Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

RITUAL

Ritual plays a significant role in the religious practice of early Israel, later Judaism, and early Christianity. Efforts to construct a definition of ritual that does justice to the variety of specific ritual acts envisioned in biblical materials have been unsuccessful. The religious rituals of the Bible provide a means for the faith community to discover, enact, and reflect upon its faith. Ritual enactments provide occasions for engaging the divine being and for responding to the full range of life experiences in the context of the sacred. Ritual practices provide a means for maintaining traditional types of beliefs. They also function, however, as a creative force in the construction of new forms of faith.

The religious practices of Israel as evidenced in the biblical materials exhibit at least three distinct dynamics. First, the festal prescriptions of early Israel took shape within an agricultural context that reflects the rhythms of the annual harvests. Ritual presentations of firstfruits and offerings from one’s harvests provided a means to enact a response of thanksgiving to the blessings of Yahweh. At the same time, these ritual presentations provided a means by which one could gain the ongoing blessings of Yahweh.

Second, Israelite ritual practices also demonstrate an engagement with the dynamics of history. Passover is an excellent example. The Passover meal provided the occasion for a “remembering” of Yahweh’s saving acts on behalf of the Israelite community. “Remembering,” however, gave rise to a “retelling” of the Exodus story. In this ritualized narration, the Exodus from Egypt was actualized in such a way that the story of God’s actions in the past became a present reality. Israel recognized the power of ritualized memory and narration.

Finally, the Priestly traditions of the Pentateuch reflect a ritual dynamic focused on the holiness of the tabernacle and the divine presence that resides within the holy of holies. The Priestly concern for holiness shows a concern for the very good order of creation (cf. Gen. 1:1–2:4a). Thus, priestly rituals may function to bring into being some aspect of the very good order of creation (Lev. 8, 9), to maintain the already existing order (Num. 28–29), or to restore order when it has been disrupted through sin or impurity (Lev. 13–14, 16). This ritual system seeks to maintain the purity and holiness of the sacred community so that the divine presence may continue to reside in its midst.

The writings of the early Church reflect two movements in relation to ritual activity. On the one hand, some texts reject certain aspects of the Jewish purity system (Mark 7:1-23) and the Jewish sacrificial system (Hebrews). Paul’s discussion of Christian freedom from the law (Gal. 2:15–3:29; Rom. 1–8) has often been understood as a rejection of Jewish ritual. In this view, ritual activity is understood as a primary example of “righteousness based on works” from which the Christian is free.

On the other hand, some texts clearly recognize that ritual activity is central to the Christian faith. In the biblical texts two rituals in particular are emphasized: baptism and communion. Baptism functions, in part, as a ritualized means of entering into and becoming a part of the Christian community. Paul views baptism as a means of dying to the old self and rising to newness of life in Christ (Rom. 6:1-11). It provides one means by which a person may become a member of the community understood as the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-26).

Paul’s understanding of the ritual meal of communion includes “remembering” and “retelling,” re-enactment of the original supper and proclamation of the story (1 Cor. 11:23-26). The ritualized meal allows one to identify with the death of Jesus in such a way that his story becomes the believer’s story. At the same time, the meal allows the story of Jesus to become the story of the community. Thus communion functions, in part, to actualize the past in the present for the believing community. In this way, ritualized activity contributes to the construction and formulation of Christian identity.

Bibliography. F. H. Gorman, Jr., The Ideology of Ritual. JSOTSup 91 (Sheffield, 1990); “Ritual Studies and Biblical Studies,” Semeia 67 (1994): 13-36; R. L. Grimes, Ritual Criticism (Columbia, S.C., 1990).

Frank H. Gorman, Jr.

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

RITUAL

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)