What Is The Bell On A Chain In The Orthodox Religion?
Reader Question – i went to an orthodox church this sunday, and the priest was shaking what appeared to be a bell inside of a silver container, maybe (i was in the back of the room; i couldn’t really tell), in different directions. He tossed it repeatedly in the direction of the icons, and then to the people in the room. what is this, and what does it do?
As other have mentioned, it is a censer, or more specifically a thurible. The bells are on the chains that hold the thurible. Incense is burned (really vaporized) on a hot charcoal. It produces a sweet smell to add to the beauty of the worship. Burning incense is mentioned in the Old and New Testaments, for example:
Revelation 8:2-4
And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.
A thurible is a metal censer suspended from chains, in which incense is burned during worship services. It is used in the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopal, Old Catholic, and some Lutheran churches, as well as in Christian and non-Christian Gnostic Churches and in the practice of magick. In Catholic, Episcopal, and Anglican churches, the altar server who carries the thurible is called the thurifer.
The workings of a thurible are quite simple. Burning charcoal is inside the metal censer. Incense, sometimes of many different varieties, is placed upon the charcoal. This may be done several times during the service as the incense burns quite quickly. Once the incense has been placed on the charcoal the thurible is then closed and used for censing.
The word “thurible” comes from the Old French thurible, which in turn is derived from the Latin term “thuribulum”. The Latin word thuribulum has the root “thur”, meaning incense. The Latin “thur”is an alteration of the Greek word “thuos”, which is derived from the term “thuein”, meaning to sacrifice.
It is a thurible, a type of censer. It is used to contain incense as it is burned.
Incense is a representation of prayers rising to heaven.
I think there is scent inside and it just a part of the religious procedure. I think the smoke that come out is supposed to clean whatever it touches.
Edit: Oops i guess i was wrong about the second part.
The item is called a thurible, or incense burner.
Burning incense before the Lord has always been a priestly function, going all the way back to the ancient Aaronic/Mosaic times.http://www.fisheaters.com/incense.html
I don’t know but I’m sure it doesn’t have much to do with anything true to the faith that Jesus taught.