the true Altar, from whom we derive spiritual meats, realized the sin offering type" (of which none of the meat was eaten, but all was burnt: &nbsp;Leviticus 6:30) "by suffering without the gate: teaching that we must go forth after Him from the [[Jewish]] high priest's camp of legal ceremonialism and meats, which stood only until the gospel times of reformation" (&nbsp;Hebrews 9:10-11). The temple and holy city were the Jewish people's camp in their solemn feasts. </p> <p> The brass utensils for the altar (&nbsp;Exodus 27:3) were pans, to receive the ashes and fat; shovels, for removing the ashes; basins, for the blood; flesh hooks, with three prongs, to take flesh out of the cauldron (&nbsp;1 Samuel 2:13-14); firepans, or censers, for taking coals off the altar, or for burning incense (&nbsp;Leviticus 16:12; &nbsp;Numbers 16:6-7; &nbsp;Exodus 25:38); the same Hebrew maktoth means snuff dishes, as "tongs" means snuffers for the candlesticks. Asa "renewed" the altar, i.e. reconsecrated it, after it had been polluted by idolatries (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 20:8). (See AHAZ (see) removed it to the N. side of the new altar which [[Urijah]] the priest had made after the pattern which [[Ahaz]] had seen at [[Damascus]] (&nbsp;2 Kings 16:14). [[Hezekiah]] had it "cleansed" (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 29:12-18) of all the uncleanness brought into it in Ahaz' reign. Manasseh, on his repentance, repaired it (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 33:16). Rabbis pretended it stood on the spot where man was created. In Zerubbabel's temple the altar was built before the temple foundations were laid (&nbsp;Ezra 3:2). </p> <p> After its desecration by [[Antiochus]] Epiphanes, [[Judas]] Maccabaeus built a new altar of unhewn stones. A perpetual fire kept on it symbolized the perpetuity of Jehovah's religion; for, sacrifice being the center of the Old [[Testament]] worship, to extinguish it would have been to extinguish the religion. The perpetual fire of the [[Persian]] religion was different, for this was not sacrificial, but a symbol of God, or of the notion that, fire was a primary element. The original fire of the tabernacle "came out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat" (&nbsp;Leviticus 9:24). The rabbis say, It couched upon the altar like a lion, bright as the sun, the flame solid and pure, consuming things wet and dry alike, without smoke. The divine fire on the altar; the shekinah cloud, representing the divine habitation with them, which was given to the king and the high priest with the oil of unction; the spirit of prophecy; the Urim and [[Thummim]] whereby the high priest miraculously learned God's will; and the ark of the covenant, whence God gave His answers in a clear voice, were the five things of the old temple wanting in the second temple. </p> <p> Heated stones (Hebrew) were laid upon the altar, by which the incense was kindled (&nbsp;Isaiah 6:6). The golden altar of incense (distinguished from the brazen altar of burnt offering), of acacia wood (in Solomon's temple cedar) underneath, two cubits high, one square. Once a year, on the great day of atonement, the high priest sprinkled upon its horns the blood of the sin offering (&nbsp;Exodus 30:6-10; &nbsp;Leviticus 16:18-19). [[Morning]] and evening incense was burnt on it with fire taken from the altar of burnt offering. It had a border round the top, and two golden rings at the sides for the staves to bear it with. It was "before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat;" between the candlestick and the shewbread table. In &nbsp;Hebrews 9:4, KJV, "censer," not "altar of incense," is right; for the latter was in the outer not the inner holy place. </p> <p> The inner, or holiest, place "had the golden censer" belonging to its yearly atonement service, not kept in it. The altar of incense also was close by the second veil, directly before the ark (&nbsp;1 Kings 6:22), "by (Hebrew belonging to) the oracle," i.e. holiest place. Jesus' death rent the veil, and has brought the antitypes to the candlestick, shewbread table, and altar of incense into the heavenly, holiest place. This altar alone appears there, namely, that of prayer and praise. Christ is the heavenly attar as well as the only intercession, through the incense of whose merits our prayers are accepted. "The souls under the altar" (&nbsp;Revelation 6:9) are shut up unto Him in joyful expectancy, until He come to raise the sleeping bodies (&nbsp;Revelation 8:3-4). (See NADAB and (See ABIHU (see) were smitten for burning "strange fire" (i.e. fire not taken from the altar of burnt offering), thereby breaking the He between the incense altar and the sacrificial burnt offering altar. The incense daily offered symbolized prayer (&nbsp;Psalms 141:2; &nbsp;Luke 1:10). </p> <p> As the incense on the altar within drew its kindling from the fire of the sacrificial altar without, so believing prayer of the heart within, continually ascending to God, rests on one's having first once for all become sharer in the benefit of Christ's outward sacrificial atonement. Therefore the inner altar was ornate and golden, the outer altar bore marks of humiliation and death. Nowhere is an altar in the sacrificial sense in the Christian church recognized in the New Testament The words "we have an altar" (&nbsp;Hebrews 13:10; note that it is not altars, such as apostate churches erect in their worship), so far from sanctioning a Christian altar on earth, oppose the idea; for Christ Himself is our altar of which we spiritually eat, and of which they who Judaize, by serving the tabernacle and resting on meats and ordinances, "have no right to eat." Our sacrifices are spiritual, not the dead letter; compare &nbsp;Hebrews 