EARTHENVESSELS

GABRIELBUNGE,O.S.B.

EarthenVessels

ThePracticeofPersonalPrayerAccordingtothePatristicTradition

TranslatedbyMichaelJ.Miller

PenandinkdrawingsbyFrancescoRiganti

IGNATIUSPRESSSANFRANCISCO

OriginalGermanedition:IrdeneGefäße:DiePraxisdespersönlichenGebetes

nachderÜberlieferungderheiligenVäter©1996Verlag“DerChristlicheOsten”GmbH,Würzburg

CoverartbyFrancescoRiganti

CoverdesignbyRoxanneMeiLum

©2002IgnatiusPress,SanFranciscoAllrightsreservedISBN0-89870-837-0

LibraryofCongressControlNumber00-109337PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica

CONTENTS

Introduction:“Lord,teachustopray”(Lk11:1)

ChapterI“Nooneafterdrinkingoldwinedesiresnew...”(Lk5:39)

1.“Thatwhichwasfromthebeginning”(1Jn1:1)2.“Spirituality”and“thespirituallife”3.“Action”and“contemplation”4.“Psalmody”—“Prayer”—“Meditation”

ChapterIIPlacesandTimes

1.“Whenyoupray,gointoyourroom”(Mt6:6)

2.“Looktowardtheeast,OJerusalem!”(Bar4:36)3.“SeventimesadayIpraisethee”(Ps118:164)4.“Blessedishewhoisawake!”(Rev16:15)5.“Withprayerandfasting”(Acts14:23)

ChapterIIIMannersofPraying

1.“Prayersandsupplicationswithloudcriesandtears”(Heb5:7)2.“Prayconstantly”(1Thess5:17)3.“Lord,havemercyonme!”(Ps40:5)4.“Hear,OLord,whenIcryaloud”(Ps26:7).5.“Atimetokeepsilenceandatimetospeak”(Eccles3:7)

ChapterIVPrayerGestures

1.“Riseandpray”(Lk22:46)2.“Lettheliftingupofmyhandsbebeforetheeasaneveningsacrifice”(Ps

140:2) 3.“To thee I liftupmyeyes,O thouwhoartenthroned in theheavens” (Ps

122:1)4.“Hekneltdownandprayed”(Acts9:40)5.“AdoretheLordinhisholycourt”(Ps28:2)6.“...lethimtakeuphiscrossdaily”(Lk9:23)

ConclusionThe“treasureinearthenvessels”(2Cor4:7)

AppendixPracticalAdvice

1.Thechoiceoftherightplaceandsettingitup2.Thetimesforprayer3.The“littleoffice”4.Methodsandgesturesinprayer

Sources

DonotmerelyspeakwithpleasureaboutthedeedsoftheFathers,butdemandofyourselfalsothe

accomplishmentofthesameamidgreatlabors.—EvagriusPonticus

INTRODUCTION“Lord,teachustopray”

(Lk11:1)

In ecclesiastical circles today one often hears the lament, “The faith isevaporating.”Despiteanunprecedented“pastoralapproach”, the faithofmanyChristiansinfactappearstobe“growingcold”1oreven,toputitcolloquially,tobe“evaporating”.Thereistalkofagreatcrisisoffaith,amongtheclergynolessthanamongthelaity.Thislossoffaith,whichissooftenlamentedintheWest,standsnevertheless

in contrast to a seemingly paradoxical fact: This same Western world issimultaneously producing an immense stream of theological and, above all,spiritualliterature,whichswellsyearafteryearwiththousandsofnewtitles.Tobe sure, among them aremany ephemeral fads created solely to bemarketed.Yetnumerousclassicalworksofspirituality,too,arebeingcriticallyeditedandtranslated into all the European languages, so that the modern reader hasavailable to him awealth of spiritual writings that no one in antiquitywouldevenhavedreamedof.Thisabundancewouldreallyhavetobetakenasthesignofanunprecedented

flourishingofthespirituallife—wereitnotfortheaforementionedlossoffaith.Thisfloodofbooks,therefore,isprobablyratherthesignofarestlesssearchthatstill somehow does not seem to reach its goal. Many, of course, read thesewritings, and theymayalsomarvel at thewisdomof theFathers—yet in theirpersonallivesnothingchanges.Somehowthekeytothesetreasuresoftraditionhasbeen lost.Scholars speak in this regardof abreak in tradition,whichhasopenedupachasmbetweenthepresentandthepast.Manysensethis,eveniftheyareunabletoformulatetheproblemassuch.A

feelingofdiscontentgripsever-largercircles.People lookforawayoutof thespiritual crisis, which many then think they have found (appealing to a verybroadnotionofecumenism)inanopenness to thenon-Christianreligions.Theextremelywideassortmentof“spiritualmasters”ofvariousschoolsmakeseasierthat first step beyond the boundaries of one’s own religion, in away that thereadersdonotsuspect.Then,too,thosewhoaresearchinghungrilyencountera

giganticmarketofliterature,rangingfromthe“spiritual”throughthe“esoteric”.Andmany think that they have even found therewhat they had looked for invain within Christianity, or else what was supposedly never there in the firstplace.Itisbynomeansourintentiontodobattlewiththissortof“ecumenism”.We

willonlyformulateafewquestionsattheendandbrieflysketchtheanswerthatthe Fathers might well have given. This book is concerned with giving agenuinely Christian answer to the spiritual search of many believers. And a“practical”one,atthat:thatis,itshouldpointouta“way”—rootedinScriptureand the original tradition—that enables aChristian to “practice” his faith in amannerthatisinkeepingwiththecontentsofthefaith.Forthereisaverysimpleanswertotheperplexingquestion,whythefaithof

anincreasingnumberofChristiansis“evaporating”despitealleffortstoenlivenit—ananswerthatperhapsdoesnotcontaintheentiretruthaboutthecausesofthe crisis, but which nonetheless indicates a way out. The faith “evaporates”whenitisnolongerpracticed—inawaythataccordswithitsessence.“Praxis”here does notmean the various forms of “social action” that perennially havebeen the obvious expression of Christian agape. However indispensable this“outreach” is, it becomesmerelyexternal,or (as a flight intoactivism)evenasubtle form of acedia, of boredom,2 whenever there is no longer anycorresponding“reachwithin”.Prayer is the “interior striving” par excellence—prayer in the fullest sense

acquiredby this term inScriptureand tradition.“Tellmehowyoupray,and Iwilltellyouwhatyoubelieve”,onecouldsay,asavariationonafamiliaradage.Inprayer,rightdowntothepracticalmethodsofprayer,itbecomesevidentwhatconstitutestheessenceofbeingaChristian:howthebelieverstandsinrelationtoGodandtohisneighbor.Henceonecansay,withsomeexaggeration:Only inprayer is theChristian

reallyhimself.Christhimself is thebestproofof this.Fordoesnothisessence,hisunique

relationshiptoGod,whomhecalls“myFather”,becomeevidentpreciselyinhisprayer,asitisportrayedintheSynopticGospelswithrestraintandthenbyJohnwithcompleteclarity?Thedisciples,inanycase,understoodthis,andwhentheyasked him, “Lord, teach us to pray”, Jesus taught them theOur Father. Evenbefore there was a Creed to sum up the Christian faith, this simple textepitomizedwhatitmeanstobeaChristian,preciselyintheformofaprayer—that is to say, that new relationship between God and man which the onlybegotten,incarnateSonofGodestablishedinhisownPerson.Thisiscertainlynocoincidence.

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TheBibleteachesthatmanwascreated“intheimageofGod”,3 that is,as theFathersprofoundlyinterpretit,“astheimageoftheDivineImage”(Origen),oftheSon,therefore,whoaloneisthe“ImageofGod”intheabsolutesense.4Manisdestined, however, to be the “image and likeness” ofGod.5He is thereforedesignedwithaviewtobecoming:specifically,heismeanttopassfrombeing“in the image of God” over to the (eschatological) state of being “made likeunto”theSon.6From this creation “in the image ofGod” it follows that themost essential

thingaboutman is thathe is intrinsically in relation toGod (Augustine),afterthe analogy of the relation between an original image and its copy. Yet thisrelationisnotstatic,liketheonebetweenasealanditsimpression,forinstance,butratherliving,dynamic,andfullyrealizedonlythroughbecoming.Forman,thismeansconcretelythathe,byanalogytohisCreator,possessesa

face.JustasGod—whoisPersonintheabsolutesenseandwhoaloneiscapableofcreatingpersonalbeing—possessesa“face”,namely,hisonlybegottenSon(whichiswhytheFatherssimplyequatethebiblicalexpressions“theimageofGod” and “the face ofGod”), so tooman, as a created personal being, has a“face”.The “face” is that “side” of the person that he turns toward another person

whenheentersintoapersonalrelationshipwiththeother.“Face”reallymeans:being turned toward. Only a person can have, strictly speaking, a real“counterpart”towhichheturnsorfromwhichheturnsaway.Beingaperson—and for man this always means becoming more and more a person—alwayscomes about “face to face” with a counterpart. Therefore Paul contrasts ourpresent, indirectknowledgeofGod,“inamirrordimly[Greek:enainigmati=enigmatically]”,withtheperfecteschatologicalbeatitudeinknowingGod“facetoface”,wherebyman“shallknowasheisknown”.7Whatissaidhereaboutthespiritualessenceofmanfindsexpressionalsoin

hiscorporealnature.Itisthebodilycountenanceinwhichthisspiritualessenceis reflected. To turn one’s face toward another or deliberately to turn it awayfromhimisnotsomethingindifferent,aseveryoneknowsfromdailyexperience,butratheragestureofprofound,symbolicmeaning.Indeed,itindicateswhetherwewanttoenterintoapersonalrelationshipwithanotherorwanttodenyhimthis.Thepurestexpressionofthis“beingturnedtowardGod”tobefoundhereon

earth isprayer, inwhichthecreaturedoes infact“turn”towardhisCreator, inthosemomentswhenthepersonatprayer“seeksthefaceofGod”8andasksthattheLordmight“lethisfaceshine”uponhim.9Intheseandsimilarphrasesfromthe Book of Psalms, which are by no means merely poetic metaphors, thefundamental experienceof biblicalman is expressed, forwhomGod is not anabstract,impersonalprinciple,afterall,butratherisPersonintheabsolutesense.Godturnstowardman,callshimtohimself,andwantsmantoturntohimalso.Andmandoes thisquintessentially inprayer, inwhichhe,withboth soulandbody,“placeshimselfinGod’spresence”.

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With that we have returned to the actual theme of this book: the practice or“praxis”ofprayer.For“tolearntoprayfromtheLord”, toprayasthemenoftheBibleandourFathersinfaithdid,meansnotonlymakingcertaintextsone’sown,butalso toassimilateallof thosemethods, forms,gestures,andsoon, inwhichthisprayingfindsitsmostsuitableexpression.Thiswas,inanycase,theopinionoftheFathersthemselves,forwhomthiswasbynomeansamatterofhistoricallyconditionedexternals.Onthecontrary,theygavetheirfullattentiontothesethings,whichOrigensummarizesasfollowsattheendofhistreatiseOnPrayer.

Itseemstome[inlightofthepreceding]tobenotinappropriate,inordertopresentexhaustivelythesubject of prayer, byway of an introduction, to examine [also] the [interior] disposition and the[exterior]posture that thepersonprayingmusthave,aswellas theplacewhereoneshouldpray,andthedirectioninwhichonemust faceinallcircumstances,andthe favorable timethat is tobereservedforprayer,andwhateverothersimilarthingstheremaybe.10

ThenOrigenimmediatelycitestheBibletodemonstratethatthesequestionsareinfactnotatallinappropriate,butareposedforusbyScriptureitself.We,too,want to be guided by these signposts. In this regardwe deliberately limit oursubject to personal prayer, since that is the sure foundation not only of thespirituallifebutalsoofliturgicalprayerincommon.AstheFathersthemselvesknewbetterthananyoneelse,onemustnevertake

Scriptureoutofcontextifonewantstounderstanditcorrectly.FortheChristianthis context is the Church, and the apostolic and patristic tradition givestestimonytoherlifeandherfaith.Asaconsequenceofthosebreaksintraditionwhich have accompanied the history of theWesternChurch in particular, thistreasurehasbecomepracticallyinaccessibletomanytoday.Andthisissoeventhough we have available today an unprecedented abundance of valuable

editionsandtranslationsofpatristictexts.Thepurposeofthisbookis,therefore,toputintothehandsoftheChristianofourtimethekeytothesetreasures.Thesamekey,this“praxis”,bytheway,opensthedoorstoothertreasuresas

well, for instance of the liturgy, of art, and finally of theology also, in theoriginal sense of this word as “speaking about God”—not on the basis ofscientificstudy,butasthefruitofthemostintimatefamiliarity.

TheLord’sbreast:theknowledgeofGod.Whoeverrestsonitwillbeatheologian.11

Note: The Fathers generally used the ancient Greek translation of the OldTestament(Septuagint,abbreviated“LXX”),whichthereforeweinturntakeasourbasis,alsowithrespecttothenumberingofthepsalms.

ChapterI

“Nooneafterdrinkingoldwinedesiresnew...”

(Lk5:39)

Although,aswehaveexplained,itisnotourintentiontowriteahistoricalorapatristic study on the subject of “prayer”, in the following pageswewill stillreferagainandagaintotheholyFathersoftheChurch’searlyperiod.Resortingconstantlyto“thatwhichwasfromthebeginning”requiressomejustificationinan agewhen people like to regard the novelty of a thing as a standard of itsvalue.Here,however,itisnotourpurposeatalltobringthelatesttothereaderatthebeginningofthetwenty-firstcentury,butinsteadtopresent,withrespecttoprayer,thatwhichwas“deliveredtousbythosewhofromthebeginningwereeyewitnessesandministersoftheword”.1Whythishighesteemfor“whatwashandeddown”andthisuniquerankthatisaccordedtothe“beginning”?Orinamorepersonalvein,addressingthewriteroftheselines:Whydoeshenotspeak,rather, of his own experience, instead of bringing up his holy Fathers all thetime?Itmight thereforebeuseful toexplain right away inwhat “spirit” thisbook

waswritten,howit is tobe read,aswellas toshedsome lighton thebroadercontext in which prayer, too, belongs and which provides the only possibleframeworkforunderstandingitcorrectly.

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1.“Thatwhichwasfromthebeginning”(1Jn1:1)

Constant recourse to thesayingsof theholyFathershas itsbasis in thenatureand meaning of what the oldest witnesses from apostolic times, in SacredScriptureitself,call“tradition”(παράδοσις).Thetermhasseveralmeanings,andhencetheattitudeofChristianstoward“traditions”isambivalent.Thevalueofa“tradition”—intherealmofrevealed truth—essentiallydependson its“origin”(ἀρχή)andonitsrelationtothisorigin.Therearemerelyhuman“traditions”,ofwhichGod is not the “origin”, even though theymaybe in a sense correct intheirclaimtorelyonhim—asinthecaseofdivorcesanctionedbytheMosaic

Law.“. . .But from the beginning [ἀπἀρχῆς] itwas not so”,2 sinceGodhadoriginally joinedman andwoman in an inseparable unity.3Christ rejects such“humantraditions”,since theykeepmanfromtheactualwillofGod,4and theLordcame,after all, “todohiswill”,5 namely, thatgenuinewillof theFatherwhichwas“fromthebeginning”,whichhasbeenobscuredonlybecauseofsinandtheFall,withalloftheirconsequences.ItisinfactthedistinguishingmarkofthediscipleofChrist thathedoesnotabidebythe“traditionsoftheelders”(seeMt15:2).Itisanentirelydifferentmatterwiththetraditionsabout“whatwasfromthe

beginning”, namely, the “old commandment which you had from thebeginning”,6eversinceChristgaveittohisdisciples.Itwasreliably“deliveredtousby thosewhofromthebeginningwere theeyewitnessesandministersoftheword”,7 that is, by the apostles,who from “the beginning of the gospel”,8

thatis,thebaptismofJohn9andthecorrespondingmanifestationofJesusastheChrist,“havebeenwith[him].”10These are the “traditions which you were taught” and which we are to

“hold”11 if we are not to lose our association with the “beginning” itself.Therefore,even if itwerebroughtby“anangel fromheaven”, therecannotbe“anothergospel”12besidestheonethatwaspreachedtousfromthebeginning,becauseitwouldnotbetheEvangeliumChristi.Byitsverynature,genuinetraditionmeanshavingandpreservingfellowship

withthe“eyewitnessesandministersoftheword”and,throughthem,withhimaboutwhomtheytestify.

