The Biblical Roots of the [Catholic] Liturgy

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 11-26-17 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[Salvation]

The Biblical Roots of the Liturgy

Msgr. Charles Pope • November 26, 2017 •

Catholics are often unaware just how biblical the Sacred Liturgy is. The design of our traditional churches; the use of candles, incense, and golden vessels; the postures of standing and kneeling; the altar; the singing of hymns; priests wearing albs and so forth are all depicted in the Scriptures. Some of these details were features of the ancient Jewish Temple, but most are reiterated in the Book of Revelation, which describes the liturgy of Heaven.

The liturgy here on earth is modeled after the liturgy in Heaven; that is why it is so serious to tamper with it. The Book of Revelation describes the heavenly liturgy and focuses on a scroll or book that contains the meaning of life and the answers to all we seek. It also focuses on the Lamb of God, standing but with the marks of slaughter upon it. Does this not sound familiar? It is the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

We do well to be aware of the biblical roots of the Sacred Liturgy. Many people consider our rituals to be empty and vain, “smells and bells.” Some think austere liturgical environments devoid of much ritual are “purer” and closer to the worship in “spirit and in truth” that Jesus spoke of in John 4.

To such criticisms we must insist that our rituals, properly understood, are mystical and deeply biblical. Further, they are elements of the heavenly liturgy since almost all of them are mentioned as aspects of the worship or liturgy that takes place in Heaven. In this light, it is a serious mistake to set them aside or have a dismissive attitude toward them.

With that in mind we ought to consider the biblical references to the most common elements of Catholic and Orthodox liturgies. I have added my own occasional note in red.

Candles –

• Rev 1:12-13 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man. In traditional catholic parishes, there are six candles on the high altar and a seventh candle is brought out when the bishop is present.
• Rev 4:6 Seven flaming torches burned in front of the throne.

Altar –

• Rev 9:13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God.
• Rev 8:3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.

Chair –

• Rev 4:1 and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne! And he who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald …
• Daniel 7:9 As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was ancient of days took his seat; … In the Sacred Liturgy, the chair of the priest is prominent. But, as he takes his seat, we are invited to see not Father Jones, but rather the Lord Himself presiding in our midst.

Priests (elders) in Albs –

• Rev 4:4 the elders sat, dressed in white garments …

Bishop’s miter, priest’s biretta –

• Rev 4:4, 10 With golden crowns on their heads … they cast down their crowns before the throne … In the Liturgy, the Bishop may only wear his miter at prescribed times. But when he goes to the altar he must cast aside his miter. The priest who wears the biretta in the Old Mass is instructed to tip his biretta at the mention of the Holy Name and to lay it aside entirely when he goes to the altar.

Focus on a scroll (book), The Liturgy of the Word –

• Rev 5: 1 And I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals; and I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. Then one of the elders said to me, “Weep not; lo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” In the ancient world, books as we know them now had not been invented. Texts were written on long scrolls and rolled up.

Incense, Intercessory prayer –

• Rev 8:3 another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God …
• Rev 5:7 and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints;

Hymns –

• Rev 5:8 And they sang a new hymn: Worthy are you O Lord to receive the scroll and break open its seals. For you were slain and with your blood you purchase for God men of every race and tongue, and those of every nation.
• Rev 14:1 Then I looked, and lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads … and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth.
• Rev 15:3 And they (the multitude no one could count) sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and wonderful are thy deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are thy ways, O King of the ages! Who shall not fear and glorify thy name, O Lord? For thou alone art holy. All nations shall come and worship thee, for thy judgments have been revealed.”

Holy, Holy, Holy –

• Rev 4:8 and day and night they never cease to sing, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

Prostration (Kneeling) –

• Rev 4:10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne …
• Rev 5:14 and the elders fell down and worshiped In today’s setting, there is seldom room for everyone to lie prostrate, flat on the ground. Kneeling developed as a practical solution to the lack of space, but it amounts to the same demeanor of humble adoration.

Lamb of God –

• Rev 5:6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain …

Acclamations –

• Rev 5:11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

Amen! –

• Rev 5:14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!”

Silence –

• Rev 8:1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ( And you thought your priest paused too long after communion?)

Mary –

• Rev 12:1 And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery.

