Antimins
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The antimins (from the Greek Ἀντιμήνσιον, Antimension: "instead of the table"), is a special corporal required to be on the altar in many Eastern Christian liturgical traditions.[1] It was originally used as a portable version of an altar.[2]
It is a rectangular piece of cloth of either linen or silk, typically decorated with representations of the Descent of Christ from the Cross, the Four Evangelists, and inscriptions related to the Passion. A small relic of a martyr is sewn into it. In the Latin Church of the Catholic Church, an altar stone serves a similar function[1]. In the Coptic Church and Syriac Church, it has been replaced by a wooden altar-board or altar-slab.[2]
Syriac practice
[edit]A wooden tablet, the ţablîtho, is the liturgical equivalent of the antimins in the churches of Syriac tradition.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Antimensium". www.newadvent.org. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
- 1 2 Archbishop Basilios (1991). "Antimension". Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia. 1. Claremont Graduate University. School of Religion – via The Claremont Colleges Digital Library.
Further reading
[edit]- Antimensium article in the Catholic Encyclopedia
- Coptic Antimensium article in the Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia