Why does the priest use five spoons of incense in the Coptic Orthodox Church?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

In the Coptic Orthodox Church, during the Raising of Incense (at Vespers and Matins) and before the reading of the Pauline Epistle in the Divine Liturgy, the priest blesses the incense box three times in the name of the Holy Trinity and then places five spoons of incense into the censer.

1. The Five Righteous Offerers of the Old and New Testaments

The primary liturgical meaning of the five spoons commemorates five righteous men whose sacrifices, offerings, and prayers were pleasing to and accepted by God as a sweet-smelling aroma, all of which pointed forward to the true and ultimate Sacrifice of Christ:

1. Abel: He offered from the firstlings of his flock and of their fat, and the Lord respected Abel and his offering (Genesis 4:4; Hebrews 11:4).
2. Noah: After exiting the ark, Noah built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings, and the Lord smelled a soothing aroma (Genesis 8:20–21).
3. Melchizedek: The king of Salem and priest of God Most High, who brought out bread and wine, prefiguring the Holy Eucharist (Genesis 14:18; Hebrews 7).
4. Aaron: The high priest who was commanded by God to offer sweet incense morning and evening upon the golden altar (Exodus 30:7–8).
5. Zacharias the Priest: The father of St. John the Baptist, who entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense according to the custom of the priesthood, during which his prayer was heard and the Archangel Gabriel announced the coming of the Forerunner (Luke 1:8–13).

By commemorating these five, the Church proclaims that the prayers and oblations offered today in the Orthodox Church are in direct continuation with the acceptable worship of the righteous throughout salvation history.

2. The Five Wounds of Christ

Theologically and Christologically, the five spoons also call to mind the five holy wounds that our Lord Jesus Christ endured in His flesh on the Cross of Calvary for our salvation:

• The wound in His right hand.
• The wound in His left hand.
• The wound in His right foot.
• The wound in His left foot.
• The wound in His holy side from the spear.

As the incense is consumed by the burning coal inside the censer, giving off a sweet fragrance that fills the sanctuary, we remember how the Son of God offered Himself through suffering and fire as a fragrant offering to the Father: "as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma" (Ephesians 5:2).

Liturgical Meaning of the Censer

The censer itself represents the the Mother of God, St. Mary, who carried the Divine Fire within her womb without being consumed. The burning coal represents the divinity united with the humanity of Christ, and the five spoons of incense represent the prayers of the saints ascending before the heavenly throne (Revelation 8:3–4).