Everything about The Jesus Prayer totally explained
The
Jesus Prayer, also called the
Prayer of the Heart, is a short, formulaic prayer often uttered repeatedly. It has been widely used, taught and discussed throughout the history of the
Eastern Orthodox Church. The exact words of the prayer have varied from the simplest possible involving
Jesus' name to the more common extended form:
The Jesus Prayer is for the
Eastern Orthodox one of the most profound and mystical prayers and it's often repeated continually as a part of personal
ascetic practice. Its practice is an integral part of the
eremitic tradition of
prayer known as
Hesychasm (}},
hesychazo, "to keep stillness"), the subject of the
Philokalia ("love of beauty"), a collection of 4th to 15th century texts on prayer, compiled in the late 18th century by
St. Nicodemus the Hagiorite and St. Makarios of Corinth. The monastic state of
Mount Athos is a centre of the practice of the Jesus Prayer.
While its tradition, on historical grounds, also belongs to the
Eastern Catholics, and there have been a number of
Roman Catholic texts on the Jesus Prayer, its practice has never achieved the same popularity in the
Western Church as in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Moreover, the Eastern Orthodox theology of the Jesus Prayer enunciated in the 14th century by
St. Gregory Palamas has never been fully accepted by the Roman Catholic Church.
Origins
The prayer's origin is most likely the
Egyptian desert, which was settled by the monastic
Desert Fathers in the fifth century.
The practice of repeating the prayer continually dates back to at least the fifth century. The earliest known mention is in
On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination of
St. Diadochos of Photiki (400-ca.486), a work found in the first volume of the
Philokalia. The Jesus Prayer is described in Diadochos's work in terms very similar to
St. John Cassian's (ca.360-435) 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 Climacus (ca.523–606) and in the work of
St. Hesychios the Priest (ca. 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 19th century anonymous Russian spiritual classic
The Way of a Pilgrim.
Though the Jesus Prayer has been practiced through the centuries as part of the Eastern tradition, in the 20th century it also began to be used in some Western churches, including some Roman Catholic and Anglican churches.
Theology
The Jesus Prayer is composed of two statements. The first one is a
statement of faith, acknowledging the
divine nature of
Christ. The second one is the acknowledgment of ones own sinfulness. Out of them the petition itself emerges: "have mercy."
The
hesychastic practice of the Jesus Prayer is founded on the biblical view by which God's name is conceived as the place of his presence. The Eastern Orthodox mysticism has no images or representations. The mystical practice (the prayer and the meditation) doesn't lead to perceiving representations of God (see below
Palamism). Thus, the most important means of a life consecrated to praying is the invoked
name of God, as it's emphasized since the 5th century by the
Thebaid anchorites, or by the later
Athonite hesychasts. For the Eastern Orthodox the power of the Jesus Prayer comes not from its content, but from the very invocation of the Jesus' name.
Scriptural roots
The Eastern Orthodox Church acknowledges two sources of the
divine revelation: the
Bible and the
Holy Tradition. The Church doesn't allow laymen to preach or to interpret to the others the Bible (seen as being inspired by the
Holy Ghost) because of its deepness and richness in meanings, and of the perils of
heresy. The described three levels of its text (literal/historical, allegorical/metaphorical and
anagogical/mystical) are fitted to various levels of the personal spiritual development of the reader. On the other part, the Holy Tradition, equally seen as the word of God, is composed of the oral teachings of the Church, part of them embodied in writings throughout the history (like the
canon laws and the dogmatic definitions of the general and local
synods, the writings of the
Holy Fathers, or the
liturgical books). It isn't, for the Eastern Orthodox, something that changes or develops with time, but a sum of doctrines strongly linked to the Scriptures, held by the Church continuously since the
Apostolic times.
Theologically, the Jesus Prayer is considered to be the response of the Holy Tradition to 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'm not like the Publican", whereas the Publican prays correctly in humility, saying "Lord have mercy on me, the sinner" .
