Liturgical Languages

[SyroMalankara]

Actually, the allahoumma is an embolism (or expansion) of a very ancient Syriac prayer, but itself was not in Syriac. In the 1594 Missal, it appears in its proper place at the very beginning of the Rite of Preparation. Eventually, by way of latinization, it was moved in imitation of the latin confiteor. Now it’s pretty much history, albeit that it still exists as one of the options for a “vesting” prayer.

What is that prayer? Your mention if it makes me want to dig and see if we Malankara Syriacs have retained it’s use

 

[ProVobis]

These days, formal documents are promulgated in Italian and sometimes in Latin, but it’s normally Italian first. Liturgical texts remain in Latin, for the editio typica, anyway.

Heaven knows how many translations of the liturgical texts there are out there. There are some 24 languages in the archdiocese of Chicago and, according to Cardinal Arinze, 240 vernaculars in Nigeria. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone were to tell me there are well over 1000 in the Roman rite altogether.

 

[JurisPrudens]

In the Levant, in theory at least, it’s not a big stretch for one who speaks the local Arabic dialect to, at minimum, get the gist of the Syriac. In practice it’s different: the lack of comprehension is due to sheer laziness. Trust me, folks, I’m all too familiar with this.

edit: something very similar would be true in Slavic languages. Even in Greek: koine differs from the modern, but is still not alien.

I think, something like that may be said of Latin and Italian.

 

[malphono]

What is that prayer? Your mention if it makes me want to dig and see if we Malankara Syriacs have retained it’s use

I think you do. It’s the opening prayer of the vesting. The following translation is from the SOC:

Make us worthy, O Lord God, that, with our hearts sprinkled and cleansed from all evil conscience, we may enter into Your sublime and exalted Holy of Holies. So may we stand in purity and holiness before Your holy altar and, in true faith, offer unto You rational and spiritual sacrifices all the days of our life, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and forever.

In the old Maronite order of service, the vesting and preparation were flip-flopped, so for us this prayer really was at the very beginning. The allahoumma referred to earlier originally followed the above prayer immediately. At least from the 18th Century (it may have been the 17th), the allahoumma was moved to after the Rite of Preparation, just before the solemn access to the altar. The older Syriac prayer remained where it always was.

 

[MorEphrem]

In the old Maronite order of service, the vesting and preparation were flip-flopped, so for us this prayer really was at the very beginning. The allahoumma referred to earlier originally followed the above prayer immediately. At least from the 18th Century (it may have been the 17th), the allahoumma was moved to after the Rite of Preparation, just before the solemn access to the altar. The older Syriac prayer remained where it always was.

If you look at the 1592 on beith morounoye (I don’t know if it’s an online reconstruction or not), the allahouma is in Syriac and in the position prior to the latinization.

 

[malphono]

If you look at the 1592 on beith morounoye (I don’t know if it’s an online reconstruction or not), the allahouma is in Syriac and in the position prior to the latinization.

It’s a reconstruction. The typeset is a dead giveaway.