The Holy Altar :

The location of the altar is in the middle of the sanctuary, not attached to any walls, it is an example of the tomb of Jesus or the Golgotha, where He was crucified. It is called the Holy Table, or the Lord's Table, where no slaughtered sacrifice is offered, but a live, pure non-bloody sacrifice : Jesus Christ as He was in Golgotha.

Material of the altar :

• Wood : as the cross or the tree of life which was in the middle of Paradise
• Stone : like the tomb of Jesus
• Precious Metal : e.g silver or gold as an extreme means of expressing respect to the Lord's Holy Table. Regardless of the type of material from which the altar is made, it is to be constructed like the shape of the Saviour's tomb (i.e it is not to be erected on pillars but walls with a cavity so as to accommodate relics of Saint's - See Rev. 6:9).

As the altar holds a high standing in the Church, it is customary to cover it with dear coverings symbolising the shroud which wrapped the most Holy Body of our Saviour, upon his burial.

The coverings of the altar are comprised of three layers :

1. Cotton or linen or silk - reaching the floor evenly on all four sides.
2. Second layer - more expensive in material and craft. the holy slate is placed between the above two layers.
3. Aprosvarin - (meaning offertory) is lifted from the altar after reconciliation prayer, which resembles the stone which was rolled away from the Holy tomb by the angel. Bells are sewn on it so that as it is lifted, the ringing denote the earth shaking when the Lord was resurrected and to remind us of the resurrection.

View of the Altar

The Holy Slate :

Locked above the Altar, made of timber symbolising the cross and the tree of life. It is consecrated by prayers and with the sign of the cross drawn by the holy oil on the four sides. This slate can also be made from marble to symbolise the rock from which 12 fountains sprung to quench the thirst of the 12 tribes of Judah. The cross is drawn on it, and the Greek letters Alpha and Omega (first and last) are written on it.

The Tabernacle :

A box made of expensive timber, decorated by holy icons with an opening at the top through which the cup is passed and securely kept. The box looks like the tabernacle of the Old Testament which contained portions of

The Covenant Box

The Gospel Book :

It is a silver case which contains the four Gospels which used to be hand written in the Coptic and/or Arabic Language. On the casing engraved are the four Gospel writers or a picture of the Virgin St. Mary carrying the child Jesus on one side, and the Church Parish Saint on the other side. It is placed on the altar during the Holy Liturgy and is used in the prayers of The Pauline Epistle, Catholicon, The Acts and the Gospel. When a Pope or Bishop is present, then it is the Pope or Bishop who holds it symbolising their responsibilities for the word of God.

The Chalice (The Cup) :

In the past it was made of wood, but it was found that it was liable to fragment with the possibility of the sacred blood seeping through the grain. It was developed to glass or crystal which was breakable, then was changed to thick clayware or copper but silver was prevalent.

The Chalice

The Tray :

The tray symbolises the manger. The round shape also symbolises the sun where the Lord took his residence (Ps. 18:9), and that God has no beginning and no end. The tray was not mentioned as part of the writings of the Evangelists about the Passover night, but it was written that Jesus placed the bread in his holy hands. The church thought it more appropriate to use the tray because the long duration of the mass and the impracticability of the priest holding the sacred body for the duration of the mass.

The Plate

The Star :

Two intersectional curved strips forming a dome to be placed on the tray, symbolises the star that shone over the manger where Jesus lay.

The Star

The Spoon :

The spoon reminds us of the Seraph who held the ember and touched the lips of Isaiah for purification. (See Rev. 8:3-4)

The Spoon

The Vessel of the Eucharist :

It is a small metallic vessel in which is placed the Holy Eucharist. (A part of the Holy Body, immensed in Holy Blood). The vessel is made of silver and is carried by the priest after the Liturgy to administer the Holy Communion to the sick who were unable to attend the church mass to receive the Holy Communion.

The Cruets :

These are small glass vessels two of which are used to carry the water and the wine that are poured into the cup after the offertory bread is chosen. The Mayroun (Holy Oil) is placed in a cruet which is kept in the Sanctuary so that it could be used in Baptism. A cruet is used also for the Holy Oil called 'Ghaliloan' used in the prayer for Baptism. In addition there is also the cruet for the oil of the Apocalypse (The eve of Joyous Saturday). Finally a cruet is used to carry the oil for the 'Unction of the sick', which is used to anoint the sick and those desiring to be blessed by it (James 5:4). At the end of the Holy Liturgy, the deacon has to thoroughly dry all the altar utensils that come into contact with the Holy Eucharist on that day. Then they are all wrapped together with a square shaped cloth and tied with five knots. The first three knots are for the Holy Trinity, and the final two are for the Glory and Honour to the Holy Trinity.

The Censer (Shorya) :

Made of metal.

