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Holy Blood

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Blood of Christ , also known as the Most Precious Blood , in Christian theology refers to the physical blood actually shed by Jesus Christ primarily on the Cross , and the salvation which Christianity teaches was accomplished thereby, or the sacramental blood (wine) present in the Eucharist or Lord's Supper, which some Christian denominations believe to be the same blood of Christ shed on the Cross.

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42-783: Holy Blood is an alternative term for the Blood of Christ and may refer to: Basilica of the Holy Blood , a church in Bruges Heiligenblut am Großglockner , a municipality in Austria Holy Blood (band) , a Ukrainian Christian black / folk metal band Holy Blood of Wilsnack , a pilgrim site in Germany Procession of the Holy Blood , a procession in Bruges Santa Sangre ,

84-512: A "horn" on each corner, a border of gold around the top, and rings on opposite sides through which poles could be passed to carry it ( Exodus 37:25–26 ). The poles were made of shittim wood covered with gold. Moses consecrated the altar with the anointing oil when the Tabernacle was dedicated ( Exodus 40:9 ). Incense was burned daily on this altar at the time of the morning and the evening sacrifices. The coals used on this altar had to be taken from

126-541: A bull and a goat and purifying the Holy of Holies with their blood, would mix the blood of the two animals together. Then, starting at the northeast corner, he smeared the mixture of blood on each of the four corners of the Golden Altar. He then sprinkled the blood eight times on the altar. In Solomon's temple the altar was similar in size, but was made of cedar-wood ( 1 Kings 6:20 ; 7:48 ) overlaid with gold. In Ezekiel 41:22 it

168-456: A film by Alejandro Jodorowsky The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail , a book by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln The Relic of the Holy Blood sent from Jerusalem to England in 1247 Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Holy Blood . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change

210-612: A reason to remove the chalice from common communion altogether, or giving it on only special occasions. However, it was always consecrated and drunk by the priest, regardless of whether or not the laity partook. This was one of the issues debated during the Protestant Reformation . As a consequence, the Catholic Church first wanted to eliminate ambiguity, reaffirming that Christ was present both as body and as blood equally under both species of bread and wine. As time went on,

252-488: A theme for contemplation, it provided worshippers with a means to articulate their devotion. Altar (Bible) Altars ( Hebrew : מִזְבֵּחַ , mīzbēaḥ , "a place of slaughter or sacrifice") in the Hebrew Bible were typically made of earth ( Exodus 20:24 ) or unwrought stone ( 20:25 ). Altars were generally erected in conspicuous places ( Genesis 22:9 ; Ezekiel 6:3 ; 2 Kings 23:12 ; 16:4 ; 23:8 ). The first time

294-524: Is called "the altar of wood." (Comp. Exodus 30:1–6 ) In the temple rebuilt after the Babylonian captivity , the Golden Altar was restored. Antiochus Epiphanes took it away, but it was afterwards restored by Judas Maccabeus (1 Maccabees 1:23; 4:49). In the Gospel of Luke , it was at this altar that Zechariah ministered when Gabriel appeared to him ( Luke 1:11 ). Among the trophies carried away by Titus after

336-648: Is that by the end of the Epiklesis , the change has been completed. The Eastern Orthodox also do not use the Latin theological term Transubstantiation to define the conversion from bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, they use the word metousiosis without the precise theological elaboration that accompanies the term transubstantiation. In the Eastern Orthodox churches, and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow

378-549: The Byzantine Rite , there is no individual devotion to the Blood of Christ separate from the Body of Christ , or separated from the reception of Holy Communion . When receiving Holy Communion, the clergy (deacons, priests and bishops) will receive the Body of Christ separately from the Blood of Christ. Then, the remaining portions of the consecrated Lamb (Host) is divided up and placed in

420-611: The Oriental Orthodox churches , the Assyrian and Ancient Churches of the East , and Lutherans , together with high church Anglicans , know this as the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist . The Catholic Church uses the term transubstantiation to describe the change of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. The Eastern Orthodox Churches used the same term to describe

