The words that are still retained, not only in the Latin liturgy, but across Christian services are Aramaic: amen, alleluia, hosanna and sabboth. When the gospels spread to the Gentiles in 100 AD, the language the Church adopted was Greek, since that was the common language of their world. For the next two centuries, Greek was maintained as the liturgy. The Kyrie eleison, a vital part of the Latin Mass, is a remnant from the Greek as is the inscription of IHS as a derivative of the Greek word for Jesus.
Traditional Roman Rite
The Roman Mass found its beginnings in the writings of Saint Justin in 150 AD and Saint Hippolytus in 215 AD, for the Greek text was replaced by the common language of the Roman Empire, which by that point in history spoke in Latin.
By 250 AD, the liturgy was wholly translated and conducted in Latin. It is this same canon that is still in use today and even though the vernacular of Latin, since the ninth century, is no longer a 'living' language, its importance as a 'dead' language is viable because it can not be corrupted by translation into local dialects, nor any modern language forms.
The Purpose of Latin
It was because of the liturgical problems and difficulties of the many local variations on the Mass had created a great deal of confusion following the Reformation and not all were of high quality or in line with the central doctrine.
In forethought, the Church realized that the different liturgies could become a threat to unity of its precepts. As a result, Pope Pius V set up the councils that wrote the only liturgy for the Mass. The proclamation was issued in the Breviarum Romanum in 1568 and the Missale Romanum in 1570. It authorized the central unity of the service so that every Church in every country would share the same continuity unchanging.
The Tridentine Mass
The purpose was to clarify and codify the tradition of worship since the 300s AD:
- The liturgy is conducted facing East, leading the community behind him; and
- Congregation follows the Mass in private prayer and doesn't play an active part.
The Second Vatican Council
Contrary to much opinion and misinformation, the Old Mass was never dismissed, the purpose of the use of modern vernacular was to insure all could receive the understanding of the Mysteries.
In his letter to the Bishops in 1980, Pope John Paul II said, "There are also those people who, having been educated on the basis of the old liturgy in Latin, experience the lack of this 'one language', which in all the world was an expression of the unity of the Church and which, through its dignified character, elicited a profound sense of the Eucharistic mystery. It is therefore necessary to show, not only understanding, but also full respect towards these sentiments and desires. As far as possible, these sentiments and desires are to be accommodated."
The return to the old Mass has come about in the last few years because of the yearning for the sanctifying place of the Mysteries in the spiritual life of Catholics. There is a sacredness that needed to be brought back to the forefront, where its place was as the center of life in every parish for the past fifteen hundred years.
The Traditional Latin Mass; Emri.org
About the Tridentine Rite: HolyTrinityGerman.org
Religions- Christianity: Tridentine Mass – BBC.co.uk
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