[some~] unknown God, was placed upon them ; and that one of these altars was seen by the apostle, who, not knowing that there were others, spoke accordingly. To this we may add the notion of Kuinol (Comment. in loc), who considers it proved that there were sev- eral altars at Athens on which the inscription was written in the plural number, and believes that there was also one altar with the inscription in the singular, although the fact has been recorded by no other writer ; for no argument can be drawn from this silence to the discredit of a writer, like Paul, of unimpeached integ- rity. The altar in question, he thinks, had probably been dedicated ayvworoj 9te3 on account of some re- markable benefit received, which seemed attributable to some God, although it was uncertain to whom. See Unknown God.
Various Forms of ancient Heathen Altars. 1, 2, 3. Greek; 4. Egyptian; 5. Babylonian; 6. Roman; 7, S. Persian.
So much at least is certain, both from Paul's asser- tion and the testimony of Greek profane writers, that altars to an unknown god or gods existed at Athens. But the attempt to ascertain definitely whom the Athenians worshipped under this appellation must ever remain fruitless for want of sufficient data. The inscription afforded to Paul a happy occasion of pro- claiming the Gospel; and those who embraced it found indeed that the Being whom they had thus " ig- norantly worshipped" was the one only living and true God (Lardner's Works, vii, 319-321). See Paul.
II. Jewish. — Cain and Abel appear to have wor- shipped at some primitive form of altar (Gen. iv, 3, 4) ; but the first altar we read of in the Bible was that erected by Noah on leaving the ark. According to a rabbinical legend, it was partly formed from the re- mains of one built by Adam on his expulsion from Paradise, and afterward used by Cain and Abel, on the identical spot where Abraham prepared to offer up Isaac (Zohar, Gen. li, 3, 4; Jonathan's Targum, uen. ix, 20 ; xxii, 29). Mention is made of altars erected by Abraham (Gen. xii, 7; xiii, 4; xxii, 9); by Isaac (xxvi, 25); by Jacob (xxxiii, 20; xxxv, 1, 3); by Moses (Exod. xvii, 15). After the giving of the law, the Israelites were commanded to make an altar of earth ; they were also permitted to employ stones, but no iron tool was to be applied to them. This has been generally understood as an interdiction of sculpture, in order to guard against a violation of the second com- mandment. Altars were frequently built on high jilaces (q. v.), the word being used not only for the elevated spots, but for the sacrificial structures upon them (Creuzer, Symbol, i, 159 ; Gesenius, Comment, zu Jesa. ii, 282). Thus Solomon built a high-place for Chemosh (1 Kings xi, 7), and Josiah broke down and burnt the high-place, and stamped it small to powder (2 Kings xxiii, 15). Such structures, however, were forbidden by the Mosaic law (Deut. xii, 13; xvi,'5),
ALTAR
181
ALTAR
except in particular instances, such as those of Gideon (Judg. vi, 26) and David (2 Sam. xxiv, 18). It is said of Solomon that he " loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David, his father, only he sacrificed and burnt incense on the high-places" (1 Kings iii, 3). Altars were sometimes built on the roofs of houses : in 2 Kings xxiii, 12, we read of the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz. In the taber- nacle, and afterward in the temple, two altars were erected, one for sacrifices, the other for incense ; the ta- ble for the shew-bread is also sometimes called an altar.
1. The Altar of Burnt-offering (nbi"tl ttatri)-, Exod. xxx, 28, or brazen altar (rrareil nSrttl), Exod. xxxix, 39, called in Mai. i, 7, 12, " the table of the Lord," perhaps also in Ezek. xliv, 16. This differed in construction at different times.
(«.) In the tabernacle (Exod. xxvii, xxxviii) this was a hollow square, five cubits in length and breadth, and three cubits in height ; it was made of shittim- wood [see Shittim], and overlaid with plates of brass. In the middle there was a ledge or projection (33"0, karkob' , Kosenmiiller, de ambulacrum), on which the priest stood while officiating ; immediately below this a brass grating was let down into the altar to support the fire, with four rings attached, through which poles were passed when the altar was removed. Some crit- ics have supposed that this grating was placed perpen- dicularly, and fastened to the outward edge of this projection, thus making the lower part of the altar larger than the upper. Others have imagined that it extended horizontally beyond the projection, in order to intercept the coals or portions of the sacrifice which might accidentally fall off the altar. To this effect is a statement by the Targumist Jonathan. But for such a purpose (as Biihr remarks, Symbol, i, 480) a grating seems very unsuitable (comp. Josephus, Ant. iii, 6, 8). As the priests were forbidden to go up by steps to the al- tar (Exod. xx, 26 ; comp. Gell. x, 15 ; Servius, ad jEn. iv, 646), a slope of earth was probably made rising to a level with the projection. According to the Jewish tradition, this was on the south side, which is not im- probable ; for on the east was " the place of the ashes" (Lev. i, 16), and the laver of brass was probably near the western side, so that only the north and south sides were left (Ezek. viii, 5). Those critics who suppose the grating to have been perpendicular or on the out- side consider the injunction in Exod. xx, 24, as ap- plicable to this altar, and that the inside was filled with earth ; so that the boards of shittim-wood form- ed merely a case for the real altar. So Jarchi, on Exod. xxvii, 5. Its corners were ornamented with "horns" (Exod. xxix, 12; Lev. iv, 18 sq.). See Horn.