Correcting the Liturgy and Sacred Language

This contribution employs two of the most popular Carolingian studies on the Latin Mass (expositiones missae) to examine the diversity of practice and understanding of liturgy, as well as in the use of liturgical language. Our sources are the anonymous text, Dominus Uobiscum, which parses the words of the Canon of the Mass, and Book 3 of the Liber Officialis by Amalarius of Metz, which synthesises a complex array of meanings from the complete unfolding of the Mass, both actions and language. These two texts are among the most widely copied responses to a strongly felt desire to improve the understanding of liturgy among clergy at all levels and reveal the central place of the Mass in that endeavour. Their diverse methodologies and diverse conclusions show the liveliness of Carolingian debate on these subjects, and the wide range of acceptable understandings of the liturgy. The language of the texts also reveals that liturgical Latin was not instantly fixed to one standard orthography and morphology, but it could still accommodate the influence of spoken Latin.