In the Byzantine tradition the entire Church building is centered around the Holy Altar Table. The Holy Altar Table does not merely symbolize the table of the Last Supper. It is the symbol of the mystical presence of the heavenly throne and table of the Kingdom of God; the Table of Christ the Word, the Lamb and King of the everlasting life of God's glorified dominion over all of creation.

The Book of the Gospel is always enthroned on the Holy Altar Table. It is on the Holy Altar Table that we offer the "bloodless sacrifice" of Christ to the Father. And from the Holy Altar Table we receive the Bread of Life, the Body and Blood of the Lord's Passover Supper. This table is the "table of God's Kingdom" (Luke 28:30).

In the Byzantine tradition the Holy Altar Table is often carved wood or stone. It is usually vested with colorful material to show the divine and heavenly character. The Holy Altar Table must always be free-standing so that the priest can encircle it.

On the Holy Altar Table one always finds the antimension. This is the cloth depicting Christ in the tomb which contains the signature of the Bishop and is the permission for the local community to gather as the Church, and to celebrate the Divine Liturgy. The antimension usually contains a relic (part of the body of a saint) which shows that the Church is built on the lives of God's holy people.

Also on the Holy Altar Table there is the tabernacle, often in the shape of a Church building, which is the repository of the Blessed Sacrament, so that Christ may dwell in our Church, and the sick and the dying may be nourished. On the altar there are candlesticks, symbolic of the Light of Christ, and a remembrance of the candles that burned within the first erected Sanctuary, the Temple at Jerusalem. Generally speaking, the Jerusalem Temple is highly valued in the Byzantine Church tradition of worship and Church construction as a "prototype" of true worship "in spirit and truth" of the Kingdom of God.

Also found on the Holy Altar Table is a small hand cross used for blessing and veneration by the faithful. In the Byzantine Church we place the sign of the Cross throughout the Church building: on the holy vessels, stands, tables, and vestments.

Let us remember the words St. Peter:

Come to Him [Christ], to that living stone...and like living stones be yourselves built into a spritual temple and altar...to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ

last updated 18 April 2000 Copyright © 1999-2001, St. Thomas the Apostle Church