Home altar

A home altar or family altar is a shrine kept in the home of a Western Christian family used for Christian prayer and family worship. Home altars often contain a cross or crucifix, a copy of the Bible (especially a Family Bible), a breviary and/or other prayer book, a daily devotional, a headcovering (worn by many Christian women, especially during prayer and worship), icons of Jesus Christ and prayer beads, among other religious articles specific to the individual's Christian denomination, for example, the images of the saints for Catholics, the Small Catechism for Lutherans, and the Anglican prayer beads for Anglicans.[1][2][3]

A home altar in a Methodist household, fixed on the eastern wall of the house

A homemade attached altar made from wood in a Traditional Catholic home. It combines devotional pictures and statues, as well as relics and candles.

History

Believers have historically hung a Christian cross on the eastern wall of their homes to indicate the eastward direction towards which they focused their prayers.[4][5][6][7]

The Christian Treasury traces the origin of the family altar to the prophet Abraham erecting one in the Old Testament (Genesis 12:7).[8] Since at least the 2nd century, believers such as Hipparchus, hung or painted a Christian cross, to which they prostrated in front of, on the eastern wall of their home in order to indicate the eastward direction of prayer during the seven fixed prayer times, as an "expression of their undying belief in the coming again of Jesus was united to their conviction that the cross, 'the sign of the Son of Man,' would appear in the eastern heavens on his return (see Matthew 24:30)."[6][5][7][9] Syrian Christians viewed their prayers in front of the Christian cross hanging on the eastern wall of their house as symbolizing "their souls facing God, talking with him, and sharing their spirituality with the Lord."[5] Many Christians, such as those in the tradition of the Church of the East, continue the practice of hanging a Christian cross on the east wall of their house today;[4][6][10] communicants in the Oriental Orthodox Churches today, such as those of the Indian Orthodox Church and Coptic Orthodox Church, pray the canonical hours contained in the Shehimo and Agpeya breviaries respectively (a practice done at seven fixed prayer times a day) facing eastward.[11][12][13] Many Christians have built on this ancient custom, with those in the West erecting home altars and those in the East erecting icon corners, usually on the eastern wall of their dwelling place.[7][14][15]

Purpose and usage

Home altars usually are adorned with pairs of votive candles and sometimes a small vase of flowers.[16] In many Christian households, individual family members, or the family as a whole, may gather to pray at the home altar.[17] Christian hymns may also be sung there.[18] Family altars are also used to promote the "development or intensification of personal piety and godly conduct."[19]

It is common for Western Christians to have a prie-dieu in front of their home altar, which provides believers a space to place their Bible and breviary while kneeling before God in prayer.[20] The home altars of many Eastern Christians, particularly those living in the Indian subcontinent, often have the Bible placed on a rehal for reverent display and reading.[21] As with certain traditions of Oriental Christianity, some Western Orthodox Christians make use of the prayer rug to provide a clean space for offering Christian prayers to God.[22][23] The candles that adorn the home altar are often those that have been blessed that year on Candlemas Day, a feast observed in the Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican traditions, among others.[24]

Gallery

A Catholic home altar, with a set of candlesticks and crucifix, and a homemade altar frontal and tabernacle containing not the Blessed Sacrament, but a devotional object passed down as an heirloom instead
A home altar in Mexico
A simple Catholic home altar
A Catholic home altar in California

