What does ambo mean?
An ambo is a raised pulpit or reading desk, usually built of stone, from which the Scriptures were read aloud in early Christian and Byzantine churches. Standing prominently within the nave rather than against a wall, it allowed the lector or deacon to be seen and heard by the whole congregation as he chanted the Gospel or Epistle. Many surviving examples, particularly in Ravenna and Constantinople, are richly carved with religious imagery, making the ambo significant to both liturgical history and the study of Byzantine art. The word derives from the Greek 'ambon', meaning a rim or elevated step, and entered Western usage through descriptions of Eastern church architecture. Today the term appears chiefly in scholarly writing on archaeology, art history, and worship, though some modern churches have revived the name for their lecterns. Its plural forms are 'ambos' or 'ambones'.
nounA raised pulpit or reading desk, typically of stone, from which the Scriptures were read in early Christian and Byzantine churches.
- A raised pulpit or reading desk in an early Christian or Byzantine church, from which Scripture was read or chanted during the liturgy.
"The deacon ascended the marble ambo to chant the Gospel lesson."
"The priest climbed the steps of the ambo to proclaim the day's Gospel."
"Archaeologists uncovered a sixth-century ambo carved with scenes from the life of Christ."
Both plurals are accepted; 'ambones' reflects the Latinized form and is more common in scholarly writing on Byzantine and early Christian architecture.
"The excavations revealed the bases of two ambones flanking the nave."
Early Byzantine churches often had two ambones — one for reading the Gospel and one for the Epistle — so the congregation heard Scripture delivered from both sides of the nave.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of ambo
The word ambo comes from the Greek 'ambon' (ἄμβων), which denoted a rim, edge, or raised step, and is thought to derive ultimately from the Greek verb for ascending. It passed into ecclesiastical Latin as 'ambo' describing the raised reading platform of early Christian basilicas, and from there into English, where it has been used since at least the early modern period to describe these church furnishings. The Greek root that produced 'ambon' also underlies words such as 'basis', 'anabasis', and 'diabetes', all of which involve notions of stepping, going up, or passing through.
How ambo is actually used
Ambo is a specialized term used mainly in liturgy, church architecture, archaeology, and art history. It refers specifically to the free-standing raised reading platform of early Christian basilicas, so it is narrower than the modern word 'pulpit', which it predates. The plural is either 'ambos' or 'ambones'.
Easily confused with ambo
Ammo is short for ammunition (bullets and shells), while an ambo is a raised reading desk or pulpit in a church — they differ by just one letter.