Palamism, the underlying theology
Essence-Energies distinction, a central principle in the Eastern Orthodox theology, was formulated by
St. Gregory Palamas in the 14th century in support of the mystical practices of
Hesychasm and against
Barlaam of Seminara. It stands that God's
essence (}},
ousia) is distinct from God's
energies, or manifestations in the world, by which men can experience the Divine. The energies are "unbegotten" or "uncreated". They were revealed in various episodes of the
Bible: the
burning bush seen by
Moses, the
Light on
Mount Tabor at the
Transfiguration.
Apophatism (negative theology) is the main characteristic of the Eastern theological tradition. Incognoscibility isn't conceived as
agnosticism or refusal to know God, because the Eastern theology isn't concerned with abstract concepts; it's contemplative, with a discourse on things above rational understanding. Therefore dogmas are often expressed antinomically.
For the Eastern Orthodox the knowledge of the uncreated energies is usually linked to apophatism.
Repentance in Eastern Orthodoxy
The Eastern Orthodox Church holds a non-juridical view of sin, by contrast to the
satisfaction view of
atonement for sin as articulated in the
West, firstly by
Anselm of Canterbury (as debt of honor) and
Thomas Aquinas (as a moral debt). The terms used in the East are less legalistic (
grace,
punishment), and more medical (
sickness,
healing) with less exacting precision. Sin, therefore, doesn't carry with it the guilt for breaking a rule, but rather the impetus to become something more than what men usually are. One repents not because one is or isn't virtuous, but because human nature can change. Repentance (}},
metanoia, "changing one's mind") isn't remorse, justification, or punishment, but a continual enactment of ones freedom, deriving from renewed choice and leading to restoration (the return to man's
original state). This is reflected in the
Mystery of
Confession for which, not being limited to a mere confession of sins and presupposing recommendations or penalties, it's primarily that the priest acts in his capacity of spiritual father. The Mystery of Confession is linked to the spiritual development of the individual, and relates to the practice of choosing an elder to trust as his or her spiritual guide, turning to him for advice on the personal spiritual development, confessing sins, and asking advice.
As stated at the local Council of Constantinople in 1157, Christ brought his redemptive sacrifice not to the
Father alone, but to the
Trinity as a whole. In the Eastern Orthodox theology redemption isn't seen as
ransom. It is the
reconciliation of God with man, the manifestation of God’s love for humanity. Thus, it isn't the anger of God the Father but His love that lies behind the sacrificial death of his son on the cross. The history of these practices, including their possible spread from one religion to another, isn't well understood. Such parallels (like between unusual psycho-spiritual experiences, breathing practices, postures, spiritual guidances of elders, peril warnings) might easily have arisen independently of one another, and in any case must be considered within their particular religious frameworks.
Although some aspects of the Jesus Prayer may resemble some aspects of other traditions, its Christian character is central rather than mere "local color." The aim of the Christian practicing it isn't humility, love, or purification of sinful thoughts, but becoming holy and seeking union with God (
theosis), which subsumes them. Thus, for the Eastern Orthodox: with God (which by itself is a process) while remaining a distinct person.
» * It is an invocation of Jesus' name, because
Christian anthropology and
soteriology are strongly linked to
Christology in Orthodox monasticism.
* In a modern context the continuing repetition is regarded by some as a form of
meditation, the prayer functioning as a kind of
mantra. However, Orthodox 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.
» * Acknowledging "a sinner" is to lead firstly to a state of humbleness and repentance, recognizing ones own sinfulness.
* Practicing the Jesus Prayer is strongly linked to mastering passions of both soul and body, for example by
fasting. For the Eastern Orthodox not the body is wicked, but "the bodily way of thinking" is; therefore
salvation also regards the body.
» * Unlike Sanskrit
mantras, the Jesus Prayer may be translated into whatever language the pray-er customarily uses. The emphasis is on the meaning not on the mere utterance of certain sounds.
