(1) The altar of sacrifice: 6:9 (O. L. ara , Vulg. altare ); 8:3a (O. L. altarium , Vulg. altare ), which proclaims the justice of God's judgments: 16:7 (Vulg. altare ).
(2) The golden altar which is before the throne, 8:3b (O. L. ara , Vulg. altare ), 5; before God, 9:13 (O. L. ara , Vulg. altare ).
(3) The place of the altar (the altar-court): 11:1 (O. L. ara , Vulg. altare ). Compare 14:17 f.; and see also Clem. xli. with Bp Lightfoot's note.
Philo appears to use
bwmov"
commonly of the altar of God (
de vict. off.
§ 4; 2.253 M.:
prostavxa" duvo kataskeuasqh'nai bwmouv"
), but he recognises
qusiasthvrion
as the characteristic name of the altar of sacrifice:
de vit. Mos.
iii. § 10 (2.151 M.)
to;n ejn uJpaivqrw/ bwmo;n ei[wqe kalei'n qusiasthvrion
: and elsewhere he speaks of this as a peculiar and special name:
de vict. off.
§ 6
(2.255 M.)
kevklhke qusiasthvrion, i[dion kai; ejxaivreton o[noma qevmeno" aujtw'/ para; to; diathrei'n wJ" e[oike ta;" qusiva"
. It is consonant with his manner of thought that he should regard the thankful soul as the
qusiasthvrion
of God (
de vict. offer.
§ 5; 2.255 M.)
tou' qeou' qusiasthvriovn ejstin hJ tou' sofou' yuchv, pagei'sa ejk teleivwn ajriqmw'n ajtmhvtwn kai; ajdiairevtwn
.
Josephus does not seem to make any distinction between the two words. He speaks of the altar of burnt-offering ( Antt. 3.6, 8), and of the golden altar (12.5, 4), no less than of the altar of Balaam (4.6, 4) by the name bwmov" . And again he calls the altar of burnt-offering qusiasthvrion ( Antt. 8.3, 7).
The early Christian writers follow the custom of the LXX. Clement (1
ad Cor.
32
oiJ leitourgou'nte" tw'/ qusiasthrivw/ tou' qeou'
) uses
qusiasthvrion
as the general term for the divine altar, and perhaps, though this seems to be uncertain, for the court of the altar (c. 41
ouj pantacou' prosfevrontai
qusivai
...
ajllj e[mprosqen tou' naou' pro;" to; qusiasthvrion
...Lightfoot
ad loc.
). On the other hand he calls the altar of the Sun
bwmov"
(c. 25).
Barnabas uses qusiasthvrion for the altar of Abraham's sacrifice on Moriah (7.3), and for the Levitical altar (7.9). The Latin rendering ad aram illius (1.7), which suggests tw'/ bwmw'/ aujtou' , for the altar of God, cannot be maintained against the reading of both the Greek MSS. tw'/ fovbw/ aujtou' .
The usage of qusiasthvrion in the Epistles of Ignatius is very remarkable. In one place it occurs by a natural image for the arena in which Ignatius expected to die ( ad Rom. 2 plevon moi mh; paravschsqe tou' spondisqh'nai qew'/, wJ" e[ti qusiasthvrion e{toimovn ejstin ). In three other passages the word expresses that which represents the unity of the Christian Society.
Eph. 5. Mhdei;" planavsqw : eja;n mhv ti" h\/ ejnto;" tou' qusiasthrivou uJsterei'tai tou' ajrtou' [ tou' qeou' ]. eij ga;r eJno;" kai; deutevrou proseuch; tosauvthn ijscu;n e[cei, povsw/ ma'llon h{ te tou' ejpiskovpou kai; pavsh" th'" ejkklhsiva" .
Here the qusiasthvrion the place of sacrificeis evidently the place of assembly of the spiritual Israel, where the faithful meet God in worship, like the altar-court of the old Temple, the court of the congregation. He who has no place within this sacred precinct is necessarily excluded from the privileges which belong to the Divine Society. He is not a member of the Body of Christ, and therefore cannot share in the sacrifices which are offered there, the common prayer of the Church, or in the bread of God which is given to believers (comp. Bp Lightfoot ad loc. ).