462-528: The Priestly Blessing upon the people. Whenever certain sin-offerings were brought, the coals from the incense that was lit that morning were pushed aside and the blood of the "inner sin-offering" was sprinkled seven times on the top of the Golden Altar ( Leviticus 4:5–7 ). Once a year, on Yom Kippur , the Altar of Incense was purified ( Exodus 30:10 , Leviticus 16:18–19 ). The High Priest , after sacrificing

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504-775: The Tabernacle , and afterwards in the Temple in Jerusalem , only two altars are mentioned: the Altar of Burnt Offering and the Altar of Incense. The first altar was the Altar of Burnt Offering ( mizbeach ha'olah ; Exodus 30:28 ), also called the Brasen Altar ( Exodus 39:39 ), the Outer Altar ( mizbeach hachitzona ), the Earthen Altar ( mizbeach adamah ), the Great Altar ( mizbeach hagedola ) and

546-655: The Temple Mount , "until there should come a prophet to tell what to do with them." ( 1 Maccabees 4:41–47 ). During Herod the Great 's extensive building activity on the Temple Mount, it was likely refurbished. Talmudic scholars give a very precise description of the altar during the Second Temple period. The altar was built as a perfect square and was quite large: it reached a height of 10 cubits (app. 5 meters) and its width

588-524: The anointing oil seven times ( Leviticus 8:10–11 ), and purified it by anointing its four horns with the blood of a bullock offered as a sin-offering , "and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it" ( 8:14–15 ). The Kohathites were the Levites who were responsible for moving and setting up the altar. When it was time for the Israelites to move, they removed

630-538: The chalice and both the Body and Blood of Christ are communicated to the faithful using a liturgical spoon (see also Intinction ). The blood shed by Christ was a common theme in early modern Italian art. Paintings of Christ depicted on the cross and as the Man of Sorrows have consistently been some of the bloodiest images in Christian art. The blood of Christ was a compelling artistic symbol of his incarnation and sacrifice. As

672-622: The destruction of Jerusalem , and depicted on the Arch of Titus in Rome, the Altar of Incense is not depicted, though the menorah, silver trumpets (the hasoserah mentioned in Numbers 10:2–10 ), the mortar and pestle used for preparing the incense, and possibly the Table of Showbread are. It should be mentioned that there are other offerings involving incense, such as the meat offerings , but these were consumed on

714-520: The Altar of Burnt Offering by erecting a pagan altar upon it. The First Book of Maccabees recounts how Judas Maccabeus renewed the altar when he re-took Jerusalem. Since the existing altar had been defiled by the blood of pagan sacrifices the old stones of the altar were removed and replaced with new, unhewn ones. However, since the old stones had been previously sanctified by the Jewish sacrifices they could not be moved to an unclean place; so they remained on

756-482: The Altar of Burnt Offerings. The incense used had to be made according to a specific formula ( Exodus 30:34–35 ), and no other incense was permitted ( Exodus 30:9 ). According to Jewish tradition, the incense was made by the Avtinas family , who closely guarded its secret. The offering of incense also had to be seasoned with salt. The offering of incense was the apex of the daily morning and the evening services. According to

798-544: The East to commingle the species of bread and wine, whereas in the West, the Church had the practice of communion under the species of bread and wine separately as the custom, with only a small fraction of bread placed in the chalice . In the West, the communion at the chalice was made less and less efficient, as the dangers of the spread of disease and danger of spillage (which would potentially be sacrilegious ) were considered enough of

840-639: The Holy Wounds of Jesus , and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy . The Eastern Orthodox teach that what is received in Holy Communion is the actual Resurrected Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. In the West, the Words of Institution are considered to be the moment at which the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. But for the Eastern Orthodox there is no one defined moment; rather, all that Orthodox theology states

882-734: The Inner Altar ( מִזְבַּ֣ח פְּנִימִי mizbaḥ pnimi ). This was the indoor altar and stood in front of the Holy of Holies . "Place it in front of the curtain that is over the Ark of the Pact —in front of the cover that is over the Pact—where I will meet with you." The altar was constructed of shittim wood ( Vachellia and Faidherbia species) and covered in pure gold. It was an upright rectangular stand, measuring one cubit wide, one cubit deep, and two cubits high, with

