[am-boh] 
| (in an early Christian church) a raised desk, or either of two such desks, from which the Gospels or Epistles were read or chanted. |
| am·bo (ām'bō') n. pl. am·bos or am·bo·nes (ām-bō'nēz) One of the two raised stands in early Christian churches from which parts of the service were chanted or read. [Medieval Latin, from Greek ambōn, raised edge.] |
ambo
in the Christian liturgy, a raised stand formerly used for reading the Gospel or the Epistle, first used in early basilicas. Originally, the ambo took the form of a portable lectern. By the 6th century it had evolved into a stationary church furnishing, which reflected the development and codification of the Christian liturgy. By the Byzantine and early Romanesque periods, it had become an essential part of the church plan. In the 12th century, the ambo was gradually superseded by the pulpit, and it passed out of liturgical use.
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