Jesus Prayer

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Christogram with Jesus Prayer in Romanian:Doamne Iisuse Hristoase, Fiul lui Dumnezeu, miluieşte-mă pe mine păcătosul.Translation: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.
Christogram with Jesus Prayer in Romanian:
Doamne Iisuse Hristoase, Fiul lui Dumnezeu, miluieşte-mă pe mine păcătosul.
Translation: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.

The Jesus Prayer, also called the Prayer of the Heart by some Church Fathers, is a short, formulaic prayer often uttered repeatedly. It has been widely used, taught and discussed throughout the history of Eastern Christianity. The exact words of the prayer have varied from the most simple possible involving the name "Jesus," such as "Lord have mercy," to the more common extended form: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

The Jesus Prayer is, for the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics,[citation needed] one of the most profound and mystical prayers and it is often repeated continually as a part of personal ascetic practice. Its practice is an integral part of Hesychasm, the subject of the Philokalia, a collection of texts on prayer compiled in the late 18th Century. There have been a number of Roman Catholic texts on the Jesus Prayer, but its practice has never achieved the same popularity as in the Orthodox Church. Moreover, the Eastern Orthodox theology of the Jesus Prayer, enunciated by St Gregory Palamas (1296–1359), has never been fully accepted by the Roman Catholic Church (see, e.g., Pope John Paul II's Angelus Message, August 11, 1996).

Mount Athos is a centre of the practice of the Jesus Prayer.

Contents

[edit] Origins

The prayer's origin is most likely the Egyptian desert, which was settled by the monastic Desert Fathers in the fifth century.[1]

The practice of repeating the prayer continually dates back to at least the fifth century. The earliest known mention is in the Gnostic Chapters of Saint Diadochos of Photiki (400-486), a work found in the first volume of the Philokalia. The Jesus Prayer is described in the Gnostic Chapters in terms very similar to St John Cassian's (d. 435) description in the Conferences 9 and 10 of the repetitive use of a passage of the Psalms. St Diadochos ties the practice of the Jesus Prayer to the purification of the soul and teaches that repetition of the prayer produces inner peace. The use of the Jesus Prayer is recommended in the Ladder of Divine Ascent of St John of Sinai (523–603) and in the work of St Hesychios (?8th Century), Pros Theodoulon, found in the first volume of the Philokalia. The use of the Jesus Prayer according to the tradition of the Philokalia is the subject of the Russian spiritual classic The Way of a Pilgrim. It is mentioned in passing in J.D. Salinger's novel, Franny and Zooey.

Though the Jesus Prayer has been practised through the centuries as part of the Eastern tradition, in the twentieth century it also began to be used in some Western churches, including some Roman Catholic and Anglican churches.

[edit] Variants of repetitive formulas

A number of different repetitive prayer formulas have been attested in the history of Eastern Orthodox monasticism (e.g. the Prayer of St Ioannikios, the repetitive use of which by St Ioannikios (754–846) is described in his Life; the more recent practice of St Nikolaj Velimirović (1880–1956)). Sometimes the Jesus Prayer is alternated with an invocation to the Mother of God: "Most Holy Theotokos, save us." In such a case, the practitioner repeats, say, 400 Jesus Prayers and then 100 invocations of the Mother of God.

  • Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. (the most common form)
  • Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. (common variant on Mount Athos)
  • Lord have mercy.
  • Jesus have mercy. (not an Orthodox formula)
  • Christ have mercy. (not an Orthodox formula)

[edit] Practice

Eastern Orthodox prayer rope.
Eastern Orthodox prayer rope.

Theologically, the Jesus Prayer can be considered to be an extension of the lesson taught by the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee, in which the Pharisee demonstrates the improper way to pray by exclaiming: "Thank you Lord that I am not like the Publican", whereas the Publican prays correctly in humility, saying "Lord have mercy on me, the sinner." (Luke 18:10-14.)

In the Eastern tradition the prayer is said or prayed repeatedly, often with the aid of a prayer rope (Russian: chotki; Greek: komvoskini), which is a cord, usually woolen, tied with many knots. The person saying the prayer says one repetition for each knot. It may be accompanied by prostrations and the sign of the cross, signaled by beads strung along the prayer rope at intervals. The practice of the Jesus Prayer is integrated into the mental ascesis undertaken by the Orthodox monastic in the practice of hesychasm. This mental ascesis is the subject of the Philokalia.

Monks often pray this prayer many hundreds of times each night as part of their private cell vigil ("cell rule"). Under the guidance of an Elder (Russian Starets; Greek Gerondas), the monk aims to internalize the prayer, so that he is praying unceasingly. St. Diadochos of Photiki refers in On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination to the automatic repetition of the Jesus Prayer, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, even in sleep. This state is regarded as the accomplishment of Saint Paul's exhortation to the Thessalonians to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

The monk's goal is also, in advanced practice, to bring his mind into his heart so as to practice the Jesus Prayer as a "prayer of the heart". It can be used as a means of finding contrition and as a means of bringing about humility in the individual (hence the words "the sinner", as if no other sinner existed but the person praying—cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:15), but in its more advanced use, the monk aims to attain to a sober practice of the Jesus Prayer in the heart free of images. It is from this condition, called by Saints John Climacus and Hesychios the guard of the mind, that the monk is raised by Divine grace to contemplation.