References

Nelson, Paul A. "Home Altars". Immanuel Lutheran Church. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
Skrade, Kristofer (2006). The Lutheran Handbook on Marriage. Augsburg Books. p. 84. ISBN 9780806652948. Some Lutherans designate a special place in the home where they can focus during personal devotions. This space could include a Bible, candles, and small colored paraments or hangings that change according to the seasons of the church calendar.
Hahn, Kimberly; Hasson, Mary (1996). Catholic Education. Ignatius Press. p. 312. ISBN 9780898705669. One thing some families do is make a family altar with pictures of Jesus, candles, a crucifix, and other religious articles. This family altar reminds the family of the importance of prayer.
"Sign of the Cross". Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East - Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and Lebanon. Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East - Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and Lebanon. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020. Inside their homes, a cross is placed on the eastern wall of the first room. If one sees a cross in a house and do not find a crucifix or pictures, it is almost certain that the particular family belongs to the Church of the East.
Kalleeny, Tony. "Why We Face the EAST". Orlando: St Mary and Archangel Michael Church. Retrieved 6 August 2020. Christians in Syria as well, in the second century, would place the cross in the direction of the East towards which people in their homes or churches prayed. The direction to which Christians prayed symbolized their souls facing God, talking with him, and sharing their spirituality with the Lord.
Danielou, Jean (2016). Origen. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-4982-9023-4. Peterson quotes a passage from the Acts of Hipparchus and Philotheus: "In Hipparchus's house there was a specially decorated room and a cross was painted on the east wall of it. There before the image of the cross, they used to pray seven times a day ... with their faces turned to the east." It is easy to see the importance of this passage when you compare it with what Origen says. The custom of turning towards the rising sun when praying had been replaced by the habit of turning towards the east wall. This we find in Origen. From the other passage we see that a cross had been painted on the wall to show which was the east. Hence the origin of the practice of hanging crucifixes on the walls of the private rooms in Christian houses. We know too that signs were put up in the Jewish synagogues to show the direction of Jerusalem, because the Jews turned that way when they said their prayers. The question of the proper way to face for prayer has always been of great importance in the East. It is worth remembering that Mohammedans pray with their faces turned towards Mecca and that one reason for the condemnation of Al Hallaj, the Mohammedan martyr, was that he refused to conform to this practice.
Storey, William G. (2004). A Prayer Book of Catholic Devotions: Praying the Seasons and Feasts of the Church Year. Loyola Press. ISBN 978-0-8294-2030-2. Long before Christians built churches for public prayer, they worshipped daily in their homes. In order to orient their prayer (to orient means literally "to turn toward the east"), they painted or hung a cross on the east wall of their main room. This practice was in keeping with ancient Jewish tradition ("Look toward the east, O Jerusalem," Baruch 4:36); Christians turned in that direction when they prayed morning and evening and at other times. This expression of their undying belief in the coming again of Jesus was united to their conviction that the cross, "the sign of the Son of Man," would appear in the eastern heavens on his return (see Matthew 24:30). Building on that ancient custom, devout Catholics often have a home altar, shrine, or prayer corner containing a crucifix, religious pictures (icons), a Bible, holy water, lights, and flowers as a part of the essential furniture of a Christian home.
"The Family Altar Erected". The Christian Treasury. Edinburgh: Johnstone, Hunter, & Co. 1882. p. 199. Abraham had such an altar, thus honouring God; and God honoured him.
Johnson, Maxwell E. (2016). Between Memory and Hope: Readings on the Liturgical Year. Liturgical Press. ISBN 978-0-8146-6282-3. Because Christ was expected to come from the east, Christians at a very early date prayed facing that direction in order to show themselves ready for his appearing, and actually looking forward to the great event which would consummate the union with him already experienced in prayer. For the same reason the sign of the cross was frequently traced on the eastern wall of places of prayer, thereby indicating the direction of prayer, but also rendering the Lord's coming a present reality in the sign which heralds it. In other words, through the cross the anticipated eschatological appearance becomes parousia: presence. The joining of prayer with the eschatological presence of Christ, unseen to the eye but revealed in the cross, obviously underlies the widely attested practice of prostrating before the sacred wood while praying to him who hung upon it.
