A home altar or family altar is a shrine kept in the home of some Western Christian families used for Christian prayer and family worship. Home altars often contain a Christian cross or crucifix, an image of Jesus Christ, a copy of the Bible (especially a Family Bible), a breviary and/or other prayer book, a daily devotional, and prayer beads, among other religious articles specific to the individual's Christian denomination, for example, the Veneration of the Catholic saints for Catholics, the Small Catechism for Lutherans, and the Anglican prayer beads for Anglicans.[
]
History
The Christian Treasury traces the origin of the family altar to the prophet
Abraham erecting one in the
Old Testament ().
Since at least the 2nd century, believers such as Hipparchus, hung or painted a
Christian cross, to which they
prostration 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
Second Coming 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 )."
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."
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;
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.
Many Christians have built on this ancient custom, with those in the West erecting home altars and those in the East erecting
, usually on the eastern wall of their dwelling place.
Purpose and usage
Home altars usually are adorned with pairs of
and sometimes a small
vase of flowers.
In many Christian households, individual family members, or the family as a whole, may gather to pray at the home altar.
Christian
may also be sung there.
Family altars are also used to promote the "development or intensification of personal
pietism and godly conduct."
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.
==Gallery==
and tabernacle containing not the Blessed Sacrament, but a devotional object passed down as an heirloom instead]]
See also
Notes
Citations
External links
