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contrary can be drawn from the common statements of the Apologists, that Christians had no shrines or altars (Orig. c. Cels. viii.; Minuc. Fel. Oct. xxxii.; Arnob. adv. gentes , 6.1). Their language in its context shews that they had before them all the associations of the heathen ritual. In a similar sense Julian accused the Christians of neglecting to sacrifice in spite of the injunctions of the Law, at a time when beyond all question sacrificial language was everywhere current among them (Cyril Alex. adv. Jul. ix.; P. G. 76.970ff.).

We read of altars as soon as we read in detail of churches. Eusebius, in his description of the great Church at Tyre, mentions especially to; tw'n aJgivwn a{gion qusiasthvrion as placed in the middle of the sanctuary ( H. E.
10.4, 43). Elsewhere, speaking of the abolition of heathen worship, he says ejpi; th'" kaqj o{lh" ajnqrwvpwn oijkoumevnh" qusiasthvria sunevsth ejkklhsiw'n te ajfierwvmata, noerw'n te kai; logikw'n qusiw'n iJeroprepei'" leitourgivai ( de laud. Const. xvi.). See also Can. Apost. 3 ei[ ti" ejpivskopo" ... prosenevgkh/ e{terav tina ejpi; to; qusiasthvrion h] mevli h] gavla ...(comp. Conc. Carthag. 3 can. 24). Cyr. Hier. Cat. 23 ( Myst. 5) § 2 eJwravkate toivnun to;n diavkonon to;n nivyasqai didovnta tw'/ iJerei' kai; toi'" kuklou'si to; qusiasthvrion tou' qeou' presbutevroi" . Chrys. c. Jud. et Gent. § 12: P. G. 48.830 aiJ bretannikai; nh'soi ... th'" dunavmew" tou' rJhvmato" h[/sqonto : kai; ga;r kajkei' ejkklhsivai kai; qusiasthvria pephvgasi . And Chrysostom points to the old distinction between qusiasthvrion and bwmov" in a passage in which the spiritual and material are strangely mixed: eij ai{mato" ejpiqumei'", fhsiv (in 1 Cor. 10:16), mh; to;n tw'n eijdwvlwn bwmo;n tw'/ tw'n ajlovgwn fovnw/ ajlla; to; qusiasthvrion to; ejmo;n tw'/ ejmw'/ foivnisse ai{mati ( Hom. xxiv. in 1 Cor. § 1: P. G. 61.200). Synesius, as is not unnatural, uses the two words convertibly: kuklwvsomai to; qusiasthvrion ... ouj mh;n o{ ge qeo;" periovyetai to;n bwmo;n to;n ajnaivmakton iJerevw" ai{mati miainovmenon ( Catast. p. 303: P. G. 66.1572f.).

Gregory of Nyssa places qusiasthvrion in an interesting connexion with travpeza : to; qusiasthvrion tou'to to; a{gion w|/ parasthvkamen livqo" ejsti; kata; th;n fuvsin koinov" ... ejpeidh; de; kaqierwvqh th'/ tou' qeou' qerapeiva/ ... e[sti travpeza aJgiva, qusiasthvrion a[cranton, oujkevti para; pavntwn yhlafwvmenon ...( in Bapt. Christi, P. G. xlvi. p. 581).

It was seen that in regard to the Jewish Temple qusiasthvrion was used not only for the altar itself, but also for the altar-court. A corresponding application of the word in the larger sense was made in Christian Churches. The Sanctuary itself ( Bh'ma, JAgivasma , Euseb. H. E. 7.15) was called qusiasthvrion as well as the Holy Table. Thus Procopius speaking of the Church of Sancta Sophia writes: oJ tou' iJerou' ta; mavlista cw'ro" ajbevbhlo" kai; movnoi" iJereu'si batov", o{nper kalou'si qusiasthvrion, litrw'n ajrguvrou muriavda" ejpifevretai tevttara" ( de Sancta Soph. , Migne, P. G. 87.3, p. 2336
c). The sense occurs in earlier writings:
Conc. Laod. , Can. xix. movnoi" ejxo;n ei\nai toi'" iJeratikoi'" eijsievnai eij" to; qusiasthvrion kai; koinwnei'n . xliv. o{ti ouj dei' gunai'ka" ejn tw'/ qusiasthrivw/ eijsevrcesqai . Socr. H. E. 1.37 (comp. Soz.
2.39) [
jAlevxandro" ] ejn th'/ ejkklhsiva/ h|/ ejpwvnumon Eijrhvnh movnon eJauto;n katavkleiston poihvsa" kai; eij" to; qusiasthvrion eijselqw;n uJpo; th;n iJera;n travpezan eJauto;n ejpi; stovma ejkteivna" eu[cetai dakruvwn . And the word is so used still in the Greek Church (Leo Allatius, de rec. Gr. templ. p. 153). In rare cases altarium is also found in the sense of the altar-place, the Sanctuary:


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