
Intentionally abstract.ĭisambiguation: This does not refer to any physical good, app or piece of software.įurther Research (book, recommended but not at all required, take seriously but not literally): The Book of the Subgenius Strong beliefs strongly held after much thought, but hard to explain well. The apocryphal tale goes that after defeating the Carthaginians in a naval battle, the rostra were cut off several vessels, and taken back to Rome, where they were used in the Senate for the same purposes as a modern lectern.Epistemic Status: Reference post. The "beak" on the front of a Carthaginian navy vessel for ramming enemy ships was called a "rostrum" by the Romans, meaning a bird's beak. The term "rostrum" (a synonym for lectern) is thought to have originated from the Ancient Romans. Merriam-Webster, however, bows to lecterns and podiums as being synonymous in their definition as popularly confused.

The podium is in fact the raised platform upon which both the speaker and the lectern are standing. A common error among speakers is the mistake of referring to the lectern as a "podium". Some older synagogues have large collections of shtenders. Traditional shtenders frequently incorporate a locker under the desktop where prayerbooks and study material may be locked when not in use, and many feature a footrest for comfort during extended study sessions or standing prayers. Note however that each study group in a yeshivah may have its own shtender and in some older synagogues, individual members of the congregation may have their own shtenders. These closely resemble conventional lecterns, and indeed, one shtender may be used as a lectern by the Hazzan leading the service. In traditional yeshivas and some synagogues, students and members of the congregation may use small desks called shtenders ( Yiddish: שטענדער). In some synagogues, this table may resemble a large lectern.

Note footrest and locked cabinet under desktopīecause the Torah scrolls are large, the central feature of the bimah in a synagogue is a table large enough to hold an open Torah along with a tikkun or Chumash (reference books used to check the reading). Shtender in B'nai Jacob Synagogue (Ottumwa, Iowa). Lecterns are often eagle shaped to symbolise John the Apostle. Originally this would have carried the antiphonal book, for use by the cantor or precentor leading the singing of the divine office. In monastic churches and cathedrals, a separate lectern is commonly set in the centre of the choir. The lectern will generally be smaller than the pulpit, and both may be adorned with antipendia in the color of the liturgical season. Churches that have both a lectern and a pulpit will often place them on opposite sides. A lectern differs from a pulpit, the latter being used for sermons. They may be either fixed in place or portable. The lectern is normally set in front of the pew, so that the reader or speaker faces the congregation.

The lessons may be read or chanted by a priest, deacon, minister, or layperson, depending upon the liturgical traditions of the community. In a church, the lectern is usually the stand on which the Bible rests and from which the "lessons" (reading from Scripture) are read during the service. are chanted or read." One 1905 dictionary states that "the term is properly applied only to the class mentioned as independent of the pulpit." By the 1920s, however, the term was being used in a broader sense, for example, in reference to a memorial service in Carnegie Hall, it was stated that "the lectern from which the speakers talked was enveloped in black." Ī simple wrought-iron lectern in the Abbey of Sant'Antimo, Italy.

from which the Scripture lessons ( lectiones). In pre-modern usage, the word lectern was used to refer specifically to the "reading desk or stand. People generally use lecterns while standing. To facilitate eye-contact and improve posture when facing an audience, lecterns may have adjustable height and slant. John's Church, Jhelum, Pakistan in memory of 35 British soldiersĪ lectern (from the Latin lectus, past participle of legere, "to read") is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon.
