Ciborium (container)

Ciborium (container)
Silver-gilt ciborium

A ciborium (plural ciboria; Latin from the Ancient Greek κιβώριον (kibōrion)[1]) is a vessel, normally in metal. It was originally a particular shape of drinking cup in Ancient Greece and Rome, but later used to refer to a large covered cup designed to hold hosts for, and after, the Eucharist, thus the equivalent for the bread of the chalice for the wine. The word is also used for a large canopy over the altar, which was a common feature of Early Medieval church architecture, now relatively rare.

History

The ancient Greek word referred to the cup-shaped seed vessel of the Egyptian water-lily nelumbium speciosum and came to describe a drinking cup made from that seed casing,[1] or in a similar shape. These vessels were particularly common in Egypt and the Greek East. The word "'ciborium'" was also used in classical Latin to describe such cups, although the only example to have survived is in one of Horace’s odes (2.7.21–22).[2]

In medieval Latin, and in English, "Ciborium" more commonly refers to a covered container used in Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and related churches to store the consecrated hosts of the sacrament of Holy Communion. It resembles the shape of a chalice but its bowl is more round than conical, and takes its name from its cover,[clarification needed] surmounted by a cross or other sacred design. In the early Christian Church, Holy Communion was not kept in churches for fear of sacrilege or desecration. Later, the first ciboria were kept at homes to be handy for the Last Rites where needed. In churches, a ciborium is usually kept in a tabernacle or aumbry. In some cases, it may be veiled (see photograph below) to indicate the presence of the consecrated hosts. It is typically made, or at least plated, in a precious metal.

Other containers for the host include the paten (a small plate) or a basin (for loaves of bread rather than wafers) used at the time of consecration and distribution at the main service of Holy Eucharist. A pyx is a small, circular container into which a few consecrated hosts can be placed. Pyxes are typically used to bring communion to the sick or shut-in.

Notes

  1. ^ a b OED.
  2. ^ Horace, Odes II: Vatis Amici, tr. and ed. by David Alexander West (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1998), p. 53.

External links

The Wiktionary definition of ciborium.



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ciborium — may refer to: Ciborium (container), normally a covered cup for holding hosts from the Christian eucharist, or a shape of Ancient Greek cup Ciborium (architecture), normally a canopy like structure build over the altar of a Christian church. This… …   Wikipedia

  • ciborium — /si bawr ee euhm, bohr /, n., pl. ciboria / bawr ee euh, bohr /. 1. a permanent canopy placed over an altar; baldachin. 2. any container designed to hold the consecrated bread or sacred wafers for the Eucharist. 3. Archaic. a severy. [1645 55; …   Universalium

  • Church tabernacle — For other meanings of the word tabernacle, see Tabernacle (disambiguation). The Tabernacle at St. Raphael s Cathedral in Dubuque, Iowa, placed on the old high altar of the Cathedral (cf. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 315, a). A… …   Wikipedia

  • Royal Gold Cup — The Royal Gold Cup, 23.6 cm high, 17.8 cm across at its widest point; weight 1.935 kg, British Museum. Saint Agnes appears to her friends in a vision. The Royal Gold Cup or Saint Agnes Cup is a solid gold covered cup lavishly decorated with… …   Wikipedia

  • Pyx — This article refers to an object used in Christian church services. For the British coinage procedure, see Trial of the Pyx. Pyx is also the abbreviation for the constellation Pyxis. A pyx or pix (Latin: pyxis , transliteration of Greek: pyxis ,… …   Wikipedia

  • Kalocsa — Infobox Settlement image caption = Archiepiscopal Palace subdivision type = Country subdivision name = HUN timezone=CET utc offset=+1 timezone DST=CEST utc offset DST=+2 pushpin pushpin label position = pushpin map caption =Location of Kalocsa… …   Wikipedia

  • metalwork — metalworker, n. /met l werrk /, n. objects made of metal. [1840 50; METAL + WORK] * * * Useful and decorative objects fashioned of various metals. The oldest technique is hammering. After с 2500 BC, casting was also used, molten metal being… …   Universalium

  • ceremonial object — ▪ religion Introduction  any object used in a ritual or a religious ceremony.       Throughout the history of religions and cultures, objects used in cults, rituals, and sacred ceremonies have almost always been of both utilitarian and symbolic… …   Universalium

  • ci|bo|ri|um — «suh BR ee uhm, BOHR », noun, plural bo|ri|a « BR ee uh, BOHR »,defn>a covered container used to hold the consecrated wafers of the Eucharist. 1. a) a permanent, dome shaped canopy over a high altar, usually supported on four columns and… …   Useful english dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”