13:9; &nbsp;Hebrews 13:15-16. </p> <p> The "altar to an unknown God" mentioned by Paul (&nbsp;Acts 17:22) was erected in time of a plague at Athens, when they knew not what god to worship for removing it. [[Epimenides]] caused black, and white sheep to be let loose from the Areopagus, and wherever they lay down to be offered to the appropriate deity. [[Diogenes]] Laertius, Pausanias, and Philostratus, pagan writers, confirm the accuracy of [[Scripture]] by mentioning several altars at [[Athens]] to the unknown or unnamed deity. "Superstitious" is too severe a word for the Greek; Paul's object was to conciliate, and he tells the Athenians: Ye are "rather religious," or "more given to religion" than is common, "rather given to veneration." In &nbsp;Ezekiel 43:15 "altar" is lit. harel , "mount of God," denoting the high security which it will afford to restored Israel; a high place indeed, but the high place of God, not of idols. </p>

<p> In the NT, as in the Septuagint, the usual term for ‘altar’ is θυσιαστήριον-a word otherwise confined to Philo, Josephus, and ecclesiastical writers-while βωμός, as contrasted with a Jewish place of sacrifice, is a heathen altar. The most striking example of the antithesis is found in &nbsp;1 [[Maccabees]] 1:54-59. Antiochus [[Epiphanes]] erected a small altar to Jupiter-‘the abomination of desolation’ (&nbsp;1 Maccabees 1:54)-upon the θυσιαστήριον of the temple, and ‘on the twenty-fifth day of the month they sacrificed upon the idol-altar (βωμός) which was upon the altar of God (θυσιαστήριον).’ The NT contains only a single distinct reference to a pagan altar-the βωμός which St. Paul observed in [[Athena]] bearing the inscription Ἀγνώστῳ Θεῷ (&nbsp;Acts 17:23). </p> <p> <b> 1. </b> The altar on which sacrifices were presented to God was indispensable to OT religion. Alike in the simple cultus of patriarchal times and the elaborate ritual of fully developed Judaism, its position was central. The altar was the place of meeting between God and man, and the ritual of blood-the supposed seat of life-was the essence of the offering. Whatever details might be added, the rite of sprinkling or dashing the blood against the altar, or allowing it to flow on the ground at its base, could never be omitted. The Levitical cultus was continued in [[Jerusalem]] till the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in a.d. 70, and the attitude and practice of the early Jewish-Christian Church in reference to it form an interesting and difficult problem. It has been generally assumed that, when our Lord instituted the New [[Covenant]] in His own blood (&nbsp;Mark 14:24, &nbsp;Luke 22:20), He implicitly abrogated the Levitical law, and that, when His sacrifice was completed, the disciples must at once have perceived that it made every altar obsolete. But there is not wanting evidence that enlightenment came slowly; that the practice of the Jewish-Christian Church was not altered suddenly, but gradually and with not a little misgiving. Hort observes that ‘respecting the continued adherence to Jewish observances, nothing is said which implies either its presence or its absence’ ( <i> Judaistic [[Christianity]] </i> , 42). But there are many clear indications that the first Christians remained Jews-McGiffert ( <i> Apostol. [[Age]] </i> , 65) even suggests that they were ‘more devout and earnest Jews than they had ever been’-continuing to worship God at the altar in the Temple like all their countrymen. ‘They had no desire to be renegades, nor was it possible to regard them as such. Even if they did not maintain and observe the whole cultus, yet this did not endanger their allegiance.… The Christians did not lay themselves open to the charge of violating the law’ (Weizsäcker, <i> Apostol. Age </i> , i. 46), They went up to the Temple at the hour of prayer (&nbsp;Acts 3:1), which was the hour of sacrifice; they took upon themselves vows, and offered sacrifices for release (&nbsp;Acts 21:20-21); and even St. Paul, the champion of spiritual freedom, brought sacrifices (προσφοράς) to lay on the altar in the Holy City (&nbsp;Acts 24:17). The inference that the New Covenant left no place for any altar or [[Mosaic]] sacrifice is first explicitly drawn by the writer of Hebrews (see Temple). </p> <p> <b> 2. </b> Apart from a passing allusion to the altars which were thrown down in Elijah’s time (&nbsp;Romans 11:3), St. Paul makes two uses of the θυσιαστήριον in the Temple. (1) In vindicating the right of ministers of the gospel to live at the charge of the Christian community, he instances the well-known Levitical practice: ‘those who wait upon the altar have their portion with (συμμερίζονται) the altar’ (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 9:13), part of the offering being burnt in the altar fire, and part reserved for the priests, to whom the law gives the privilege ‘altaris esse socios in dividenda victima’ (Beza). Schmiedel ( <i> in loc. </i> ) thinks that the reference may be to priests who serve ‘am Tempel der Heiden wie der Juden,’ but probably for St. Paul the only θυσιαστήριον was the altar on which sacrifice was offered to the God of Israel. (2) In arguing against the possibility of partaking of the [[Eucharist]] and joining in idolatrous festivals, St. Paul appeals to the ethical significance of sacrifice, regarded not as an atonement but as a sacred meal between God and man. The altar being His table and the sacrifice His feast, the hospitality of table-communion is the pledge of friendship between Him and His worshippers. All who join in the sacrifice are partakers with the altar (κοινωνοὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου), one might almost say commensals with God. ‘According to antique ideas, those who eat and drink together are by