Charles, Steve (24 March 2002). "Among the Living Maya". Wabash Magazine. Wabash College. Retrieved 11 August 2020. In Chamula, ancient Mayan beliefs mingle with Roman Catholicism—the "syncretism" we've been observing in various forms since we arrived in Mexico—to form the costumbres of these descendants of the Maya. A cross is placed on the eastern wall of every Mayan home to commemorate the risen Christ and the rising sun; on the patio another cross faces west to salute the sun's passage below the earth.
Dawood, Bishoy (8 December 2013). "Stand, Bow, Prostrate: The Prayerful Body of Coptic Christianity". The Clarion Review. Retrieved 6 August 2020. Standing facing the East is the most frequent prayer position. ... This is further emphasized in the fact that Copts pray facing the East, waiting for the return of Jesus in glory; his return as the enthroned Pantocrator is portrayed in the iconography that is placed before the worshippers.
Mary Cecil, 2nd Baroness Amherst of Hackney (1906). A Sketch of Egyptian History from the Earliest Times to the Present Day. Methuen. p. 399. Prayers 7 times a day are enjoined, and the most strict among the Copts recite one of more of the Psalms of David each time they pray. They always wash their hands and faces before devotions, and turn to the East.
Gettu, Assta Bereket (2017). Fear Not, for I Am with You. Dorrance Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4809-3707-9. That had been my understanding for many years, and for that matter I had never prayed a small portion of the prayers in most of my entire life as a student at my Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church. As it had been a common practice in my church, I had prayed every morning the whole prayers I bentioned afore from cover to cover and always concluded my prayer with the Lord's Prayer followed with the Hallow Thee Mary. Usually I did not sit down until I had said all my prayers, my face always facing toward the east because I had been told that east symbolizes Mary, and the light that comes out from the east symbolizes Jesus. Also, I was told that when Jesus comes for the second time, he would appear in his glory from the east.
"Making a Prayer Corner". Nativity of Our Lord Parish. Retrieved 11 August 2020. A Prayer Corner can be as simple as a Crucifix hung where it is visible, or an image of the Blessed Mother with our Rosary near by. It can be an elaborate arrangement of icons or sacred images on an eastern wall of our home (the direction of the Sun's rising), or even a room set aside, almost as a chapel, really anywhere where we feel comfortable, calm, collected, and free of distraction from household duties - free to offer our heart to God, and speak with him.
Shoemaker, Caleb (5 December 2016). "Little Church Foundations: Icon Corner". Behind the Scenes. Ancient Faith Ministries. Retrieved 11 August 2020. Identify a wall or corner in a main living area of your house. Preferably, your icons will be on an east wall so your family can be facing east–just like at Divine Liturgy–whenever you say your prayers together.
Werner, Michael S. (2001). Concise Encyclopedia of Mexico. Taylor & Francis. p. 161. ISBN 9781579583378.
Philips, Samuel (2004). The Christian Home. Library of Alexandria. p. 163. ISBN 9781465503350.
Heinicke, Martin (1917). The Lutheran Witness. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House. p. 245. When the woman in the home sings a Christian hymn, when the children go through the house singing the Word of God, when the family joins at the home altar to chant the praises of the Most High, then the Spirit of God presides over that home.
Tucker, Karen B. Westerfield (27 April 2011). American Methodist Worship. Oxford University Press. p. 225. ISBN 9780199774159. Every Methodist family ideally was "a sanctuary in which God is continually dwelling," and the family altar was considered the cornerstone for the development or intensification of personal piety and godly conduct.
Parker, Eric M. (26 June 2018). "The Home Altar". The North American Anglican. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
Talman, Harley; Travis, John Jay (1 September 2015). Understanding Insider Movements: Disciples of Jesus within Diverse Religious Communities. William Carey Publishing. ISBN 978-0-87808-993-2. In order to emphasize the centrality of the Bible in satsang teaching, leaders often place it in a central position on a rehal, a traditional wooden stand
Kosloski, Philip (16 October 2017). "Did you know Muslims pray in a similar way to some Christians?". Aleteia. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
Bishop Brian J Kennedy, OSB. "Importance of the Prayer Rug". St. Finian Orthodox Abbey. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
Foss, Elizabeth (27 January 2007). "Every Family Shall Carry Home a Blessed Candle". In The Heart of My Home. Retrieved 8 February 2021.

