Lex orandi, lex credendi


Lex orandi, lex credendi, sometimes expanded as Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi, is a motto in Christian tradition, which means that prayer and belief are integral to each other and that liturgy is not distinct from theology. It refers to the relationship between worship and belief, for example that people's prayers shape their faith. Its rude applicability as a self-standing principle independent of hope and charity was denied by Pope Pius XII, who positioned liturgy as providing theological evidence not sole authority, although having undeniable divine elements.

Origin

The original maxim is found in 5th Century writer Prosper of Aquitaine's eighth book on the authority of the past bishops of the Apostolic See concerning the grace of God and free will: "ut legem credendi lex statuat supplicandi."
"Supplicandi" and “Credendi" are gerunds which are oblique cases of the infinitive, and so can be translated into English as "of praying/believing," or just "of prayer/belief," respectively.

Catholicism

The principle is considered very important in Catholic theology. The Catholic theologian states:

Proof not source

In the encyclical Mediator Dei, Pope Pius XII elucidates the limits of this principle and addresses errors that can arise from a misunderstanding of it. He states:
The inter-relationship of liturgy, belief and life has long been an issue for missionaries, such as the Chinese Rites Controversy, in particular relating to how liturgical and para-liturgical rubrics may need to be selected and localized to suit local sensibilities and meet needs.

Liturgical theology

In the interpretation of liturgical theology many theologians, espoused for example by some Traditionalist Catholics, see liturgy as a result of the organic development of doctrine, as binding, and supported by Mediator Dei, they hold that the divine elements of liturgy cannot be changed by man. The pope states:
In this interpretation, Prosper of Aquitaine's formulation establishes the credence of certain Christian doctrines by placing their source in the Church's authentic liturgical rites, thus describing the liturgy itself as a deposit of extra-Biblical Christian revelation, to which, in addition to Scripture, those who wished to know true doctrine could also refer. It is based on the prayer texts of the Church, that is, the Church's liturgy. In the Early Church, there was liturgical tradition before there was a common creed, and before there was an officially sanctioned biblical canon. These liturgical traditions provided the theological framework for establishing the creeds and canon.

Protestantism

According to theologian Mary-Anne Plaatjies-van Huffel, whereas Catholic theology progresses from prayer to belief to life: lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi, Protestant theology orders from belief to prayer to life: lex credendi, lex orandi, lex vivendi.

Lutheranism

The principle of lex orandi, lex credendi is found in Lutheranism. Professor of theology J. Matthew Pinson writes that "Liturgical theology shapes the sermon, which in turn gives life to the Liturgy, preventing it from degenerating into dead ritualism, mysticism, or superstition."

Anglicanism

Anglican theology tends to be Augustinian and Reformed with a focus in the worship of the Church, and embodies a strongly evangelical liturgy. Thomas Cranmer's reformed liturgy Book of Common Prayer revised the liturgy following a principle of lex orandi, lex credendi to propagate to English congregations the Reformed doctrines of grace and justification by faith alone.

Eastern Churches

Eastern Church's Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople quoted this phrase in Latin on the occasion of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI, drawing from the phrase the lesson that, "in liturgy, we are reminded of the need to reach unity in faith as well as in prayer." Rather than regarding Tradition as something beneath Scripture or parallel to Scripture, Orthodox Christians consider Scripture the culmination and supreme expression of the church's divinely communicated Tradition. Councils and creeds recognized as authoritative are interpreted only as defining and more fully explicating the orthodox faith handed to the apostles, without adding to it.