See Update Below
I’ve gotten this question several times, and thought I should share a little bit about the Liturgy and it’s history. In many respects, the Liturgy is the story and work of Christianity.
Before I go any further: I am not a theologian, just a student with a small knowledge of history and the Church. There may well be unintentional errors both from a lack of knowledge and from condensing a rich and complex topic into something as short as a blog post. Caveat Emptor.
I suspect the use of the word “Liturgy” started dropping out of common usage in the West with the rise of the schism that was the Protestant Reformation. With continuing fractures and new religions that wanted to distance themselves from the Roman Catholic Church and/or whatever church they were breaking away from, the term likely fell out of favor. Given how often the question in the title is asked, it definitely does not seem to be in common usage today.
In common terms, liturgy means an established form for public worship. Secular dictionaries often refer to it as a ritual, which is both misleading and derogatory — and I suspect such is rather deliberate as it implies that it is a pagan practice. Given the hatred of Christianity in certain intellectual and political circles, I am fairly certain that is deliberate.
The word liturgy derives from the Greek leiturgia, which means “public work.” In Orthodox terms, the liturgy is the public work of the Church. Keep in mind that the Church is not a building or even an organization; rather, the Church is the Body of Christ and is composed of its individual members. Whenever these people, the laity, gather together to worship God they are doing the public work of the Church. Hence the use of the term Liturgy.
In the early days of the Church, there were many Liturgies, all of which were theologically valid. There are certain prayers that have to be said and actions taken for a Liturgy to be valid. Those steps were established over time starting with the Disciples and Apostles, and, yes, there have been some changes over time to the process.
When I say many, at one point there were more than 200 unique and theologically valid liturgies in use. Part of this comes from the fact that one of the first things early Christian missionaries did was translate the Liturgy (and the Gospel) into the local language. They also often adapted non-critical parts to the local culture. Thus, the liturgy in Jerusalem was different from the liturgy in Antioch or any other major city.
The Liturgy in Constantinople was extremely extroverted, for example. In some respects, the entire city was a church and services often started at one church or shrine and then processed to the Hagia Sofia (often with detours and stops at shrines or other churches). It was quite the production. The Liturgy at a small church or city would not be that extroverted.
Sadly, those very diverse liturgies were lost when the (Eastern) Roman Empire fell. That’s a story for another day, but monasteries have twice saved the day in regards the Liturgy (at least in the East) and various texts and art.
One thing that hasn’t changed over time is that the Liturgy is in two parts: The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Remember that there were no churches in the early days of the Church. Christians and those interested in learning more and becoming Christians met in people’s houses. It was also, as discussed here before, an oral tradition as literacy was not common in the populace.
So, the Liturgy was divided into two parts. The first part was the Liturgy of the Word and it focused on spreading the Gospel. This included recitations from the Old Testament, later recitations from the Epistles were added, and then there was a recitation from the Gospel. At that point, those who were inquirers or not yet members of the Church (catechumens) were asked to leave as the Liturgy of the Eucharist was only for members of the Church.
The Liturgy of the Orthodox Church still has that break in it. You will hear after the Gospel the call for all the catechumens to leave, let none remain. However, no visitors are made to leave, though they may not partake of the Eucharist.
Some interesting history regarding the Liturgy. The earliest days of the Church were interesting, as the Disciples and Apostles developed the form of the Liturgy. Once the basics were in place, people began developing their own versions. There were calls for a unified Liturgy, and Saint James (the half-brother of Christ) actually worked on a unified liturgy before he was martyred. That Liturgy was used by Saint Basil the Great in the creation of his great Liturgy, which is still used today on major feast days. Saint John Chrysostom, I believe, used both of those in the creation of his Liturgy, which is used in the Orthodox Church for many/most services. While I’ve said it before, keep in mind the difference between the different Orthodox Churches is primarily the language used in the service.
So, every Christian church has a liturgy that is the standard form for their services. For Orthodoxy it is not mere ritual; rather, it is the public and living work conducted by and with the Body of Christ that is the Church. It combines teaching and spreading the word with nourishing and strengthening the souls and faith of its members. While it follows a standard form, each service is a living and unique work.
I hope this answers not just the basic question, but also the points it raises by implication. Isn’t it amazing how one small word can have such a large and rich definition in the full context? When it comes to Faith, never settle for the concise but demand, embrace, and enjoy the fuller context.
UPDATE 1: A good and wise friend has suggested a modification to the Orthodox definition of Liturgy. It is a Public Work, done by the Body of Christ, for and with (Agape) love for others. I think that a good and wise addition to the definition used here.
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