Pulpit

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Carved stone pulpit by Nicola Pisano inside Siena Cathedral, Italy.

A pulpit (from Latin pulpitum "scaffold", "platform", "stage") is a small elevated platform where a member of the clergy stands in order to read the Gospel lesson and deliver a sermon.

In many Christian churches, there are two speaker’s which stand at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left (as viewed by the congregation) is called the pulpit. Since the Gospel lesson is often read from the pulpit, the pulpit side of the church is sometimes called the gospel side.

The other speaker's stand, usually on the right (as viewed by the congregation), is known as the lectern. The word lectern comes from the Latin word meaning "to read", because the lectern primarily functions as a reading stand. It is typically used by lay people to read the scripture lessons (except for the Gospel lesson), to lead the congregation in prayer, and to make announcements. Because the epistle lesson is usually read from the lectern, the lectern side of the church is sometimes called the epistle side.^[1] In other churches, the lectern, from which the Epistle is read, is located to the congregation's left and the pulpit, from which the sermon is delivered, is located on the right (the Gospel being read from either the center of the chancel or in front of the altar).

1 Background
2 Protestantism
3 Ambo
4 Gallery
5 References
6 See also

[edit] Background

In the parish of Bergatreute, a Late Baroque polychromed pulpit that is entered from the balcony appears to hover against the wall; above, the dove of the Holy Spirit lends authenticity to the spoken word. The pulpit is the work of Franz Schmuzer, 1718, originally made for the Klosterkirche Weingarten, and removed to Bergatreute in 1762.

However, in many Evangelical Christian churches the arrangement is completely different. In these churches, the pulpit stands squarely in the center of the platform, and is generally the largest piece of church furniture. This is to symbolize the proclamation of the Word of God as the central focus of the weekly service of worship. In more contemporary evangelical churches, the pulpit may be much smaller, if used at all, and is generally carried out after the end of the song service. However, it usually is placed in the center of the platform as well.

From the pulpit is often used metaphorically for something which is said with official church authority.

[edit] Protestantism

In some Protestant churches, the pulpit is considered the most important piece of furniture in the sanctuary. It is situated central to the congregation and raised. It is where the minister stands and may be decorated with a 'pulpit fall'- a piece of cloth that covers the top of the pulpit and hangs down the front. Flowers may also stand in front of the pulpit.

In the eighteenth century triple-decker pulpits were often introduced in English speaking countries. The three levels of lecterns were intended to show the relative importance of the readings delivered there. The bottom tier was for community announcements, the middle for the gospel, and the top tier was reserved for the delivery of the sermon.

[edit] Ambo

Main article: Ambo (liturgy)

In churches where there is only one speaker's stand in the center of the front of the church, it serves the functions of both lectern and pulpit and is properly called the ambo. In common usage, however, ambos are incorrectly called pulpits.

The word ambo comes from a Greek word meaning an elevation. It was originally an elaborate raised platform in the middle of the nave from which the Epistle and Gospel would be read, and was occasionally used as a speaker's platform for homilies. It was joined to the sanctuary by a raised walkway called the soleas. In modern Eastern Christian use, this form of the ambo is now very rare. Instead, the area directly in front of the Beautiful Gates of the iconostasis from which the Gospel is typically read is called the ambo, and the entire low elevation above the level of the nave in front of the iconostasis is called the soleas. In larger churches, the ambo might be distinguished by three curved steps from which one might reach it from the nave.^[2]

In Eastern Orthodox cathedrals there is usually a low platform in the center of the nave called the episcopal ambo where the bishop is vested prior to the Divine Liturgy and where he is enthroned until the Little Entrance. If the bishop is serving in a simple parish church, an episcopal ambo is set temporarily in place.

[edit] Gallery

Pulpit in the pilgrimage church of Ss. Philippus and Jakobus, Bergatreute. (by Franz Schmuzer, 1718)	A late 18th century pulpit in a small Roman Catholic church in Spielfeld, Styria, Austria.	Pulpit from Henry II (1014) in the Aachen Cathedral, Germany	Outdoor pulpit of Giovanni da Capistrano, Vienna Austria
Pulpit at Enånger old church in Sweden	Terracotta Pulpit at Pieve delle Sante Flora e Lucilla in Santa Fiora, Italy	Stone pulpit at Chiesa Bartolomeo in Pantano Pistoia Italy	Pulpit at St. John the Baptist Cathedral, Yaroslavl, Russia (17th century)
Stone pulpit at Worcester cathedral England	Wooden pulpit at the Church of Holy Spirit in Tallinn in Estonia	Wooden pulpit in Wakken, Dentergem, Belgium	Baroque pulpit in the Church of St. Anne in Kraków, Poland
A modern pulpit on the chancel of a Presbyterian Church in Chicago	A modern pulpit in Jakobskirken, Roskilde, Denmark.