Thatwhichwasfromthebeginning,whichwehaveheard,whichwehaveseenwithoureyes,whichwehavelookeduponandtouchedwithourhands,concerningthewordoflife...,weproclaimalsotoyou,sothatyoumayhavefellowshipwithus;andourfellowshipis[fellowship]withtheFatherandwithhisSonJesusChrist.13

This “fellowship” (κοινονία) of believers among themselves and with God iswhatScripturecalls“Church”and“BodyofChrist”.Itembracesall“members”ofthisBody,thelivingandalsothosewhohavealready“diedintheLord”.For

themembersareboundtooneanotherandtotheBodysocloselythatthosewhohavediedarenot“deadmembers”,since“alllivetoGod”.14Whoeverwantstohave“fellowshipwithGod”,therefore,canneverdisregard

thosebeforehimwhoweremadeworthyof thisfellowship!Inhisresponseoffaith to their “proclamation”, the onewhowas born afterward enters into thatselfsame fellowship of which those “eyewitnesses andministers of theword”were “from the beginning” and forever remain a living part. Hence only thatchurch is genuinely “Christ’s Church” which stands in an unbroken, livingfellowship with the apostles, upon whom the Lord, indeed, founded hisChurch.15

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Whatissaidhereaboutholdingfastto“thegoodthingcommittedtothytrust”,16thatis,theapostolictraditionasitissetdowninthewritingsoftheapostles,isalsotrueinananalogouswayofthose“original,unwrittentraditions”,17which,though not contained explicitly in these apostolic testimonies, are still no lessapostolic in theirorigins.Forwhether theyare“written”or“unwritten”,“withregardtopiety,bothhavethesameforce.”18Bothformsofapostolictraditionpossesswhatonecouldcallthe“graceofthe

origin”,sinceitwasinthemthatthedepositentrustedtousatthebeginningtookshape. We will see farther on what this “unwritten tradition” comprises inparticular.HerewewanttoaskfirsthowtheFathersthemselvesunderstoodtheirfaithfulnesswithregardtothe“origin”.

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ThesameattitudethatBasil theGreatexhibitstowardtheChurch’straditionisto be found in his disciple Evagrius Ponticus with regard to the spiritualtraditionofmonasticism.ThisishowhewritestothemonkEulogios,forwhomhewishestoexplainseveralquestionsaboutthespirituallife:

“Notbecauseofdeedsdonebyusinrighteousness”19didweattainthis,butratherbecausewehave“thepatternofsoundwords”20whichwehaveheardfromtheFathers,andbecausewehavebecomewitnessestosomeoftheirdeeds. Everything, though, isagrace fromabove,whichpointsouteven to sinners the schemesof thetempter,andwhichalsosays foroursafety,“Whathaveyou, then, thatyoudidnotreceive?”—inorder thatwe, in receiving,might thank theGiver, so as not to give ourselves the praise and thehonorandthusdenythegift.Thereforegracesays:“Ifthenyoureceivedit,whydoyouboastasifitwerenotagift?Alreadyyouhavebecomerich,”itsays,youwhodispensewithworks;alreadyyou,

whohavebeguntoteach,“arefilled.”21

Henceaninitialreasonnot toputoneselfforwardasa“teacher”is thehumbleacknowledgmentoftheelementaryfactthatweareallreceivers.The“Fathers”whomEvagriusreferstohereare,amongothers,hisownmastersandteachers,Macarius theGreat andhisnamesake fromAlexandria, throughwhomhewasconnectedwith the “first of the anchorites”,Anthony theGreat, and thuswiththeoriginofmonasticismitself. InanotherpassageEvagriuselaborates furtheronthethought.

Itisalsonecessarytoaskaboutthewaysofthosemonkswhowentbeforeusinanuprightmanner,andtobeguidedbythem.Forwefindmuchthatwasbeautifullysaidanddonebythem.22

The“patternofsoundwords”oftheFathersandtheir“splendiddeeds”arethusan example—the Greek word (ὑποτύπωσις) translated as “pattern” can meanthis, too—bywhichonemust beguided!This is precisely the reasonwhy the“wordsanddeedsoftheFathers”werenotonlygatheredveryearlyon,butwerealsoquotedagainandagain.BenedictofNursiaintheWestisnodifferentinhisthinkingwhen,beyondhisown“rulesforbeginners”,heexpresslyreferstothedoctrinaesanctorumPatrumasanobligatoryguidelineforallwhoarestrivingforperfection.23Thus,foraChristian, thestudyoftheholyFatherscanneverremainmerely

academicpatrology,whichdoesnotnecessarilyinfluencethelifeoftheonewhoisstudying.TheexampleoftheholyFathers,theirwords,anddeedsareratheramodel thatobligesone to imitate them.Evagrius isnot remiss inprovidinguswithajustificationforthisstatement.

It is fitting for thosewhowant towalkalong the“way”ofhimwhosaid:“Iam thewayand thelife,”24 that they learn from thosewho previouslywalked along it, and conversewith them aboutwhatisuseful,andhearfromthemwhatishelpful,soasnottointroduceanythingthatisforeigntoourcourse.25

NottobeguidedbytheexampleoftheholyFathersandtowanttogoone’sownway,therefore,involvesthedangerof“introducingsomethingthatisforeigntoourcourse”,thatis,things“thatareabsolutelyalientomonasticlife”26becausetheyhavenotbeen“tested”andfoundtobe“good”bythe“brothers”“whowentbeforeusinanuprightmanner”.27Whoeverhasstrayedthusfromthat“way”oftheFathersrunstheriskofbecominghimself“astrangertoourSavior’sways”28andtherebyofestranginghimselffromtheLord,the“Way”parexcellence!Thereferencetowhat“thebrothershaveprovedtobethebestofall”already

makesclearthatbynomeanseverythingtheFathersdidneedstobeimitated,nomatter how “splendid” it might be, and even if the Father in question wereAnthonytheGreathimself.Letnoonedaretoimitateineverydetailhisextremeform of anchorite life, for instance, unless he wants to become the laughing-stock of the demons.29 The Fathers themselves could distinguish very wellbetweena“personalcharism”and“tradition”.

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Themeaningandpurposeofpreservingthe“tradition”is,then,fortheFathers,just as it was for the first “eyewitnesses and ministers of the word”, not anunthinkingadherencetowhathasbeenhandeddown,butthepreservationofaliving fellowship.Whoeverwants tohavefellowshipwith theFathercanattainthis only by “way” of the Son.One reaches the Son, though, only byway of“thosewhowalkedbeforeusalongtheway”andtherebybecamethemselvesalivingpart of the “Way”.These are, first of all, the apostles as the immediate“eyewitnessesoftheWord”.Johnwritesverydefinitely,“Sothatyoumayhavefellowship with us”, and Evagrius aptly calls that “way” of praktike (asceticstruggle), which he has received from the Fathers, precisely “the apostolicway”.30 Hence all those Fathers in faith “who went before us in an uprightmanner”are“Way”.Onlytheonewhofollowsintheir“footsteps”himselfmayhopetoreachthedestinationofthisway,astheydid.31Itisthereforenotenoughjusttocalluponthe“spiritoftheFathers”—which

is difficult to define—ormerely to “speakwith pleasure about their deeds” atevery opportunity, while leaving everything at the status quo. One must alsostrive to accomplish these deeds, even “amid great labors”,32 if one wants tohavepartintheirfellowship.Onlyinlightofthisdoesthetitle“first(ἀπαρχή)oftheanchorites”,33which

Evagrius bestows on the “righteous Anthony”,34 acquire its full significance.Anthony theGreatnooneafterdrinkingoldwinedesiresnew25 isof coursetemporallythefirstanchorite,butthatwouldmeannothingfurtherwerehenotalsothe“firstfruit”.Forthe“firstfruit”,being“holy”,“makestheentirelumpofdoughholy”,justasthe“holyrootmakesthebranchesholy”35—aslongastheyremaininlivingfellowshipwithit.The“beginning”,becauseitisdeterminedbythe Lord himself, possesses in fact a special grace, namely, the “grace of theorigin,” of the “principle”, which does not merely stand at the beginningtemporally, but rather stamps with the seal of authenticity everything thatremainsinlivingfellowshipwithit.

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Byadheringtothelivingfellowshipwith“whatwasfromthebeginning”,man,who isbound to spaceand time, enters into themysteryof theOnewho, freefromtheselimitations,“isthesameyesterday,todayandforever”,36thatis,oftheSon,whoishimself“inthebeginning”37intheabsolutesense.Beyondspaceandtime,thisfellowshipcreatescontinuityandidentity inthemidstofaworldthatissubjecttoconstantchange.This remaining identically the same is something that neither individual

believers nor the Church as a whole could ever accomplish on their own.Guarding “the good thing committed to our trust” is always the fruit of theworkingof“theHolySpiritwhodwellsinus”38andthere“bear[s]witness”39totheSon.Heitis,also,whodoesnotonly“guide[us]intoallthetruth”40butalsoforagestocomecausesthetestimonyoftheMasterhimselftoberecognizedinthetestimonyofthedisciples.41

Blessed is themonkwho keeps the commandments of the Lord, and holy is he who observes thewordsofhisfathers.42

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2.“Spirituality”and“thespirituallife”

Prayerispartofwhatwedescribeinageneralwaywiththeterm“spirituality”;indeed it is themost noble expression of the “spiritual life” (vita spiritualis).

Therefore,itisworthinvestigatingwhatisactuallymeanthereby“spiritual”.

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By “spirituality” (derived from spiritus = spirit) is generally understood incontemporary usage anything having to dowith the “soul”, the “interior life”,andour “spiritual nature”, as distinguished fromwhat belongs to thematerial,corporeal realm. In theological language, “spirituality” is simply equatedwith“piety” [in the sense of “being devout”]. Hence one can speak of various“spiritualities”,forinstance,withregardtothedifferentformsofdevotionorof“mysticism” in the individual religious orders; in recent times we may evenspeakofadistinctively“layspirituality”.ButevenoutsideofChristianitythereistalkofthedifferent“spiritualities”ofthegreatworldreligions.Thefactthattheconceptof“spirituality”issovaguelydefinedhasextremely

negativeconsequencesfortheChristianunderstandingof“thespirituallife”.Forasaresult,manyotherthingsappeartobe“spiritual”thatactuallybelongtoanentirely different sphere. This becomes clear immediately when we turn toScripture and, moreover, to the Fathers. For here the adjective “spiritual”(πνευματικός),intheconnectionthatisofinteresttous,refersunambiguouslytothePersonoftheHolySpirit!

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The“HolySpirit”,intheOldCovenantthoughttobetheimpersonal“power”ofGod,isrevealedintheNewCovenantasthat“otherParaclete”whomtheSon,our trueparaclete [παράκλητος; (advocate, intercessor)]with theFather,43 senttohisdisciplesafterhisglorificationbytheFather,44sothathemight“bewith[them]forever”45afterhisreturntotheFather,“teach[them]all things”,46and“guide[them]intoallthetruth”.47The “spiritualman” (πνευματικός), therefore, is the onewho, thanks to the

Holy Spirit and “taught by the Spirit”, is able to judge “spiritual things” (τάπνευματικά)“spiritually”(πνευματικῶς)andtodiscernthem.Thisis,ofcourse,incontrasttothesensual,“naturalman”(ψυχικός),whocanneitherreceivenorunderstand “the things of the Spirit of God”, precisely because he does notpossesstheSpiritofGodandthe“wisdomofGod”remains“folly”tohim.48Therefore “spiritual” always signifies, both here and in other contexts in

Paul’s writings, “endowed with the Spirit”—wrought or inspired by the HolySpirit;itisbynomeansmerelyadecorativeepithet!

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TheFathersadopted thePaulinedistinctionbetween“spiritual” (pneumatic [ofthe Spirit]) and “natural” (psychic [that is, of the unaided human soul]) andapplied it to the “spiritual life”;wewill return to it later.WheneverEvagrius,who always chooses hiswordswell, calls something “spiritual”, hemeans bythis, as a rule, “wrought by the Spirit” or else “inspired by the Spirit”. Thus“spiritual contemplation”,49 for example,which has as its object the “spiritualreasons”forthings,50iscalled“spiritual”becausetheHolySpiritistheRevealerofdivinemysteries.51Thevirtues,52theforemostofwhichislove,53arelikewisecalled“spiritual”becausetheyare“fruitsoftheHolySpirit”,54whoformsthemin the baptized soul. The “spiritual teacher”55 is so named because he, as a“spiritualfather”,hasreceivedthe“charismoftheSpirit”56andthusissomeone“endowedbytheSpirit”inthePaulinesense.

If “hewho is unitedwith the Lord becomes one spiritwith him”,57andDavid [according to thepsalmverse]“clungtotheLord”,thenhebecameasaresultonespirit[withhim].Hecalls“spirit”,though, the one who is “endowed with the Spirit”,58 just as the “love that is not boastful”59

characterizeshimwhohaslove.60

In this sense, prayer, too, which is after all the quintessence of the “spirituallife”,isveryoftencalled“spiritual”(πνευματική).61Forittakesplace“inspiritand in truth”,62 that is, “in the Holy Spirit and in the only-begotten Son”63,whereforeitisoftencalled“trueprayer”aswell.64Inthisregarditisincumbentupon the Holy Spirit to prepare the way for this gift of the Father.65 For wewouldnotevenknowhowtoprayasweought66unlesstheHolySpiritvisitedusinour“unknowing”.67

TheHolySpirit,who“bearswithusinourweakness”,68visitsusevenwhenwearestillimpure.Andwhenhefindstheintellectsimplyprayingtohimandfullofloveforthetruth,hecomesuponitanddestroystheentirephalanxofthoughtsorimaginationsthatbesiegeitandurgesitontoanardentlongingforspiritualprayer.69

At the summit of the “spiritual life” this Holy Spirit determines what thenhappens—whichcannowbedescribedas“mystical”—tosuchanextent thataSyrianFathercanspeakofthedegreeof“spiritualization”,whichmightevenbecalled the degree of “spirituality”, had this term not been deprived of anyconcretemeaning.

Asthetargetistothearrows,soitiswiththeintellectattheplaceofspiritualizationwhenitreceiveswhat is viewed in contemplation. For just as it does not depend on the target, which arrow itreceives,butratheronthearcherwhoshootsatit,inthesamewayitdoesnotdependontheintellecteither,whenithasenteredtheplaceofspiritualization,whatobjectitcontemplates,butratherontheSpirit,wholeadsit.Theintellect,infact,hasnomorecontroloveritself,assoonasithasenteredtheplaceofspiritualization,butratheritcontemplateseveryobjectofcontemplationthatshowsitselftoituntilitreceivesanotherone,andthenitleavesoffandturnsitsattentionawayfromthefirst.70

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Howevermuchwemay talk of “spirituality” and however fondwemaybe ofusing theepithet “spiritual”, thePersonof theHolySpirit is theGreatAbsentOne in the “spirituality” of the West, as has often been lamented. As aconsequence, we regard many things as “spiritual” that in fact still belongabsolutely and entirely to the realm of the “natural man”, who is lackingpreciselyinthe“giftoftheSpirit”.Wemeanhereeverythingthatfallswithinthescope of the “feelings” and “emotions”, which are of a thoroughly irrationalnatureandarebynomeans“spiritual”orwroughtbytheSpirit.Evagriusinfactdistinguishes,asotherFathersalsodo,betweena“rational”,

logos-endowed part of the soul (λογιστικόν μέρος) and an “irrational” part(ἄλογον μέρος).71 The latter consists in turn of “desires” (ἐπιθυμητικόν) and“aggression” (θυμικόν) in Western terms, the “concupiscible” and “irascible”appetitesofthesoul,whichtakentogetherarealsocalledthe“passionatepart”(παθυμητικόν μέρος) of the soul,72 because through these two “powers”, bymeansofwhichwedealwith theworldof thesenses, the“irrational”passionsmaketheirwayintothesoulandthenperplexandblindthe“rationalpart”.

Prayer, now, belongs entirely to this “rational part” of the soul; indeed it is“thepreeminentandmostauthenticuseoftheintellect”!73Prayerisnotamatterof“feeling”andcertainlynotoneof”sentimentality”—whichisnottosaythatitconsists of a purely “intellectual act” in the modern sense of the word. For“intellect” (νοῦς) is not identical with “understanding”, but is rather to berenderedby“coreofbeing”,“person”,or, inbiblical terms,“theinnerman”.74

Besides,Evagriusisverywellacquaintedwitha“feelingofprayer”,75aswewillseefartheron.For now let the observation suffice that we would do well to distinguish

carefully, with the Fathers, between that which is really “spiritual”, namely,what is wrought by the Person of theHoly Spirit, and all that belongs to thedomainof the“naturalman”, that is,our irrationalwishesanddesires.For thelatter are, at best, indifferent in value; most often, though, they are theexpression of our “self-love” (φιλαυτία), which is the exact opposite of a“friendly love for God” (πρòς θεòν φιλία), in other words, that “perfect andspiritualloveinwhichprayeractsinspiritandintruth”.76

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3.“Action”and“contemplation”

The distinction between a “practical” (or “active”) and a “theoretical” (or“contemplative”) life isveryold; ithaspre-Christianorigins.TheholyFathershave adopted it, yet in doing so they have filled both concepts with a new,specificallyChristiancontent.Nowtheyformthetwopillarsofthespirituallifeand,thus,ofprayeraswell.Ashappenssooften,though,shiftsofmeaninghavecreptinhereaswell,particularlyintheWest,asalookatourcolloquialusagedemonstrates.“Theory” and “practice”—in that order!—are considered nowadays as two

completely different things. People like to contrast the “theoretician”wrappedupinhisownideaswiththesober“practitioner”.Manythingsaredismissedasmere “theorizing”, which carries no weight compared with “practicalexperience”.Inoureverydaylanguage,toputitbluntly,“theory”isto“practice”approximatelyasuntestedconjectureistocertainknowledge.ThereprobablywouldhavebeennoendtothewondermentoftheFathersat

such a transposition of values, that is, the completemisunderstanding ofwhat“practice”and“theory”—inthatorder!—reallyare,essentiallyandinrelationtoeachother.