External links

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[1] Nelson, Paul A. "Home Altars". Immanuel Lutheran Church. Retrieved 14 April 2018.

[Skrade2006-2] Skrade, Kristofer (2006). The Lutheran Handbook on Marriage. Augsburg Books. p. 84. ISBN 9780806652948. Some Lutherans designate a special place in the home where they can focus during personal devotions. This space could include a Bible, candles, and small colored paraments or hangings that change according to the seasons of the church calendar.

[HahnHasson1996-3] Hahn, Kimberly; Hasson, Mary (1996). Catholic Education. Ignatius Press. p. 312. ISBN 9780898705669. One thing some families do is make a family altar with pictures of Jesus, candles, a crucifix, and other religious articles. This family altar reminds the family of the importance of prayer.

[ACE2020-4] "Sign of the Cross". Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East - Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and Lebanon. Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East - Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and Lebanon. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020. Inside their homes, a cross is placed on the eastern wall of the first room. If one sees a cross in a house and do not find a crucifix or pictures, it is almost certain that the particular family belongs to the Church of the East.

[Kalleeny2020-5] Kalleeny, Tony. "Why We Face the EAST". Orlando: St Mary and Archangel Michael Church. Retrieved 6 August 2020. Christians in Syria as well, in the second century, would place the cross in the direction of the East towards which people in their homes or churches prayed. The direction to which Christians prayed symbolized their souls facing God, talking with him, and sharing their spirituality with the Lord.

[DanielouOrigen2016-6] Danielou, Jean (2016). Origen. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-4982-9023-4. Peterson quotes a passage from the Acts of Hipparchus and Philotheus: "In Hipparchus's house there was a specially decorated room and a cross was painted on the east wall of it. There before the image of the cross, they used to pray seven times a day ... with their faces turned to the east." It is easy to see the importance of this passage when you compare it with what Origen says. The custom of turning towards the rising sun when praying had been replaced by the habit of turning towards the east wall. This we find in Origen. From the other passage we see that a cross had been painted on the wall to show which was the east. Hence the origin of the practice of hanging crucifixes on the walls of the private rooms in Christian houses. We know too that signs were put up in the Jewish synagogues to show the direction of Jerusalem, because the Jews turned that way when they said their prayers. The question of the proper way to face for prayer has always been of great importance in the East. It is worth remembering that Mohammedans pray with their faces turned towards Mecca and that one reason for the condemnation of Al Hallaj, the Mohammedan martyr, was that he refused to conform to this practice.

[Storey2004-7] Storey, William G. (2004). A Prayer Book of Catholic Devotions: Praying the Seasons and Feasts of the Church Year. Loyola Press. ISBN 978-0-8294-2030-2. Long before Christians built churches for public prayer, they worshipped daily in their homes. In order to orient their prayer (to orient means literally "to turn toward the east"), they painted or hung a cross on the east wall of their main room. This practice was in keeping with ancient Jewish tradition ("Look toward the east, O Jerusalem," Baruch 4:36); Christians turned in that direction when they prayed morning and evening and at other times. This expression of their undying belief in the coming again of Jesus was united to their conviction that the cross, "the sign of the Son of Man," would appear in the eastern heavens on his return (see Matthew 24:30). Building on that ancient custom, devout Catholics often have a home altar, shrine, or prayer corner containing a crucifix, religious pictures (icons), a Bible, holy water, lights, and flowers as a part of the essential furniture of a Christian home.

[Treasury1882-8] "The Family Altar Erected". The Christian Treasury. Edinburgh: Johnstone, Hunter, & Co. 1882. p. 199. Abraham had such an altar, thus honouring God; and God honoured him.

[Johnson2016-9] Johnson, Maxwell E. (2016). Between Memory and Hope: Readings on the Liturgical Year. Liturgical Press. ISBN 978-0-8146-6282-3. Because Christ was expected to come from the east, Christians at a very early date prayed facing that direction in order to show themselves ready for his appearing, and actually looking forward to the great event which would consummate the union with him already experienced in prayer. For the same reason the sign of the cross was frequently traced on the eastern wall of places of prayer, thereby indicating the direction of prayer, but also rendering the Lord's coming a present reality in the sign which heralds it. In other words, through the cross the anticipated eschatological appearance becomes parousia: presence. The joining of prayer with the eschatological presence of Christ, unseen to the eye but revealed in the cross, obviously underlies the widely attested practice of prostrating before the sacred wood while praying to him who hung upon it.

[Charles2002-10] Charles, Steve (24 March 2002). "Among the Living Maya". Wabash Magazine. Wabash College. Retrieved 11 August 2020. In Chamula, ancient Mayan beliefs mingle with Roman Catholicism—the "syncretism" we've been observing in various forms since we arrived in Mexico—to form the costumbres of these descendants of the Maya. A cross is placed on the eastern wall of every Mayan home to commemorate the risen Christ and the rising sun; on the patio another cross faces west to salute the sun's passage below the earth.

