Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Judaism The platform from which services are conducted in a synagogue.
- noun Eastern Orthodox Church The area of a church in which the altar is located; the sanctuary.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In Greek antiquity, a stage or kind of pulpit on which speakers stood when addressing an assembly.
- noun In the Gr. Church, the sanctuary or chancel; the inclosed space surrounding the altar.
- noun An architectural screen (iconostasis) with a curtain (amphithyra) at its doors, or, as was the case especially in early times, a curtain only, separates the bema from the body of the church. On either side of the bema are the para-bemata, called respectively the prothesis and the diaconicon. These regularly communicate with the bema, and in poor churches often have little more than an indication of separation from it. Rubrically they are often counted as part of the bema.
- noun A step; a rough measure of length employed by the Greeks and Macedonians when stadia were paced off, and not merely estimated by shouting.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Gr. Antiq.) A platform from which speakers addressed an assembly.
- noun That part of an early Christian church which was reserved for the higher clergy; the inner or eastern part of the chancel.
- noun Erroneously: A pulpit.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
platform from which speakers addressed an assembly. - noun Raised area of
worship in asynagogue upon which rests the Holy Ark containing Scrolls ofTorah .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun area around the altar of a church for the clergy and choir; often enclosed by a lattice or railing
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The word altar (sometimes spelled oltar) is used in the Old Slavonic and Russian languages to denote the entire space surrounding what we know as the altar, which is included behind the iconostasis, and is the equivalent of the Greek word bema.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 1: Aachen-Assize 1840-1916 1913
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Microphones now dangle discretely over the pews, so the congregation can hear each other sing; the bema , or stage, has been lowered and the front rows made movable, so that the clergy can feel closer to the congregation.
After Fire, Temple Rises Sophia Hollander 2011
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Bouyer drew attention to early Syrian church architecture, where the "Liturgy of the Word" was conducted on the bema, a raised platform in the centre of the nave.
"Benedict XVI on Church Art and Architecture": Summary of the Papers Delivered 2009
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Chaim in fact suggested some changes in the design to make the area around the pulpit (bema) less austere, and Kahn agreed to a few.
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Chaim in fact suggested some changes in the design to make the area around the pulpit (bema) less austere, and Kahn agreed to a few.
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I wanted my parents to stand on the bema in front of everyone and give a speech about how proud of me they were for having accomplished all the work that went into a Bat Mitzvah.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk Middle School Jack Canfield 2008
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Julia got to participate in the ceremony by opening the ark, and it was fun to see her on the bema with me.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk Middle School Jack Canfield 2008
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I wanted my parents to stand on the bema in front of everyone and give a speech about how proud of me they were for having accomplished all the work that went into a Bat Mitzvah.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk Middle School Jack Canfield 2008
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“Salam Alaikum bema sebastem,” answered the Fakir;
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Julia got to participate in the ceremony by opening the ark, and it was fun to see her on the bema with me.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk Middle School Jack Canfield 2008
ruzuzu commented on the word bema
"A step; a rough measure of length employed by the Greeks and Macedonians when stadia were paced off, and not merely estimated by shouting."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
July 30, 2015