And welcome back to another episode of five minutes in church history.

On this episode, we are going to talk about a thing in church history.

We say this is persons and places and events and things.

Well, let's talk about a thing,

and the thing I want to talk to you about is the pulpit.

The word pulpit actually comes from the Latin,

directly from the Latin. Pulpitum is the Latin word. It means

platform or staging. And one of the earliest references to the pulpit comes

from an epistle, a letter from Cyprian, right around 250 AD.

And here's what Cyprian says.

He's recounting an event that happened in a church.

And he says, when this man, beloved brethren,

came to us with such condescension of the Lord,

illustrious by the testimony and wonder of the very man who had persecuted him, what else

behooved to be done except that he should be placed on the pulpit, that is on the tribunal of the church, that resting

on the loftiness of a higher station and conspicuous to the whole people for the brightness of his honor he should read the precepts and gospel of the Lord which he so bravely and faithfully follows.

Let the voice that has confessed the Lord daily

be heard in those things which the Lord spoke.

Well, let's unpack this.

This was a gentleman who had been persecuted

and he comes into the church

and he is taken up to the pulpit.

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