“TheLordlovesthegatesofZionmorethanallthetentsofJacob”:TheLordlovesboththepraktikosandalsothetheoretikos.Morethantheformer,nevertheless,helovesthetheoretikos.ForJacob[whosymbolizesthepracticalman]77means“takesbytheheel”,78

whereas Zion [which here symbolizes the contemplative intellect]79 is translated as “observationpost”.80

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Action and contemplation, the two Latin expressions corresponding to theseGreek terms, have not fared much better, either. The shifts in meaning andvaluationthathaveoccurredinthisregardcouldverywellberesponsibleforthereversal and revaluation of “practice” and “theory”, also. They go to the veryroots of ourmodern understanding of ourselves and hence have an immediateeffectonourunderstandingofthespirituallifeaswell.An “active life”—in the spiritual sense—is probably understood by most

peopletodaytobealifeof“active”loveofneighbor,thatis,oneofcharitabledeeds.Whentheoriginalreligiousmotivationisgone, itbecomesmere“socialactivism”.In contrast to this “active life”, there is the “contemplative life”, as it is

practiced by the so-called “contemplative orders” in the seclusion of theircloisters—alife,itisgenerallythought,whichisreservedforonlyafew.Suchalife consists, then, of contemplating (from contemplatio) the things of God.

Prayer is regarded as the first and greatest occupation of these contemplativeorders.Whereas the activity in the first-mentioned case is directedoutward, toward

one’sneighbor,inthesecondcaseitisessentiallyinwardactivity.Thereforeitisunderstandablethat thevaluationsusuallyassignedtodaytotheseformsof lifeblatantlycontradictthetextbyEvagriuscitedabove,whichunequivocallygivesprecedence to the “theoretician” (the contemplative). Most people have thenotion that the so-called “active orders” are farmore “useful” than the purely“contemplative”communities.Theformer,infact,areoftensparedwhenhostilemeasures are taken against the Church, while the contemplative orders aresuppressedwithnocompunctionasbeing(socially)“useless”.In recent times, of course, a new reevaluation of these two forms of life is

taking place to some extent. Since activity easily deteriorates into “activism”,whichultimatelyleavespeopleempty,moreandmorelaypeopleandreligiousare turning to various forms of “meditation”, and not a few of them evendedicatealloftheiravailabletimeto“contemplation”.

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Aswehavesaid,itwouldhavestrucktheFathersasverystrangeifsomeonehadspokento theminthiswayabout“theory”and“practice”, the“active”andthe“contemplative”life.Certainly,they,too,madeaclear-cutdistinctionbetweenapraktikosanda theoretikos.For instance, the twotypesareexposedtoentirelydifferenttemptationsandhavedifferentbattlestofight.Whiletheformerhastodealfirstandforemostwiththepassions,thelatterhastodealchieflywitherrorsintherealmofknowledge.81Hencetheformerfightshisopponentsbymeansofthe virtues, whereas the latter, “making use of the doctrine of the truth, tearsdown every high building that is set up contrary to the knowledge ofGod”.82Then,too,Godlovesthelattermorethantheformer,aswehaveseen,sincetheone dwells already in God’s own house, whereas the other still abides in theoutercourtsofit.83Notwithstanding that, the Church nevertheless is made up of both

“practitioners” and “theoreticians”.84 Indeed, it is not at all a question of twodifferent subjects, and consequently there arenot twodifferent “ways”, either,between which one could be free to choose arbitrarily or according to one’sinclination. Rather, it is amatter ofone and the same person, who, however,may find himself atdifferent stages of one and the same spiritualway.85 ThepraktikosistothetheoretikosinfactasJacobistoIsrael,86andtheseareindeed

oneand the sameperson. Jacob, thepraktikos87 afterhehaswrestledwith theangelandseenGodfacetoface,88becomesIsrael,thetheoretikos(seer).89

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Itisthesamething,naturally,withprayer,too.Likeeverythingelse,ithastwosidesoraspects.Incontrasttothe“practicalmanner”,thereisthe“theoretical”(contemplative)manner,andoneisrelatedtotheotheras“theletter”isto“thespirit”, whereby the spirit naturally precedes the letter and endows it with“meaning”. The two “manners” are, therefore, inseparable from each other!LikewiseitisoneandthesameJacobwhofirstservesforsevenyearstowintheunloved“Leah”,symbolofthelaborious“activemanner”,andthenworkssevenmoreyearstowinthebeloved“Rachel”,symbolofcontemplation.90Since the “theoreticalmanner” of prayer, then, consists of contemplation of

the triune God and of his creation, something also called “theologike” and“physike”[φυσική,thatis,knowledgeaboutthenaturesofthings],whatarewetounderstandby the“practicalmanner”ofprayer?The latter isapartofwhatEvagriuscalls“praktike”[ἑπρακτική]anddefinesasfollows:Thepraktikeisaspiritualmethodthatcompletelycleansesthepassionatepartofthesoul.91This “spiritual method” consists essentially of “keeping the

commandments”,92anendeavorassistedbyallthosepracticesthatwedesignateas“ascetical”inthewidestsense.Theirgoalis,withGod’shelp,torestoretothesoul its natural “health,”93 which consists of “apatheia”, freedom from the“sicknesses” (or passions—πάθη) that estrange it from God. Without thisdispassionate character, which is attained by degrees,94 the spiritual life (andprayer with it) deteriorates into self-deception, and that removes man evenfartherfromGod.

Justas it isofnobenefit tosomeonewhoseeyesarediseased to lookuninterruptedly into the fullglareof theburningnoondaysunwithoutcovering them,so too it isofnousewhatsoever for thepassionateandimpureintellecttoimitatethesurpassingprayerinspiritandintruth,whichcallsforreverence.Onthecontrary,hewillinsteadprovoketheDeitytodispleasurewithhim!95

“Bewildered” and “blinded” by his passions,96 through such “defeats”many amanevenrunstheriskofbecomingultimatelya“sourceoflyingdoctrinesandopinions”97,thusnotonlydeceivinghimself,butalsoleadingothersastray.

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The“active life” asunderstoodby theFathers, then, certainlydoes include anactivity (praxis),butonethat isnotjustoutwardlydirected;thisactivitymakesnodistinctionatallbetween“interior”and“exterior”.Praktike,rather,embracestheentirerealmofrelationsthatahumanbeinghastohimself,tohisneighbor,andtothings;itisthereforecalled“ethics”aswell.98Praktikeand theoretikearenot twomutuallyindependent“paths”,butrather

the twogreat stages of one and the samepath.Theoria (contemplation) is thenatural “horizon” of praxis, which leads step by step to the former, its goal,towardwhichitisaimedandfromwhichaloneitreceivesitsreasonforbeing.

ThesearethewordsthattheFathersconstantlyrepeat[totheirspiritualsons]:Faith,children,ismadefirmbythefearofGod,andthisinturnisguaranteedbycontinence;thelatter,though,ismadeunbendingbypatienceandhope,fromwhichtheabsenceofpassionsisborn,whiletheshootthatspringsfromthisislove.Love,however,isthegatetonaturalknowledge[thatis,knowledgeofthenaturesofthings],whichisfollowedbytheology[theknowledgeofGod]andthefinalbeatitude.99

Allofthose(apparently)“externalaspects”ofprayer,towhichinthefollowingpagessuchgreatsignificancewillbeattributed,belong jointlyandseverally to“the practical manner of prayer”, although, being what they are, they alreadycontain within themselves their goal, “the contemplative manner”, as theirnatural horizon.As is true of thepractike in general, they are bound upwithdifficulties,justlikethelifeofconstantself-denialthatJacobledforsevenyearsas suitor of the beloved Rachel. And yet this is not a matter of a “self-redemption”,howeverthatmaybeunderstood!Forthegoalofpraktike—“purityof heart”,which alone enables a humanbeing to “seeGod”100—is always thefruitofthecooperationof“God’sgraceandhumaneffort,”101inthatorder!The“contemplativemanner of prayer” itself is then, just like theoria in general, a“charism”,102 pure and simple, a “gift”of theFather103 to thosewhomhehasfoundworthyofit.104

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4.“Psalmody”—“Prayer”—“Meditation”

Notinfrequentlytodayonemeetspeople,evenclerics,whodeclareoutrightthatthey are not going to “pray” any more, but instead will only “meditate”. Awealthofpublicationsonthethemeof“meditation”,coursesofinstruction,andthelikeshowthatacrisisin“prayer”hasevidentlydevelopedamongChristians.The situation is somewhat better with psalmody, or “praying the psalms”, aspeople like to say,which even today is carried on principally by the religiousorders, but which also forms the centerpiece of the “Liturgy of the Hours”belongingtotheentireChurch,bothlaityandclergy.Psalmody, prayer, and meditation have been a regular component of the

spiritual life of the “biblical man” from time immemorial. But what doestraditionunderstandbythis?Letusbeginwithpsalmodyandprayer.

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Ifyouhavenotyetreceivedthecharismofprayerorofpsalmody,then[ask]perseveringly,andyouwillreceive!105

Thedistinctionbetweenpsalmodyandprayerthatisevidentlypresupposedhere

and which is a matter of course in the writings of the early Fathers, appearsstrangetothemodernreader.Arenotpsalmodyandprayeroneandthesame,sothat one can rightly speak of the “prayer from psalms” or of “praying thepsalms”?AndisnotthePsalterthe“prayerbookoftheChurch”,whichtookitover from the synagogue? The Fathers would have answered: Yes and no.“Psalmody is not yet praying”, for the two belong to different (not separate)orders.

Psalmody belongs to [the realm of] “manifold wisdom”,106 whereas prayer is the prelude toimmaterialknowledge,whichisnotmanifold.107

Howisthistobeunderstood?LetuslookfirstatwhatScripture,inparticularthePsalter,itselfsaysaboutpsalmodyandprayer.

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A“psalm” is a “song” that, as such, canhave themost varied contents.Biblescholarshipinfacthasassignedthe150psalmstovariousliterarygenres.Sucha“song”intheOldCovenant,asisstillevidentfrommanypsalmtitles,wasoftenperformed with musical accompaniment, for instance using the ten-stringed“psaltery”. This performance was called “psalmody”, and the artist himself a“psaltode” (cf. “rhapsode”) or psaltes, that is, a singer of psalms.Collected infive books, these “songs of Israel” were adopted from the people of the OldCovenantbytheearlyChurchandinthecourseoftimeweremadeapermanentpartofherowndivineworship.Shehasherownmanner,however,of readingthis“BookofPsalms”.ItwouldnotbewrongtocallthePsalterasummaryoftheentireScriptureof

theOldCovenantintheformofhymns.Therefore,fromtheverybeginning,theChurch has read the Psalms, as she has generally read the books of the OldTestament, as a prophetic word of the Holy Spirit pointing to fulfillment inChrist.108 This already explains in partwhatEvagriusmeanswhen he assignspsalmodytotherealmofthe“manifoldwisdomofGod”andthusregardsitasatestimony to that“wisdom”which is reflected increationand in thehistoryofsalvation,towhichtheScripturesoftheOldCovenantasawholebearwitness.ForChristians,then,thePsalterisfirstofallScripture,anditsauthor,David,

is a prophet.As a propheticword ofGod toman that opens a prospect on toChristandhisChurch,itisconstantlycitedintheNewTestamentaswell,morethananyotherbookoftheOldTestament.“Prayer”, on the other hand, and also the singing of “hymns” of “praise”

(δοξολογία),isman’sspeakingtoGodor,accordingtothedefinitionofClementofAlexandria,a“dialoguewithGod”.109ThePsalteroffersnotafewexamplesof this “speaking to God” and also of “hymns of praise” that the prayingChristian can immediately make his own. Extensive passages of the Psalter,however,donothavetheformofaprayeratall.Besidelongreflectionsonthechangeable history of Israel,we even find not a fewpsalms (or parts thereof)cursing the“enemies” inaway thatappears to themodern readeras theexactopposite ofChristian prayer!Tobe able tomake theentire Psalter one’s ownandtotransformit intogenuinelyChristianprayer—includingthoseunpopularpassages—requireszealinpracticing“meditation”.By“meditation”(μελέη) theFathers(andthepsalmisthimself)understooda

constantrepetitionofcertainversesorentirepassagesofSacredScripturesottovoce110(inanundertone),withthegoalofgraspingtheirhiddenspiritualsense.Hence Evagrius in one instance simply interprets “meditation” as“contemplation” (θεωρία).111 Besides “meditating”, Scripture therefore alsospeaks of “being mindful”. Alluding to Psalm 137:1, Evagrius calls suchcontemplative“meditation”onthepsalms“singingpsalmstoGodinthesightoftheangels”, since theprincipalactivityof theangelsconsistsofcontemplatingGodandhisworks.112

“Iwillsingpraisetotheeinthesightoftheangels”: Tosingpsalmsin thesightof theangelsmeanstosingpsalmswithoutdistraction,wherebyourintellect is either impressed only with the things described in the psalm or else receives noimpressions.Orperhapsthatpersonsingspsalms“inthesightoftheangels”whoperceivesthemeaningofthepsalms,113

withoutallowinghimselftobecome“distracted”bythevarietyofimagesthereinorbythemultiplicityofconcepts.Thisisbynomeanseasy,andforthisreasonEvagrius considers “psalmodywithout distraction” tobe an evengreater thingthan “praying without distraction”,114 since prayer, as we saw earlier, is the“preludetoimmaterialandnon-manifoldknowledge”oftheOneGod.

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Theobjectofthis“meditation”isGod,115asherevealshimselfinhismanifold“works”116 from all eternity.117 These “works” testify to his “wisdom”,118 his“righteousness”,119 his “statutes”120 and “ordinances”,121 which are all theexpressionofthat“manifoldwisdom”ofwhichEvagriusspeaks.

Thebelieverwhopraysfindsthese“testimonies”122setdowninthe“words”ofGod,123thatis,inhis“Law”124andhis“commandments”,125thatistosay,intheScripturesoftheOldCovenant,whichtestifytohis“wonderfulworks”.126Nevertheless, the hidden meaning of Scripture is disclosed to the praying

Christian only when the Lord himself and his followers, the apostles and theFathers,openhiseyestoit.

[ThentherisenLord]saidtothem:“ThesearemywordswhichIspoketoyou,whileIwasstillwithyou,thateverythingwrittenaboutmeinthelawofMosesandtheprophetsandthepsalmsmustbefulfilled.”Thenhe opened theirminds to understand the scriptures, and said to them,“Thus it iswritten, that theChristshouldsufferandon the thirddayrise fromthedead,and thatrepentanceandforgivenessofsinsshouldbepreachedinhisnametoallnations,beginningfromJerusalem.Youarewitnessesofthesethings.”127

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Biblical“meditation”,then,hastodomainlywiththeobjectivefactsofsalvationhistory, in which God reveals himself, his “Name”.128 “Reflection” upon theenigmatichistoryoftheChosenPeople129oronone’sowndestiny,inwhichthishistory is repeated, is thus never an end in itself, but should always lead to“beingmindful”ofGod130himself,andthusalsoto“prayer”inthestrictsense.For in prayer, man responds to this salvific action of God, whether it be inpetitions,hymns,orpraise.

“Mylipswillpourforthpraisewhenthoudostteachmethystatutes”: Justassingingpsalmsisfittingforthecheerfulman—“Isanyoneamongyoucheerful?Lethimsing praise”, it says131—likewise singing hymns is fitting for those who see the reasons for the“statutes”.Nonethelesssingingpsalmsissuitedtomen,whereassinginghymnsissuitedtotheangels,orelsetothosewhopossessanalmostangelicstate.Thustheshepherdswhowerespendingthenightoutintheopenheardtheangelssinging,notpsalms,buthymns,andsaying,“GlorytoGodinthehighest,andpeaceonearth,amongmenofgoodwill.”132 “Cheerfulness”, then,consists inthedispassionatequalityof thesoul,whichisattainedthrough[keeping] the commandments ofGodand through the true teachings; a“hymn”, in contrast, is asong of praise associated with wonder and astonishment at the sight of the things that God hasaccomplished.133

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For the holy Fathers, therefore, “psalmody”, “prayer”, and “meditation” werequitedifferentthoughintimatelyinterwoventhings.

ItwassaidofIoannesKolobosthat,whenhereturnedfromtheharvestorfromavisitoftheelderFathers, he dedicated himself to prayer, meditation, and psalmody, until his thinking had againattaineditsoriginalorder.134

Ifoneweretotaketoheartagainthisdistinction,whichpresentsanabundanceof food for thought, then quite a few of the problems thatmany people havetoday with psalmody—which is still the heart of the Liturgy of the Hours—wouldvanish.PsalmodyisfirstofallreadingScripture,eventhoughinthiscase“Scripture” and “reading” are of a very particular sort. The psalm is anOldTestamentwordofGod,whichonemust in the firstplaceacceptas such, andthatmeansinitsentiretyandunadulterated,togetherwithallthosepartsthatareoffensivetocontemporarysensibilities.The“spiritualization”ofthisOldTestamentwordofGod—intheHolySpirit

opening itshorizons towardChristandhisChurch—mustnotbedone throughtoned-down translations and certainly not, as has become the custom today,throughomissions!Onlyinspired“meditation”iscapableofaccomplishingthis“spiritualization”, which is of course necessary for the Scriptures of the OldTestamentingeneral.TheChristianfindsthekeytosuchanopeninguptowardChristandhisChurchinthe“typological”mannerinwhichtheNewTestament—andsubsequentlytheFathersoftheChurch—readtheOldTestamentwordofGod.Inthepersonal“prayer”,whichoriginallyfollowedeachpsalmintheLiturgy

oftheHours,135 thecircleisthencompleted,inthatmannowturnsinintimate“conversation”tohimwho,throughcountlessgenerationsandthevicissitudesofhistory, despite human tragedies and sinful failures, has brought his work ofsalvationtoperfectionatlastinChrist.

