Editing Lectern (section)

== Religious use==
=== Christianity ===
[[File:Crucifixion panel from the Siena Pulpit.jpg|thumb|''Crucifixion'' panel and [[eagle lectern]] from the [[Siena Cathedral Pulpit]], by [[Nicola Pisano]], 1268]]

In the [[Christian Church]], the lectern is usually the stand on which the [[Bible]] or other texts rest and from which the "lessons" (scripture passages, often selected from a [[lectionary]]) are read during the service. The lessons may be read or chanted by a priest, deacon, minister, or layperson, depending upon the liturgical traditions of the community. The lectern is normally set in front of the pews, so that the reader or speaker faces the congregation.

Lecterns are often made of wood. They may be either fixed in place or portable. A lectern differs from a [[pulpit]], the latter being used for [[sermon]]s though, especially historically, many pulpits include a built in lectern, for example [[Siena Cathedral Pulpit]] (Nicola Pisano, 1268). Churches that have both a lectern and a pulpit will often place them on opposite sides. The lectern will generally be smaller than the pulpit, and both may be adorned with [[antipendia]] in the color of the [[liturgical year|liturgical season]].
[[File:Adlerpult mit Fledermaus.jpg|thumb|[[Eagle lectern]] in the choir hall of [[Aachen cathedral]] with a [[bat]] cast in 1874 in [[Stolberg (Rhineland)|Stolberg]]. The bat on the eagle's back serves to stabilize the damaged lectern.]]

In monastic churches and cathedrals, a separate lectern is commonly set in the centre of the [[choir (architecture)|choir]]. Originally this would have carried the [[antiphonal]] book, for use by the [[cantor (church)|cantor]] or [[precentor]] leading the singing of the [[Canonical hours|divine office]]. [[Eagle lectern|Eagle-shaped lecterns]] are common,<ref name=Taylor>''How to read a church'', Richard Taylor, London 2003, {{ISBN|1-84413-053-3}}</ref><ref>George Ferguson, ''Signs and Symbols in Christian Art'', New York 1966</ref> though some, rather rarely, instead take the form of a pelican,<ref name=Taylor/> or an angel.

In the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] and [[Eastern Catholic Churches]], a lectern on which [[icons]] or the [[Gospel Book]] are placed for veneration is called an [[analogion]]. It may also be used for reading from [[liturgical book]]s during the [[Divine Service (Eastern Orthodoxy)|divine service]]s.{{sfnp|Parry|Melling|Brady|Griffith|1999|p=27}}

=== Judaism ===

Because the [[Torah scroll]]s are generally large, the central feature of the [[Bema#Judaism|bimah]] in a [[synagogue]] is a table large enough to hold an open Torah along with a [[Tikkun (book)|tikkun]] or [[Chumash (Judaism)|Chumash]] (reference books used to check the reading). In some synagogues, this table may resemble a large lectern. The Hebrew term for this article of furniture is ''amud'' ({{langx|he|עמוד}}).<ref>{{cite web |title=Amud |url=https://jel.jewish-languages.org/words/1352 |publisher=Jewish English Lexicon |website=jel.jewish-languages.org}}</ref>

In traditional [[yeshiva]]s and some synagogues, students and members of the congregation may use small desks called {{Transliteration|yi|shtenders}} ({{langx|yi|שטענדער}}). These closely resemble conventional lecterns, and indeed, one {{Transliteration|yi|shtender}} may be used as a lectern by the [[hazzan]] leading the service. Each study group in a yeshivah may have its own {{Transliteration|yi|shtender}} and in some older synagogues individual members of the congregation may have their own {{Transliteration|yi|shtenders}}.<ref>Samuel C. Heilman, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=kl_63a6NGXsC&pg=PA3 The People of the Book]'', University of Chicago Press, 1983, Transaction Publishers, 2009; see Chapter 1, page 3.</ref><ref>Hanoch Teller, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=zvS2lbrTjjQC&pg=PA169 Sunset]'', Feldheim Publishers, 1987; page 169.</ref>

Traditional {{Transliteration|yi|shtenders}} frequently incorporate a locker under the desktop where prayer books and study material may be locked when not in use, and many feature a footrest for comfort during extended study sessions or standing prayers. Some older synagogues have large collections of {{Transliteration|yi|shtenders}}.

=== Islam ===
[[File:عکس های مراسم ترتیل خوانی یا جزء خوانی یا قرائت قرآن در ایام ماه رمضان در حرم فاطمه معصومه در شهر قم 20.jpg|thumb|[[Shia]] Muslim girls studying the [[Quran]] placed atop folding lecterns ([[Rehal (book rest)|''rehal'']]) during [[Ramadan]] in [[Qom]], [[Iran]]]]

In [[Islam]], lecterns are often used when studying in Islamic seminaries or reading and learning the Qur'an while sitting on the floor, called [[Rehal (book rest)|rehal]].<ref name="Duerksen2015">{{cite book |last1=Duerksen |first1=Darren |title=Ecclesial Identities in a Multi-Faith Context: Jesus Truth-Gatherings (Yeshu Satsangs) among Hindus and Sikhs in Northwest India |date=12 January 2015 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-63087-885-6 |language=en |quote=In this case, the use of the ''rehal'' connects with the sense of how "God's word" should be reverently treated.}}</ref> The name "{{Transliteration|ur|rehal}}" ultimately derives from the Arabic word {{Transliteration|ar|rahl}} ({{lang|ar|رَحْل}}) meaning "[[Dromedary#Riding camels|camel]] [[saddle]]", referring to the resemblance of the unfolded lectern to a saddle.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tenerowicz |first1=Eleonora |title=Składany pulpit pod Koran |publisher=[[Ethnographic Museum of Krakow]] |url=https://etnomuzeum.eu/zbiory/skladany-pulpit-pod-koran |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124062051/https://etnomuzeum.eu/zbiory/skladany-pulpit-pod-koran |archive-date=24 January 2021 |website=etnomuzeum.eu |language=pl}}</ref>