Lotynų kalba kaip lotyniškojo rito esmėkalbė

LTPo Vatikano II Susirinkimo lotynų kalbos vaidmuo liturgijoje dažniausiai būdavo aptariamas vienpusiškai, remiantis tik suabsoliutintu „suprantamumo“ kriterijumi, todėl lotynų kalbos naudojimas liturgijoje buvo suprantamas kaip negatyvus dalykas. Šis straipsnis kitoks. Jame lotynų kalba pristatoma kaip Romos Katalikų Bažnyčios lotyniškojo rito esmėkalbė. Straipsnyje tvirtinama, jog būtent lotynų kalba yra autentiškiausią Romos katalikybės lingvistinė išraiška - expressio. Ji, kaip ekspresyvinė lotyniškojo rito kalba, priklauso pačiai lotyniškojo rito esmei ir yra nuo šios esmės neatsiejama. Bet koks mėginimas dirbtinai atsieti ritą nuo jo ekspresyvinės kalbos griauna tiek paties rito, tiek jam priklausančių tikinčiųjų dvasinį bei kultūrinį identitetą. Šio straipsnio originalumas pasireiškia tuo, jog liturginės kalbos fenomenas čia aptariamas visiškai naujoje perspektyvoje, remiantis ligi šiol atskirų autorių atskiruose veikaluose aptartomis ekspresyvinės kalbos funkcijos, kalbos kaip esmėkalbės bei kalbos kaip pasaulėjautos talpintojos koncepcijomis. Pasirinkti kriterijai straipsnio autoriui leido padaryti fundamentalias išvadas, savo argumentacija besiskiriančias nuo tų, kurias buvome įpratę girdėti ligi šiol. Pagrindiniai žodžiai: lotynų kalba, lotyniškasis ritas, liturgija, liturginė kalba, lingvistika, Romos Katalikų Bažnyčia, Vatikano II Susirinkimas. [Iš leidinio]

ENThere was a common tendency after the Vatican II to see the Liturgical Latin in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church as something rather negative. Many authors would define the use of the archaic, “dead” language in the liturgy as a contradiction to what Vatican II said about “understandibility” and “simpliness” of reformed rites. A few voices defending the use of a Liturgical Latin for its theological preciseness, esthetical beauty and the importance to the unity of a worship were not considered worth of bigger attention. Author of this article doesn’t repeat a pattern. He sees Liturgical Latin as a linguistic expression (expresio) of the spiritual and cultural essence of the Roman Liturgy and tries to prove that Liturgical Latin as an expressive language of the Latin Rite is with this rite organically connected on the highest and most intimate level. Any attempt to separate artificially the rite from its expressive language brings an identity crisis to the very rite and those faithful who belong to it. So, one will find that in this article the use of the Latin in Roman Liturgy is discussed in a totally new light. Author builds his concept on the ideas and concepts of different authorities, revealed in different works: expressive function of the language as revealed by Christine Mohrmann, language as a “saying of the essence” as revealed by Benjamin Walter, and language as a first container and revealer of the speakers worldview as revealed by profound Lithuanian philosopher Antanas Maceina. The concepts author chose to build his theory on let him to come to a number of fundamental conclusions, which differs a lot from the ones that were hitherto most common and widespread: o most common and widespread.The reason why Latin was practically expelled from the Roman Liturgy after Vatican II was the narrow and one-sided understanding of the phenomenon of the hieratic liturgical language and language in general by those who were responsible for the course of the liturgical reform. Under the influence of the current western mentality (we live in the age of information!) the complexity of the phenomenon of language was ignored and all the functions of language were reduced into one - informative - function. The result was a conviction that Latin cannot function as the main and irreplaceable language of the Latin Rite just because it didn’t communicate immediately understandable information to the listener. - Only understanding of the expressive function of the language, however, opens the door to the authentic evaluation of the phenomenon of the hieratic liturgical language, l.e. a concrete language may function not only as a mean of communication of the immediate information, but as well as an expresio - self-expression of the essence of the thing, “speaking to the everything and to the Spirit” (Walter). Indeed, concrete language may exist as an expresio (expression of the essence) not only of an individual but of the specific Community as well. Such an expressive language, even if it doesn’t always communicate immediate information to the individual, always contains and preserves the essence of the Communal Tradition in the way and level unreachable by any other means. - At the same time specific language exists as the main interpreter of the worldview of a concrete Community. It always contains in itself an unique world experience and worldview of the speakers, again, in the way and level that is out of reach of any other means. And so, the language contains and preserves the world.translation as a such is a translation (transferring of realities translated) into another - different - world. - Both concepts represented above leads to an understanding of a decisive importance of the Liturgical Latin to the Roman Catholic Church with her Latin Rite. A Liturgical Latin is the expressive language of the Roman Catholicism. It is linguistic expresio and linguistic symbol of Roman Catholic Church. It is only through Liturgical Latin (and not any other!) language that the essence of the Roman Liturgy expresses itself in such a profoundly authentic way. It is through Liturgical Latin especially that romanitas - “the roman stile” (which is distinguishing feature of the Latin Rite from the IVth century already) can be recognized. It is only Latin in its liturgical and dogmatical use that contains and preserves the most authentic worldview of the Catholicism - the Catholic interpretation of the world realities. Consequently we come to the conclusion: there exists a specific and essential stratum of the spiritual and cultural Catholic heritage which will be maintained only if the language of this heritage will be preserved. What it means concretely is that Latin speaking Communal Tradition will lapse into silence if Latin will be expelled from the very heart of the Community existence - its liturgical celebration. Latin Rite, if not allowed to speak its own language, won’t speak at all. At the end it won’t exist as Latin Rite anymore. [...] Key words: Liturgical Latin, Latin Rite, Liturgy, Liturgical Language, Linguistics, Roman Catholic Church, Vatican II. [From the publication]