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Oldest Known Christian Prayer Box
The Oldest Known Christian Prayer Box (324-838 C.E.) was discovered by archaeologists Yana Tchekhanovets and Doron Ben-Ami near Jerusalem’s City of David during an Israel Antiquities excavation in 2010. Found lodged in the plaster between ancient tiles the Prayer Box is thought to have been the property of a Byzantine-era pilgrim traveling to the Holy City.
The Prayer Box is made of bone and has a finely detailed delicately etched Cross on the outside surrounded by a similarly etched decorative boarder. The interior of the box contains images thought to be those of Jesus and Mary. The bearded male is in a white tunic and the female figure is in blue. The time worn shades of red, brown, blue and white that compose the iconic images are still discernable as is gold leaf that surrounds them.
"Never before have we held such an object in hand, it's very exciting that we uncovered it." said. Tchekhanovets. The ancient Prayer Box measures .87 inches long by .63 inches wide by .25 inches deep. The top of the box is pierced through suggesting that the Prayer Box was worn as a necklace.
Perhaps as many as seventeen hundred years ago an unknown Christian pilgrim lost this Prayer Box. A prized possession, maybe he retraced his steps searching and hoping to find it. He might have thought about the Prayer Box years later, still connected to it by a thread of faith. He could have never imagined that centuries later the thread of faith that connected him to the Prayer Box would be woven into the fabric of our shared faith by answering the question, what is the origin of the Prayer Box. |
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What Is A Prayer Box?
A Prayer Box is a portable personal devotional object, some form of which has been present across different faiths dating back to ancient times. The defining feature of a Prayer Box is that it opens to reveal or receive ritualistic objects, images or writings. It has been said that a Prayer Box is something to “keep the faith in".
Different faiths have different Prayer Box traditions. The oldest known Christian Prayer Box is made of bone and slides open to reveal the images of Jesus and Mary. It is thought that the owner of such a Prayer Box would open the box and pray to the images it contains. |
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Buddhist Prayer Box
Buddhist Prayer Boxes are called Prayer Wheels and were recorded as early as 400 CE in Kashmir northern India. Large Prayer Wheels, several feet tall, can be found at monasteries in this area, but far more common are hand held personal Prayer Wheels. Both Large and small Prayer Wheels serve the purpose moving the user closer to enlightenment by focusing the mind on the Om Mani Padme Hum mantras while spinning the wheel. The mantras are imprinted many times on thin rolls of paper wrapped around the inside axel of the wheel which is then encased by a protective cover which also bears the mantra. |
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Jewish Prayer Box
In Judaism Prayer Boxes are know as Tefillin. Tefillin is the plural of Tefillah and refers to a set of two leather boxes that contain scrolls of parchment inscribed with prayers from the Torah. One of the boxes, the “shel rosh” is worn on the forehead the other the “shel yad” is worn on the upper arm. The purpose of the Tefillin is to subordinate worldly desires in favor of spiritual development. The placement of the Tefillin next to the heart and above the brain symbolizes that these two centers of being are ready to perform God’s work. |
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Tibetan Ghau Prayer Box
A Tibetan Prayer Box is called a Ghau, sometimes spelled Gau or Gao. In this tradition the Ghau Prayer Box is used as an amulet or talisman, intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner. Ghau Prayer Boxes are made from precious metals, predominantly silver and gold although there are now a large variety of white base metal Ghaus available. A typical Ghau Prayer Box will be ornately decorated with colorful semi precious stones including Red Coral, Lapis, Turquoise, Amber, Amethyst and Garnet. Like all Prayer Boxes the Ghau opens to reveal or receive ritualistic objects, images or writings as preferred by the maker or owner. |