the very act tied to one another by a bond of friendship and mutual obligation’ (W. R. Smith, <i> Rel. [[Sem]] </i> .2, 247). How revolting it is, then, to pass from the altar of God or, by parity of reasoning, from the τρὰπεζα τοῦ Κυρίου, to the orgies of pagan gods, the τρὰπεζα δαιμονίων. </p> <p> <b> 3. </b> The writer of Hebrews refers to the old Jewish altar and to a new Christian one. (1) [[Reasoning]] somewhat in the manner of Philo, he notes the emergence of a mysterious priest from a tribe which has given none of its sons to minister at the altar, and on this circumstance bases an ingenious argument for the imperfection of the Levitical priesthood, and so of the whole Mosaic system (&nbsp;Hebrews 7:13). (2) Against those Christians who occupy themselves with (sacrificial) meats the writer says: ‘We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat who serve the tabernacle’ (&nbsp;Hebrews 13:10). Few sentences have given rise to so much misunderstanding, ‘Ἔχομεν can only denote Christians, and what is said of them must be allegorically intended, for they have no τῇ σκηνῇ λατρεύοντες, and no θυσιαστήριον in the proper sense of the word’ (von Soden). The point which the writer seeks to make is that in connexion with the great Christian sacrifice there is nothing corresponding to the feasts of ordinary Jewish (or of heathen) sacrifices. Its τύπος is the sacrifice of the Day of Atonement, no part of which was eaten by priest or worshipper, the mind alone receiving the benefit of the offering. So we Christians serve an altar from which we obtain a purely spiritual advantage. Whether the writer actually visualized the Cross of Christ as the altar at which all His followers minister, like λειτουργοί in the Tabernacle,-as many have supposed-is doubtful. Figurative language must not be unduly pressed, </p> <p> The writer of Rev., whose heaven is a replica of the earthly Temple and its solemn ritual, sees underneath the altar the souls of martyrs-the blood poured out as an oblation (cf. &nbsp;Philippians 2:17, &nbsp;2 Timothy 4:6) representing the life or ψυχή-and hears them crying, like the blood of Abel, for vengeance (&nbsp;Revelation 6:9-10; cf. <i> En. </i> 22.5). In &nbsp;Revelation 8:3 and &nbsp;Revelation 9:13 the θυσιαστήριον is not the altar of burnt-offering but that of incense (see Incense). In &nbsp;Revelation 14:18 the prophet sees an angel come out from the altar, the spirit or genius of fire, an Iranian conception; and in &nbsp;Revelation 16:7 he personifies the altar itself and makes it proclaim the truth and justice of God. </p> <p> Literature.-I. Benzinger, <i> Heb. Arch. </i> , Freiburg, 1894, p. 378f.; W. Nowack, <i> Heb. Arch. </i> , Freiburg, 1894, ii. 17f.; A. Edersheim, <i> The Temple, its [[Ministry]] and [[Services]] </i> , London, 1874; Schürer, <i> History of the Jewish People (Eng. tr. of GJV).] </i> , ii. i. 207f.; W. R. Smith, <i> Rel. Sem </i> .2, London, 1894; J. Wellhausen, <i> Reste arab. Heidenthums </i> , Berlin, 1887, p. 101f.; A. C. McGiffert, <i> Apostol. Age </i> , Edinb. 1897, p. 36f.; C. v. Weizsäcker, <i> Apostol. Age </i> , 2 vols., London, 1894-95, i. 43ff. </p> <p> James Strahan. </p>

<p> <strong> ALTAR </strong> . <strong> 1 </strong> . The original purpose of an altar was to serve as a means by which the blood of an animal offered in sacrifice might be brought into contact with, or otherwise transferred to, the deity of the worshipper. For this purpose in the earliest period a single stone sufficed. [[Either]] the blood was poured over this stone, which was regarded as the temporary abode of the deity, or the stone was anointed with part, and the rest poured out at its base. The introduction of fire to consume the flesh in whole or in part belongs to a later stage in the history of sacrifice (wh. see). But even when this stage had long been reached, necessity might compel a temporary reversion to the earlier <em> modus operandi </em> , as we learn from Saul’s procedure in &nbsp; 1 Samuel 14:33 f. From the altar of a single ‘great stone’ (&nbsp; 1 Samuel 6:14 ) the transition was easy to an altar built of unhewn stones (&nbsp; Exodus 20:25 , &nbsp; Deuteronomy 27:5 f. RV [Note: Revised Version.] ), which continued to he the normal type of Hebrew altar to the end (see 1Ma 4:41; Jos. [Note: Josephus.] <em> BJ </em> V. v. 6). </p> <p> <strong> 2 </strong> . Another type of pre-historic altar, to which much less attention has been paid, had its origin in the primitive conception of sacrifice as the food of the gods. As such it was appropriately presented on a table. Now the nearest analogy to the disc of leather spread on the ground, which was and is the table of the Semitic nomad, was the smooth face of the native rock, such as that on which [[Manoah]] spread his offering (&nbsp; Judges 13:19 f., cf. &nbsp; Judges 6:20 f.). The well-known rock-surfaces, in [[Palestine]] and elsewhere, with their mysterious cup-marks typical specimens are illustrated <em> PEFSt </em> <em> [Note: Quarterly Statement of the same.] </em> , 1900, 32 ff., 249 to receive the sacrificial blood, can scarcely be other than pre-historic table-altars. The similarly marked table-stones of Syrian dolmens also belong here. A further stage in the evolution of the table altar is seen in the elaborate structures recently discovered within the West-Semitic area. In these the rock is cut away so as to leave the altar standing free, to which rock-cut steps lead up, an arrangement forbidden, from motives of decency, by the earliest legislation (&nbsp; Exodus 20:26 , with which cf. &nbsp; Exodus 28:42 f. and parall. from a later date). The uppermost step served as a platform for the officiating priest. Some show cup-hollows for libations of blood (see illust. in Moore’s ‘Judges’ in <em> SBOT </em> <em> [Note: BOT Sacred Books of Old Testament.] </em> p. 83), while that first discovered at [[Petra]] has a depression for the altar-hearth ( <em> PEFSt </em> <em> [Note: Quarterly Statement of the same.] </em> , 1900, 350 ff. with sketch; see also Ariel). Its dimensions are 9 ft. by 6, with a height above the platform of 3 ft. The altars of the more important sanctuaries under the Hebrew monarchy, such as Bethel, were probably of a similar nature. A description of ‘the altar of burnt-offering’ of the [[Tabernacle]] will be given under Tabernacle; for the corresponding altars of the Temple of Solomon and its successors, and of Ezekiel’s sketch, see Temple. </p> <p> <strong> 3 </strong> . A third variety of primitive altar is the mound of earth (&nbsp; Exodus 20:24 ), a copy in miniature of the hill-tops which were at all times favourite places of worship (see High Place). </p> <p> <strong> 4 </strong> . All the types of altar above described were intended for the ordinary open-air sacrificial service, details of which will be found under Sacrifice. There is no clear reference earlier than Jeremiah to the use of incense, and no reference at all to any altar of incense in the legitimate worship before the Exile, for &nbsp; 1 Kings 7:48 in its present form is admittedly late, and the altar of &nbsp; 1 Kings 6:20 must be the table of shewbread (see Temple, Shewbread). </p> <p> <strong> 5 </strong> . From what has already been said, it is evident that an altar was the indispensable requisite of every place of worship. It was not until the 7th cent. b.c. that [[Josiah]] succeeded in abolishing ‘the high places’ and destroying or desecrating their altars (&nbsp; 2 Kings 23:5 ff.), in accordance with the fundamental demand of the Deuteronomic law-code (&nbsp; Deuteronomy 12:1 ff.). In the older historical and prophetical writings, however, and even in the earliest legislation (see &nbsp; Exodus 20:24 RV [Note: Revised Version.] ), the legitimacy of the local altars is never called in question. On the contrary, religious leaders such as Samuel and [[Elijah]] show their zeal for the worship of J″ [Note: Jahweh.] by the erection and repair of altars. </p> <p> <strong> 6 </strong> . As altars to which a special interest attaches may be mentioned that erected by David on the threshing floor of [[Araunah]] (&nbsp; 2 Samuel 24:18 ff.), the site of which is marked by the present mosque of ‘the [[Dome]] of the Rock’; the altar erected by Ahaz after the model of one seen by him at Damascus (&nbsp; 2 Kings 16:10 ff.); the sacrificial and incense altars to the host of heaven in the courts and probably even on the roof of the Temple (&nbsp; 2 Kings 23:12 , &nbsp; Jeremiah 19:13 ); and finally, the altar to Olympian [[Zeus]] placed by Antiochus Epiphanes on the top of the altar of burnt-offering ( 1Ma 1:54 ). </p> <p> <strong> 7 </strong> . Reference must also be made to altars as places of refuge for certain classes of criminals, attested both by legislation (&nbsp; Exodus 21:13 f.) and history ( 1Ki 1:51; &nbsp; 1 Kings 2:28; see more fully, [[Refuge]] [Cities of]). The origin and precise significance of the <strong> horns of the altar </strong> , of which the refugee laid hold (1Kings <em> ll </em> . <em> cc </em> .), and which played an important part in the ritual (&nbsp; Exodus 29:12 , &nbsp; Leviticus 4:7 ff.), have not yet received a satisfactory explanation. A small limestone altar, showing the horns in the form of rounded knobs at the four corners, has just been discovered at [[Gezer]] ( <em> PEFSt </em> <em> [Note: Quarterly Statement of the same.] </em> , 1907, p. 196, with illust.). </p> <p> A. R. S. Kennedy. </p>

<p> Structure on which offerings are made to a deity. The Hebrew word for altar is <i> mizbeah </i> [מִזְבֵּחַ], from a verbal root meaning "to slaughter." Greek renders this word as <i> thusiasterion </i> [Θυσιαστήριον], "a place of sacrifice." In the developed temple ritual, the same word is used for both the altar of holocausts and the altar of incense. Thus, an altar is a place where sacrifice is offered, even if it is not an event involving slaughter. </p> <p> Altars could be natural objects or man-made constructs. Four materials are recorded as being used in altars: stone, earth, metal, and brick. [[Archaeology]] has provided numerous examples of altars from Palestine dating back to approximately 3000 b.c. Natural rocks were also used (&nbsp;Judges 6:20 ). An altar could stand alone, or it was located in the courtyard of a shrine. </p> <p> Their Jerusalem temple had two altars: the altar of incense and the altar of holocausts. The altar of incense was placed inside the sanctuary in front of the curtain screening the Holy of Holies. It was made of gold-covered wood. It stood upright and measured 1 x 1 x 2 cubits. Archaeological data indicate that all four corners of the upper surface were slightly peaked. Twice a day, incense was burned on the altar. </p> <p> The altar of holocausts stood in the courtyard of the temple. Like the other objects in the courtyard, the altar was made of bronze. It measured 20 x 20 x 10 cubits (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 4 ). Ahaz replaced this altar with one modeled on an alter he had seen in Damascus (&nbsp;2 Kings 16 ). He moved the old altar, using it for divination. In Ezekiel's vision the courtyard altar also was horned (&nbsp;Ezekiel 43:15 ). </p> <p> Altars were places where the divine and human worlds interacted. Altars were places of exchange, communication, and influence. God responded actively to altar activity. The contest between Elijah and the prophets of [[Baal]] involving an altar demonstrated interaction between Yahweh and Baal. Noah built an altar and offered a sacrifice to Yahweh. God smelled the aroma