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ChapterII

PlacesandTimes

“Praying” isby itsveryessencesomething that takesplacespirituallybetweenGodandman,andour“intellect”,havingaspiritualnature,wouldbecapableofpraying by itself,without the body, asEvagrius assures us.1Nevertheless, thehumanbeingconsistsofsoulandbody,andsincethelatteristiedupwithspaceandtime,humanprayerinfactalwaysoccursinspaceandtimealso.Choosingasuitableplaceandsettingasidethemostappropriatehoursofthedayornightaretherefore by nomeans inessential prerequisites forwhat the Fathers call “trueprayer”.Amongthethingsnecessaryforprayer,Origen,havingspokenabouttheinner

disposition of the onewho prays, includes “place”, “orientation”, and “time”,too.We,too,wishtokeeptothissequence.

1.“Whenyoupray,gointoyourroom”(Mt6:6)

FormanyChristianstoday,theonlydefinitionof“prayer”leftis:participatinginaliturgyorpublicdevotions.Personalprayerhasdisappearedtoagreatextentorhas yielded its place to the various forms of “meditation”. For the man ofbiblical times and for the Fathers, in contrast, itwas self-evident that one notonly participated regularly and at fixed times in the commonprayer of all thefaithful, but, in addition to that, alsowithdrew, just as regularly, for personalprayer.In the earthly deeds of Jesus Christ, Christians in every age have seen an

exampleandaguide.Thuswehear thatourLord regularlyparticipated in theSabbathcelebrationsinthesynagoguesofPalestine,andalsothatevenasachildhewouldgoonpilgrimage to Jerusalemfor thegreat feasts. Ina similarway,everypiousJewofthattimeprobablykeptthesecustoms.Whatseemstohaveimpressedhisdisciples inparticular, though, andwhat theyhaveconsequentlyrecordedoverandoveragainforus,washisaltogetherpersonalprayer.EvidentlyChristhad thehabitof regularlypraying“alone”.2For thisutterly

personalconversationwithhisHeavenlyFather,hepreferredtowithdraw“toalonelyplace”orto“awilderness”3or“intothehillsbyhimself”.4Thus,whenhewantedtopray,heregularlywithdrewfromthecrowd,towhomheknewthathehadbeensent,5 andeven fromhisdisciples,6whootherwiseaccompaniedhim

constantly.EvenintheGardenofGethsemane,wherehehadexpresslybroughtthemalong,heleftbehindhismostintimateconfidants,PeterandthetwosonsofZebedee,andwentonfartheraboutthedistanceof“astone’sthrow”—henceoutofearshot—soastobeallaloneinprayerandtocommendhissoul,whichwassorrowfuluntodeath,tothewillofhisFather.7What he himself did during his earthly life he also taught his disciples

explicitly. Contrary to a widespread pious custom of standing in the publicplaces and on the street corners to pray whenever the sound of the trumpetannounced the beginning of themorning and evening sacrifice in the temple,Christcommandshisfollowerstowithdrawintothemostsecret“room”oftheirown house for prayer, where only the “Father who is in secret” can see andhear.8

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The apostles and, after them, the holyFathers did just that.We seePeter andJohn“goinguptothetempleatthehourofprayer,theninthhour”,9andhowtheentireearlyChurch“devotedthemselvestoprayer”,10butalsohowPeter,alone,“wentupon thehousetop topray, [at]about thesixthhour”.11Aswesee,onecan pray in any place, wherever one happens to be. Nonetheless, if someonewantstodevotehimselftopersonalprayer,hewilllookforanappropriateplace.Peterwasonajourney,andinordertobealonehehadnootherchoicethantheflatroofofthehouseinwhichhewasaguest.In a timewhen it stillwentwithout saying that aChristianwould regularly

prayeachday, theFathersdealalsowith thequestionof thesuitableplace forthispersonalprayer.

About the place [for prayer] one should know that, provided one prays correctly, every place isappropriateforprayer.For“ineveryplace,saystheLord,incenseisofferedtomyname,”12and:“desirethenthatineveryplacethemenshouldpray.”13Still,inorderthateachpersonmaysayhisprayersinpeaceandwithoutdistraction,thereisalsoacommand to select in one’s own house if possible the so-called holiest place and . . . to pray[there].14

The first Christians, in fact, and the earlymonks in the Egyptian desert also,reservedwheneverpossibleaparticularroomoftheirhousethatwasquietandoriented in a particular way for the recitation of their private prayers. Theoratories of the early EgyptianDesert Fathers, which in the past few decadeshaveemergedagainfromthesand,areeasilyrecognizedassuch.Ofcoursethat

did not prevent Christians from being partial to praying in places “where thefaithfulgather,asitisnaturaltodo”,Origencontinues,

since [in such places] both angelic powers stand beside themasses of the faithful and also “thepowerofourLord”15andSaviorhimself, furthermorealso thespiritsof thesaints,andeven,asIbelieve,thoseoftherecentlydeparted,butclearlyalso[thespirits]ofthosewhoarestillalive,eventhoughitisnoteasytoexplain“how”.16

Thismagnificenttestimonytoapowerful,livingawarenessofwhatwecall“thecommunionofsaints”,butarenowabletoexperienceonlywithdifficulty,datesfromatimewhentheChristians,asapersecutedfaithcommunity,werenotyetallowedtobuild“churches”inthestrictsenseandhadtogatherinthehallsoflargeprivatehouses.

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TheFatherstookverymuchtoheartChrist’swarningagainstthatpublicdisplayofone’sownpiety,thatis,hypocrisy,thatsubtleviceof“pious”souls.

Vaingloryrecommendsprayinginthemarketplaces,Butwhoeverresiststhis,praysinhisroom.17

WeknowfrommanyreportsthattheDesertFathersmadeeveryefforttocarryout their ascetical practices—and particularly their prayers—in any event insecret.TheexampleofChristandalsoofmanyFathersdemonstrates,however,that itwas not just amatter of avoiding sins of vanity. Prayer, after all, is bynatureandmostprofoundlya“conversationofthemindwithGod”,inwhichthepresenceofotherscaninsomecircumstancesbeadistraction.

AbbaMarkosspoketoAbbaArsenios:“Whydoyoufleefromus?”Thentheeldersaidtohim:“GodknowsthatIloveyou.ButIcannotbewithGodand[atthesametime]withmen.Thethousandsandmyriads[ofangels]abovehave[but]onewill;18men,though,havemanywills.IcannotleaveGodandgoamongmen”.19

Yet the danger of distraction through the presence of other people, whichwemusttakeintoconsiderationinpublicprayeraswell,isnottheultimatereasonwhy thosewho truly pray long for solitude.During this “beingwithGod” ofwhichArseniosspoke, thingsoccurbetweenCreatorandcreature thatby theirverynaturearenotmeantfortheeyesandearsofothers.

AbrotherwenttothecellofAbbaArseniosatScetis.Helookedthroughthewindowandthensawthe elder as if completely on fire. The brother, though, was worthy of seeing this. And when heknocked, theeldercameoutandsaw thebrotherquitealarmedandsaid tohim:“Haveyoubeenknocking for long? Have you perhaps seen something here?” And he replied, “No.” And afterspeakingwithhim,hesenthimaway.20

Thismysterious“incandescentprayer”isknowntousfromotherFathersalso;21

Evagriusspeaksofit,22asdoesJohnCassian.23Thetimeforitisprincipallyatnight, when the visible world withdraws into darkness; the place for it is thebarren “desert”, the high “mountain” that separates us from everything, andwhenthesearenotaccessible,thenthehidden“room”.

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2.“Looktowardtheeast,OJerusalem!”(Bar4:36)

Allofusarequitefamiliarwiththeterm“orientation”fromeverydaylanguage.Most people probably associate it only with the idea of being “aligned” in aparticularway.Someonewho“loseshisorientation”hasinfactlostsightofhisdirectionandgoal.Scarcelyanyonerealizesanymorethat“orientation”means,very precisely, “easting”. “To orient oneself” means to turn toward the east,towardthesunrise(ἀνατολή).Moreover,hardlyanyonetodaybesidestheliturgistsknowsthatallChristian

churches are “easted”, or at least in principle should be oriented,24 becauseChristiansfromtimeimmemorialusedtoturntotheeasttopray.Thisturningtowardtheeastinprayerisofsuchgreatimportanceintheeyes

of the holyFathers that it isworthwhile lingering a bit longer on this subject.

Origen states it categorically: There is no reason that should ever prevent aChristianfromturningtowardtheeasttopray!25Thequestionasto“why”thisorientation,isnotanewone.

Question: If God, the Lord of nature and of the universe, determined everything in creationaccording to the manner of the circle—wherefore David, too, has commanded us to “bless theLord...inallplacesofhisdominion”,26andtheApostlehaschargedustodothesame,“ineveryplacethemenshouldpray,liftingholyhands[toGod]”27—thenwhydowesendhymnsandprayersuptoGodwhilelookingtowardthesunrise,asthoughweconsideredthatdirectionasanhonorableworkandasadivinedwellingplace?AndwhotaughttheChristiansthiscustom?Answer:SinceweusuallyappointwhatismorehonorabletothegloryofGod,andsinceaccordingto men’s way of thinking the sunrise is more honorable than the other directions in creation,thereforeweallbow to theeastwhenwepray.Justasweseal thosepersonswhoneed it [withablessing]inChrist’snameusingtherighthand,becauseitisconsideredmorehonorablethanthelefthand,although it differs from the latterby conventionandnotbynature, even so the east, as themorehonorabledirectionincreation,isappointedfortheworshipofGod.Besides,thefactthatwesayourprayersfacingtowardtheeastinnowaycontradictsthewordoftheprophetoroftheApostle.For“ineveryplace”theeastisavailablefortheonewhoprays.Andsinceweworship[turned]inthatdirectioninwhichwearefacing,butitisimpossibleduringprayertolookinallfourdirectionsofcreation,thereforeweperformouractsofworshipwhilelookinginonedirectionofcreation:neitherbecauseitaloneisGod’swork,norbecauseithasbeendesignatedthedwellingplaceofGod,butbecauseithasbeendesignatedtheplaceoftheworshipthatweoffertoGod. TheChurch,moreover,received thecustomofpraying fromthesameones fromwhomshealsoreceivedthecustomofwheretopray,thatis,fromtheholyapostles.28

The question raised here is legitimate enough. Certainly the Jews worship inJerusalemandtheSamaritansontheGarizim,29andwheneverapiousJewfoundhimself away from the Holy City, he turned in prayer in the direction ofJerusalem, where God’s temple stood.30 Yet with the coming of Christ, thisalignmentwithaparticularplace ceased inprinciple to apply.The“place”ofthe presence of God is Christ himself. The “true worshipers of the Father”worshiphimfromnowon“inspiritandtruth”.31The unknown author of the Answers also states bluntly that the Christian

custom(ἐθος)ofbowing inprayerwhile turned toward theeast, isbasedonahuman convention (θέσει) and is not essential (φύσει). Why men—and inparticular Christians—consider the “orient” as more honorable than the otherthreepointsofthecompasshedoesnotrevealtous;otherFathers,bothearlierand later ones, give us detailed information on the subject. Of interest is theremarkthatwenecessarilybowinthedirectioninwhichwearefacing.Manhas,in fact, a face, in the bodily as well as in the spiritual sense, which he turnstoward the one whom he wishes to address—a gesture of deep, symbolicsignificance,aseveryoneknowsfromexperience.

Finally the author states also that the custom of turning toward the east inprayer is a matter of apostolic tradition and that this custom is therefore afundamentalpartoftheChurch.ThisistheopinionofotherFathersaswell,forinstanceBasiltheGreat.32

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Fromapostolictimes,then,Christianshaveturnedinprayertowardtheeastandfacing that direction have bowed in worship before God—not because theythought that God could only be seen there, as Gregory of Nyssa observes.33Why,then?Well,alreadyinthefourthcenturythatwasnotunderstoodbyall.

Thereforewealllooktotheeastduringprayer,butfewknowthatweareinsearchofouroriginalhome,Paradise,whichGodplantedintheGardenofEden,totheeast.34

The first andmost important reasonwhyChristians consider the east asmorehonorablethantheotherthreepointsofthecompassandturninthatdirectiontopray is thus a matter of salvation history: the situation of Paradise “in theeast”.35 Paradise is that place in which God’s “original”, initial, and mostauthentic will was realized in creation. The sin of the first human coupledisturbed this order and led to their banishment from this “original home”.36Nevertheless this initial creative will of God remained in force. Thereforeincluded already in the punishmentwas also the promise that this banishmentwouldnotbefinal.

ThusGod “drove”Adam—and evidently hiswife also—“out of Paradise”.Whatwas driven out,though,hasanopportunityofreturning.ForGoddidnotsendhimawaywithoutanyhopeofreturn,butrathersincehewasplacedbyGod“overagainst”[Paradise],37hewouldliverememberingit,havingitplainlyinview.38

Christ’sworkofsalvationconsistsinfulfillingthispromiseandthusvalidatingagainGod’soriginalwill increation.Hencehesays,for instanceinrelationtodivorce,whichtheMosaicLawpermitted:“[But]fromthebeginningitwasnotso!”39 This “beginning” (ἀρχή)—not only in the temporal sense, but rather inthe fundamental sense of “principle”—is and remains decisive. Therefore nomanmayput asunderwhatGod“in thebeginninghas joined together.40ThussaystheWord,becausehehimself,absolutelyspeaking,“wasin thebeginningwithGod41andisperfectlyonewithGod’sinitialandmostcharacteristicwill.When theChristian, therefore, turns toward the east toworship, then in his

mind’s eye arises that Paradise as the “original home”, where he is totallyhimself: living in perfect harmony with his Creator, with whom, indeed, hespeakstherefacetoface,inharmonywithhisequals,withhimselfandwiththecreaturesthatsurroundhim.Helooksatthe“treeoflife,fromwhichheisnowno longer excluded thanks to Christ’s death on the Cross—which is why theeasterlydirectionforprayerhasbeenmarkedwithacrossonthewallfromtimeimmemorial.Thatexplainswhy it isonly thisorientation inprayer thatmakestheprayingChristianawareof thewholesoteriologicaldepthof thepetitionintheOurFather for the forgivenessof sins, asGregoryofNyssa sets forth inaprofoundmeditation.

When,therefore,welook[towardtheEast]inprayerandthoughtfullycalltomindtheFallfromthebright,easternplacesofblessedness,wefittinglyattainanunderstandingof theword[“forgiveusourdebts,aswetooforgiveourdebtors,andleadusnotintotemptation.”]42

These“debts”,whichweourselveshaveincurred,arerootedintheoriginalsinofAdam, fromwhich only theCross of Christwas able to deliver us.43 ThisbringsustothesecondsoteriologicalreasonthattheFathersgivefortheancientcustomofprayingwhilefacingtheeast:thesavingworkofChrist,inwhichtheoriginalcreativewillofGodbecomesaneschatologicalreality.Inhissummaryof theorthodox faith, JohnDamascene, theheirofa rich theological tradition,reviewstheentiretrajectoryofsalvationhistory.

