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The Antimension (Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 "instead of the table"; Slavonic: Antimíns) is one of the most important furnishings of the altar
Altar

An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices and votive offerings are made for religion, or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place....
 in many Eastern Christian
Eastern Christianity

Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christianity traditions and churches which developed in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Christianity in Africa and southern India over several centuries of religious antiquity....
 liturgical traditions. It is a rectangular piece of cloth, either linen or silk, typically decorated with representations of the Descent of Christ from the Cross
Descent from the Cross

The Descent from the Cross , or Deposition of Christ, is the scene, as depicted in art, from the Gospels' accounts of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus taking Christ down from the cross after his Crucifixion of Jesus ....
, the four Evangelists
Four Evangelists

The Four Evangelists refers to the authors of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following ancient titles:*Gospel according to Matthew ,...
, and inscriptions related to the Passion
Passion (Christianity)

The Passion is the Christian theological term used for the events and suffering ? physical, spiritual, and mental ? of Jesus in the hours before and including his trial and execution by crucifixion....
.






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Antimension1
The Antimension (Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 "instead of the table"; Slavonic: Antimíns) is one of the most important furnishings of the altar
Altar

An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices and votive offerings are made for religion, or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place....
 in many Eastern Christian
Eastern Christianity

Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christianity traditions and churches which developed in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Christianity in Africa and southern India over several centuries of religious antiquity....
 liturgical traditions. It is a rectangular piece of cloth, either linen or silk, typically decorated with representations of the Descent of Christ from the Cross
Descent from the Cross

The Descent from the Cross , or Deposition of Christ, is the scene, as depicted in art, from the Gospels' accounts of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus taking Christ down from the cross after his Crucifixion of Jesus ....
, the four Evangelists
Four Evangelists

The Four Evangelists refers to the authors of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following ancient titles:*Gospel according to Matthew ,...
, and inscriptions related to the Passion
Passion (Christianity)

The Passion is the Christian theological term used for the events and suffering ? physical, spiritual, and mental ? of Jesus in the hours before and including his trial and execution by crucifixion....
. A small relic
Relic

A relic is an object or a personal item of Religion significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial. Relics are an important aspect of some forms of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, shamanism, and many other religions....
 of a martyr
Martyr

The term martyr is most commonly used today to describe an individual who sacrifices his or her life in order to further a cause or belief for many....
 is sewn into it.

It is not permitted to celebrate the Eucharist
Eucharist

The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names, is a Christianity sacrament commemorating, by consecrating bread and wine, the Last Supper, the final meal that Jesus Christ shared with his disciples before his arrest, and eventual crucifixion, when he gave them bread saying, "This is my body", and wine...
 without an antimension. The antimension is kept in the center of the Holy Table
Altar

An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices and votive offerings are made for religion, or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place....
 (altar) and is unfolded only during the Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy

The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine church tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches....
, before the Anaphora
Anaphora (liturgy)

The Anaphora is the most solemn part of the Divine liturgy, Mass , or other Christian Eucharist rite where the offerings of bread and wine are consecrated as the body and blood of Jesus....
. At the end of the Liturgy, the antimension is folded in thirds, and then in thirds again, so that when it is unfolded the creases form a cross (see picture, left). When folded, the antimension sits in the center of another slightly larger cloth, the eiliton (Slavonic: Ilitón)—similar to the western corporal
Corporal (liturgy)

The Corporal is a square white linen cloth, now usually somewhat smaller than the breadth of an altar, upon which the Chalice and paten, and also the ciborium containing the smaller hosts for the Communion of the laity, are placed during the celebration of the Eucharist ....
, except it is usually red in color—which is then folded around it in the same manner (3 x 3), encasing it completely. A flattened natural sponge is also kept inside the antimension, which is used to collect any crumbs which might fall onto the Holy Table. When the antimension and eiliton are folded, the Gospel Book
Gospel Book

The Gospel Book, or Book of the Gospels is a codex or bound volume containing one or more of the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament....
 is laid on top of them.

The antimension must be consecrated and signed by a bishop
Bishop

A bishop is an ordination or consecration member of the Clergy#Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight....
. The antimension, together with the chrism
Chrism

Chrism , also called "Myrrh" , Holy anointing oil or "Consecrated Oil," is a consecrated oil used in the Roman Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Old Catholic Church, and some Anglicanism and Lutheranism churches in the administration of certain sacraments and ecclesi...
 remain the property of the bishop, and are the means by which a bishop indicates his permission for the Holy Mysteries (Sacraments) to be celebrated in his absence. It is, in effect, the church's license to hold divine services. If a bishop were to withdraw his permission to serve the Mysteries, he would do so by taking the antimension and chrism back. Whenever a bishop visits a church or monastery under his jurisdiction, he will enter the altar
Iconostasis

In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis , also called the templon, is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church ....
 (sanctuary) and inspect the antimension to be sure that it has been properly cared for, and that it is in fact the one that he issued.

Besides the bishop, no one is allowed to touch an antimension except a priest or deacon; and because it is a consecrated object, they should be vested when they do so—the deacon should be fully vested, and the priest should vest in at least epitrachelion
Epitrachelion

The Epitrachelion is the liturgical vestment worn by priests and bishops of the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches as the symbol of their priesthood, corresponding to the Western stole....
 (stole) and epimanikia
Epimanikia

Epimanikia are Divine Liturgy vestments of the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. They are cuffs made of thickened fabric, usually brocade, that lace onto the wrists of a bishop, priest, or deacon....
 (cuffs).