and found it pleasing. He responded to Noah's action by declaring that he would never again destroy all living things through a flood. In the patriarchal period, altars were markers of place, commemorating an encounter with God (&nbsp;Genesis 12:7 ), or physical signs of habitation. [[Abraham]] built an altar where he pitched his tent between [[Bethel]] and Ai. Presumably at that altar he "called on the name of the Lord" (&nbsp;Genesis 12:8 ). Interestingly, we are not told if there was a response. In the next passage, however, Abraham went to [[Egypt]] and fell into sin, lying about [[Sarah]] out of fear of Pharaoh. Perhaps there was no true communication at the altar between Bethel and Ai. </p> <p> Sacrifices were the primary medium of exchange in altar interactions. The priestly code of Leviticus devotes a great deal of space to proper sacrificial procedure, and to what sacrifices are appropriate in various circumstances. [[Sacrifice]] was the essential act of external worship. Unlike the divinities of the nations surrounding ancient Israel, Yahweh did not need sacrifices to survive. The Israelites, however, needed to perform the act of sacrifice in order to survive (&nbsp;Exodus 30:21 ). The act of sacrifice moved the offering from the profane to the sacred, from the visible to the invisible world. By this action the worshiper sealed a contract with God. Blood, believed to contain the "life" of an animal (or a human being), was particularly important in the sacrificial ritual. It was sprinkled against the altar (&nbsp;Leviticus 1 ); once a year, blood was smeared on the horns of the incense altar. </p> <p> The horns of the altar may have functioned as boundary markers, setting apart the sacred space that was the actual place of intersection of the divine and human spheres. In the stark and moving story of Abraham's encounter with God at Moriah, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it (&nbsp;Genesis 22:9 ). After Isaac was laid on the altar, but <i> before </i> he was sacrificed, God proclaimed his recognition that Isaac had "not [been] withheld." By placing Isaac on the altar, Abraham transferred him from the profane to the sacred. </p> <p> This sacred altar and its horns, where the atoning blood was splashed, provided a place of sanctuary. The altar was a place where an unintentional murderer could gain a haven (&nbsp;Exodus 21:13-14 ). If the murder was premeditated, however, then the altar was clearly profaned by the murderer's presence and the individual could be taken away and killed. [[Joab]] was denied the sanctuary of the horns because he had conspired to kill [[Amasa]] and Abner. In an oracle against [[Israel]] (&nbsp;Amos 3:14 ), God declared that "the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground." The message is clear: There will be no place to intercede with God, and no place to claim his sanctuary. </p> <p> After the exile, the first thing to be rebuilt was the altar. Then the temple was reconstructed. The temple was ultimately secondary to the altar. In chastising the religious establishment, Jesus underlined the sacredness of the altar, making clear his understanding that the altar "makes the gift sacred" (&nbsp;Matthew 23:19 ). In Revelation the altar in the heavenly temple shelters martyred souls and even speaks (&nbsp;Revelation 16:7 ). The New Testament writer of Hebrews (13:10) implies that the ultimate altar is the cross. Here divine and human interchange is consummated. The cross becomes the sanctuary of the believer, providing protection from the penalties of sin. </p> <p> [[Thomas]] W. Davis </p> <p> <i> See also </i> [[Offerings And Sacrifices]]; [[Priesthood Priest]] </p> <p> <i> Bibliography </i> . R. de Vaux, <i> [[Ancient]] Israel </i> ; M. Haran, <i> [[Temples]] and Temple [[Service]] in Ancient Israel </i> ; C. L. Meyers, <i> HBD, </i> pp. 22-25. </p>

<p> '''Altar.''' Noah built an altar when he left the ark. &nbsp;Genesis 8:20. In the early times altars were usually built in certain spots hallowed by religious associations, e.g., where God appeared. &nbsp;Genesis 12:7; &nbsp;Genesis 13:18; &nbsp;Genesis 26:25; &nbsp;Genesis 35:1. Though generally erected for the offering of sacrifice, in some instances they appear to have been only memorials. &nbsp;Genesis 12:7; &nbsp;Exodus 17:15-16. Altars were most probably originally made of earth. The law of Moses allowed them to be made of either earth or unhewn stones. &nbsp;Exodus 20:24-25. I. The altar of burnt offering. It differed in construction at different times. In the tabernacle, &nbsp;Exodus 27:1 ff; &nbsp;Exodus 38:1 ff., it was comparatively small and portable. In shape it was square. It was five cubits in length, the same in breadth, and three cubits high. It was made of planks of shittim or acacia wood overlaid with brass. The interior was hollow. &nbsp;Exodus 27:8. At the four corners were four projections called horns, made, like the altar itself, of shittim wood overlaid with brass, &nbsp;Exodus 27:2, and to them the victim was bound when about to be sacrificed. &nbsp;Psalms 118:27. Round the altar, midway between the top and bottom, ran a projecting ledge, on which perhaps the priest stood when officiating. To the outer, edge of this, again, a grating or network of brass was affixed, and reached to the bottom of the altar. At the four corners of the network were four brazen rings, into which were inserted the staves by which the altar was carried. These staves were of the same materials as the altar itself. As the priests were forbidden to ascend the altar by steps, &nbsp;Exodus 20:26, it has been conjectured that a slope of earth led gradually up to the ledge from which they officiated. The place of the altar was at "the door of the tabernacle of the congregation." &nbsp;Exodus 