liturgy: the church's usage

THE CHURCH’S UNDERSTANDING AND USAGE OF THE CONCEPT OF THE LITURGY

INTRODUCTION: The word liturgy is derived from a Greek word ‘Leitourgia’ with two roots words, Laos and ergon which means people and work respectively. In the ancient Greek world, this word Leitourgia is used to refer to works done by slaves for their master, a good deed one does for his friend, public office, state project, public work etc.

The above meaning and usage of the word Leitourgia, was different from the way the church uses it, as well as their understanding of it. This word was a kind of encultured in to church but its implication in the church is different from its formal mean of Greek origin.

Here we will examine the church’s understanding and usage of the concept of the liturgy as it implies to them.

THE CHURCH’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCEPT OF THE LITURGY

The early Christians had a cultic understanding of the word liturgy.

THE CHURCH’S USAGE OF CONCEPT THE LITURGY

The word liturgy as the church uses it today is not the word the western Latin Church is using to refer to the sacred rites of the church until about the pontificate of Pope Gregory XVI. The church has been using words like: Officia divina, Opus divinum, Sacri ritus and Ecclesiae ritus before then.

The word Liturgy is use in the septuagian, the Greek Old Testament Bible. This word appears as many as seventy times in the septuagian and it was used to refer to the Levitic cult in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, the word Liturgy appeared at least fifteen times and it is used to refer to the circular functions of the magistrate in Romans 13:6, the Old Testament priestly office of Zachariah in Luke 1:23 and the sacrificial priestly office of Jesus in Hebrews 8:2. Christ’s offering of himself made him the Leitourgos of the sanctuary. The word liturgy as used in at least fifteen instances in the New Testament in summary is generally used to refer to the Christians spiritual sacrifice as seen in Roman 15:16 and Acts 13:2.

In the Easter rite churches, the word liturgy is used to refer to sacred rites.