Issues raised by contemporary theories of language for the language of worship: their impact on liturgy in the church of England 1955 - 1995

Abstract

This thesis examines the development of liturgy in the Church of England from the inception of its Liturgical Commission m 1955 until the present day. The emphasis is upon the development of thinking about the language of worship, in relation to contemporary linguistic and philosophical approaches to language. Chapters one and two chart the new liturgies produced by the Liturgical Commission, and note writing about their language by Commission members and others. The move away from one book containing all the services of the Church of England to a 'du-ectory' approach with suggested structures and a multiplicity of resources is noted. In chapter three linguistic descriptions of the language of worship are discussed, noting their emphasis on the function of words rather than their meaning, and this thought is examined with regard to the work of Saussure and the philosophy of language of Wittgenstem. This leads to a discussion of the performativity of liturgical language, following the work of J.L. Austin, in chapter four. In chapter five some issues raised by these developments are discussed, concluding that though contemporary theories of language might call the possibility of meaning and reference into question, they also allow the language of worship to have an external reference, and do not simply articulate the desires and beliefs of the community alone. This particularly relates to the work of A C. Thiselton who uses contemporary theories of language to study the biblical texts, whilst holding onto those texts' external reference also.