Happy are those called to His “supper” –

• Rev 19:6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunder peals, crying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; … And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

Golden vessels, vestments –

• Rev 1:12 And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
• Rev 1:13 and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man,” dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest
• Rev 5:8 the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense
• Rev 8:3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, at the golden altar before the throne.
• Rev 15:16 The angels were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests.
• Rev 15:17 seven golden bowls

Stained Glass –

• Rev 21:10 [The heavenly city] had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, … The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every jewel; the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. ( The image of stained glass in our Church walls is hinted at here.)

Here is but a partial list, except for one quote drawn only from the Book of Revelation. I invite you to add to it.

Here is an awesome video with wonderful quotes:

[Salvation]

Video

[Salvation]

Monsignor Pope Ping!

[Salvation]

A great book to read, A Biblical Walk through the Mass by Edward Sri:

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Catholics are often unaware just how biblical the Sacred Liturgy is.

Unfortunately, incorporating Biblical sections into the liturgy doesn't make it Biblical for the Church.

The design of our traditional churches;

Not Biblical.

the use of candles, incense, and golden vessels;

Never Biblical for a NT Church. This is a failure of hermeneutics. The whole of the Bible is for a Christian's instruction, but not about him nor his church.

the altar;

No alter ever in a NT church. None needed. No sacrifice is made. It is finished.

priests wearing albs and so forth are all depicted in the Scriptures.

Never, ever, for a NT church. Priests are not a NT church office, nor do they appear before 100 AD, during the lives of the Apostles. It is made up using paganism in a later age.

Some of these details were features of the ancient Jewish Temple, but most are reiterated in the Book of Revelation, which describes the liturgy of Heaven.

The church is not the Jewish Temple. The worship in heaven is not the church on earth.

Arch-pope is far from biblical, as is typical for these posts.

[M Kehoe]

Every sentence of the Mass comes from the Bible.

5.56mm

[stanne]

Ooh. This ought to rub the AntiCatholics here the wrong way.

Wait for it 3-2-1

[Bodleian_Girl]

But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do:
for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Matthew 6:7

~Jesus

[Biggirl]

From what I see, in this article, does point to Bible.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

From what I see, in this article, does point to Bible.

As written in the post you are responding to...

"Unfortunately, incorporating Biblical sections into the liturgy doesn't make it Biblical for the Church. "

best

[Doche2X2]

The mass today is similar to the one described by Justin Martyr, 100-165 AD.

[Biggirl]

Well there are a lot of anti-Catholics around here.

[Biggirl]

Your opinion.

[Tao Yin]

Weird attack. I love the liturgy we use in the LCMS. It is very similar to Catholic in appearance.

For the sake of good order and Biblical remembrance, there is nothing wrong with a traditional / historical structure.

No one is saying that the liturgy saves or is required, but the form of worship is structured and meaningful.

The exact form a church service should take is largely adiaphora, but I’d rather attend a traditional service. Some contemporary services feel disjointed and incomplete, but this is a personal opinion rather than a theological statement.

[Arkansas Toothpick]

While I admire the deep reverence and desire to worship God in all His glory, I, too, feel the Roman system is one that has little basis in biblical truth. It bears too strong a resemblance to the religion practiced by the Pharisees. In reality, the New Testament model is one of simplicity. It’s strips away all pretense of religion.

I do believe that Christians have considerable freedom in there warship and in what happens when they gather together. But, it is extremely difficult to step back and honestly look at the way the Romans warship when compared to what an honest observer sees in Scripture.

[Tao Yin]

In context, “vain repetitions” has nothing to do with the liturgy and would be better aimed at the rosary.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Your opinion.

To believe that, you must believe that the Church and the instructions to the Jewish Nation of Israel are identical.

On what basis do you make such a claim?

Clearly not based on studying what God says in the Scriptures.

I'm guessing it is just... "Your opinion?"

[Arkansas Toothpick]

Sorry, my phone dictated it as warship not worship

[Biggirl]

Even the devil can quote scripture.

[Salvation]

They already beat you! LOL!

Their loss if they choose not to believe the Bible.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

For the sake of good order and Biblical remembrance, there is nothing wrong with a traditional / historical structure.

Yet we are not to steal from God's Word to Israel.
Nor are we to add offices to the NT Church that the Apostles did not.
Nor are we to incorporate syncretic paganism into the Church.