The Censor

It has three chains of equal length, symbolising the Holy Trinity. They are connected at the top symbolising the oneness of the divine essence. The upper dome of the censer symbolises heaven. The hanger symbolises Christ, who humbled himself and descended to the world for the sake of our redemption.

The concave portion of the censer (the bottom section) symbolises the womb of the Virgin St. Mary that carried the Lord Jesus Christ.

Charcoal symbolises the human nature and the fire is the symbol of the divine nature of Christ

Frankincense symbolises the gifts of the Wise Men to the infant Jesus, and also the perfumes that Joseph and Nicodemus anointed the sacred body of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The centre dome symbolises the power of the Almighty God which overshadowed the Virgin St. Mary during the immaculate conception.

The bells are present to remind the congregation of good deeds and also to serve as a reminder of those who trespassed the priesthood of Aaron and were punished by a plaugue, when death did not relent its grip until Moses passed with frankincense among the living and the dead. For this reason, the church dictates frankincense for the dead (for mercy) and for the living (for deliverance).

The burning of the incense represents the pains of the Lord, the aromatic scent symbolises the blessings obtained through the suffering of the Lord.

The rising of the incense from the censer symbolises the prayers of the saints ascending to heaven.

The Incense holder :

Made of carved wood, ivory or silver/gold, used to hold the incense.

The Cymbals & The Triangles :

Instruments of praise to add to the joy of hymns in the Church (Ps. 150).

Candlesticks (or lampstands) :

Two on the altar to represent the two angels who guarded Jesus as He lay in the tomb, one at His head, and the other at His feet.

The Cross :

The cross in Greek is named 'Stavros', and in Coptic is named 'Khash' or 'She'. The priest holds it in his hands during prayers as a weapon against evil (Ps. 44:5, Is. 59:17). It represents the angels that led the children of Israel in the wilderness, and the Archangel Michael who appeared to Joshua with a sword in his hand, it also denotes the Bishop or priests representation of Christ. When the Bishop or priest presents the cross to the congregation to be kissed, it symbolises kissing the Crucified Himself. When the priest receives the new cross from the Bishop or Pope during ordination, it symbolises the authority given to him from God. The cross is raised in the sanctuary during the Holy Liturgy symbolising Christ being raised on the cross. Banners are also fixed on the cross, which are situated inside the sanctuary depicting spiritual images such as Parish Saints. The deacon during festive processions carries these crosses. The deacon carries the bronze serpant on a metallic or golden stick (with a small cross on top) which is placed in the sanctuary next to the Patriarch or carried by a deacon. This symbolises the raising of Jesus Christ on the cross. Around this cross is a red cloth representing, the Blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross on our behalf.

Types of Crosses :

The Coptic Cross - each end comprises of three sides, representing the Holy Trinity. The total of the ends adds to 12, the number of the disciples.

The Coptic Cross - also adopted by the Greek Orthodox Church.

The Greek & Russian Orthodox Cross - who beleive that two cross-sectional pieces of timber were added to the cross - one to tie the head, and the other for the feet.

Floor Cross - is also Orthodox and symbolises the spread of blessings through to the four corners of the earth.

Latin Cross - Peculiar to Jerusalem. It is pentagonal, symbolising the numbers of the crusaders who came to the rescue of Jerusalem.

Byzantine Cross - complies with the Orthodox teachings and is present in some of the screens of Coptic churches.

Nature Cross - This cross indicates two natures in the Lord - it agrees with the teachings of the Greeks and the Latin.

Consecration of the Holy Altar and its Utensils :

All of the altar's utensils along with the altar, are to be consecrated by a Bishop or the Pope by anointing them with the Holy Oil during a special ceremony. Until the altar is consecrated, masses must be conducted whilst using the Holy Slate/Tablet placed on the Holy Altar. These rules are in accordance with St. Peter's letter to St. Aklimandos (Bishop of Rome); "Every altar you build must be sealed with God's seal which is the Holy Mayroun" (Holy Oil).

Reasons for consecrating the altar and it's utensils :

As Jacob did when he poured oil onto the stone that he found when he slept and dreamt about the stairway to heaven, and called the place 'Bethel', which means 'The Lord's House'. (Gen. 28:10-19)

God ordered Moses to prepare annointing oil (Holy Oil mixed with spices) to anoint The Tabernacle, The Covenant of the Ark, The Showbread Table, The Lamp Stand, The Incense Altar, The Altar of the Burnt Offering and The Laver (the basin for washing the hands) and all who touched them should be sanctified. (Ex. 35:25)

The Church's law states that the Church should be consecrated and anointed with the Holy Oil as mentioned in the book of the Coptic Rites for these matters. The Patriarch or a Bishop prays in the presence of the priests and the congregation and Psalms 121-150 are read and incense is given then a Gospel from St. John are also read. The consecration then takes place and the mass is continued.

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Supplied by : Bishoi Rizkalla & Yvonne Tadros