Talk:Altar crucifix

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[edit] Comments on article as requested by orginator

1) The emphasis on Catholicism is too strong. To avoid having the article marked with highly undesirable tags about tone or bias, other religions should be given mention. Another alternative would have been to work the word "Catholic" in the article title. E.g., "Catholic Altar Crucifix"

2) The 1913 "Catholic Encyclopedia" is a reasonable reference, but it would be nice to have something more modern, if it's available. It might be better to cite www.catholic.com, than a copy kept by Wiki, since changes might happen there, first. (It's got better formatting, too!) http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=555

I note on Catholic_Encyclopedia that there's a 1922 supplement that is in the public domain, but is not online. If that has newer material, that should be the source.

3) Quoting official Catholic documents on the meaning of Catholic crosses is a pretty safe move, but the article is not on such "safe ground" if it makes statements about other churches. This statement, which you cut-and-pasted from the Encyclopedia has a problem in the context of this article:

"...Christians were not accustomed to publicly expose the cross for fear of scandalizing the weak..."

It's a quote from another author inside the article. From the article, it cannot be established when the author wrote, or which "early" Christians he was talking about.

I raise this issue because, frankly, I find it hard to believe it applies to all "early" Christians, or that, indeed, the author was familiar with all Christian practices.

4) Notice that the Crucifix article uses a very long article as one of its sources, one with a very large number of references. That sort of evidence is likely to appeal to Wiki editor checking on sources. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04517a.htm

5) I find the language of the Crucifix article easy to understand, as well as the language in the New Advent site. Whereas the language copied from the Catholic Encyclopedia is dated and convoluted. It would be appropriate for you, the editor, to bring this language up-to-date.

6) Here's an edit on one paragraph to demonstrate. Existing:

"The crucifix placed upon the altar is intended to serve as a reminder to the people in attendance and the celebrant of the believed nature of the Eucharist as the actual body of Christ. It is for this reason that Roman Law decrees it necessary to have the crucifix upon the altar whenever Mass is celebrated. Specifically, it is placed directly in between the Candlesticks in such a way that it can is conveniently seen by the people. In some cases, to better fulfill this requirement, the crucifix is instead suspended above the altar as in this case, so that when the priest is facing the congregation the crucifix is not obstructed."

Edit:

"The crucifix reminds people that the Eucharist is the actual body of Christ, so it must be on the alter during Mass. It is placed between the Candlesticks or suspended above the alter so it can always be easily seen."

I hope some of this is helpful, and isn't too overwhelming. It does take some time to get used to Wiki guidelines, etc.

Alpha Ralpha Boulevard (talk) 00:05, 4 May 2008 (UTC)