* There is no emphasis on the psychosomatic techniques, which are merely seen as helpers for uniting the mind with the heart, not as prerequisites.
A magistral way of meeting God for the Eastern Orthodox, the Jesus Prayer doesn't harbor any secrets in itself, nor does its practice reveal any esoteric truths. Instead, as a
hesychastic practice, it demands setting the mind apart from rational activities and ignoring the physical senses for the experiential knowledge of God. It stands along with the regular expected actions of the believer (prayer, almsgiving, repentance, fasting etc.) as the response of the Orthodox Tradition to
St. Paul's challenge to "pray without ceasing" . about beginner's way of praying: initially, the prayer is excited because the man is emotive and a flow of psychic contents is expressed. In his view this condition comes, for the modern men, from the separation of the mind from the heart: "The prattle spreads the soul, while the silence is drawing it together." Old fathers condemned elaborate phraseologies, for one word was enough for the publican, and one word saved the thief on the cross. They only uttered Jesus' name by which they were contemplating God. For Evdokimov the acting faith denies any formalism which quickly installs in the external prayer or in the life duties; he quotes
St. Seraphim: "The prayer isn't thorough if the man is self-conscious and he's aware he's praying."
"Because the prayer is a living reality, a deeply personal encounter with the living God, it isn't to be confined to any given classification or rigid analysis" talk about nine levels (see
External links). They are the same path to
theosis, more slenderly differentiated:
» * The prayer of the lips.
* The prayer of the mouth.
» * The prayer of the tongue.
* The prayer of the voice.
» * The prayer of the mind.
* The prayer of the heart.
» * The active prayer.
* The all-seeing prayer.
» * The contemplative prayer.
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 the
Divine grace to contemplation.
Variants of repetitive formulas
A number of different repetitive prayer formulas have been attested in the history of Eastern Orthodox monasticism: the Prayer of St. Ioannikios the Great (754–846): "My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my shelter is the Holy Ghost, O Holy Trinity, Glory to You," the repetitive use of which is described in his
Life; or the more recent practice of
St. Nikolaj Velimirović.
Similarly to the flexibility of the practice of the Jesus Prayer, there's no imposed standardization of its form. The prayer can be from as short as "Have mercy on me" ("Have mercy on us"), or even "Jesus," to its longer most common form. It can also contain a call to the
Theotokos (Virgin Mary), or to the saints. The single essential and invariable element is Jesus' name. The following are languages of
autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches:
- Arabic: أيها الرب يسوع المسيح ابن الله, إرحمني أنا الخاطئ Ayyuha-r-Rabbu Yasū` al-Masīħ, Ibnu-l-Lāh, irħamnī ana-l-khāti (ana-l-khaati'a if prayed by a female).
- 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)
- Czech: Pane Ježíši Kriste, Syne Boží, smiluj se nade mnou hříšným.
- Georgian: უფალო იესუ ქრისტე, ძეო ღმრთისაო, შემიწყალე მე ცოდვილი.
- Greek Κύριε Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ, Υἱέ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐλέησόν με τὸν ἁμαρτωλόν (τὴν ἁμαρτωλόν if prayed by a female)
- Latin: Domine Iesu Christe, Fili Dei, miserere mei, peccatoris. (peccatricis if prayed by a female)
- Macedonian: Господи Исусе Христе, Сине Божји, помилуј ме, грешниот.
- Polish: Panie Jezu Chryste, Synu Boga, zmiłuj się nade mną, grzesznikiem.
- 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.
- Ukrainian: Господи Ісусе Христе, Сину Божий, помилуй мене грішного. (грішну if prayed by a female)
In art
Jesus Prayer is referred in
J. D. Salinger's pair of stories "
Franny and Zooey." It is also a central theme of the 2006 Russian film "
Ostrov."
Further Information
Get more info on 'Jesus Prayer'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://jesus_prayer.totallyexplained.com">Jesus Prayer Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