Itisnotwithoutreasonorbychancethatweworshiptowardtheeast.Onthecontrary,sincewearecomposedofavisibleandaninvisiblenature,ofanintellectualnatureandasensitiveone,thatis,wealsoofferatwofoldworshiptotheCreator.Itisjustaswealsosingbothwithourmindandwithourbodilylips,andaswearebaptizedbothinwaterandintheSpirit,andasweareunitedtotheLordintwowayswhenwereceivethesacramentandthegraceoftheSpirit. Andso,sinceGodisspirituallight44andChristinsacredScriptureiscalled“SunofJustice”45

and“Orient,”46 theEast should be dedicated toHisworship.For everything beautiful should bededicatedtoGodfromwhomeverythingthatisgoodreceivesitsgoodness. Also, thedivineDavid says:“Sing toGod, ye kingdomsof the earth: sing ye to theLord;whomountethabovetheheavenofheavens,totheeast.”47Andstillagain,Scripturesays:“AndtheLordhadplantedaparadise inEden to theeast;whereinheplacedmanwhomhehad formed,”48andwhomHecastout,whenhehad transgressed,“andmadehimto liveoveragainst theparadiseofpleasure,”orinthewest.49Thusitisthat,whenweworshipGod,welongforourancientfatherlandandgazetowardit.ThetabernacleofMoseshadtheveilandthepropitiatorytotheeast;50andthetribeofJuda,asbeingthemorehonorable,pitchedtheirtentsontheeast;51andinthecelebratedtempleofSolomonthegateoftheLordwassettotheeast.52

Asamatteroffact,whentheLordwascrucified,Helookedtowardthewest,53andsoweworshipgazing towardsHim.AndwhenHewas takenup,Heascendedto theeast54andthus theApostlesworshipedHimandthusHeshallcomeinthesamewayastheyhadseenHimgoingintoheaven,55

astheLordHimselfsaid:“Aslightningcomethoutoftheeastandappearethevenintothewest:soshall also the coming of the Son of man be.”56And so, while we are awaitingHim, we worshiptowardtheeast.Thisis,moreover,theunwrittentraditionoftheApostles,fortheyhavehandedmanythingsdowntousunwritten.57

What appears at first glance to be only a collection of proof-texts for theunwritten apostolic custom of worshiping toward the east proves upon closerinspectiontobeacoherenttheologicaltreatmentofthesubject.John Damascene begins with a general statement: the twofold, corporal-

sensualandrational-spiritualnatureofmandemandsalsoatwofoldworship.Thethought probably is taken from Origen: the inner, spiritual attitude in prayerdemands,sensiblyenough,anexpressionsuitedtoitintheattitudeofthepersonpraying.58WhentheChristianwhoisworshipinginthespiritturnstotheLord,thismustbemanifestedalsointhebodyinacorrespondingway.After this general statement John Damascene proceeds to the “scriptural

proof”. Since the “light” and, accordingly, the “dawn” of the light in SacredScripturearemetaphorsforGodandhisChrist,theorientortheeastisdedicatedtotheworshipofGod.ThethoughtisfamiliartousfromPseudo-Justin.59Whatfollowsthenissalvationhistoryinthenarrowersense,thatis,firstthe

primordialstoryoftheGardenofEdenintheeastandthesettlementofAdamafterhisbanishment“westward”,“oppositeParadise”.Then, in the Old Covenant, the east recurs as the preferred point of the

compass in various ways. John mentions the arrangement of the tent of thecovenant, the order in which the tribes of Israel camped, and the temple ofSolomon.Fromhere,moreover,itiseasytoextrapolatetothesymbolismintheconstructionofChristianchurches.It is only consistent that theNewCovenant aswell—as the fulfillment and

completion of the Old Covenant—should adopt the symbolic significance of“orientation”.JohnDamascenementionsthecrucifixion,ascension,andsecondcoming of Christ; he had already alluded to his birth earlier in the passage:Christisthe“Orient”promisedbytheprophets;recallalsothestar“intheeast”that theMagi sawand—remembering thepropheticpromisesof a “star out ofJacob”60—interpretedasasignoftheMessiah’sbirth.61ThustheunwrittenapostolictraditionofworshipingGodwhilefacingeasthas

various reasons that complement one another and which John Damascenecarefullynotesinthecourseofthechapter.Sinceeverythingbeautifulshouldbededicated to God, the Author of all that is beautiful and good, and since thedawnisnodoubtoneofthemostbeautifulthings,itshouldbereservedforthe

worship ofGod.This is a “cosmic” argument, then, that even a non-Christiancouldhaveformulated,whichiswhytheeasthadaprivilegedplaceeveninpre-Christiantimesandinnon-biblicaltraditions,aswewillseelater.Neverthelessitisbiblicalman—theChristian,basedon the fullnessof revelation inwhichheshares,toagreaterextentthantheJew—towhomsalvationhistorydisclosestheentire theological depth of this “orientation”. Facing the east, the Christianworships God with a view of the “ancient fatherland”, which he has beenseekingsincehewasbanishedfromParadise.AtthesametimehetherebyturnstowardtheCrucified,whothroughhisdeathandResurrectionhasopenedagainforusthegatetoouroriginalhome,intowhichhehasprecededus,asLuke23:43suggests.Fromthence,fromthebeginning,weawaitourLordinhissecondcominginglory,whichwillbringthefulfillmentofthepromisedsalvation.

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Theweightandthedepthofthistheologicalinterpretationoftheorientationofprayercanscarcelyfailtoimpressevenmodernman.Especiallyifherecognizesthatthisinterpretation,besideswhathasbeensaidonthesubject,isalsorootedin the symbolism of the baptismal event, to which he owes his status as aChristian. For this latter sacramental reason pertains immediately to his ownexistence. In the sacrament,whatwas bestowed upon humanity as awhole insalvationhistoryisbestoweduponmeinanutterlypersonalway.

When, therefore, you renounce Satan, utterly breaking all covenantwith him, that ancient leaguewithhell,thereisopenedtoyoutheParadiseofGod,whichheplantedtowardtheeast,whenceforhistransgressionourfirstfatherwasexiled;andsymbolicofthis(σύμβολον)wasyourturningfromthewesttowardtheeast,theplaceoflight.62

Therelationbetweenthe“east”andChristissocloseinthemindoftheFathersthat Ambrose in the same context, with regard to the newly baptized turningfrom thewest toward the east, can simply say: “Whoever renounces the devilturnstowardChristandlooksathimdirectly.”63Whenever a Christian places himself in the presence of his Lord to pray,

therefore—evenifthisisnotalwayssaidexplicitlyorconsciouslyadvertedto—herenewswith this turn toward theeast thatactof turningawayfromtheevilone andof professing the triuneGod,whichheperformedonce and for all inbaptism.64

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Consideringwhathasbeensaidthusfar,itisnowonderthatallotherdevotionalpracticeshavetoyieldtothe“orientation”inprayer,nomatterhowmeaningfulandsymbolictheymaybeinandofthemselves.ThereforeOrigen,forexample,writes:

Now there are still a few things to be said about the direction in which one should face whilepraying.Sincetherearefourpointsofthecompass,northandsouth,settingandrising[ofthesun],whowould notwant to admit,without further discussion, that the direction facing sunrise clearlyindicates thatonemustsayone’sprayerswhilesymbolicallybowing toward it,as though thesoulwerelookingtothe“dawnofthetrueLight”.65However,ifsomeonewouldratherbringhispetition[beforeGod]attheopeningofhisdoor,nomatterinwhatdirectionthedoorofhishouseopens,reasoningthattheviewoftheskyismuchmoreinvitingthanstaringat thewall, if indeedtheeasternsideof thehousebychancehasnoopening,thenthisanswershouldbegiventohim:Sincethehabitationsofmenopentowardthisorthatpointofthecompassbyconvention(θέσει),whereastheeasthasprecedenceovertheotherpointsofthecompassbynature (φύσει), thereforewhat isnatural is tobepreferredoverwhat isconventional.But is it not true also that someone who wants to pray outdoors will pray, according to thisdeliberation,facingeastratherthanfacingwest?Iftheeastistobepreferredthereforareasonablecause,whyshouldwenotproceedinthiswayeverywhere?66

Themanofantiquity,whetherJeworpagan,wasinfactaccustomedtoprayingwhile facing the open sky, aswewill see later.67This cherishedpractice nowhadtoyield,whennecessary, to theChristian“orientation”,evenat theriskoffindingoneself infrontofablankwall!Origen’sstatementhereiscategorical:The choice of place and posture, and so forth, in prayer may be adapted tocircumstances from time to time, but not the direction in which one prays.Turning toward the orient excludes every other point of the compass.68 “Onemustlook[inthatdirection]underallcircumstances”69—evenwhenthereasonsfortheChurch’straditionarenotknowntoeveryone.70Origenonlyhintshereatwhat thesereasonsarewithhisreferenceto the“dawnof the trueLight”; theywere,nonetheless,alreadyessentiallythesameasthelaterFathersmention.

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The Fathers knew verywell,moreover, that preferring the east over the otherthree points of the compass, and even orientation in prayer, is also attestedoutsidethebiblicalrevelation.Thewayinwhichtheyinterpretthisagreementisworth reconsidering in an age of worldwide encounters among the variousreligions.

Thereforethemostancienttemplesalsofacedtowardthewest,sothatthosewhostoodoppositetheimagesofthegodsweretaughttoturntowardtheeast.71

That is to say, toward that “dawn” of the “eternal light”,72 from which thepeoplesarbitrarilymovedawaywhentheysetouttobuildtheTowerofBabel—a sacrilege, for which they were punished by God with the loss of the onelanguagetheyhadhadincommonuntil then.73OnlyIsraeldidnotmoveawayfromthis“orient”and therefore retained its“original language”, the“languageoftheorient”,whichisalsowhy,ofallpeoples,italonebecamethe“portionoftheLord”,74asOrigendeducesinaprofoundmeditation.75Without their becoming aware of it, then, the divine Pedagogue led the

pagans,too,inthemidstoftheirmistakenworshipofidols,towardthat“orient”,namely,totheirtrue“origin”(ἀρχή)whence“thelightcomes,whichfirstshoneoutofthedarkness”,76thatistosay,Christ,the“sunofrighteousness”,who,for“those who wallow in ignorance,77 makes the day of the knowledge of truthdawnafterthemannerofthesun.”78

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Afterallthis,whowouldclaimthat“orientation”inprayerwasananachronisticsideissue?Whenitsmeaningisunderstoodandwhereitisconsciouslyputintopractice,itpreservestheprayingChristianfromtheflightintonon-essentials—

whichtodaymore thanever isadanger.TheMuslimknowsverywellwhyhebowsinprayertowardMecca—withnoregardwhatsoevertothearchitectureoftheroominwhichhehappenstobe.TheZendisciple,too,knowsverywellwhyhedoesnotneedsuchan“orientation”atallwhilemeditating,sinceanythoughtofaddressing“Another”isforeigntohim.AndtheChristian?Heoughttoknowthathissanctificationconsistssolelyin

unionwithGodwhilecompletelymaintaininghis“otherness”asaperson.Afterall, the “type”, the pattern of this unconfused unity, which indeed makes itpossible,istheunityofthethreeDivineHypostasesofGod,whoisessentiallyone (Evagrius). He is reminded of this precisely by turning his “face”—bothspirituallyandphysically—totheeast,towardtheLord!

3.“SeventimesadayIpraiseThee”(Ps118:164)

Onthisearth,manisboundupwithspaceandtime.Nolesssignificantthantheproperplace, therefore, is the“suitableandchosen time”forprayer,asOrigenremarked.We experience time as ordered succession, of sun andmoon, of particular

phases. Many of these successions repeat themselves cyclically; viewed as awhole,nevertheless,ourlifetimerunsinastraightlinetoitsconclusion.Oneofthemysteries of the spiritual life, therefore, is regularity, which adapts to therhythmofourlife.Itisthesameaswithanyhandicraftorart:itisnotenoughtoplay a few measures on the piano now and then in order to become a goodpianist. “Practice makes perfect” is true of prayer as well. A “practicingChristian” is, to the mind of the holy Fathers, not a man who more or lessfaithfully fulfillshisSundayduty,but ratheronewhodayafterday,hiswholelifelong,praysseveraltimesaday,thatis,practiceshisfaithregularly, justashe regularly performs other functions necessary for life—eating, sleeping,breathing . . . Only in this waywill his “spiritual activity” attain that naturalcharacterthatappearsself-evidentinthecaseofthefunctionsjustmentioned.

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Forbiblicalman,bothregularpersonalprayerandalsoparticipationincommonprayerorthe“cult”wentwithoutsaying.Danielbentthekneethreetimesadayand prayed to God—facing Jerusalem, since he was, after all, in exile inBabylon.79 Thismaywell have been the universal customof pious Jews.Thepsalmsarefullofallusionstosuchpractices.Thepreferredtimesforprayerwereobviously theearlymorning80and theevening81orelse thenight82 that is, the

quietest times of the day.Aswe have seen, these are also the times atwhichChristespeciallylikedtowithdrawforsolitaryprayer.

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The practice of praying three times a day, namely, morning, noon, andevening,83 or at the third, sixth, andninth hours, is already a rule in the earlyChristianera.84TheancientFatherstraceitbacktotheapostlesthemselves,whointurnwereprobablyonlybeingfaithfultotheJewishpractice,astheexampleofDanielteachesus.ThusTertullian,forinstance,writesbetween200and206:

Withregardtothetimesforprayer,nothinghasbeenprescribedforus,excepttopray“always”85

and“ineveryplace”.86

After discussing “in every place”, which he intends to be understood ascorrespondingtodecorumornecessity,soasnottocontradictMatthew6:5,hecontinues:

Withregardtothetimes,though,theexternalobservanceofcertainhoursshouldnotbesomethingsuperfluous, namely, those common hours that mark off the major portions of the day, the third,sixth,andninthhours,whichonealsofindsinScripturementionedasthemoreexcellent.TheHolySpiritwaspouredoutupontheassembleddisciplesforthefirsttimeatthethirdhour.87OnthedaywhenPeterhadthevisionofthecommonality[ofJewsandGentiles]inthatcontainer,hehadgoneuptothehousetopataboutthesixthhourtopray.88ThesameapostlewentwithJohnattheninthhourtothetemple,whereherestoredhealthtothelameman.89

Tertullian, then,doesnotsee in thispracticeof theapostlesabindingprecept,but he still considers it good to give prayer “a fixed form” through theobservance of these times of the day. “Aside from the obligatory prayers,naturally,whichwemust sayevenwithoutadmonitionat thebeginningof thedayandofthenight”,theChristianshouldtherefore“praytoGodnolessoftenthanatleastthreetimesaday—sinceheisindebttothethree[Divine]Persons,the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”.90 Thus we would have five dailyprayertimes,astheyarestillobservedtodaybythedisciplesofMuhammad.“No less often than at least” clearly indicates that the point of these fixed

prayertimescannotbetolimitprayertothesetimesonly,whetheritbemorningandeveningorfivetimesadayoreven“seventimesaday”,91aswaslaterthecustom.

Even if somepeople set fixedhours forprayer, for instance, the thirdand thesixthand theninth,againstthisitshouldbesaidthattheGnosticpraysthroughouthisentirelife,sinceheisstrivingto

beunitedwithGodthroughprayerand,inaword,tohavelefteverythingbehindthatwillbeofnouse tohim there,asonewhoherebelowhasalready reached theperfectionofmanlymaturity inlove.Butthedivisionofthehours,too,withitsthreeintervalsthataremarkedwiththesameprayers,isfamiliartothosewhoknowtheblessedtriadoftheholydwellings92[inheaven].93

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This idealof theChristian“gnostic”, that is,of thecontemplativesoulblessedwiththetrueknowledgeofGod,anidealthatClementofAlexandriaformulatedlongbeforethedevelopmentoforganizedmonasticism,waslateradoptedbythedisciples of Saint Anthony. The Desert Fathers knew of only two set prayertimes, at the beginning and at the end of the night, and these were not evenparticularly long.During the remainder of the day and for a good part of thenighttheymadeuseofadefinite“method”,aswewillseelater,inordertokeeptheir“mindcontinuallyatprayer”.Palestinianmonasticismhadagreaternumberoffixedprayertimes.Thus,forexample,BishopEpiphaniusofSalamisontheislandofCyprus,whowasoriginallyfromPalestine,deducessevenprayertimesfromindicationsscatteredthroughoutthePsalter.

[EpiphaniusofSalamis]said:TheprophetDavidprayed“beforethewatchesofthenight”,94arose“atmidnight”,95criedout[toGod]“beforedawn”,96“inthemorning”97hewentintothepresenceofGod,“atdawn”hebegged,“[inthe]eveningand...atnoon”98hepetitioned,andthereforehesaid:“SeventimesadayIpraisethee.”99

Nevertheless,hisideal,too,wasthatof“continualprayer”,whichinessenceisprescribedalreadyinthepsalms.Afterall,thepsalmistassuresusthathecriedouttoGod“alldaylong”,100orthathemeditatesontheLaw“dayandnight”,101whichisreallytosayalways.

AmessagewassenttotheblessedEpiphanius,theBishopof[Salamison]Cyprus,fromtheabbotofthemonasterythatheownedinPalestine:“ThankstoyourprayerswehavenotneglectedourRule,butzealouslyobservenotonlythefirstbutalsothethird,sixth,andninthhour,aswellasVespers.”Herebukedthem,however,andsentthereply:Itisobviousthatyouneglecttheotherhoursoftheday ifyoucease fromprayer.The truemonk, indeed,musthaveprayerandpsalmody inhisheart“unceasingly”!102

Theobservanceofafixednumberoftimesofprayer,distributedthroughouttheday (and the night), which requires a certain self-discipline, has thereforeessentiallythesolepurposeofbuildingbridgesthatenableourinconstantmindtomakeitswayacrosstheriveroftime.Throughthispracticethemindacquiresthat dexterity and facility of movement which no artist or craftsman can do

without.Tobesure,thisisinpartsimplyroutine,butitisnecessaryinordertoaccomplishwhatisreallyatstake:theart—ofcarpentry,ofplayingtheviolin,ofplaying soccer. . .—and, indeed, of praying, which is the highest and mostperfectactivityofourmind,asEvagriusassuresus.103Thebetter the training,themoreperfectlynaturalthemovementwillseemtobe,andthegreaterthejoy,also,thatweexperienceintheaction.

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Nevertheless,aswitheveryart,fromtimetotimethereareparticulardifficultiestoovercomeinthedailypracticeofprayer.Themostformidableopponentisacertainweariness,oftenundefinable,whichcansetinevenwhenthereisnolackofnecessaryleisuretime.Thisstateofrepugnance,whichwasquitewellknowntotheFathers,too,can

sometimesbecomesostrongthat themonkisnolongercapableofrecitinghisdailyoffice—atleasthethinksso.Ifhegivesinhere,heultimatelyreachesthepointatwhichhedoubtsthemeaningofhisexistenceinthefirstplace.Thisiswrong,because:

BattlesliketheseoccurasifthroughanabandonmentonGod’spart,inordertoputone’sfreewilltothetestandtodeterminewhereitsinclinationlies.104

Whatshouldyoudo,then?Youmustforceyourself,thatis,activatethepowerofyourwill,soastoobserveinanyeventtheprescribednumberofprayertimes,eveniftheofficeitselfhastobereducedtoaminimum,onepsalm,threeGloryBes,oneTrisagion,andonegenuflection—providedyouarecapableofit.Ifthesoul’soppressionistoogreat,onemustmakeuseoftheultimateremedy.