The antimension is a substitute altar. A priest may celebrate the Eucharist on the antimension even if there is no properly consecrated altar. In emergencies, war and persecution, the antimension thus serves a very important pastoral need. Formerly if the priest celebrated at a consecrated altar, the sacred elements were placed only on the eiliton. However, in current practice the priest always uses the antimension, even on a consecrated altar that has relics sealed in it.

At the Divine Liturgy, during the Ektenia
Ektenia

Ektenia , often called simply Litany, is a prayerful petition in the Eastern Orthodox/Eastern Catholic liturgy. The prevalent ecclesiastical word for this kind of litany in Greek is S??apt? Synapt?, Ektenia being the Greek word preferred in Church Slavonic language ....
s (Litanies) that precede the Great Entrance, the eiliton is opened fully and the antimension is opened three-quarters of the way, leaving the top portion folded. Then, during the Ektenia of the Catechumen
Catechumen

In ecclesiology, a catechumen is one receiving instruction from a catechist in the principles of the Christianity with a view to baptism. The title and practice is most often used by Orthodox Christians and by Roman Catholics....
s, when the deacon
Deacon

Deacon is a role in the Christianity that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions....
 says, "That He (God) may reveal unto them (the catechumens) the Gospel of righteousness," the priest unfolds the last portion of the antimension, revealing the mystery of Christ's death and resurrection. After the Entrance, the chalice
Chalice (cup)

A chalice is a goblet intended to hold a drink. In general religious terms, it is intended for quaffing during a ceremony....
 and diskos are placed on the antimension and the Gifts (bread and wine) are consecrated. The antimension remains unfolded until after all have received Holy Communion and the chalice and diskos are taken back to the Prothesis
Prothesis (altar)

The Prothesis is the place in the sanctuary in which the Liturgy of Preparation takes place in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches Churches....
 (Table of Oblation). The deacon (or, if there is no deacon, the priest) must very carefully inspect the antimension to be sure there are no crumbs left on it, and then it is folded up, the eiliton is folded, and the Gospel Book placed on top of it.

Oriental Orthodox Practice

A wooden tablet, the tablîtho, is the liturgical equivalent of the antimension in the churches of Syriac tradition
Syriac Christianity

Syriac Christianity is a culturally and linguistically distinctive community within Eastern Christianity. It has its roots in the Near East, and is represented by a number of Christian denominations today, mainly in the Middle East and in Kerala, India....
. However, it is no longer used by the Antiochian Orthodox Church
Antiochian Orthodox Church

The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, also known as the Eastern Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East, the Antiochian Orthodox Church, the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, and the Orthodox Church of Antioch,, claims to be one of the five churches that composed the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic...
 (which follows the liturgical practice of Constantinople, and thus uses the antimension) or the Assyrian Church of the East
Assyrian Church of the East

The Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East , currently presided over by Mar Dinkha IV, is a Christian particular church and one of the earliest to separate itself from communion with the Catholic Church ....
 and Chaldean Catholic Church
Chaldean Catholic Church

The Chaldean Catholic Church or the Chaldean Church of Babylon is an Eastern Catholic Churches Particular_church#Autonomous_particular_Churches_or_Rites of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church....
.

In the Ethiopian Tawahedo Church, the tâbot is functionally similar to the tablitho. However, this word is also used in the Ge'ez language
Ge'ez language

Ge'ez is an ancient South Semitic language that developed in the current region of Eritrea and northern Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa. It later became the official language of the Kingdom of Aksum and Ethiopian imperial court....
 to describe the Ark of the Covenant
Ark of the Covenant

The Ark of the Covenant is described in the Bible as a sacred container, where in rested the Tablets of stone containing the Ten Commandments as well as Aaron's rod and manna....
. The Ark is symbolically represented by the manbara tâbôt ('throne of the Ark'), a casket that sits on the altar. The tabot itself, the wooden tablet, is taken out before the anaphora, and symbolizes the giving of the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments, or Decalogue, are a list of religious and moral imperatives that, according to Judeo-Christian tradition, were authored by God and given to Moses on the mountain referred to as "Biblical Mount Sinai" or "Mount Horeb" in the form of two stone tablets....
.

See also

  • Consecration of an Antimension
    Consecration

    Consecration is the ritual dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred"....
  • Thabilitho
    Thabilitho

    In the Syrian Orthodox Church a thabilitho is a wooden slab placed at the center of the altar and is covered with cloth. During Holy Qurbana the paten and chalice are placed over it....
  • Tabot
    Tabot

    Tabot , is a Ge'ez language word referring to a replica of the Tablets of Law, onto which the Bible Ten Commandments were inscribed, used in the practices of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church....
  • Altar stone
    Altar stone

    In Roman Catholic Churches, an altar stone is a solid piece of natural stone, Consecration by a Bishop .Before the Second Vatican Council, Mass could only lawfully be celebrated on a properly consecrated Altar ....
  • Corporal (liturgy)
    Corporal (liturgy)

    The Corporal is a square white linen cloth, now usually somewhat smaller than the breadth of an altar, upon which the Chalice and paten, and also the ciborium containing the smaller hosts for the Communion of the laity, are placed during the celebration of the Eucharist ....


External links

  • during Consecration of a Church (Photos)
  • as a separate service (Photos)
  • the red eiliton is noticeable around the edges, and the sponge is in the upper right-hand corner
  • article in the Catholic Encyclopedia
    Catholic Encyclopedia

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English language encyclopedia published by The Encyclopedia Press....