Bring Back Dulia, Hyperdulia, & Latria?

[Judas_Thaddeus]

I was in another thread earlier this morning, asking about cross, images, & relics, and how
Catholics treat them. A Protestant was asking, so I dropped my thought in, then I dropped
in another food for thought, a concept that I feel is unknown to most Protestants today.

Catholics are often thought of as worshipers of Saints, Angels, & especially the Virgin Mary,
based on how our acts towards them differ greatly from what Protestants do. Non-Catholics
often call it worship, as though identical to that which is only due to God.

Some time ago, I learned about three interesting words: Dulia, Hyperdulia, & Latria.
Fr. Joseph Pohle’s book Mariology (in the appendix ON THE WORSHIP OF THE
SAINTS, RELICS, AND IMAGES), he brings these three terms up and describes
the difference between Dulia/Hyperdulia and Latria “as vast as the gulf that separ-
ates the creature from its Creator.”

For those unfamiliar with these terms, here they are very quickly:
**Dulia **is the reverence accorded to saints and angels.
**Hyperdulia **is the special veneration due only to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
**Latria **is that worship and adoration that is ONLY to ONLY be offered to God ALONE.It seems that these words are hardly ever commonly used now and
days, as I believe the Google Ngram Viewer indicates (Click Links):
Dulia, Hyperdulia, Latria.
Perhaps there should be some sort of resurgence for the uses
of these words, which make clear the differences between our
actions towards the Saints and our actions towards God.

Any thoughts on this at all?

 

[1ke]

I wasn’t aware they went anywhere, that they need to be brought back.

 

[Slaney]

I’ve had to use them this past month when someone added, befriended me on FB probably to have a go at the Catholic Faith.

Don’t think the person a non-catholic ever heard of them …

 

[Judas_Thaddeus]

I wasn’t aware they went anywhere, that they need to be brought back.

They didn’t quite disappear, but I don’t believe they are part of the *common *language, so to speak.

 

[Chatter163]

They were never part of “common” language, if by common you mean everyday talk. But I have heard them in sermons from time to time.

 

[svid2]

Pax Christi!

On occasion I’ve explained the difference between reverence/devotion on the one hand and worship/adoration on the other, but I avoid the Greek-based terms which are too foreign-sounding for most ears.

God bless.

 

[Judas_Thaddeus]

They were never part of “common” language, if by common you mean everyday talk. But I have heard them in sermons from time to time.

We just need these words used enough for people to take more notice of them, because
when people call Catholics “Mary Worshipers” and stuff like that, the differentiations be–
tween Dulia, Hyperdulia,and Latria is not being loud enough.

Also, you say that you’ve heard them in sermons, well that’s great “within” Catholic circles,
but non-Catholics outside are observing us and coming to their own conclusions, some are
of their opinion are correct, others are just dead wrong, because OUR words are not radiat-
ing, I don’t think, throughout the whole of the Christian community.

 

[runningdude]

The people who think Catholic “worship” saints are not going to be impressed that we only offer “latria” to God…

 

[Judas_Thaddeus]

Pax Christi!

On occasion I’ve explained the difference between reverence/devotion on the one hand and worship/adoration on the other, but I avoid the Greek-based terms which are too foreign-sounding for most ears.

God bless.

It that enough though? Because I feel that the Latin/Greek-based terms shed more light on
the matter. There will be people who still say that “reverence/devotion” can only go do God,
because English minds are not always so trained as to differentiate the use of these words.

 

[Judas_Thaddeus]

The people who think Catholic “worship” saints are not going to be impressed that we only offer “latria” to God…

But they may be made to think a little more when
we say that we can’t offer latria to saints, neither
hyperdulia to any saint safe Mary, nor dulia to
Mary, not even dulia/hyperdulia to God.

“Maybe it’s more complicated than I thought,” might think those people.