Sacred language

Under sacral language is understood a used only or mainly in a religious context language. Many literary languages ​​are also or only sacred languages.

Liturgical languages ​​( Greek: λειτουργια leitourgia "public service" from Leitos "public" of λαος / laos people, and εργον / ergon work, service) are languages ​​used in the worship of various religions (see also: Liturgy ). These languages ​​have often played an important historical role for the particular community of faith, but are no longer used in today's everyday life. The most well-known common in Europe liturgical language is Latin in the Roman Catholic Church.

Liturgy languages ​​in Christianity

In addition to the respective ethnic languages ​​are currently using older Christian churches continue liturgy languages.

  • The Latin rite recognizes Latin and especially since the Second Vatican Council, the respective national languages ​​as languages ​​of liturgy, the Latin language is to be preserved a special meaning. Use the Eastern Catholic Churches in their liturgies those languages ​​that are also in their non-Catholic mother churches in use.
  • Church Slavonic is the liturgical language of the Russian Orthodox Church and other churches Slavic tradition.
  • In the West Syrian and East Syrian Rite is the classical Syriac liturgical language.
  • In the Alexandrian rite, the Coptic language and the language Ge'ez altäthiopische in the Armenian rite, the Armenian language are considered liturgical languages ​​, and.
  • The Amish, Hutterites and some conservative Mennonites in North America use a colored ancient High German, partly influenced by Pennsylvania Dutch or Hutterite.
  • Kakure Kirishitan, a distorted and misunderstood gibberish Portuguese, Latin and Japanese liturgical fragments of the Japanese underground Catholics.
  • If in the Protestant churches at all a particular language is set for the liturgy, this is usually the local language; in dialect areas but mostly the particular high-level language used. But also some Protestants know a kind of sacred language; still the old personal pronoun of the second person singular are in Anglican churches, for example, often used in the Frühneuenglischen - thou, thee, thy, thine, thyself instead of you, you, your, yours, yourself
  • In the broadest sense, the Rastafarians in Jamaica also belong here. You use a special form of Jamaican Creole, which they have adapted through specific language reform their faith.

More sacred and liturgical languages

Antiquity

  • Sumerian not spoken since 1700 BC but continue to the 1st millennium BC cult and literary language between the Euphrates and Tigris
  • Hattish of the conquered by the Hittites Hattians as a cult language in the Hittite Empire
  • Altlatein the priesthood of the Salian in Rome at the latest early republican period

Judaism

  • Hebrew since the Babylonian exile in Jewish worship
  • Aramaic in Judaism since the middle antiquity to the study of the Talmud
  • Samaritan as the language of the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Samaritan religion

Zoroastrianism

  • Avestan language, the ancient Iranian language of the Avesta is the language of the holy book of Zoroastrianism.

Mandaeans

  • Mandaean Aramaic was a language of the Mandaeans

Islam

  • Classical Arabic in Islamic worship

Hinduism

  • Sanskrit and Vedic its predecessor in Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism

Buddhism

Shinto

  • Altjapanisch in Shinto

Voodoo

  • The Haitian Vodoun Culture Language, a form of the Yoruba language is used in voodoo in Haiti exclusively for religious purposes.
Religious organization Standard language Hattic language Old Latin Salii Babylonian captivity
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