The Quarterly Journal of St. Philaret’s Institute

The theme of the language of worship and liturgical translations in the Russian Orthodox Church started to be intensively discussed in the second half of 19th – early 20th centuries, inter alia in connection with the preparation of the 1917–1918 Local Council. However, the discussion was stopped for the entire period of Soviet power and resumed only in the 90s of the twentieth century. It is important to consider the issue of translating divine services into modern languages in a historical context, taking into consideration the experience of other local churches. It is necessary to discuss theological, philological, cultural and pastoral problems that arise in translating certain texts of divine service; there is also a need for a joint search for ways to resolve them. The question of the language of worship is closely related to the question of the boundaries of the Church assembly, the full responsibility and participation of the laity in the sacraments of the Church, and therefore it is also directly related to the issues of revival and renewal of Church life. The interview includes responses from liturgists, philologists and translators of the divine service, who consider the positive and problematic aspects of this topic using historical examples and modern translation experience.