In a modern context this continuing repetition is regarded by some as a form of meditation, the prayer functioning as a kind of mantra. However, traditional users of the Jesus Prayer emphasize the invocation of the name of Jesus Christ that St Hesychios describes in Pros Theodoulon which would be contemplation on the Triune God rather than simply emptying the mind. People who say the prayer as part of meditation often synchronize it with their breathing; breathing in while calling out to their God and breathing out while begging for mercy.

[edit] In various languages

The most common form is "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner". It was composed in Greek as «Κύριε Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ, Υἱέ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐλέησόν με τὸν ἁμαρτωλόν» («τὴν ἁμαρτωλόν» if prayed by a female.) It has been translated into numerous other languages:

Ayyuha-r-Rabbu Yasoo3 al-Maseeh, Ibnul-Laah, irhamnee anal-khaate' (that's said by a man. A woman would have to say: anal-khaati'a.)

  • Bulgarian: Господи Иисусе Христе, Сине Божий, помилвай мен грешника.
  • Church Slavonic: Господи Ісусе Христе Сыне Божїй помилѹй мѧ грѣшнаго. (грѣшнѹю if prayed by a female)
  • Croatian: Gospodine Isuse Kriste, Sine Božji, smiluj se meni grešnome.
  • Dutch: Heer Jezus, Zoon van God, ontferm U over mij, zondaar.
  • Tagalog: Panginoong Hesukristo, Anak ng Diyos, Patawarin mo akong makasalanan
  • French: Seigneur Jesus Christ, Fils de Dieu, Prends pitie de moi, pauvre pecheur ('pecheuresse' if prayed by a female)
  • Georgian: უფალო იესუ ქრისტე, ძეო ღმრთისაო, შემიწყალე მე ცოდვილი.
  • German: Herr Jesus Christus, Sohn Gottes, erbarme dich meiner, des Sünders.
  • Hebrew אדון ישוע הנוצרי בן אלהים רחם נא אלי כי חטתי (Adon Yeshua HaNotsri, Ben Elohim, rakhem na aylai ki khatati) Literally: Lord Jesus the Nazarene, Son of God, please have mercy upon me, because I have sinned.
    • Alternate Hebrew: Adon Yeshua HaMashiach, Ben Elohim, rakhem aylai khoteh. (Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.)
  • Icelandic: Drottinn Jesús Kristur, Guðs sonur, miskunna þú mér syndugum. (syndugri if prayed by a female)
  • Irish: A Thiarna Íosa Chríost, mac Dé, déan trócaire orm, atá i mo pheacach
  • Latin: Domine Iesu Christe, Filii Dei, miserere mei, peccatoris. (peccatricis if prayed by a female)
  • Norwegian: Herre Jesus Kristus, Guds Sønn, forbarm Deg over meg, en synder.
  • Macedonian: Господи Исусе Христе, Сине Божји, помилуј ме, грешниот.
  • Polish: Panie Jezu Chryste, Syna Boga, zmiłuj się nade mną, grzesznikiem.
  • Portuguese: Senhor Jesus Cristo, Filho de Deus, tende piedade de mim, pecador. (pecadora if prayed by a female)
  • Romanian: Doamne Iisuse Hristoase, Fiul lui Dumnezeu, miluieşte-mă pe mine păcătosul. (păcătoasa if prayed by a female)
  • Russian: Господи Иисусе Христе, Сыне Божий, помилуй мя грешнаго. (грешную if prayed by a female)
  • Serbian: Господе Исусе Христе, Сине Божји, помилуј ме грешног. (Gospode Isuse Hriste, Sine Božiji, pomiluj me grešnog.)
  • Slovak: Pane Ježišu Kriste, Synu Boží, zmiluj sa nado mnou hriešnym.
  • Spanish: Señor Jesucristo, Hijo de Dios, ten piedad de mi, un pecador/pecadora.
  • Ukrainian: Господи Ісусе Христе, Сину Божий, помилуй мене грішного. (грішну if prayed by a female)

[edit] Analogues in other religions

 This section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (January 2008)

The practice of contemplative or meditative chanting is known from several religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam (all of which also make use of prayer-beads). See japa; zikr. The history of these practices, including their possible spread from one religion to another, is not well understood. Such parallels might easily have arisen independently of one another, and in any case must be considered within their particular religious frameworks.

Similar to several Eastern religions, some literature on the Jesus Prayer suggests adopting special postures (often, sitting on a stool; see navel-gazing) and breathing practices; and alludes to unusual psycho-spiritual experiences that may result. Some sources warn against engaging in such practices without the permission of one's spiritual father. A similar reticence is often encountered in tantric literature, which presumes that the practitioner will be following the instructions of a guru.

Unlike Sanskrit mantras, however, the Jesus Prayer may be translated into whatever language the pray-er customarily uses. The emphasis is on the meaning (it is foremost a prayer, directed to Christ) rather than the mere utterance of certain sounds. Some sources describe the "purpose" of the prayer in terms of producing Christian humility, love, or purification of sinful thoughts. Others avoid ascribing any specific purpose to it, and focus on the act of communion, leaving the results to God. In general, although some aspects of the Jesus Prayer may resemble some aspects of other traditions, its Christian character is central rather than mere "local color."

[edit] References

  1. ^ Antoine Guillaumont reports the finding of an inscription containing the Jesus Prayer in the ruins of a cell in the Egyptian desert dated roughly to the period being discussed. Antoine Guillaumont, Une inscription copte sur la prière de Jesus in Aux origines du monachisme chrétien, Pour une phénoménologie du monachisme, pp. 168–83. In Spiritualité orientale et vie monastique, No 30. Bégrolles en Mauges (Maine & Loire), France: Abbaye de Bellefontaine.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Prayer"
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