[Dawood2013-11] Dawood, Bishoy (8 December 2013). "Stand, Bow, Prostrate: The Prayerful Body of Coptic Christianity". The Clarion Review. Retrieved 6 August 2020. Standing facing the East is the most frequent prayer position. ... This is further emphasized in the fact that Copts pray facing the East, waiting for the return of Jesus in glory; his return as the enthroned Pantocrator is portrayed in the iconography that is placed before the worshippers.

[Amherst1906-12] Mary Cecil, 2nd Baroness Amherst of Hackney (1906). A Sketch of Egyptian History from the Earliest Times to the Present Day. Methuen. p. 399. Prayers 7 times a day are enjoined, and the most strict among the Copts recite one of more of the Psalms of David each time they pray. They always wash their hands and faces before devotions, and turn to the East.

[Gettu2017-13] Gettu, Assta Bereket (2017). Fear Not, for I Am with You. Dorrance Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4809-3707-9. That had been my understanding for many years, and for that matter I had never prayed a small portion of the prayers in most of my entire life as a student at my Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church. As it had been a common practice in my church, I had prayed every morning the whole prayers I bentioned afore from cover to cover and always concluded my prayer with the Lord's Prayer followed with the Hallow Thee Mary. Usually I did not sit down until I had said all my prayers, my face always facing toward the east because I had been told that east symbolizes Mary, and the light that comes out from the east symbolizes Jesus. Also, I was told that when Jesus comes for the second time, he would appear in his glory from the east.

[Duryea2020-14] "Making a Prayer Corner". Nativity of Our Lord Parish. Retrieved 11 August 2020. A Prayer Corner can be as simple as a Crucifix hung where it is visible, or an image of the Blessed Mother with our Rosary near by. It can be an elaborate arrangement of icons or sacred images on an eastern wall of our home (the direction of the Sun's rising), or even a room set aside, almost as a chapel, really anywhere where we feel comfortable, calm, collected, and free of distraction from household duties - free to offer our heart to God, and speak with him.

[Shoemaker2016-15] Shoemaker, Caleb (5 December 2016). "Little Church Foundations: Icon Corner". Behind the Scenes. Ancient Faith Ministries. Retrieved 11 August 2020. Identify a wall or corner in a main living area of your house. Preferably, your icons will be on an east wall so your family can be facing east–just like at Divine Liturgy–whenever you say your prayers together.

[Werner2001-16] Werner, Michael S. (2001). Concise Encyclopedia of Mexico. Taylor & Francis. p. 161. ISBN 9781579583378.

[Philips-17] Philips, Samuel (2004). The Christian Home. Library of Alexandria. p. 163. ISBN 9781465503350.

[18] Heinicke, Martin (1917). The Lutheran Witness. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House. p. 245. When the woman in the home sings a Christian hymn, when the children go through the house singing the Word of God, when the family joins at the home altar to chant the praises of the Most High, then the Spirit of God presides over that home.

[Tucker2011-19] Tucker, Karen B. Westerfield (27 April 2011). American Methodist Worship. Oxford University Press. p. 225. ISBN 9780199774159. Every Methodist family ideally was "a sanctuary in which God is continually dwelling," and the family altar was considered the cornerstone for the development or intensification of personal piety and godly conduct.

[Parker2018-20] Parker, Eric M. (26 June 2018). "The Home Altar". The North American Anglican. Retrieved 17 August 2020.

[21] Talman, Harley; Travis, John Jay (1 September 2015). Understanding Insider Movements: Disciples of Jesus within Diverse Religious Communities. William Carey Publishing. ISBN 978-0-87808-993-2. In order to emphasize the centrality of the Bible in satsang teaching, leaders often place it in a central position on a rehal, a traditional wooden stand

[Kosloski2017-22] Kosloski, Philip (16 October 2017). "Did you know Muslims pray in a similar way to some Christians?". Aleteia. Retrieved 25 July 2020.

[Kennedy2020-23] Bishop Brian J Kennedy, OSB. "Importance of the Prayer Rug". St. Finian Orthodox Abbey. Retrieved 25 July 2020.

[Foss2007-24] Foss, Elizabeth (27 January 2007). "Every Family Shall Carry Home a Blessed Candle". In The Heart of My Home. Retrieved 8 February 2021.