If thisbattleagainstyouincreases in force,myBrother,andstopsyourmouthanddoesnotallowyoutorecitetheoffice,noteveninthewaythatIhavedescribedabove,thenforceyourselftogetonyour feet and walk up and down in your cell, while saluting the Cross and making prostrationsbeforeit,andourLordinhismercywillallow[thisbattle]topass.105

When words seem to have lost all meaning, the only thing remaining is thephysicalgesture,athemetowhichweshalllaterreturnandtreatindetail.

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4.“Blessedishewhoisawake!”(Rev16:15)

Modernmanisaccustomedtoregardthenightmainlyasatimeforwell-earnedrest. If he nevertheless stays awake voluntarily, then it is because his workrequiresitofhimorbecauseheiscelebratingaholiday,andsoon.BiblicalmanandtheFathersslept,certainly, likeeveryhumanbeing,yetfor themthenightwasalsothepreferredtimeforprayer.

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How often it is mentioned in the psalms that the person who prays“meditates”106 on the law ofGod not only by day, but also by night, that hestretchesouthishandstoGodinprayeratnight,107thatherises“atmidnighttopraiseGodbecauseofhisrighteousordinances”108...Aswehavealreadyseen,evenChristwasaccustomedtospend“allnight...inprayertoGod”,109or“inthemorning,agreatwhilebeforeday”togooutintothewildernesstopray.110

Hence the Lord urgently admonishes his disciples, also, to “watch andpray”111and indicatesanewreasonfor it:“Youdonotknowthe time”of thereturnoftheSonofMan112andcouldtherefore,weakenedbysleep,“enterintotemptation.”113WeareurgentlyadmonishedbytheApostleaswell,whoaccordingtohisown

testimonykeptwatch throughmanynights.114 “Continue steadfastly inprayer,beingwatchfulinitwiththanksgiving.”115TheseprayerfulwatchesarenottheleastimportantthingthatdistinguishestheChristianfromthedrowsychildrenofthisworld.

Butyouarenotindarkness,brethren,forthatday[oftheLord’ssecondcoming]tosurpriseyoulikeathief.Foryouareallsonsoflightandsonsoftheday;wearenotofthenightorofdarkness.Sothenletusnotsleep,asothersdo,butletuskeepawakeandbesober.Forthosewhosleepsleepatnight,andthosewhogetdrunkaredrunkatnight.But,sincewebelongtotheday,letusbesober.116

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The earlyChurch immediately took to heart the example ofChrist and of theapostlesandput their teachings intopractice.Watchingandwakingbelongs totheoldestcustomsoftheprimitiveChurch.

Watch over your lives. Your lamps should not go out117 nor your loins be ungirded;118be readyinstead.ForyoudonotknowthehourwhenourLordiscoming.119

ThetrueChristianislikeasoldier.Prayerishis“fortifiedwalloffaith”andhis“weaponofdefenseandattackagainsttheenemywholiesinambushforusoneveryside.”Thereforehe“neverproceedsunarmed”.

Letusnot forget tostandatourpostbyday,nor towatchatnight!Equippedwith theweaponofprayer, wewill guard the standard of our commander-in-chief and, praying, wait for the angel’strumpet.120

This “eschatological note” of waiting for the return of the Lord was handeddownbythefirstChristians,whostillhadtoprovetheirfaith,ofteninthemidstofbloodypersecutions,andcarriedonbythose“soldiersofChrist”,astheearlymonksregardedthemselves.

Onecanseethem,indeed,[living]scatteredinthewilderness,[wherethey]liketruesonsawaittheirFather,Christ, or as anarmywatches for its king, or anhonorablehousehold servant awaits hismasterand liberator.Among themthere isno thoughtofclothingorconcern for food,butonly in[thesingingof]hymns,121oflookingforwardtothecomingofChrist.122

Theyalsoarrangedtheentirecourseoftheirdaywithrespecttothisgoal.

As for sleepatnight,pray for twohoursbeginningatevening, reckoning them fromsunseton.123

Andafteryouhavepraised[God],sleepforsixhours.124Thenariseforthenightwatchandspendtheremaining fourhours[until sunrise] inprayer.125 In thesummer,do thesame;with thehourscurtailedandfewerpsalms,though,becauseoftheshortnessofthenights.126

Sinceprecisionclockswerenotyetavailable,timewasmeasuredbythenumberofpsalmversesthatconventionallycouldberecitedinanhour.127Sixhoursofsleep, half the night,128 is a quite reasonable amount.Only the rising at nightdemandsacertaindegreeofwillpower.Nowonder, then, thatas timewentontheoriginalzealwasindangerofgrowingweak,evenamongclerics.ThereforethegreatasceticNilusofAncyrasternlyadmonishesthedeaconJordanes:

IfChrist,theLordofall,“continuedinprayerallnight”129becausehewantedtoteachustowatchandtopray,andalso“aboutmidnightPaulandSilaswereprayingandsinginghymnstoGod,”130

andtheprophetsays:“AtmidnightIrisetopraisethee,becauseofthyrighteousordinances,”131—Imarvelathowyou,whosleepandsnoreallnight,arenotcondemnedbyyourconscience!Thereforemayyoualsoresolvetoshakeoffdeath-dealingsleepandtodedicateyourselfuntiringlytoprayerandpsalmody.132

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Watching and praying, which evidently was not always easy for the Fathers,either,andwhichalwaysrequiresacertainamountofwillpower,wasthereforenevermerelyanasceticaltestofstrengthaimedat“conqueringnature”.“Nature”mistreatedinsuchawaywouldsoonerorlatersettleaccountsonitsown.Biblicalman and the Fathers heldwatching and praying in high esteem for

variousreasons.Theeschatological“waitingfortheLord”,whichreallyoughttocharacterizeeveryChristian,hasalreadybeenmentioned.Itimpartsanentirelynewqualitytotime,inthatitsetsafixedgoalforitsendlessstreamingandthus

impresses its own stamp on thewhole of life,which strives toward this goal.“Livingfortoday”issomethingquitedifferentfromrealizingtheuncertaintyofthe“dayoftheLord”andthereforewisely“makingthemostofthetime”.133Watching and waking brings about in the praying Christian that “sobriety”

which guards him against being overcome with sleep and against theintoxicationofthechildrenofdarkness.Inturn,sobrietyofthemind,which(incontrast to the“coarsening”effectof sleep)“refines” themind,makes theonewhokeepswatchreceptivetothecontemplationofthedivinemysteries.

Sleepfleesfromtheonewho,likeJacob,watcheshis flocksatnight,134andif itstill takesholdofhim,thenthissleepisforhimlikewakingisforsomeoneelse.Thefirewithwhichhisheartburnssimplydoesnotallowhimtobesubmergedinsleep.Indeed,hesingspsalmswithDavid:“Lightenmyeyes,lestIsleepthesleepofdeath.”135 Theonewhohasarrivedat thisdegreeandhas tasteditssweetnessunderstandswhathasbeensaid. For such a one has not become drunk with material sleep, but only makes use of naturalsleep.136

What this “degree” and its “sweetness” mean is suggested by a saying ofAnthony, the father of monasticism, which was handed down to us by JohnCassian,whoheardithimselffromAbbaIsaac.

Sothatyoumaygrasp,however,whattheconditionoftrueprayeris,Iwillpresenttoyou,notmyteaching,but thatofblessedAnthony.Fromhimweknow thathe sometimescontinued so long inprayerthatweoftenheardhimcryoutinanardentspirit,whenheprayedinecstasyandthelightoftherisingsunbegantopourforth:“Whydoyouhinderme,Osun,sinceyouonlyrisethisearlysoastodrawmeawayfromthatclarityofthetrueLight?”137

Indeed,Evagriusassuresusthatourmindcanseetheintelligible,spiritualworldonlywithdifficultyduringthedaytime,becauseoursensesaredrawnawaybythe things thatareclearlyvisible in thesunlightand thusdistract themind.Atnight,though,itcanseethespiritualworldduringprayertime,whenitrevealsitself to him, completely surrounded by light. . .138 To Evagrius himself wasgranted such a revelation of the spiritual world, as he watched at night andmeditatedonthebookofoneoftheprophets.139

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Nowadays those who belong to a strict, so-called “contemplative” order arepracticallytheonlyoneswhostill“watchandpray”,thatis,ariseinthemiddleof the night and pray the Divine Office as a community. The hectic pace ofmodernlife,whichisforeverruledbytheclockindicatingtheminutesandthe

seconds,isnotveryconducivetothispractice.Peopleinantiquitylivedamoretranquil life.Thedaybetweensunrise(about6:00A.M.)andsunset(about6:00P.M.) was subdivided into intervals of three hours each; hence the traditionalprayertimesatthethird,sixthandninthhour,thatis,at9:00A.M.,12:00noon,and3:00P.M.“Lately, in these times”eventhemajorityofmonkshave tobecontentwith

less than that. Christ’s example and the rule stated in the letter of the recluseJohnofGaza (citedabove)makeclear,nevertheless,what isat stakeandhowonecanstill “watchandpray”even today.ForevenChristwouldhardlyhavespenteverynightinprayer.Evidently,though,hewasaccustomedtowithdrawtoprayalone in the lateevening, after sunset,or else“in theearlymorning, agreatwhilebeforedaylight”,asanydevoutsoulwhoprayedthepsalmswoulddo. These are precisely the times that the Fathers, too, generally reserved forprayer. The individualwill have to determine the quantity on the basis of hisown experience, togetherwith the advice of his spiritual father,whowill takeintoaccountage,health,andspiritualmaturity.Onethingiscertain,inanycase:Without the effort of watching and waking, no one attains that spiritual“sobriety”thatthemonkHesychiosfromMountSinaisoextravagantlypraises.

Howlovelyanddelightful,luminousandpleasing,extraordinary,radiant,andbeautifulavirtue

issobriety,whenwiththee,ChristourGod,andaccompaniedbythegreathumilityofthewatchfulhumanintellect!Forindeed,itsendsout“totheseaanditsdepths”itsbranchesofcontemplation,and“totheriveritsshoots”140ofdelightful,divinemysteries.Sobriety is likeJacob’s ladder,uponwhichGodrestsandtheangelsascend.141

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5.“Withprayerandfasting”(Acts14:23)

Sincebiblical timesanotherbodilyexercisehasbeen justascloselyconnectedwithprayeraswatchingandwaking:fasting,whichshouldnotgounmentioned,stilllessbecauseithasbeenassociated,sincetimeimmemorial,withdesignatedseasons.FormostpeopleintheWesternworldtodayitisknown,ifatall,onlyinthesecularizedformof“dieting”.The“GreatLentenFast”beforeEaster,forinstance,makesnodifferencetothedailylifeevenofpracticingChristians.Thatwasnot always the case, aswehave said, and it is still quiteotherwise in theChristianEast.

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Since time immemorial prayer and fasting have been so intimately connectedthattheyarealreadymentionedtogetherinmanypassagesofSacredScripture,for“prayerisgoodwhenaccompaniedbyfasting.”142TheagedprophetessAnnaworshiped “with prayer and fasting night and day”,143 as did Paul144 and theearly Christian community.145 This custom is so firmly anchored in the earlyChristian tradition thatmanycopyists spontaneouslyadd theword“fasting” to“prayer”, even where it—probably—did not stand originally, for instance,Matthew17:21;Mark9:29;1Corinthians7:5.AtfirstglanceitmightappearthattheearlyChristianpracticeoffastingcould

not be based on Christ’s word and example and, indeed, would directlycontradictthem.OfcourseChristoncefastedfortydaysandfortynightsinthedesert,146butotherwiseheseemedtomanypeopletoberathera“gluttonandadrunkard”,147becausehedidnothesitatetoeatwith“taxcollectorsandsinners”and sometimes even took the initiativehimself todo so.Consequentlyhewasopentothequestion,whythedisciplesofJohnandthedisciplesofthePharisees“fastoftenandofferprayers”,whilehisdisciplesdidnot.148DidPaul and theearly Christian community in fact misunderstand Christ when they ended upimitatingthedisciplesofJohnandthoseofthePharisees?

By no means, for Christ did not reject fasting any more than he rejectedprayer.Inbothcases,nevertheless,hewasconcernedwithguardinghisdisciplesagainsteverysortofhypocrisyandvaindisplayoftheirown“piety”.

Andwhenyou fast,donot lookdismal, like thehypocrites, for theydisfigure their faces that theirfastingmaybeseenbymen.Truly,Isaytoyou,theyhavetheirreward.Butwhenyoufast,anointyourheadandwashyourface,thatyourfastingmaynotbeseenbymenbutbyyourFatherwhoisinsecret;andyourFatherwhoseesinsecretwillrewardyou.149

It is with fasting just as it is with prayer: The disciples of Jesus also fast,naturally, but they do it solely for God’s sake, not in order to be seen andpraised.Thesamegoesforalmsgivingandultimatelyforthepracticeofallthevirtues.TheFathers,whowerenotedfortheseverityoftheirfasts,tookthatverymuchtoheart.It isespeciallytrueoffastingthatoneshould“sealupthegoododorofone’s[ascetical]effortswithsilence”.

Justasyouconcealyoursinsfrommen,concealfromthemalsoyourefforts!150

InallthisitwasfarfromtheintentionsoftheFatherstooverestimatethevalueofthecorporal“works”andhenceoffasting.

Someoneaskedanelder,“HowdoIfindGod?”Andhesaid,“Byfasting,bywatching,bylabors,bymercy, and, above all these, by discernment. For I say to you, many have tormented their fleshwithoutdiscernmentandhavegoneawayempty,withoutgettinganythingforit.Ourmouthhasanevilsmell fromfasting,weknowtheScripturesbyheart,wehaverecitedallofDavid[that is, thePsalter]—andyetwhatGodisseekingwedonothave:loveandhumility.”151

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Christhad,nevertheless,averyconcretereasonfordisregardingthecustomaryfasts thatweregenerallyobservedat that timeamongthe“holyonesofIsrael”and for exempting his disciples from them: the presence of the“Bridegroom”.152Inthisbrief,privilegedtimeofhispresence,thereisanotherconcern:“ThekingdomofGodisathand;repent,andbelieveinthegospel!”153Christmadeuseofthecommonmealasapreferredmethodofbringingtoallthegood news of reconciliation and the call to conversion: the chiefs of thePharisees,154influentialtaxcollectors155aswellas“sinners”ofeverysort.156Acommon meal as a sign of reconciliation—another teaching that the DesertFatherstookveryseriouslytoheart.

Whenyourbrothergrievesyou,

bringhimintoyourhouseanddonothesitatetoenterintohis,butrathereatyourfoodwithhim.Bydoingthis,indeed,youwillsaveyoursoul,andduringthetimeofprayeryouwillencounternodifficulty.157

For it isgenerally thecase that“agift in secretavertsanger”,asSolomon thewiseoncesaid.158TheDesertFathershadscarcelyanypossessions theycouldhave given as gifts. Therefore, “we, who are poor, will make up for ourneedinessbymeansofthetable”,isEvagrius’advice.159“Fasting,therefore,isindeedausefulthing,butitdependsonourfreechoice.”160Itisdifferentwiththedivinecommandmentoflove:itrendersvoidallother

human practices, however useful they may be. For the commandment ofhospitality rescinded the rules about fasting, too, even when one then had toprepareatablesixtimesaday...161

Once two brothers came to a certain elder. The elder, though, had the custom of eating only oncertaindays.Nowwhenhesawthebrothers,herejoicedandsaid:“Fastinghasitsreward.Ontheotherhand,hewhoeatsoutofcharityfulfillstwocommandments,forherenounceshisownwillandfulfillsthecommandment[oflove].”Andhegavethebrothersrefreshment.162

Alwayskeeping thiscommandmentof love inmind,Christ’sdiscipleswere innoway inferior to thedisciplesof thePhariseesand thoseofJohn theBaptist,with regard to fasting, after “the Bridegroomwas taken away from them,”163evenifitwastheirhallowedpracticetofast,notonMondayandThursdayastheJewsdid,butratheronWednesdayandFriday.164Sincefasting,nevertheless,isoneofthepenitentialpractices,itgoeswithout

saying that from the very beginning exceptions weremade for those days onwhichChristianscalltomindthereturnofChristthe“Bridegroom”.

FromSaturdayevening, thevigilof theLord’sday,until thefollowingevening,onedoesnotbendthekneeamongtheEgyptians,anditisthesameduringtheentiretimeofPentecost[betweenEasterandPentecost],andinthisseasontheruleoffastingisnotobserved,either.165

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Iffasting,then,likeallbodily“austerities”ofthissort,hasonlyrelativevalue,whatisitspurpose?Thepsalmisthimselfmentionsaninitialreasonforfasting:

Ithumblesthesoul,166incontrasttofeasting,whichliftsuptheheartuntilitfallsaway from God.167 For disciplining the body by fasting reminds man in aperceptiblewaythat“Manshallnotlivebybreadalone,butbyeverywordthatproceedsfromthemouthofGod”,towhom,furthermore,heisindebtedforthelife-sustainingbreadaswell.ItwaspreciselyforthesakeofthisexperiencethatGod“humbled”thepeopleofIsraelinthedesertand“letthemhunger”.168Hencethespiritualmeaningoffastingis,firstofall,tomakethesoulhumble.

“Indeed,nothinghumblesthesoulasdoesfasting,”169sinceitcausesthesoultoexperienceinafundamentalwayitscompletedependenceuponGod.The obstacles to this humility of heart are our manifold “passions”, those

“sicknesses of the soul” that do not allow it to behave “naturally”, that is,according to thepurpose forwhich itwascreated.Nowfasting isanexcellentmeans of “covering over” these passions, as Evagrius says in an allegoricalinterpretationofapsalmverse.

