The epiclesis is the invocation of the Holy Spirit in worship — particularly the prayer calling on the Spirit to come upon the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper and upon the worshipping congregation. It is the church's acknowledgment that sacramental efficacy is not mechanical or automatic (ex opere operato) but depends on the sovereign, living action of God the Spirit. The epicletic posture — calling upon God to come and act — is woven throughout Scripture: from Solomon's prayer at the Temple dedication (2 Chr 6–7) to Pentecost itself (Acts 1:14; 2:1–4). The early church's anaphora (eucharistic prayer) typically included an epiclesis. Eastern Orthodoxy locates the moment of consecration at the epiclesis; the Western church traditionally locates it at the Words of Institution. Both affirm: without the Spirit, the gathering is mere ritual. The Spirit must be called upon — and he comes.
EPI'CLESIS, n. [Gr. ἐπίκλησις, from ἐπικαλέω, to call upon; ἐπί, upon, and καλέω, to call.] An invocation; a calling upon or appeal to a divine being. In liturgical and sacramental theology, the epiclesis is the portion of the eucharistic prayer in which the minister invokes the Holy Spirit to descend upon the elements of bread and wine (and/or upon the worshippers), sanctifying them for the purposes of the sacrament. The term reflects the Christian understanding that sacramental grace is not inherent in physical matter but flows from the free action of God's Spirit in response to the church's prayer.
• Acts 1:14 — "All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer." (The disciples' corporate invocation before the Spirit's descent at Pentecost.)
• Acts 2:1–4 — "They were all together in one place…And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit." (The Spirit comes in response to gathered, expectant prayer.)
• 2 Chronicles 7:1–3 — When Solomon finished praying, fire came down and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. (The divine response to the king's epicletic prayer.)
• 1 Corinthians 10:16 — "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?" (The "cup of blessing" — likely a liturgical epicletic blessing — effects real spiritual communion.)
• Revelation 22:20 — "Come, Lord Jesus!" (The ultimate epiclesis — the church's final invocation, echoing Maranatha.)
Greek: ἐπίκλησις (epiklēsis): invocation, calling upon. From ἐπικαλέω (epikaleō, G1941) — to call upon, to invoke. Used in Acts 2:21; Rom 10:13; "call upon the name of the Lord."
G1941 — epikaleō (ἐπικαλέω): to call upon, to invoke. The verb of epiclesis. The entire NT theology of prayer-as-invocation rests on this word.
Hebrew: קָרָא (qara) — to call, to cry out, to invoke; used throughout OT for calling on God's name. Gen 4:26: "At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD."
Related: Maranatha (מָרַן אֲתָא) — "Come, Lord!" — the Aramaic epiclesis of the early church (1 Cor 16:22; Rev 22:20).
Two opposite errors corrupt the epiclesis in modern Christianity. The first is ritualism: the assumption that the right words spoken over the right elements automatically produce the spiritual effect — grace delivered mechanically through correct liturgical performance (ex opere operato). This severs the Spirit from the prayer and reduces sacrament to magic. The second is the opposite: the rejection of any set liturgical prayer for the Spirit, replacing it with the assumption that the Spirit works independently of corporate invocation — making prayer optional and worship spontaneous to the point of formlessness. Scripture holds a different balance: God responds to prayer (Matt 7:7–8), the Spirit was poured out on those who were praying (Acts 1–2), and the early church's "cup of blessing" was a deliberate, invocatory act (1 Cor 10:16). The epiclesis is neither magic nor mere formality — it is the church's posture of utter dependence, calling on God to do what only God can do.
Greek: ἐπίκλησις (epiklēsis)
→ ἐπί (epi) = upon, over, at
→ καλέω (kaleō) = to call, to summon, to name
→ PIE root *kelh₁- (to call, to shout)
Related: "calendar" (from Latin calare — to call the assembly),
"ecclesiastical" (ek-kaleō — called out ones),
"paraclete" (para-kaleō — called alongside)
Epiclesis in liturgical history:
3rd century: Hippolytus' Apostolic Tradition includes explicit
invocation of the Spirit over the eucharistic offering
4th century: Eastern anaphoras (Basil, Chrysostom) develop
detailed pneumatic epiclesis
Western Rite: tends to focus epiclesis on Words of Institution
Ecumenical dialogue: epiclesis has been a key Catholic-Orthodox
and Protestant-Catholic convergence point in 20th-21st centuries
Key connection: Paraclete (paraklētos) and Epiclesis (epiklēsis)
Both from kaleō — one is the Spirit "called alongside,"
the other is the church's act of "calling upon" that Spirit