Latria (Λατρεία) and Proskynesis (Προσκύνησις) are
two ancient theological terms used to differentiate the type of attention
Christians offer to the Holy Trinity in comparison with other sacred persons,
articles or places.
LATRIA:
Better translated as Adoration, is the act of worship a Christian offers to the
Persons of the Holy Trinity alone, that is YHWH, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, in
one Divine Nature and one by one in their hypostases. This type of adoration
implies a total surrendering of the human being and nature, mind, body and
spirit to the Person and Will of God without any reservations.
PROSKYNESIS:
It
is the Veneration that Christians
offer to St Mary, the Mother of our Lord, the saints, religious images, the
Bible, relics, etc. This veneration consists only in respect of heart and mind,
towards these subjects, and actions that would reflect that respect, like
genuflections, kissing the object or placing them in honour, etc.
NOTE
It must be clarified that, while from outside some
acts of respect, like kissing or genuflections may seems as “worship”, they are
not necessarily so in every case. A Christian may bow down to Heaven to pray to
God, or may bow down to the Image of Christ, but both physical acts do not
reflect the same intention. One is adoration, the other one is veneration.
Physical movements do not determine the nature of the action, but also the
intention of the person who acts.
“Come,
let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before YHWH our Maker.”
(Psalm 95:6)
“With
these words David restrained his men, and he did not let them rise up against
Saul. Then Saul left the cave and went on his way. After that, David got up,
went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul
looked behind him, David bowed face down in reverence”
(1Samuel 24:7-8)
Omar Flores
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