- published: 09 May 2013
- views: 132962
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship. Today they are used particularly in Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, Taoism, as well as in Neopaganism and Ceremonial Magic. Judaism did so until the destruction of the Second Temple. Many historical faiths also made use of them, including Greek and Norse religion.
Altars (Hebrew: מזבח, mizbe'ah, "a place of slaughter or sacrifice") in the Hebrew Bible were typically made of earth or unwrought stone. Altars were generally erected in conspicuous places. The first altar recorded in the Hebrew Bible is that erected by Noah . Altars were erected by Abraham, by Isaac, by Jacob, and by Moses, (Adonai-nissi).
After the theophany on Mount Sinai, in the Tabernacle—and afterwards in the Temple—only two altars were used: the Altar of Burnt Offering, and the Altar of Incense.
The word "altar", in Greek θυσιαστήριον (see:θυσία), appears twenty-four times in the New Testament. Significantly, Hebrews 13:10 shows Christians having an altar of which those who did not believe in Jesus could not partake, a reference to the eternal, once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ, thus fulfilling the sacrificial laws of the Old Testament. In Catholic and Orthodox Christian theology, the Eucharist is a re-presentation, in the literal sense of the one sacrifice being made "present again". Hence, the table upon which the Eucharistic meal (the Bread and the Wine) is eaten is called an altar.
Ray Boltz (born 1953 in Muncie, Indiana, United States) is a singer-songwriter who first came to wide notice in contemporary Christian music, many of his songs tell stories of faith and inspiration. He was raised by his parents William and Ruth Boltz, and was married to his wife Carol Boltz for over 30 years prior to coming out as gay in 2008. They have four children.
Boltz was virtually unknown when he wrote "Thank You", which won the Song of the Year prize at the 1990 GMA Dove Awards. His song "I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb" also won a Dove Award for Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year at the 25th GMA Dove Awards in 1994. After the release of Songs from the Potter's Field in 2002, and his last tour in 2004, Boltz retired from the music industry and moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
In a September 2008 interview with the Washington Blade, Boltz came out of the closet and announced he was gay Since then, Boltz has performed at several churches of the Metropolitan Community Church, a gay-affirming Christian denomination.
Actors: Remzi Jöntürk (director), Remzi Jöntürk (producer), Ihsan Gedik (actor), Aynur Aydan (actress), Kazim Kartal (actor), Esref Kolçak (actor), Recep Filiz (actor), Ferhan Tanseli (actor), Sönmez Yikilmaz (actor), Levent Çakir (actor), Nuri Alço (actor), Ferhat Ünal (actor), Ali Güney (actor), Sait Seyit (actor), Sait Seyit (actor),
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy,Actors: Mehmet Aslan (director), Eris Akman (actor), Eris Akman (producer), Johnny Byrne (writer), William Hardy (actor), Engin Koç (actor), Frank Morgan (actor), Sidney Lanier (producer), Martin Cook (composer), Cevat Arsan (editor), Nusret Kuscu (miscellaneous crew), Nigel Adams (actor), Sami Sarman (miscellaneous crew), Thomas Cannon (actor), Nik Stuart (actor),
Genres: Adventure,Actors: Mehmet Aslan (director), Altan Günbay (actor), Osman Han (actor), Bilal Inci (actor), Atif Kaptan (actor), Suphi Tekniker (actor), Kartal Tibet (actor), Ahmet Danyal Topatan (actor), Reha Yurdakul (actor), Mehmet Aslan (writer), Mehmet Ali Akpinar (actor), Yusuf Sezer (actor), Nahit Ataman (producer), Benan Öz (actress), Levent Çakir (actor),
Genres: Adventure,Actors: Clive Brook (actor), Clive Brook (actor), Cameron Carr (actor), Olaf Hytten (actor), Roland Pertwee (writer), Denison Clift (director), A.B. Imeson (actor), Robert English (actor), Ivo Dawson (actor), Catherine Calvert (actress), Daisy Campbell (actress), Ernest A. Douglas (actor), Norman Page (actor), James McWilliams (actor), Ernest A. Dagnall (actor),
Genres: ,