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924-527: The Rabbis, this was the part of the temple service that was most beloved by God ( Zohar I 130:A). The burning of the incense was symbolic of the prayer of the people rising up to God ( Psalm 141:2 ; Revelation 5:8 ; 8:3–4 ). The offering of incense had to take place after the sacrifice, because only after the atonement could communion with God take place. After the offering of incense, the Kohenim (priests) pronounced

966-679: The Table of the Lord ( Malachi 1:7 ). This was the outdoor altar and stood in the Court of the Priests, between the Temple and the Court of Israel, and upon which the korbanot (animal and bird sacrifices) were offered. The blood of the sacrifices would be thrown against the base of the altar ( Exodus 29:12 ; Leviticus 4:18 ), and portions of the sacrifices would be burned on top of it (precisely which portions would depend upon

1008-543: The altar. Then he would change his clothing and remove the ashes to a clean place outside the camp ( Leviticus 6:10–11 , Cf, 1:16 ). In Exodus 27:3 the various utensils used with the altar are enumerated. They were made of brass. (Comp. 1 Samuel 2:13–14 ; Leviticus 16:12 ; Numbers 16:6–7 ). The altar could not be carved using utensils made of iron or of bronze ( Exodus 20:25 ), nor were any allowed on or near it, because iron and bronze were used for implements of war. The Altar and its utensils were considered to be sacred, and

1050-418: The ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it, placed all of the instruments and vessels used in the sacrifices on it, covered it with a blanket of badger skin, and put the carrying poles in place ( Numbers 4:13–14 ). After the rebellion of Korah , the bronze censers that were used by the rebels were converted by Eleazar into broad plates used to cover the altar, as a warning that only priests of

1092-467: The chalice was made more available to the laity. After the Second Vatican Council , the Catholic Church gave a full permission for all to receive communion from the chalice at every Mass involving a congregation, at the discretion of the priest. The Catholic Church teaches that the bread and wine, through transubstantiation, become the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ—in other words,

1134-523: The change, as in the decrees of the 1672 Synod of Jerusalem , and the Catechism of St. Philaret (Drozdov) of Moscow. The Lutheran churches follow the teaching of Martin Luther in defining the presence of Christ in the eucharistic elements as sacramental union (often misconstrued as consubstantiation ), meaning that the fundamental "substance" of the body and blood of Christ are literally present alongside

1176-508: The destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE. In Jewish tradition, the upper part of the altar was made with a standard cubit of 6 handbreadths ( טפחים ‎), while the lower base of the altar, or tier, was made with a standard cubit of 5 handbreadths. The second altar was the Altar of Incense ( מִקְטַ֣ר miqṭar ) ( Exodus 30:1–10 ), also called the Golden Altar ( מִזְבַּ֣ח הַזָּהָ֔ב mizbaḥ hazzāhāv ) ( 39:38 ; Numbers 4:11 ) and

1218-416: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Holy_Blood&oldid=960055337 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Blood of Christ The Catholic Church , Eastern Orthodox Church ,

1260-497: The priests had to vest and wash their hands before touching them—even so much as removing the ashes from the altar. According to the Bible, the fire on the altar was lit directly by the hand of God and was not permitted to go out ( Leviticus 6:12–13 ). No strange fire could be placed upon the altar. The burnt offerings would remain on the altar throughout the night before they could be removed ( Leviticus 6:9 ). The first altar of this type

1302-633: The renowned relic of the Precious Blood, which had been noted in Bruges at least since the twelfth century, and which gave rise, from the late thirteenth century, to the observances, particular to Bruges, of the procession of the "Saint Sang" from its chapel. Various prayers are part of the Catholic devotion to the Precious Blood. Those that mention the Blood include the Anima Christi , the Chaplet of Mercy of

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1344-455: The seed of Aaron may offer incense before the Lord ( Numbers 16:36–40 ). The description of the altar in Solomon's Temple gives it larger dimensions ( 2 Chronicles 4:1 . Comp. 1 Kings 8:22 , 8:64 ; 9:25 ), and was made wholly of brass, covering a structure of stone or earth. Because this altar was larger than the one used in the wilderness, it had a ramp leading up to it. A ramp was used because

1386-527: The substance of the bread and wine, which remain present. Lutherans too believe in and teach the Real Presence. Other Protestant churches reject the idea of the Real Presence; they observe eucharistic rites as simply memorials. In the early Church, the faithful received the Eucharist in the form of consecrated bread and wine. Saint Maximus explains that in the Old Law the flesh of the sacrificial victim

1428-400: The type of sacrifice). Also consumed at the altar would be some of the meat offerings , and the drink offerings ( libations of wine) were poured out here. All sacrifices had to be "seasoned with salt" ( Leviticus 2:13 , Numbers 18:19 ). A priest officiating at a burnt offering would vest in his priestly vestments before approaching the altar. He would remove the ashes and place them beside

1470-486: The use of steps to approach the altar was forbidden by the Torah : "Do not climb up to My altar with steps, so that your nakedness not be revealed on it" ( Exodus 20:26 ). On the day of the consecration of the new temple, Solomon also sanctified a space in the center of the Court of the Priests for burnt offerings, because the brasen altar he made was not large enough to hold all of the offerings ( 2 Chronicles 7:7 ). This altar

1512-464: The whole Christ—when consecrated. Devotion to the Precious Blood was a special phenomenon of Flemish piety in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, that gave rise to the iconic image of Grace as the " Fountain of Life ," filled with blood, pouring from the wounded " Lamb of God " or the Holy Wounds of Christ. The image, which was the subject of numerous Flemish paintings , was in part spurred by

1554-469: The word altar is mentioned and recorded in the Hebrew Bible is that it was erected by Noah , it does specify that there was an altar in ( Genesis 8:20 ). Other altars were erected by Abraham ( Genesis 12:7 ; 13:4 ; 13:18 ; 22:9 ), by Isaac ( Genesis 26:25 ), by Jacob ( 33:20 ; 35:1–3 ), by Moses ( Exodus 17:15 ), and by Saul (1 Samuel 14:35). After the theophany on Biblical Mount Sinai , in

1596-406: Was 32 cubits (app. 16 meters). It was constructed of two main parts: the altar itself, and the ascent ramp. Both were constructed of stones and earth. On top of the altar at its four corners, there were hollow boxes which made small protrusions or "horns." These horns measured one cubit square and 5 handbreadths high, each (or, app. 18" x 18" x 15"). In this form, the altar remained in its place until

1638-504: Was made to be moved with the Children of Israel as they wandered through the wilderness. Its construction is described in Exodus 27:1–8 . It was square, 5 cubits in length and in breadth, and 3 cubits in height. It was made of shittim wood , and was overlaid with brass. In each of its four corners projections, called "horns" ( keranot ), rose up. The altar was hollow, except for a mesh grate which

1680-418: Was placed inside halfway down, on which the wood sat for the burning of the sacrifices. The area under the grate was filled with earth. There were rings set on two opposite sides of the altar, through which poles could be placed for carrying it. These poles were also made of shittim wood and covered with brass. When Moses consecrated the Tabernacle in the wilderness, he sprinkled the Altar of Burnt Offering with

1722-534: Was said to be renewed by Asa ( 2 Chronicles 15:8 ) and removed by Ahaz ( 2 Kings 16:14 ), and "cleansed" by Hezekiah , in the latter part of whose reign it was rebuilt. It was finally broken up and carried away by the Babylonians in 586 BCE ( Jeremiah 52:17 ). After their return from the Babylonian captivity according to the biblical narrative it was re-erected ( Ezra 3:3–6 ) where it had formerly stood. When Antiochus IV Epiphanes pillaged Jerusalem , he defiled

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1764-501: Was shared with the people, but the blood of the sacrifice was merely poured out on the altar . Under the New Law , however, Jesus's blood was the drink shared by all of Christ 's faithful . St. Justin Martyr , an early Church Father of the 2nd century, speaks of the Eucharist as the same body and blood of Christ that was present in his Incarnation . The tradition continued in the Church in

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