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Pulpit
An elevated platform, usually enclosed with a railing or waist-high paneling and equipped with a reading desk. The pulpit is set prominently in the front of the church building to be the place where sermons are delivered. However, the altar rather than the pulpit typically occupies the central place at the front of the church. The term is from the Latin pulpitum, a wooden platform for dramatic performances. Medieval pulpits were often made of stone and elaborately decorated. In the middle ages the term came to replace "ambo." In the early church, an ambo was an elevated structure with steps at both ends. It was often longer than the typical modern pulpit. All liturgical readings were done from the ambo. In many cases it is virtually impossible to distinguish between pulpits and ambos. The terms are sometimes used as synonyms. The term "pulpit" may also refer metaphorically to those who preach, or it may refer to what is preached.
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Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from "An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians," Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.
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