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altar
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Altar
Table (usually of stone) on which sacrifice is offered; in Christian churches, the table where the Eucharist is performed.
Early sacrificial hearths have been excavated in Palestine. Later there were two kinds of altar in use among the Jews, for burnt offering and incense respectively. In ancient Greece and Rome, altars were low pedestals that stood inside the temple before the sacred image, or large raised areas in the open air, used for burnt sacrifice. Christian altars came into use with the cessation of persecution, and were erected over the relics of martyrs.
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The arms show a Bible open at the Gospel of St John, a Trinitarian symbol. The white cross symbolizes faith. The arms appear on national and state flags. Effective date: 14 September 1863.
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