What do Christians call their bimah?

[Jrosemary]

This question came up in my synagogue, when we were talking about different types of religious services.

"You should see the Salvation Army service in town," one guy said. "They have a whole brass band up on the bimah!"

Somebody else frowned. "Do Christians call it a bimah?"

None of us knew the answer.

In Judaism, the bimah (pronounced BEE-mah) is a raised platform toward the front of the sanctuary, often containing lecterns, an official looking bench or group of chairs, and the Ark with the Torah Scrolls in the middle.

(Sometimes a smaller bimah or maybe just a lectern is in the center of the synagogue, so that whoever is leading the prayers can lead them from the midst of the congregation. In that case, the Ark is still up front.)

In a Christian church, they usually have what we would call the bimah up front--a raised platform with lecturns, some official looking chairs, and an altar in the middle. Sometimes the whole thing is surrounded by a Communion rail. But what is it called?

[ThatGirlAgain]

This question came up in my synagogue, when we were talking about different types of religious services.

"You should see the Salvation Army service in town," one guy said. "They have a whole brass band up on the bimah!"

Somebody else frowned. "Do Christians call it a bimah?"

None of us knew the answer.

In Judaism, the bimah (pronounced BEE-mah) is a raised platform toward the front of the sanctuary, often containing lecterns, an official looking bench or group of chairs, and the Ark with the Torah Scrolls in the middle.

(Sometimes a smaller bimah or maybe just a lectern is in the center of the synagogue, so that whoever is leading the prayers can lead them from the midst of the congregation. In that case, the Ark is still up front.)

In a Christian church, they usually have what we would call the bimah up front--a raised platform with lecturns, some official looking chairs, and an altar in the middle. Sometimes the whole thing is surrounded by a Communion rail. But what is it called?

Western Christiniaty calls that raised area the chancel, or at least Roman Catholics do. Presbytery (see quote below) has a Protestant ring to it. Eastern Christianity apparently still calls it bema.

The ceremonial use of a bema carried over from Judaism into early Christian church architecture. It was originally a raised platform with a lectern and seats for the clergy, from which lessons from the Scriptures were read and the sermon was delivered. In Western Christianity the bema developed over time into the chancel (or presbytery) and the pulpit.

In Eastern Christianity bema remains the name of the platform which composes the sanctuary; it consists of both the area behind the iconostasion and the platform in front of it from which the deacon leads the ektenias (litanies) together with the ambo from which the priest delivers the sermon and distributes Holy Communion. It may be approached by one or several steps. The bema is composed of the altar (the area behind the iconostasion), the soleas (the pathway in front of the iconostasion), and the ambo (the area in front of the Holy Doors which projects westward into the nave). Orthodox laity do not normally step up onto the bema except to receive Holy Communion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bema

[Jrosemary]

Thank you! I didn't even think to look this up in wiki.

Ok, so Eastern Orthodox stuck with bimah (or bema, according to wiki's spelling), while Catholics call their bimah a 'chancel, and some Protestants call theirs a 'presbytery.'

Thanks again!

[Darias]

People have always called it the stage in the Protestant churches I've been in.

[ThatGirlAgain]

People have always called it the stage in the Protestant churches I've been in.

Could very well be. I only got the word 'presbytery' from Wiki. I never heard a Catholic use that word so I guessed it was Protestants who used it. I have not been in enough Protestant churches to hear it called anything.

[cnorman18]

I've heard it called the chancel, but that's a bit technical. Most people I've known call it the podium, though some confuse "podium," where your feet go, thus the name, with "pulpit" or "lectern."