Term
Liturgy
An act of public service or ministry, specifically applied in Christian usage to the supreme service of worship and the Eucharist.
Filed underEcclesiologyChurch History
Definition
Denotes an act of worship, more specifically the eucharist. Derived from the Greek leitourgia, it was used in Hellenistic Greek of an act of public service. In the NT it is employed of an act of service or ministry (e.g. Phil. 2:30). In time it was confined in Christian usage to the idea of service to God and finally, since worship was regarded as the supreme service to God, it was applied to the eucharist. Consequently, to study liturgies is to examine the forms which the eucharistic rite has taken through the centuries.
Scripture
- Philippians 2:30
Connections
Follow this entry through the Lexicon.
- Related to
- EucharistTerm
- Old BelieversTerm
- worshipTerm
- Includes
- Gregorian ChantTerm
Sources
- 1.J. G. Davies The New Westminster Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship. 1st American ed.. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1986). 314Original citation: Davies, J. G. The New Westminster Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship. 1st American ed. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1986, 314.
Last revised August 14, 2026