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Balinese Hindu Prayer Boxes
Master silver workers in Bali Indonesia have been making highly sought after Prayer Box designs with an easy to recognize distinctive style for centuries. The Bali tradition uses spun silver wire in various gauges along with bits and dots of silver to subtly adorn several different types of Prayer Boxes. |
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Balinese Prayer Box Pendant
Balinese Prayer Box Pendants are cylindrical with screw tops that can be completely removed. The base cylinder often has a semi precious stone embedded in its bottom or less frequently embedded in its side. There is no end to the creative designs the master artisans are able to achieve using just a few simple shapes and patterns. |
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Balinese Prayer Box Locket
Balinese Prayer Box Locket designs are similar in shape to many of the Tibetan Ghau Prayer Boxes but on balance they are quite a bit smaller. Like their cousin the cylindrical Bali Prayer Box Pendant, Balinese Prayer Box Lockets bare the traditional spun wire, bits and dots that are the hallmark of Balinese silver work. Balinese Prayer Box Lockets have ornately decorated faces and sides with a flat unadorned back . The face of the locket typically slides over the back creating a compartment for objects, images or writings. |
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Balinese Angel Chiming Prayer Box
Balinese Angel Chiming Prayer Boxes contain a delicate ball which lightly chimes with the wearers natural movements. The soft chiming is a reminder throughout the day of the presence of Angels. Legend says that Angels will chime the pendant at times when the wearers most need to be reminded of their presence. Like all Prayer Box Jewelry Angel Chiming Pendants act as a subtle reminder of the faith, love and hope that surround us all, every day. |
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Wooden Prayer Boxes
We are proud to offer the full line of Agalia Designs™ Handcrafted Wooden Prayer Boxes. Designer Agalia Galt has redefined the Prayer Box combining form, function and materials into what we consider to be the finest Prayer Box available today. The unique box design was created by Agalia specifically to be a Prayer Box. Gone is the need to label the box with the words “Prayer Box” or “My Prayer Box” in order to identify its purpose. Ms. Galt chose to construct the boxes from the wood of the symbolically appropriate Phoenix Tree because of its direct association with the mythology of rebirth. Combining form and function Agalia designed her Prayer Boxes to display a large number of inspirational medallions. Because any standard medallion will fit the box is customizable to the particular taste of the owner.
Medallions can easily be replaced and stored making an Agalia Designs™ Prayer Box a gift the will remain relevant for a lifetime. |
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Prayer Box Rings
Prayer Box Rings have a long and storied history, but like all Prayer Boxes their defining feature is that they open to reveal or receive ritualistic objects, images or writings. Prayer Box Rings are sometimes referred to as Pill Box Rings, Locket Rings, Perfume Rings and most famously as Poison Rings.
A great mythology has grown up around the idea of Poison Rings being the baleful tools of would be assassins used to surreptitiously introduce poison into the food of their victims. Whispered conspiratorial anecdotes arose to explain the sudden demise of historical figures and the poison ring was the hub around which the dastardly plots were constructed. There have been countless books, movies and television shows which relied on the mysterious poison ring to provide a plot twist unforeseen by the audience. While such accounts of the villainous history of the Prayer Box Ring have made for good entertainment, the reality is that their use has been principally devotional, sentimental and practical. |
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Prayer Box Earrings
Prayer Box Earrings are most often made of sterling silver and are suspended from the lobe by ear wires. Prayer Box Earrings are part of the family that comprises Prayer Box Jewelry. Unlike many of their counterparts Prayer Box Earrings often but do not always open.
