Literary notes about congregation (AI summary)
Writers use the term congregation to evoke images of both formal religious assemblies and more loosely connected groups that share a common purpose or mood. In some works, it is employed in its traditional sense, referring to a body of worshippers called together for prayer or instruction, as seen in biblical texts ([1], [2], [3]), while in others it acquires metaphorical resonance. For instance, in one work the dead are likened to a silent, prayerful congregation ([4]), and in another the term underscores the collective energy and sometimes even the unruly nature of an assembled body ([5], [6]). This versatility allows the word to bridge the literal and the symbolic, enriching the texture of the narrative with layers of spiritual and social meaning.
- Then was assembled to them the congregation of the Assideans, the stoutest of Israel, every one that had a good will for the law.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - Moses also said to Aaron: Say to the whole congregation of the children of Israel: Come before the Lord; for he hath heard your murmuring.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - And a congregation of people shall surround thee.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - In April days in this cemetery The dead people gathered all about me, And grew still, like a congregation in silent prayer.
— from Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters - You once nobble that, congregation, and a buck joyride to heaven becomes a back number.
— from Ulysses by James Joyce - After the last hymn had been sung, and the congregation was dismissed, Ole slipped out to the hitch-bar and lifted Lena on her horse.
— from My Ántonia by Willa Cather