40:29. In Solomon's temple the altar was considerably larger in its dimensions. It differed too in the material of which it was made, being entirely of brass. &nbsp;1 Kings 8:64; &nbsp;2 Chronicles 7:7. It had no grating, and instead of a single, gradual slope, the ascent to it was probably made by three successive platforms, to each of which it has been supposed that steps led. The altar erected by [[Herod]] in front of the temple was 16 cubits in height and 50 cubits in length and breadth. According to &nbsp;Leviticus 6:12-13, a perpetual fire was to be kept burning on the altar. II. The altar of incense, called also the golden altar to distinguish it from the altar of burnt offering, which was called the brazen altar. &nbsp;Exodus 38:30. That in the tabernacle was made of acacia wood, overlaid with pure gold. In shape it was square, being a cubit fn length and breadth and two cubits in height. Like the altar of burnt offering it had horns at the four corners, which were of one piece with the rest of the altar. This altar stood in the holy place, "before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony." &nbsp;Exodus 30:6; &nbsp;Exodus 40:5. The altar of Solomon's temple was similar, &nbsp;1 Kings 7:48; &nbsp;1 Chronicles 28:18, but was made of cedar overlaid with gold. In &nbsp;Acts 17:23 reference is made to an altar to an unknown god. There were several altars in Athens with this inscription, erected during the time of a plague, since they knew not what god was offended and required to be propitiated. In the New Testament the word altar does not occur in connection with Christian worship. Altar, sacrifice, priest, and temple, being typical of Christ and the Christian dispensation, have passed away. Their work was done when the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once was made. For, by one offering, he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. &nbsp;Hebrews 10:9-10; &nbsp;Hebrews 10:14. </p>

<p> '''Altar.''' The first altar of which we have any account is that built by Noah when he left the ark. &nbsp;Genesis 8:20. In the early times, altars were usually built in certain spots hallowed by religious associations, for example, where God appeared. &nbsp;Genesis 12:7; &nbsp;Genesis 13:18; &nbsp;Genesis 26:25; &nbsp;Genesis 35:1. Though generally erected for the offering of sacrifice, in some instances, they appear to have been only memorials. &nbsp;Genesis 12:7; &nbsp;Exodus 17:15-16. Altars were most probably originally made of earth. The law of Moses allowed them to be made of either earth or unhewn stones. &nbsp;Exodus 20:24-25. </p> <p> I. '''The Altar of Burnt Offering.''' It differed in construction at different times. </p> <p> (1) In the Tabernacle, &nbsp;Exodus 27:1 ff.; &nbsp;Exodus 38:1 ff., it was comparatively small and portable. In shape it was square. It as five cubits in length, the same in breadth, and three cubits high. It was made of planks of shittim (or acacia) wood overlaid with brass. The interior was hollow. &nbsp;Exodus 27:8. At the four corners were four projections called horns made, like the altar itself, of shittim wood overlaid with brass, &nbsp;Exodus 27:2, and to them the victim was bound when about to be sacrificed. &nbsp;Psalms 118:27. </p> <p> Round the altar, midway between the top and bottom, ran a projecting ledge, on which perhaps the priest stood when officiating. To the outer edge of this, again, a grating or network of brass was affixed, and reached to the bottom of the altar. At the four corners of the network were four brazen rings, into which were inserted the staves by which the altar was carried. These staves were of the same material as the altar itself. As the priests were forbidden to ascend the altar by steps, &nbsp;Exodus 20:26, it has been conjectured that a slope of earth led gradually up to the ledge from which they officiated. The place of the altar was at the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation). &nbsp;Exodus 40:29. </p> <p> (2) In Solomon's Temple, the altar was considerably larger in its dimensions. It differed too in the material of which it was made, being entirely of brass. &nbsp;1 Kings 8:64; &nbsp;2 Chronicles 7:7. It had no grating, and instead of a single gradual slope, the ascent to it was probably made by three successive platforms, to each of which it has been supposed that steps led. The altar erected by Herod in front of the Temple was 15 cubits in height and 50 cubits in length and breadth. According to &nbsp;Leviticus 6:12-13, a perpetual fire was to be kept burning on the altar. </p> <p> II. '''The Altar of Incense''' , called also the golden altar to distinguish it from the Altar of Burnt [[Offering]] which was called the brazen altar. &nbsp;Exodus 38:30. </p> <p> (a) That in the Tabernacle was made of acacia wood, overlaid with pure gold. In shape it was square, being a cubit in length and breadth and two cubits in height. Like the Altar of Burnt Offering, it had horns at the four corners, which were of one piece with the rest of the altar. This altar stood in the Holy Place, "before the vail that is by the [[Ark]] of the Testimony." &nbsp;Exodus 30:6; &nbsp;Exodus 40:5. </p> <p> (b) The altar of Solomon's Temple was similar, &nbsp;1 Kings 7:48; &nbsp;1 Chronicles 28:18, but was made of cedar overlaid with gold. </p> <p> III. '''Other Altars.''' In &nbsp;Acts 17:23, reference is made to an alter to an unknown God. There were several altars in Athens with this inscription, erected during the time of a plague. Since they knew not what god was offended and required to be propitiated. </p>