The design motifs found on Prayer Box Earrings include crosses, angels, doves hearts the Ichthys or ancient Christian fish symbol and may others. Unlike other types of prayer box jewelry, Prayer Box Earrings are small and tend toward greater simplicity then their larger brothers and sisters. Still the charm of Prayer Box Earrings is captivating and unique enough to garner the attention and imagination of those who have yet to be exposed to them. |
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Base Metal Prayer Boxes
Western style base metal alloy Prayer Boxes are created using the same casting techniques employed in the making of Western Style Sterling Silver Prayer Boxes. The singular difference between base metal Prayer Boxes and sterling silver Prayer Boxes is the metal used. Highly skilled metallurgists are able to combine various base metals into alloys that imitate the look and feel of precious metals. Often the jewelry made from such alloys is referred to as costume jewelry. The quality of base metal alloy jewelry can be so high as to fool the educated eye. |
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Prayer Box Charms
Prayer Box Charms are no different that any other Prayer Box except in as much as they tend to be small. Often several smaller Prayer Boxes are used as Charms on a Prayer Box Bracelet. Prayer Box Charms can be made of precious metals or of base metals and either type can be used in the creation of a variety of Prayer Box Jewelry designs. |
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Prayer Box Bracelets
Prayer Box Bracelets are similar to Charm Bracelets in that one or more Prayer Boxes are attached to a bracelet typically using a jump hook. A Prayer Box Bracelet may have several Prayer Boxes or just one. Similarly a Prayer Box Charm may be added to an existing charm bracelet as one of many types of charms that tell a story. We offer a classic light gauge double linked sterling silver Prayer Box Bracelet as part of our Prayer Box Jewelry collection. Our Prayer Box Bracelets are available in child, teen and adult sizes. |
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Prayer Box Necklace
The Sterling Silver Prayer Box Necklace is the standard in Prayer Box Jewelry. Virtually all prayer Boxes, with the exception of Prayer Box Rings, Earrings and Wooden Prayer Boxes are traditionally worn on a sterling silver chain. We offer Sterling Silver Prayer Box Necklaces with well priced box chains in sizes from 16 inches to 24 inches. Our base metal Prayer Box Necklace is included with the purchase of and Agalia Designs™ base metal Prayer Box in sizes 18 inches to 24 inches. |
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Awareness Prayer Boxes
Awareness Prayer Boxes serve to increase the understanding of the extra ordinary circumstances that can visit those we love. Often two or more of the same design are worn by those around the sufferer as a symbol to the common bond of both love and grieving that they share. We offer a large selection of awareness prayer boxes and an awareness color ribbon chart to help make the right choice. |
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Gold Vermeil Prayer Boxes
Gold Vermeil Prayer Boxes are sterling silver prayer boxes that have been covered in part or whole with not less than 10 carat gold at a minimum of 2 microns in thickness through the process of electrolysis. Base metals or alloys plated with gold do not meet the standard of Gold Vermeil (ver - may) which requires the gold to be covering sterling silver. This process produces a 100 % precious metal prayer box with the look and feel of gold, because it is gold! With today’s gold prices at or above $1500 per ounce, gold vermeil is a rational alternative to crazy prices! |
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How Do You Use A Prayer Box?
Today most Prayer Boxes are given as precious gifts that express the love and affection shared by people with the common bonds of family, friendship and faith. Often the same Prayer Box designs are worn by two or more people as a celebration or remembrance of those common bonds.
More traditionally, there are times for all of us when we may not be able to determine which course to take. In such moments the tradition of placing a prayer, either physically or symbolically, into our Prayer Box and asking for an inspiration, intuitive thought or decision can provide direction. It is surprising how often the right answer comes, without struggle, after we have tried this for a while. |
Prayer Box Jewelry
Prayer Box Jewelry includes Western European Cast Prayer Box Designs, Balinese Prayer Boxes, Prayer Box Earrings, Prayer Box Rings, Prayer Box Necklaces, Prayer Box Pendants, Prayer Box Charms, Prayer Box Bracelets, Tibetan Ghau Prayer Boxes, Awareness Prayer Boxes, Jewish Prayer Boxes, Gold Vermeil Prayer Boxes, Bali Chiming Prayer Boxes, Perfume Prayer Boxes, Prayer Box Lockets, Buddhist Prayer Boxes and Base Metal Alloy Prayer Boxes. |
Our Prayer Boxes
The best way to learn about the many varieties of Prayer Boxes is to click on our images above for a complete line of each style that is in stock and ready to ship. All of our Prayer Boxes come gift ready, wrapped in attractive packaging complete with your personal gift card. We have an extensive collection of well priced Prayer Boxes from around the world. We hope you will find what you are looking for while you enjoy browsing our collection. |
