Final answer:
The ambo and lectern are the two raised stands used in early Christian churches for reading or chanting the gospels or epistles during liturgical services.
Step-by-step explanation:
The two raised stands from which the gospels or epistles were read or chanted in an early Christian church are the ambo and the lectern. An ambo is an elevated platform or pulpit, often with a staircase, used particularly in early Christian churches for this purpose. A lectern is a stand used to hold texts for the reader. Ambos and lecterns were central to the liturgy as the clergy used them during services to read the Scriptures to the congregation.
In historical architecture, such as that of Byzantine churches, the clergy celebrated the Eucharist at the bema, surrounded by images reflecting the ritual function of the space, and these readings could be delivered from an ambo within that area. The spread of Christianity and the need for regular readings from the gospels and epistles in liturgical services necessitated the use of ambos and lecterns within church architecture. They played a crucial role not only in function but also as symbolic fixtures that emphasized the centrality of the Word in Christian worship.