<p> EarthenExo20:24 (c) This altar may represent the Cross of [[Calvary]] on which JESUS as the Lamb of GOD died for those who break the holy law of GOD. Immediately after giving the Ten Commandments, the Lord requested that this altar be built at once. He knew that His laws would be broken, He knew that men would need a sacrifice for their sins; He therefore planned that this altar should be built at once so that men could have a way of forgiveness and salvation immediately. It is called an altar of earth because it belongs strictly to this earth. GOD makes no provision for forgiveness and salvation after death. No sacrifice of any kind is available to the lost sinner after he dies. There is no altar in hell. </p> <p> Stone &nbsp;Exodus 20:25 (c) This altar is to be made of stone to indicate that it is permanent, substantial, solid and cannot be tampered with by man. No tool was to be used in the making of it. Stones are made by GOD. It is a picture of Calvary which was GOD's institution. He planned it, He designed that JESUS was to die there. It must not be tampered with by man. Its blessings are eternal. Calvary came from the heart of GOD through the ages of eternity. </p> <p> Brazen &nbsp;Exodus 27:1-2 (c) This may be taken as a type of the cross of Calvary, where the Lamb of GOD was offered as a sacrifice for original sin, and a sacrifice for sins committed, and also as a sacrifice for our own wicked selves. CHRIST must die for our character, as well as our conduct. On that altar, the animal represented the [[Saviour]] who died both for us and for our sins. He died for what we are as burnt offering. He died for our deeds as the trespass offering. </p> <p> Golden &nbsp;Exodus 30:1-3 (c) This altar represents the Cross of CHRIST where the beautiful and perfect life of CHRIST was offered up to GOD as a sweet perfume and fragrant incense. The life of CHRIST which was perfect was offered to GOD instead of our lives which are so imperfect. It is typical also of the consecrated life of the believer from which there ascends to GOD as a sweet odor the sacrifices of our lips in thanksgiving, worship and praise. </p> <p> Idol1Ki18:26 (c) Here we may think of a false altar which is a type of the religious plans and schemes of men wherein they hope to appease the god of their imagination, and to obtain his favor even though what they are doing is not Scriptural. </p> <p> False2Ki16:10 (c) Here and elsewhere we find altars built ostensibly for the worship of GOD, but really for the worship of idols. These false altars are symbolical for the world's religious schemes and plans under the name of Christianity. [[Worldly]] men devise worldly plans for the worship of those who live in their sins, and yet seek a religious outlet for their feelings. Every false religion has an "altar" of this kind. </p> <p> Deserted &nbsp;Psalm 84:3 (c) Here is brought before us clearly that GOD's people had forsaken both the worship and the service of the Lord to such an extent that the fires had gone out, the altar was cold, and no priest was near. The birds felt so much at home around these altars that they built their nests where the priests should have been serving, and the fires should have been burning. </p> <p> Christian &nbsp;Matthew 5:23 (b) This probably teaches us that there is a place of worship called "the altar" to which the believer goes for worship, praise and prayer. It may be in the church building or in the home. When we come to this hallowed place, we are to come with a heart that is open and free from bitterness, free from spite, and free from grudges. We are to be a forgiving people if we expect forgiveness from Heaven. </p> <p> [[Unknown]] &nbsp;Acts 17:23 (a) This altar is probably typical of the false faiths by which people go through the motions of seeking and worshipping GOD, though their words and actions indicate clearly that they do not know Him, nor His character, nor His ways. </p> <p> &nbsp;Hebrews 13:10 (a) The word here probably represents the Lord's table, and all the holy associations which accompany the [[Gospel]] of CHRIST. </p> <p> &nbsp;Revelation 8:3 (c) From this we learn that in some mysterious way there is such an altar in Heaven. At that altar the fragrant incense of the prayers and the worship of Christians ascends to GOD and permeates Heaven. </p>

<div> '''1: θυσιαστήριον ''' (Strong'S #2379 — Noun Neuter — thusiasterion — thoo-see-as-tay'-ree-on ) </div> <p> probably the neuter of the adjective thusiasterios, is derived from thusiazo, "to sacrifice." Accordingly it denotes an "altar" for the sacrifice of victims, though it was also used for the "altar" of incense, e.g., &nbsp;Luke 1:11 . In the NT this word is reserved for the "altar" of the true God, &nbsp;Matthew 5:23,24; &nbsp;23:18-20,35; &nbsp;Luke 11:51; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 9:13; &nbsp;10:18 , in contrast to bomos, No. 2, below. In the Sept. thusiasterion is mostly, but not entirely, used for the divienely appointed altar; it is used for idol "altars," e.g., in &nbsp;Judges 2:2; &nbsp;6:25; &nbsp;2 Kings 16:10 . </p> <div> '''2: βωμός ''' (Strong'S #1041 — Noun Masculine — bomos — bo'-mos ) </div> <p> properly, "an elevated place," always denotes either a pagan "altar" or an "altar" reared without [[Divine]] appointment. In the NT the only place where this is found is &nbsp;Acts 17:23 , as this is the only mention of such. Three times in the Sept., but only in the Apocrypha, bomos is used for the Divine altar. In &nbsp;Joshua 22 the Sept. translators have carefully observed the distinction, using bomos for the altar which the two and a half tribes erected, &nbsp; Joshua 22:10,11,16,19,23,26,34 , no Divine injunction being given for this; in &nbsp;Joshua 22:19,28,29 , where the altar ordained of God is mentioned, thusiasterion is used. </p>