Fasting is a covering for the soul, which conceals its passions, that is, shameful desires andirrationalanger.Thereforehewhodoesnotfastexposeshimselfindecently,170

likeNoahwhenhewasdrunk,171towhomEvagriusisalludinghere.Thismeansthatthepurposeofbodilyfastingistocleansethesoulofitsshamefulvicesandto instill ahumbleattitude.Without this“purityofheart”, even the thoughtof“trueprayer”wouldbesacrilege.

Whoeveris[still]caughtupinsinsandoutburstsofangeranddarestoreachoutshamelesslyaftertheknowledgeofdivine thingsoreven toenter[theplace]of immaterialprayer, lethimexpect tohear the Apostle’s reproach, according to which it is not safe for him “to pray with headuncovered”. Indeed, suchasoul,hesays,“shouldhaveanauthority’onherhead,becauseof theangels,”172bywrappingherselffittinglyinshameandhumility.173

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Besidesthis,fastinghasaverypracticalsignificance,too:

Afamishedstomachenablesonetowatchinprayer,whereasafullstomachbringsaboutplentifulsleep.174

Andthispracticalusefulnesshas,inturn,aspiritualpurpose,whichisultimatelythesoleconcern.

Adirtymirrordoesnotreflectclearlythefigurethatfallsuponit,andthinkingthathasbeendulledbysatietydoesnotreceivetheknowledgeofGod.175Theprayeroftheonewhofastsisahigh-flyingyoungeagle,butthatofthegluttonwhoisburdenedbysatietyisbroughtdown.176Theintellectoftheonewhofastsisashiningstarinaclearsky,butthatofthegluttonremainsshroudedinamoonlessnight.177

Inotherwords,justlikewatchingandwaking,fastingalsopreparesthemindoftheonewhopraysforthecontemplationofthedivinemysteries.Althoughfastingisthereforejustasindispensableaswatchingtoanyonewho

wants to “pray in truth”, still, like everything in the spiritual life, itmust takeplace“at theappropriate timesand inmoderation”. In this respecteachpersonwill have his own suitable measure, according to his strength, his age, thecircumstancesofhislife,andsoon.

Forwhat is immoderateanduntimely isof shortduration.Something that lastsonlya short time,though,ismorelikelyharmfulthanuseful.178

ChapterIII

MannersofPraying

Among those things Origen considers necessary in order to describe prayerexhaustively,hementionsinthefirstplacethe“disposition”(χατάστασις)inthesoulofthepersonpraying.Asanexampleofthisessentialinnerdisposition,hecites the words of Paul that the Christian should pray “without anger ordisputes”.1Thisfreedomfromangeror“thoughts”(διαλογισμῶν)2 isafruitofthe“practicalmanner”ofprayer(Evagrius)asameansofpurificationfromthepassions—above all from anger—since they are theworst opponents of “pureprayer”,andfrom“thoughts”aboutthem,andfinallyfromall“mentalimages”.AsOrigengoesontosayinthesamecontext,this“disposition”ofthesoulis

alwaysreflectedinthebody’spostureaswell;inthenextchapterwewillreturntothissubjectanddiscussitindetail.Butthedispositionisalsoreflectedinthemanner in which we pray. These ways and the spiritual dispositions that areexpressedinthemwillbethetopicofthischapter.

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1.“Prayersandsupplicationswithloudcriesandtears”(Heb5:7)

Nooneissurprisedwhensomeoneshedstearsbecauseheisgrief-stricken.Tearsofjoyareprobablyfamiliartomostpeopleaswell.Buttearsinprayer?FortheFathers,infact,tearsandprayerbelongedtogetherinseparablyandwerebynomeansconsideredasignofinappropriatesentimentality.ThisistrueforthemenoftheBibleaswell.

Hearmyprayer,OLord,andgiveeartomycry;holdnotthypeaceatmytears!3

Thus tearsprincipallyaccompany“supplication” (δέησις). In tearsadistraughtfatherasksthathissonbecured,4andintearsthesinfulwomanwordlesslyasksChrist for forgiveness.5 EvenChrist, “in the days of his flesh . . . offered upprayersandsupplications,withloudcriesandtears,tohimwhowasabletosavehimfromdeath.”6

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Tearsbelongtothe“practicalmanner”ofprayer,fortheyarepartofthelaborsofpraktike,thatis,thefirststageofthespirituallife.

“Thosewhosowintears,willreapwithshoutsofjoy:” Those who complete praktike amidst toil and tears “sow in tears”. In contrast, those whoeffortlesslyreceivetheknowledge[ofGod]“reapwithshoutsofjoy”.7

Why this insistence on the necessity of tears, which appears so strange tomodernmen?IstheChristiannotsupposedtobejoyfulinstead?Certainly,buttheFathersviewedthehumanconditionmorerealisticallyperhapsthanwedo.

AbbaLonginoshadgreat contritionwhenheprayedand recited thepsalms.Onedayhisdiscipleaskedhim,“Abba, is this a spiritual rule, thatamonk shouldweepall the timehe is prayinghisoffice?”Andtheelderanswered,“Yes,mychild,thisistherulethatGodnowdemandsofus.ForinthebeginningGoddidnotcreatemansothathemightweep,butrathersothathemightrejoiceandbegladandmightglorifyhim,aspureandsinlessastheangels.Oncehefellintosin,however,heneededtears.Andallwhohavefallenneedthemjustthesame.Forwheretherearenosins,notearswillbenecessary.”8

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Atthisfirststageofthespirituallife,then,theprincipalconcerniswithwhattheScripture and the Fathers call “repentance”, “conversion”, and “a change ofheart”(μετάνοια).Theverythoughtofsuchaconversion,however,ismetwithunexpected interior resistance. Evagrius speaks in this regard about a certaininterior “wildness” (ἀγριότης) or spiritual “insensitivity” (ἀναιθησία)9 anddullness, which is overcome only with the help of tears of spiritual “sorrow”(πένθος).

Prayfirstforthegiftoftears,soastosoftenthroughcontritionthewildnessthatdwellsinyoursoul,sothatby“confessingyourtransgressionstotheLord”,10youmayobtainforgivenessfromhim.11

Every man is probably acquainted with this “wildness” in the form of thatoppressive state of soul that the Fathers call acedia, taedium cordis (JohnCassian),wearinessofsoul,boredom,emptyindifference...Againstthis,tearsareapowerfulantidote.

Oppressiveissadness,andboredom—insupportable,ButtearsofferedtoGodaremightierthanboth.12

It is also true, conversely, that “the spirit of acedia drives tears away, and thespirit of sadness chafes at prayer.”13 What is to be done, then, when one iscaught in the predicament of interior dryness and sadness? Evagriusrecommendsthatoneshouldthen

dividethesoultearfullyintotwohalves,oneofwhichcomfortswhiletheotheriscomforted,andtodo thisby sowing forourselvesagoodhopeandby singing toourselves theenchantingwordsofDavid: “Whyartthousad,Omysoul?andwhydostthoutroubleme?HopeinGod;forIwillstillgivepraisetohim:thesalvationofmycountenanceandmyGod.”14

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HoweverpleasingtotheLordaprayerofferedtearfullymaybe,15tearsmustnotbecome an end in themselves! Indeed, inherent in every human asceticalpractice, insofar as it is man’s doing, is the fatal tendency to make itselfautonomous.Themeanssuddenlybecomestheend.

Evenifyoushedstreamsoftearsasyoupray,donotthereforebecomeatallpresumptuousinyourheart, as though you stood high above the crowd. For your prayer has simply received [divine]

assistance,whichenablesyou toconfess your sins eagerlyandmakes theLord favorably inclinedtowardyouthroughthesetears.Thereforedonotturnthedefenseagainstthepassionsintoapassionitself,lestyouangertheGiverofthegraceevenmore!16

Someonewho loses sightof thepurposeof tears, that is, the“extremelybitterconversion”,17 is in danger of “losing his reason and going astray”.18Conversely, it isalso true thatnooneshould imagine thatheasa“proficient”soulnolongerhasneedoftears.

Ifitseemstoyouthatyounolongerneedtearsonaccountofsinsasyoupray,thentakeheedofhowfaryouhavestrayedfromGod,whereasyououghttobewithhimconstantly,andthenyouwillshedtearsevenmorebitterly.19

Thiswarning stems froma sober appreciationof human reality, and it is true,moreover, for the“praktike” in its entirety.ThusEvagrius, for instance,warnshis“gnostic”,thecontemplativeman,as“onewhohasbeendeemedworthyofknowledge”:

SaintPaul“chastisedhisbodyandbrought it intosubjection.”20As longasyoulive, then,donotneglect your way of life or subject freedom from passions (apatheia) to reproach, abasing it byfatteningyourbody.21

Evenwhenamanhasattainedthegoalofthe“practicallife”,thestateofinteriorpeace of soul, tears do not just vanish! At this stage, however, they are theexpression of humility and as such are a guarantee that this state of peace isgenuine(asopposedtothemanyformsofdemoniccounterfeits).22ThereforetheFathers consider tears to be in fact a sign ofa man’s nearness to God, asEvagriushasalreadysuggested.

Anelderoncesaid:“Amanwhositsinhiscellandmeditatesonthepsalmsislikeamanwhostandsoutside[thepalace]andasks tosee theking.Theonewho“praysconstantly”is like theonewhospeakswiththeking.Theonewhobegstearfully,though,isliketheonewhoembracestheking’sfeetand asks for hismercy, like that prostitutewho by her tearswashed all her sins away in a shorttime.”23

Tobesure,Goddidnotcreatemantoweep,butrathertorejoice,asoneoftheFathersusedtosay.Still,inAdamallhavefallenandthereforeallhaveneedoftears, justasallneedrepentanceandconversion.Torecognizethis isasignofhonesthumility.Laterwewillhear thissaidabout theso-called“prostrations”,whichinagestureexpressthesamethingthattearsdo.“TheneareramanistoGod,themorehefeelsthatheisasinner,oneofthe

Fathershassaid,becauseonlyGod’sholinessmakesoursinfulnesstrulyvisible.Hence tears are not only found at the beginning of the spiritual path ofconversion,butalsoaccompany thepenitentas farashisgoal,where theyarethen transformed into “spiritual tears and a certain joy of heart”, which theFathersesteemedasasignoftheimmediateactionoftheHolySpiritandthusofnearnesstoGod.24

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2.“Prayconstantly”(1Thess5:17)

A “prayer”, as commonly imagined, is a text—whether freely improvised orready-made in a set form—something along the lines of the Our Father, thepreeminentprayerofChristians.Sucha“prayer”,therefore,hasapredeterminedlengthandsometimes,liketheOurFather,isevenrelativelyshort.“To pray”, then, means either turning to God and speaking freely or else

makinguseofatextcomposedforthispurpose.Howeverlongonemayprayinthisway,though,his“conversationwithGod”isnecessarilylimitedintime.Jesus’ command to “pray at all times”25 and Paul’s exhortation, “pray

constantly”26 would then mean nothing more than to pray frequently, indeed

veryfrequently.TheearlymonasticFathers,though,incontrasttosomeFathersoftheChurch,neverthelessunderstoodthesecommandsinanabsolutelyliteralsense.

Ithasnotbeenprescribedforustowork,towatch,andtofastconstantly,yetithasbeencommandedthatwe“prayconstantly”.Thisisbecausethefirst-mentionedactivities,whichhealthepassionatepartofthesoul,requirefortheirexercisethebodyalso,whichowingtoitscharacteristicweaknesswouldnotbeequaltotheseefforts.Prayer,ontheotherhand,makestheintellectstrongandpureforthebattle,sincetheintellectusuallypraysevenwithoutthisbodyandfightsagainstthedemonsonbehalfofallthepowersofthesoul.27

ThatthecommandofPaulistobetakenliterallywasaforegoneconclusionnotonlyforEvagrius;theearlymonasticFatherswereofthesameopinion.Thoughthe principle was well established, its realization in practice still raisedquestions.

Question:Howcananyone“prayatalltimes”?Forthebodybecomestiredduringtheliturgy. Answer:“Prayer”meansnotonlystandingduringthetimeofprayer,butalso[praying]“atalltimes”.Question:How[is]“atalltimes”[tobeunderstood]?Answer:Whetheryoueat,drink,orwalkalongtheroadordosomeworkorother,donotrefrainfromprayer.Question:Nowifoneisconversingwithsomebody,howcanonefulfillthe[command]“prayatalltimes”? Answer: In this regard theApostle said:“[Prayat all times in theSpirit,]withall prayerandsupplication.”28Whileyouareconversingwithsomeoneelse, then, ifyoudonotapplyyourself toprayer,“praywithasupplication”.Question:Whatprayershouldbeprayed?Answer:The“OurFather,whoartinheaven”,andsoon.Question:Whatistheproperquantityofprayer? Answer:No quantitywas set [for us]. For “at all times” and “praywithout ceasing” are notquantifiable.Indeed,amonkwhopraysonlywhenhesetsouttopraydoesnotreallyprayatall.Thenheadded:“Anyonewhowantstoaccomplishthismustregardallpeopleasoneman”29andrefrainfromwickedgossip.30

“At all times” and “praying constantly” therefore means nothing less thanprayingalways and everywhere, and that not as somethingdonebesides otheractivities,butratheratthesametimewiththem!Howthisistobeaccomplishedwe do not learn here, yet a precise reading of the Father’s answer reveals animportantdistinctionbetween“prayer”(προσευχή)and“supplication”(δέησις).AsanexampleofthefirsthementionstheOurFather,whichusuallywasrecitedaloud;what form the latterwould take,wedonot learnhere.The reference toEphesians6:18onlyhintsthatitoccurssomehow“inthespirit”.Hencewewill inquire firstabout the“technique”of“unceasingprayer”and

aboutthemethod”forlearningandpracticingit.

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ThroughtheTheWayofaPilgrim31andthePhilokalia,32thatbookoftheholyFathers that the pilgrim carried with him constantly, many have becomeacquainted with those specifically hesychastic methods that the Byzantinemonksdevelopedin the thirteenthandfourteenthcenturies, that is,sittingonalowstool,withabent-overposture,controllingthebreathing,andsoon.Thesemethods, which are meant for “hesychasts”, that is, for monks who live inabsoluteseclusion,maybepracticedonlyunderthedirectionofanexperiencedteacherandthusarealwaysaccessibletoonlyafew.Incontrast,whatweknowof thepracticesof theearlyFathers is, in itssimplicity,attainablebyagreaternumber.33The Egyptian Desert Fathers very early on had their own traditions and

customs.Tobesure,thesereflecttosomeextenttheirparticularwayoflife,butitstillcanbesaidthattheyarrangedtheirwholewayoflifeaccordingtothegoalforwhichtheystrove.

Thehoursandodes[oftheDivineOffice]areecclesiasticaltraditions,andtheyaregoodinthattheybringaboutaunisonoftheentirepeople;thesameistrueforthe[cloistered]communitiesthatareforthesakeofunisonamongmany.ThemonksofScetis,however,neitherhavesethoursnorreciteodes,but[livingalone,theyoccupythemselveswith]manuallabor,meditation,andprayersatshortintervals.As forVespers, themonksof Scetis recite twelvepsalms, andat the endof eachpsalm,insteadofthedoxology,theysay“Alleluia”andprayaprayer.TheydothesameatNight[PrayeroftheDivineOffice]:twelvepsalms,andafterthepsalmstheysitdowntodotheirhandwork.34

The monks of the desert of Scetis knew of only two “hours” of the DivineOffice: Vespers after sunset and the Vigil, a four-hour night watch untilsunrise,35whichconsistedinpartofmanuallaboraswell,towhichtheydevotedpractically the entire day besides. The Pachomian monks did not set thishandworkasideevenduringcommonprayer,sinceitdoesnotdistractthemindbut, on the contrary, helps to recollect it. Those who lived in the Scetis, forinstancethatmonktowhomJohnofGazawrites,customarilydidasfollows:

Whenyousitdowntoyourhandwork,youshouldlearnbyheartorrecitepsalms.Attheendofeachpsalm you should pray sitting: “OGod, have mercy on me, a miserable man.”36 When you aretroubledbythoughts,thenadd:“OGod,youseemyaffliction,cometomyaid.”37Onceyouhavemadethreerowsofthenet,thenstanduptopray,andwhenyouhavebentthekneeandlikewisewhenyoustandupagain,praytheprayerjustmentioned.38

The“method”, then, issimpleenoughtobefeasible. Itconsistsof interruptingone’swork,inthiscasemakingnets,atdetermined“shortintervals”,soastoriseforprayerand theprostration thatgoesalongwith it. In thiswayMakariosofAlexandriaandhispupilEvagrius,forinstance,offereduponehundredprayersaday39 and, accordingly, onehundredgenuflections.This seems tohavebeentheusual“rule”;40neverthelessother figuresaregiven, sinceeachonehadhisindividual“measure”.41During the work the mind was not idle, either, but occupied itself with

“meditation”,thatis,thecontemplativerepetitionofScriptureverses,veryoftenpsalms, which were learned by heart for precisely this purpose. Each“meditation” of this sortwas followed by very short ejaculatory prayers, thatcould be prayed sitting. Their content was not fixed and, once a particular“formula” was adopted, it could be modified at will. Neither the “prayers”mentionedabovenortheseejaculationswereparticularlylong,andtheydidnotneedtobe,either.

