[[Liturgical Studies]] / Liturgical Language > [!note] New - 2026-03-26 ![[assets/covers/liturgical-language.jpg]] Liturgical language is the distinctive, formal register used in worship: a ‘thickened’ form of speech that carries greater depth and resonance than everyday conversation. This archaic or elevated diction marks off sacred speech as qualitatively different from ordinary language. Throughout Christian history, from the earliest liturgies to the present, churches have deliberately chosen language older than their contemporaries spoke, [[Liturgical Tradition and Continuity|creating a continuity of worship across generations]]. ## Depth and Formality The language of the liturgy is neither everyday speech nor empty formality. Described as ‘thickened’ language, it carries more body and depth than the language of daily conversation, yet remains unpretentious.[^bray-common-prayer-p5] This distinctive register creates a particular kind of attention and reverence: the formality itself signals that one is entering sacred speech, where words are chosen not for efficiency or fashionable expression, but for their resonance and permanence. ## A Long Tradition of Archaism From the time of Christ to the present, churches have worshipped in language older than their contemporaries spoke.[^bray-common-prayer-p5] Early Christians who heard the Psalms in Hebrew encountered them in classical form, not the living speech of their own era. This pattern persisted through the mediaeval period: the Vulgate, though it became the standard Latin text over centuries of liturgical use, never completely displaced older Latin translations in worship.[^bray-common-prayer-p6] The King James Version continued this tradition, deliberately chosen in a form already old-fashioned on the day it was published.[^bray-common-prayer-p6] ## The Power of Tested Words Annie Dillard captures something essential about liturgical language: > [!quote] > ‘I often think of the set pieces of liturgy as certain words which people have successfully addressed to God without their getting killed.’ > > *How to Use the [[Book of Common Prayer]]*, p. 6 These words carry the weight of centuries of faithful use. They are not innovations but tested vessels, words that have stood the test of countless prayers and generations of believers. [[Scripture in Liturgical Worship|Liturgy serves as a framework for hearing the word of God]], and the stability of its language is essential to its effectiveness.[^bray-common-prayer-p7] ## The Pace of Change C.S. Lewis argued that the Book of Common Prayer should change as English changed, but at a measured pace: one obsolete word replaced in a century. This defence of archaic language is not resistance to evolution but rather a careful stewardship of what works.[^bray-common-prayer-p7] The slowness of change preserves the continuity and power that make liturgical words effective. ## Selected passages > ‘**The** **language** **of** **the** **liturgy** **is** **meant** **-** **to** **be** **”thickened”** **language,** **with** **more** **body** **and** **depth** **than** **everyday** **language,** **but** **without** **being** **pompous** **or** **self-** **important** **(like** **the** **language** **of** **the** **Pharisee** **in** **Matthew** **6:5).**’ > > *How to Use the Book of Common Prayer: A Guide to the Anglican Liturgy*, p. 5 ([[data/bray-common-prayer/source-images/p5.jpg|🖼️]]) > ‘And **the** **King** **James** **Version** **was** **intended** **to** **be** **old-** **fashioned** **on** **the** **day** **it** **was** **published.**’ > > *How to Use the Book of Common Prayer: A Guide to the Anglican Liturgy*, p. 6 ([[data/bray-common-prayer/source-images/p6.jpg|🖼️]]) ## Appearances - *How to Use the Book of Common Prayer: A Guide to the Anglican Liturgy*, Samuel L. Bray and Drew Nathaniel Keane - WHY LITURGY?, pp. 5–7 ## Related [[Liturgical Prayer]] . [[Scripture and Liturgical Worship]] . [[Book of Common Prayer]] . [[Prayer Book Revisions and Adaptations]] . [[Anglican Liturgy]] . [[Vernacular Worship]] . [[English Bible Translation History]] [^bray-common-prayer-p5]: [[How to Use the Book of Common Prayer: A Guide to the Anglican Liturgy]], p. 5 ([[data/bray-common-prayer/source-images/p5.jpg|🖼️]]) . ‘In fact, **from** **the** **time** **of** **Christ** **to** **the** **present,** **churches** **have** **tended** **to** **worship** **in** **language** **that** **is** **older** **than** **what** **is** **spoken** **in** **everyday** **settings.** **Early** **Christians** **who** **heard** **the** […]’ [^bray-common-prayer-p6]: Ibid., p. 6 ([[data/bray-common-prayer/source-images/p6.jpg|🖼️]]) . ‘But it certainly became so during its use over the next thousand years in the Western church, and **the** **Vulgate** **did** **not** **completely** **replace** **the** **older** **Latin** **translation** **in** **the** **liturgy.**’ [^bray-common-prayer-p7]: Ibid., p. 7 ([[data/bray-common-prayer/source-images/p7.jpg|🖼️]]) . ‘Lewis thought that as the English language changed, the Book of Common Prayer needed to change, too- and he suggested that the right pace was for it to occur “imperceptibly; here a little and there a little; **one** **obsolete** **word** **replaced** **in** **a** **century.”5** Fifth, liturgy is […]’