<li> The altar of incense (&nbsp;Exodus 30:1-10 ), called also "the golden altar" (39:38; &nbsp;Numbers 4:11 ), stood in the holy place "before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony." On this altar sweet spices were continually burned with fire taken from the brazen altar. The morning and the evening services were commenced by the high priest offering incense on this altar. The burning of the incense was a type of prayer (&nbsp;Psalm 141:2; &nbsp;Revelation 5:8; &nbsp;8:3,4 ). <p> This altar was a small movable table, made of acacia wood overlaid with gold (&nbsp;Exodus 37:25,26 ). It was 1 cubit in length and breadth, and 2 cubits in height. </p> <p> In Solomon's temple the altar was similar in size, but was made of cedar-wood (&nbsp;1 Kings 6:20; &nbsp;7:48 ) overlaid with gold. In &nbsp;Ezekiel 41:22 it is called "the altar of wood." (Compare &nbsp; Exodus 30:1-6 .) </p> <p> In the temple built after the [[Exile]] the altar was restored. Antiochus Epiphanes took it away, but it was afterwards restored by Judas Maccabaeus (&nbsp;1 Maccabees 1:23; &nbsp;4:49 ). Among the trophies carried away by Titus on the destruction of Jerusalem the altar of incense is not found, nor is any mention made of it in &nbsp;Hebrews 9 . It was at this altar [[Zacharias]] ministered when an angel appeared to him (&nbsp;Luke 1:11 ). It is the only altar which appears in the heavenly temple (&nbsp;Isaiah 6:6; &nbsp;Revelation 8:3,4 ). </p> <div> <p> '''Copyright Statement''' These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain. </p> <p> '''Bibliography Information''' Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Altar'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/a/altar.html. 1897. </p> </div> </li>

<p> <em> Mizbêach </em> (מִזְבֵּחַ, Strong'S #4196), “altar.” This noun has cognates in Aramaic, Syriac, and Arabic. In each of these languages the consonantal root is <em> mdbh </em> . M <em> izbêach </em> occurs about 396 times in the Old Testament. </p> <p> This word signifies a raised place where a sacrifice was made, as in Gen. 8:20 (its first biblical appearance): “And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.” In later references, this word may refer to a table upon which incense was burned: “And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it” (Exod. 30:1). </p> <p> From the dawn of human history, offerings were made on a raised table of stone or ground (Gen. 4:3). At first, Israel’s altars were to be made of earth—i.e., they were fashioned of material that was strictly the work of God’s hands. If the Jews were to hew stone for altars in the wilderness, they would have been compelled to use war weapons to do the work. (Notice that in Exod. 20:25 the word for “tool” is <em> chereb </em> , “sword.”) At Sinai, God directed Israel to fashion altars of valuable woods and metals. This taught them that true worship required man’s best and that it was to conform exactly to God’s directives; God, not man, initiated and controlled worship. The altar that stood before the holy place (Exod. 27:1-8) and the altar of incense within the holy place (Exod. 30:1-10) had “horns.” These horns had a vital function in some offerings (Lev. 4:30; 16:18). For example, the sacrificial animal may have been bound to these horns in order to allow its blood to drain away completely (Ps. 118:27). </p> <p> <em> Mizbêach </em> is also used of pagan altars: “But ye shall destroy their <em> altars </em> , break their images, and cut down their groves” (Exod. 34:13). This noun is derived from the Hebrew verb <em> zabach </em> , which literally means “to slaughter for food” or “to slaughter for sacrifice.” <em> Zabach </em> has cognates in Ugaritic and Arabic ( <em> dbh </em> ), [[Akkadian]] ( <em> zibu </em> ), and Phoenician ( <em> zbh </em> ). Another Old Testament noun derived from <em> zabach </em> is <em> zabach </em> (162 times), which usually refers to a sacrifice that establishes communion between God and those who eat the thing offered. </p>

<p> In the old church in the wilderness, there were three altars erected. One, called the altar of incense; another, the altar of burnt offerings; and the third, the altar, or table of shew-bread. These material altars were all typical of Christ. And so jealous was the Lord concerning the altar, on which all offerings were to be made, that the whole of the materials of which it was formed were to be of earth only; or, if of stone, it was not to be hewn stone. And wherefore were matters conducted with such caution? Surely it was to shew, that in all offerings the Lord was to be offered only what was his own. "If thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.." (&nbsp;Exodus 20:24-26) For, as every altar represented Christ, it was lessening Christ's dignity and the infinite value of his sacrifice, to presume to mingle any thing with this. Now then, as Christ is our New Testament altar, let us see to it, that we bring nothing to offer upon this altar of our own. Let Jesus be all and in all; both the Sacrifice and the Sacrificer, the High Priest, the Offering, and the Altar. We have (saith Paul) an altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. (&nbsp;Hebrews 13:10) I cannot forbear remarking, that seeing the holy jealousy of the Lord, as noted in these things, how very wrong must it be, not to say profane, to call the communion table the altar, and to talk of companions to the altar, in the books so called, as if such things could be companions to Christ. Surely it doth manifest great ignorance in divine things. </p>

<p> '''(1):''' (n.) In the Christian church, a construction of stone, wood, or other material for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist; the communion table. </p> <p> '''(2):''' (n.) A raised structure (as a square or oblong erection of stone or wood) on which sacrifices are offered or incense burned to a deity. </p>