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Metaphor in Liturgical Studies: Lessons from Philosophical and Theological Theories of Language

by John D. Witvliet

This article appeared in Liturgy Digest 4:1 (1997): 7-45, and is reprinted with permission. The issue in which it appeared is available for purchase.

To experience Christian liturgy is to enter a jungle of metaphors. Metaphors, both ordinary and extraordinary, permeate liturgical events. Consider the following examples: in Christian worship, God is described and addressed as lord, king, rock, hiding place, and by dozens of other metaphors. The worshiping community is described as the body of Christ. The activity of worship itself is often described as a sacrifice or a dialogue. Those who lead in worship are called priests, pastors, preachers, or presidents-terms laden with distinctive metaphoric connotations. As the community gathers, it assembles in a space that is a visual metaphor, a courtroom or dining room, a lecture hall or a place of sacrifice. The gestures that accompany worship are embodied metaphors, borrowed from everyday life to carry out the actions of liturgy-gestures of obeisance, reverence, fellowship, humility, and attentiveness. Some liturgical actions rehearse time-honored metaphors; others feature self-consciously new and creative metaphors to illuminate and challenge our understanding of God, the world, and their relations. In all these ways, the experience of liturgy is rooted in metaphor. ...

In light of the significant role that metaphor has for liturgy, this essay has two purposes: first, to summarize and analyze significant recent studies of metaphor by theologians and philosophers; and second, to harvest insights from this work which can enrich the experience of and subsequent reflection on Christian worship. Toward this end, this essay is divided into two parts: first, a brief and rudimentary guide to recent philosophical discussions of metaphor; second, a summary of recent work on metaphor by systematic theologians.

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