The word altar probably began as a Latin name for a burning place
Altar comes from Latin altare, probably tied to a verb meaning to burn and nudged by altus, high. That fits its long history as the spot where offerings went up in smoke, from Noah's first sacrifice after the flood to Augustus's great marble monument to the goddess of peace.
An altar is a table or raised platform for offerings, sacrifices or other rituals. It features in Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and modern paganism, and was central to Greek, Roman and Norse worship. In ancient times the sacrifices laid on it could be poured drinks or slaughtered animals. The Latin-derived English word pushed aside an older Old English term, weofod.
Roman altars often carried inscriptions naming both the donor and the god honoured. Among the most important survivors is the Ara Pacis, which Augustus dedicated to Pax as his era of Roman peace began. In the Hebrew Bible, altars were built of earth or uncut stone in prominent places. Noah raised the first one mentioned, and Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses followed. After the revelation at Sinai, worship in the Tabernacle and later the Temple narrowed to two altars, one for burnt offerings and one for incense, both near the Ark of the Covenant. Archaeologists have found remains of three rock-cut altars in the land of Israel, including one near Shiloh.
The Greek word for altar occurs twenty-four times in the New Testament. Catholic and Orthodox theology treats the Eucharist as making Christ's single sacrifice present again, which is why the table where bread and wine are consecrated is called an altar. The space around it is set apart as especially holy, often raised and divided off by an iconostasis, rood screen, rails or, in Armenian churches, a curtain drawn at solemn moments. Reformed and Anabaptist congregations use a communion table instead.
Western churches once filled side chapels with extra altars because priests each said Mass alone, and the principal one became known as the high altar. Since shared celebration returned, the Roman Missal recommends a single altar in the main body of new churches to signify one Christ and one Eucharist. Altars either stand against the east wall or are free-standing, so a priest can walk around them with incense.
Source: Altar
