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POLITY
In the beginning: The early Church was organized the same
way as the Jewish place of worship, i.e. the synagogue, though
many Bible translations obscure this fact. Both the Church and
the synagogue were led by one or more presbyters (=elder)
and became the English word priest. If there were several
elders, the leader was called the episkopos, which
means supervisor and became the English word bishop. They
were all needed for running the church. Thus the early Church
consisted of congregations (group of lay people attending the
church and sharing the Christian faith) served by deacons, run
by priests, and supervised by bishops. It can be translated in
English as that early congregations had a board, ministers, and
a district superintendent. The people involved in the church
were generally termed as clergy. The church was like an
administrative unit that operated in a certain geographic area.
This is explained later.
The vocabulary of Christianity and church varies with different
interpretation of the New Testament. Given and explained
below are terms used by various churches and their general
definition.
ARCHITECTURE
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circular nave that surrounds the chancel, for a theater-in-theround effect. Surprisingly enough, this is not a contemporary
innovation; it goes back at least to medieval times.
In western churches, the congregation has a speaking role in
the service; that is, the clergy lead the congregation, who
actually perform the bulk of the service. This makes the service
seem complex to the first-time visitor. The first part of the
service emphasizes Bible readings and the sermon, and it
follows the general plan of a synagogue service. The second
half of the service, if present, consists of communion. Any part
of the service, except Communion, may be led by a lay person.
Most Bible readings and prayers are offered by lay person who
is authorized by the church to read the Bible. The gospel
reading and the sermon are generally done by clergy. The
congregation generally stands to sing or respond, sits to listen,
and kneels to pray. Everyone does the same thing at the same
time, so it looks regimented to an Orthodox visitor.
Orthodox churches follow the same plan, except that there
are generally no pews and often the entire service is sung
responsively by the clergy and the choir. The role of the
congregation is to stand in awe and prayer. Seats are
provided for the disabled. Individuals in the congregation are
allowed to come and go when they like, walk around, bow,
stand, light candles, kiss icons, and so forth, during the
service. It looks chaotic to a western visitor. Orthodox worship
has not changed at all for over 1,000 years.
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THE REFORMATION (early 16th C) AND ITS INFLUENCE CHANGE ON CHURCH DESIGN
In the early 16th century Martin Luther and the Reformation brought a period of radical change to church design. According to the
ideals of the Protestant reformation, the spoken word, the sermon, should be central act in the church service. This implied that the
pulpit became the focal point of the church interior and that churches should be designed to allow all to hear and see the
minister.[18] Pulpits had always been a feature of Western churches. The birth of Protestantism led to extensive changes in the way
that Christianity was practiced (and hence the design of churches).
During the Reformation period, there was an emphasis on "full and active participation". The focus of Protestant churches was on
the preaching of the Word, rather than a sacerdotal emphasis. Holy Communion tables became wood to emphasize that Christ's
sacrifice was made once for all and were made more immediate to the congregation to emphasize man's direct access to God
through Christ.
In the Netherlands the Reformed church in Willemstad, North Brabant, Koepelkerk (Domed Church) (1607), the first Protestant
church building in the Netherlands, was given an octagonal shape according to Calvinism's focus on the sermon.[19]
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GLOSSARY
Christian -
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leave the chancel, and one in the middle that, when open,
gives the congregation a view of the celebrant and the altar. In
Orthodox worship, the nave represents earth, the chancel
represents heaven, and the iconostasis is the barrier that
prevents us from seeing heaven from earth. The celebrant
opens the middle door at appropriate times when heaven is
revealed to people on earth.
Cloister
Crossing
Nave
Oratory
Pulpit
Portal
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