the priests were of goldand the chalices of wood, but now the chalices are of goldand the priests of wood.”Attributed to St. Boniface (c. 740) 3
Still later, the canons directed that the inside of bowls of silver chalices be gilded or given a gold wash. The bowls of pewter vessels, still permitted in “circumstances of great poverty or in time of persecution,” also were to be gilded.4
The design and workmanship of communion vessels became a high art. Many cups survive and are on display in cathedrals in the British Isles, Europe, and Asia Minor. Many cups still survive as testaments to the devotion of the patrons who commissioned them and the artists who crafted their visions in the most precious metals and gems the earth has to give.
Since 2003 the Roman Catholic Church has allowed dioceses in the United States to use “other solid materials that, according to the common estimation in each region, are precious, for example, ebony or other hard woods, provided that such materials are suited to sacred use and do not easily break or deteriorate.”5
Agate, gold and semi-precious stones enhance eleventh-century Chalice of Doña Urraca at San Isidoro de León in Spain. (By Locutus Borg [José-Manuel Benito Álvarez] [Own work] [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)
Though The Episcopal Church has no canons dealing with the materials used to create our altar ware, our congregations take great pains to see that their chalices and other communion vessels are beautiful, well-polished, and suitable to the reverence of the occasion. In keeping with centuries of tradition, we still memorialize loved ones with gifts of wonderful artistry to be used in the eucharist.
The chalice is made of four parts: the bowl, the stem, the base, and the knob. That knob on the stem of many chalices is also called a “knop” or a “nodus” or a “pommellum.” It was added to many cups to make them easier for the clergy to handle, particularly when the celebrant raises the chalice during the elevation at the eucharist.
This part of the chalice, often embellished with precious gems, became very prominent during the Middle Ages.
The King James Version of the Bible uses the word “knop” when describing the sacred lampstand crafted to stand before the Ark of the Covenant:
Three bowls made after the fashion of almonds in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three bowls made like almonds in another branch, a knop and a flower: so throughout the six branches going out of the candlestick.” (Exodus 37:19)
In Anglican theology, church ornaments and furnishings—vestments, stained glass windows, altar cloths, crosses, service books, etc.—“are consecrated by being put to the use for which they were intended”6 and do not technically need to be blessed, consecrated, hallowed, or otherwise dedicated.
Knop design featuring church windows makes it hard for EM to hold. By Unknown from Poland Unknown (muzeumutracone.pl The Lost Museum [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)
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