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by Fr. John A. Peck The final installment of our five part series A Short History of the Liturgical Location for Preaching: The Ambo, the Pulpit and the Lectern. The Lectern (Analogion) The Lectern (from the Latin lectus, past participle of legere, "to read") is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to a some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading … [Read more...]
by Fr. John A. Peck Part Four of a Five Part series A Short History of the Liturgical Location for Preaching: The Ambo, the Pulpit and the Lectern. The Exterior Pulpit There is a wonderful history of outdoor, or exterior pulpits, attached to Churches. As stated previously, exterior pulpits were used for funeral orations in the churchyard, for the preaching of pilgrimages, or for the exhibition of relics, and were often built outside of … [Read more...]
by Fr. John A. Peck Part Three of a Five Part series A Short History of the Liturgical Location for Preaching: The Ambo, the Pulpit and the Lectern. The Pulpit The word pulpit comes from the Latin pulpitum, meaning a stage or scaffold. The most popular and consistent architectural 'solution' to a highly visible and clearly audible location in a Church has been the pulpit. The pulpit is the direct descendant of the ambo, as is an … [Read more...]
by Fr. John A. Peck Part Two of our Five Part series. A Short History of the Liturgical Location for Preaching: The Ambo, the Pulpit and the Lectern. The Ambo An Ambo (pl. Ambones) is a Greek word, supposed to signify a mountain or elevation. This was understood in the west as well – and well after the Great Schism. Even Pope Innocent III of Rome so understood it, for in his work on the Liturgy (II.I. 33), after speaking of the … [Read more...]
By Fr. John A. Peck Part One of a Five Part Series A Short History of the Liturgical Location for Preaching: The Ambo, the Pulpit and the Lectern Throughout history, the place occupied by the preacher has changed based on liturgical and theological need. Primarily of course, the purpose of changing the location was of necessity – to be seen and heard by those listening and looking. Our Lord Himself ascended a mountain for the “Sermon … [Read more...]
By Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon is pastor of All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church in Chicago, IL, and a Senior Editor of Touchstone Magazine. This article, posted on OrthodoxyToday.org in June of 2005 is a short, but powerful statement of why Christians, particularly Orthodox Christians, must not weasel out of their obligations to the country, society and culture they live in. Inasmuch as Christ our Lord obliges all … [Read more...]
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