Asforthedurationoftheprayer,whenyoustand[forprayer]or“prayunceasingly”,astheApostlesays,thenyoudonotneedtoprolong[theprayer]whenyoustandup.Forthroughouttheentiredayyourintellectisatprayer.42

With longerprayers, in fact, there is always thedangerofdistraction,becauseconcentration quickly flags or,worse, because the demons sow theirweeds inamongthem.43Asfortheircontent,theselittleprayersarequitebiblicalintheirinspiration.TheytransformtheWordofGodthathasbeenheardintoapersonalprayerorelsesimplyadoptitasitis.

Nowwhenyoustand inprayer, you shouldask tobe freed from the“oldman”,44or say theOurFather,orbothtogether,45andthensitdowntoyourhandwork.46

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Itshouldnotbedifficultforanyonewhowants to“prayin truth”tostartfromthese very simple principles and develop his own personal “method”, whichtakesintoaccountthecircumstancesofhisownlife:principallythenatureofhiswork. For upon closer inspection one sees that these Desert Fathers were notconductingalifeofprayeralongsidetherestoftheirlife,butratherworked,likeanyotherman,soas tomakea living,andalsotooksixhoursofrestatnight.Theirprayer life is identicalwith theirdaily life, permeates it completely, andultimately leads to the point at which the spirit “is at prayer throughout the

whole day”. External circumstances and “disturbances” such as conversations,forexample,nolongermakeanydifference.

Thebrothersmadethefollowingreport:“Oncewewenttovisittheelders,andafterwehadsaidthecustomaryprayersandgreetedoneanother,wesatdown.Afterourconversationweaskedtoreciteaprayer,sincewewantedtoleave.Thenoneoftheelderssaidtous:‘What?Haven’tyouprayed?’Andweansweredhim:Aswe came in,Abba, a prayerwas recited, and since thenwehavebeenconversing.’Then theeldersaid: ‘Excuseme,brothers,butoneof thebrotherswhosatamongusandconversedwithusprayed[meanwhile]103prayers.’Andafterhehadsaidthis,theyrecitedaprayerandleftus.”47

It is easy to understand that such an activity—for which an occasional orcontinualretreatintosilenceiscertainlyveryconducivebutnotatallessential—eventually brings the spirit, by the grace of God, into a “state of prayer”, inwhichallidlewanderingofthethoughtsstopsandthemind“standsfast”,withits“eyes”turnedunceasinglytowardGod.Evagriusinonepassagedefinesthisdesired“state”asfollows:

The state of prayer is a passionless disposition, which snatches the wisdom-loving (φιλοσόφον),spiritualizedintellectonhighinanextremelovingdesire(ἔρωτι).48

As the expression “being snatched away” clearly indicates,man’s activity hasreacheditsgoalhere,andGodhimself,namely,theSonandtheSpirit,isactivefrom there on. “Prayer” is now no longer a particular act of ourmind amongother activities, one that therefore necessarily has temporal limitations, but isratherasspontaneousandnaturalasbreathing,becauseitis“theactivityofthemindthatcorrespondstoitsworth”.49

BreatheChristatalltimes,andbelieveinhim,

thedyingAnthonyadvisedhis disciples.50 Prayer is the spiritual breathof thesoul,thetruelifethatispropertoit.

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This ideal of continually remaining in prayer, which might seem “typicallymonastic”toustoday51isinrealitymucholderthanmonasticismandisoneofthose“original,unwrittentraditions”thattheFathersoftheChurchtracedbacktotheapostlesthemselves.ClementofAlexandriaalreadywroteaboutthetrue“gnostic”,whose“wholelifeisaprayerandaconversationwithGod”.52

Heprays, though, in all situations,whether he is taking awalk orwith company or is resting orreading or beginning a task requiring thought. And when in the very “chamber” of his soul heharbors just one thought and “with sighs too deep for words”53 “invokes the Father”,54who isalreadypresentwhileheisstillspeaking.55

Theearlymonksdidnothingmorethangivetothisidealadefiniteform,whichinitssimplicityisaccessibletoanyonewhoseriouslywantsit.Forevery“soul”isbyitsverynatureinclined“topraisetheLord”.

“LeteverythingthatbreathespraisetheLord!”Ifthe“lightoftheLord”is,accordingtoSolomon,“thebreathofman”,theneveryrationalnaturethatbreathesinthis“light”shouldpraisetheLord.56

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3.“Lord,havemercyonme!”(Ps40:5)

IthasperhapsseemedremarkabletomanyareaderoftheTheWayofaPilgrimthat the traditional formula for the perpetual prayer of the heart goes: “LordJesusChrist,havemercyonme,asinner.”HemayhavebeensurprisedthatthiscenterpieceofthehesychastictraditionintheEasternChurchisactuallyasortofpenitentialprayer.Anyonewhohasreadthechapteraboutthetearsofmetanoia,though,willnotbesosurprised.Rather,itwillseemtohimquiteconsistentthattheFathersfinallyagreeduponthisformula,whichwedonothearaboutatallintheearlyperiodofmonasticism.For it reflectsperfectly thatspiritwhichfromthebeginninginspiredtheFathersintheirendeavors.

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The custom of regularly saying prayers in the form of very short invocationsgoesbackto thebeginningsofmonasticisminEgypt.ItwasknownveryearlyoutsideofEgyptaswell,inanycasefromhearsay,asAugustinetestifies.

It is said that the brothers in Egypt have certain oft-repeated prayers, which are neverthelessextremelyshortandarehurledquicklylikespears,sothatthevigilantlymaintainedintention,whichmore than anything else is necessary to the one who prays, might not diminish and become dullthroughtarryingtoolong.57

These prayers resembling “spear thrusts” (quodam modo iaculatas), to whichour “ejaculations” can be traced back, are already mentioned by Evagrius innumerouswritings of his as an exercise that is obviously known to all. Theyshould be said “frequently”, “uninterruptedly”, and “unceasingly”, while

remaining “short” and “to the point”, to mention only a few of the manysynonymsthatheusesinthisconnection.

Duringatimeoftemptationsofthatsort,makeuseofshortandpersistentprayer.58

He is referring to the demonic temptationsmentioned in the previous chapter(DeOratione97),whichtrytoruin“pureprayer”.InthatpassageEvagriusgivesanexampleofsuch“shortprayers”:

“Iwillfearnoevils,foryouareatmyside.”

It isaquestion, then,ofashortpsalmverse?59As the followingremark,“andsimilar[textsofthissort]”tellsus,thechoicewasleftcompletelytothepersonpraying.ObviouslyEvagriusdoesnotknowofanyfixedformula.JohnCassian,on the other hand, a contemporary of Evagrius, learned from his Egyptianmasters to use verse 2 of Psalm 69 as an ejaculation most suitable for allsituationsinlife.60

OGod,cometomyassistance,

OLord,makehastetohelpme!”

Inotherpassages,thefathersalmostalwaysrecommendScriptureverses.

OneoftheFatherstoldthestory:“IntheCelliatherewasacertainzealouselderwhoworeonlyamatmadeof rushes.Hewent to visitAbbaAmmonas,who,whenhe sawhimwearing themat ofrushes,saidtohim:‘Thatisofnousetoyou!’Thentheelderaskedhim:Threethoughtstroubleme:ShouldIremaininthedesert,orgoabroadwherenooneknowsme,orshouldIshutmyselfupinacellandhavenodealingswithanyoneandeatonlyeveryotherday?’ThenAbbaAmmonassaidtohim:‘Noneofthesethreethingsisfittingforyoutodo.Sitratherinyourcell,eatalittleeachday,andhaveatalltimesthewordsofthetaxcollectorinyourheart,andyoucanbesaved.’”61

What is meant are the words, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner”,62 a freerenderingofPsalm78:9.AmmonasisadiscipleofAnthonytheGreathimself.In the latter’s life, pennedbyAthanasius theGreat,we readnotonly that this“firstoftheanchorites”(asEvagriuscalledhim)“prayedunceasingly”63butalsothat he parried the vehement temptations of the demons with short psalmverses.64 Another disciple of Anthony is Makarios the Egyptian, Evagrius’teacher,ofwhomthefollowingsayingishandeddown.

SomeofthemaskedAbbaMakarios:“Howshouldwepray?”Theelderansweredthem:“Itisnotnecessaryto‘rattleon,’65butonehasonlytostretchoutone’shandsandsay,‘Lord,asyouwill’66

andas‘youknow’,67‘havemercyonme!’68Ontheotherhand,ifabattleisimpending,pray,‘Lord,helpme!’69Hehimselfknowswhatisnecessaryandtreatsuswithmercy.”70

Withthissimple“Lord,helpme!”theCanaanitewoman,an“uncleanheathen”,overcameJesus’initialhesitation.As these few examples show, there is an uninterrupted tradition of the

“brothersinEgypt”(Augustine)thatgoesbacktoAnthonytheGreathimself—andreachesfartherbeyondhimtothetimeofChrist,aswewillsee.

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Asurveyofthescatteredtextsattestingtosuch“ejaculatoryprayers”thathavebeenhandeddown tousshows that,whatever thedifferences in form, theyallhave a common spirit. They are all in all cries for help of the man who isassailed. “OGod, be gracious tome, a sinner.”71 “Lord, havemercy onme.”“Lord, help me!”72 “Son of God, help me!”73 “Son of God, have mercy onme.”74“Lord,savemefromtheevilone!”75HenceweunderstandwhatEvagriusmeanswhenhe recommends “praying,

notlikethePharisee,butlikethetaxcollector”,76namely,likethattaxcollector

intheGospelwhoacknowledgedfromthedepthsofhisheart(notehowhebeathisbreast)thathewasasinner,whoseonlyhopewasdivineforgiveness.77Thespiritcommontoalloftheseejaculatoryprayersisthespiritofmetanoia,

ofremorse,conversion,andrepentance.Preciselythatspirit,then,whichaloneiscapableofacceptingthe“gladtidings”of“reconciliationinChrist”.78

ThetimeisfulfilledandthekingdomofGodisathand.Repentandbelieveinthegospel.79

Without“conversion”(μετάνοια)thereisnofaith;withoutfaiththereisnoshareinthegospelofreconciliation.Forthisreasonthesermonsoftheapostles,whichLukehaspreservedforusinhisActsoftheApostles,almostwithoutexceptionendwiththiscallfor“conversion”.80Thismetanoia,however,isnotasingleact,but rather a life-long process. The “spirit of repentance”, that is,humility thatcomesfromtheheart,isnotattainedonceandforall.Alifetimeisnotsufficientto“learn”fromChristthisessentialfeature,which,ashehimselftellsus,ishisdistinguishingcharacteristic.81Thepracticeofrepeatingoverandoveragain—audibly or in one’s heart—this “supplication” (which was discussed in thepreviouschapter),inthespiritoftheremorsefultaxcollector,isoneofthebestmeansofvigilantlymaintaininganinteriordesireforgenuinemetanoia.

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Probably from the very beginning the short ejaculatory prayers were directedalmost without exception to Christ, even though at first this is not alwaysexplicitlystated,sincewearedealinginmostcaseswithpsalmverses.Incallingonthe“Lord”thisgoeswithoutsayingfromthestart;afterall,theprofessionofChristasKyriosisthemostancientChristiancreed.82But“Christ”,forthefirstChristians,ispracticallysynonymouswith“SonofGod”.83MoreovertheSonisalso called “God” directly: “My Lord and my God”. With this professionThomasputshisfaithintheRisenOneintowords.84HenceitisnosurprisethatEvagrius,inhislittleprayercomposedofpsalmverses,changestheinvocation“Lord,Lord”firstinto“Lord,Christ”andthenafterwardappliesthewords“Godandprotector”alsotoChristasamatterofcourse.

Lord,Christ,

thestrengthofmysalvation,85inclinethyeartome,makehastetorescueme!BeformeGodandprotector,aplaceofrefugetosaveme.86

The formula that laterbecameusual, “Lord, JesusChrist,havemercyonme”,merely says explicitly what was meant implicitly from the very beginning,namely,that“thereisnoothernameunderheavengivenamongmenbywhichwemustbesaved”,87excepttheNameofJesusChrist.ThereforeitiswithgoodreasonthattheFatherslatergaveparticularemphasistothissalutaryaffirmationof “Jesus theChrist”—to the extent of developing a full-fledgedmysticismoftheNameofJesus.Forthepersonwhoprayswitha“supplication”consciouslytakeshisplaceamongtheblindandthelame,andsoon,whocriedouttoJesusforhelpduringhislifeonearth.TheydidthisinawaythatisinfactappropriateonlywhenoneisturningtoGod—andthustheydemonstratedmoreclearlythanbyanyverbalprofessiontheirfaithintheDivineSonshipoftheRedeemer.TheprofessionthatJesusChristisLord,whichisformulatedinthefirstpart

oftheso-calledJesusPrayer,isinseparablefromthepetitionofthesecondpart.Ifanyonethinksthatfromacertainmomentonhenolongerneedsthissecondpart,metanoia,lethimrecallwhatEvagriussaidabouttears...

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TheLordtaughtus“toprayatalltimes”.Healsowarnedus,though,aboutthepagan practice of “rattling on”, of “heaping up empty phrases”,88 TheFatherstook this admonition verymuch to heart. Clement of Alexandria already saidaboutthetruegnostic:

Whileprayingaloud,though,hedoesnotusemanywords,sincehehasalsolearnedfromtheLordwhathemustprayfor.89Thereforehewillpray“ineveryplace”,90butnotinpublicinplainviewofeveryone.91

Evagrius,whomadethisidealofthetrueChristiangnosticentirelyhisownandintegrated it into the spirituality of monasticism, elaborates further on thisthought.

Theworthofone’sprayerisnotmerelyaquestionofquantitybutofquality.Thisismadeclearbythe“twomen [who]wentup to the temple”92 and furthermoreby the saying,“Inprayingdonotheapupemptyphrases,”andsoon.93

Evagrius himself said one hundred prayers a day, so he certainly had nothingagainst“quantity”.Itispartofthe“practicalway”ofprayer,whichcannotmakeprogress without practice and therefore repetition. Nevertheless, just as the“letter”cannotexistatallwithoutthe“spirit”orthe“meaning”,inthesamewaymerequantitydoesnotyetmakeprayer“praiseworthy”,thatis,pleasingtoGod,without the corresponding inner “quality”, its Christian content, as the Lordhimselfhastaughtus.94Thetorrentofwordspouredforthbythevirtuousbutself-righteousPharisee

is worthless in comparison to the few words of the tax collector, who isburdened with sins but remorseful. Just as worthless are the empty phrasesheapedupbythepaganswho“rattleon”,whoactasthoughGoddidnotknowwhatmanneeds,95incomparisontothefew,confidentwordsoftheOurFather.Therefore,whenaskedwhich“prayer”oneshouldsay,theFathersanswer,aswehaveseen,almostwithoutexception,byreferringtotheLord’sPrayer.96In the littleejaculatoryprayers,whichanyonecansayeffortlesslyand inall

circumstances,whicheveninthepresenceofotherscanbesaid“mentally”,andalsointheOurFatherwhenitisrecitedaudiblyanddevoutly“inone’sroom”,theFathershavefoundawayofcombining“quantity”and“quality”,thatis,ofpraying“atalltimes”and“unceasingly”withoutfallingintomindlessprattle.

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One final point. Paul taught the Thessalonians not only to “pray withoutceasing”; he added that they should “give thanks in all circumstances”.97 Thespirit ofmetanoia in theprayerof theheart is in fact entirely compatiblewiththanksgiving for every good thing that theLord does for us.Therefore one ofEvagrius‘“definitions”ofprayerruns:

Prayerisafruitofjoyandofthanksgiving.98

TheoldEthiopiantraditiongaveaparticularformtotheperpetualprayeroftheheart,whichinauniquelysimplewaycombinespetitionandthanksgivingintoone.

AbbaPaulos theCenobitesaid:“Whenyouarestayingamongthebrothers,work, learnbyheart,slowly lift youreyes toheaven,andspeak from thedepthsofyourheart to theLord: ‘Jesus,havemercyonme!Jesus,helpme!Ipraiseyou,myGod!’”99

It is also this same Ethiopian tradition that calls to mind the true theologicalhorizonofallprayer:theeschatologicalwaitingfortheParousiaoftheLord,his

secondcoming“inthegloryoftheFatherwiththeholyangels.”100

Abrothersaidtome:“See,thisiswhatwaitingfortheLordconsistsof.YourheartisturnedtowardtheLordwhileyoucryout,Jesus,havemercyonme!Jesus,helpme!Ipraiseyouatalltimes,mylivingGod!AndyouslowlyliftyoureyeswhilesayingthesewordstotheLordinyourheart.101

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4.“Hear,OLord,whenIcryaloud”(Ps26:7)

We are used to hearing public prayers being offered up in the name of thecongregation in an audible voice by a priest or a so-called “presider”.On theotherhand,almosteveryoneprayssilentlywhenalone.Meninbiblicaltimes,incontrast, notonlyread in anundertone (sotto voce), that is, theyactually readaloud to themselves, but they alsomeditated and evenprayed as a rule in anaudible voice as well. Therefore we find again and again in the psalms, forinstance,expressionslike:“Hearthevoiceofmysupplication.”102Furthermore,thepsalmist“criesaloudtotheLord,”103andweevenhear“hiswords”and“thesoundofhiscry”.104Thisisevidentlytherule,nottheexception.WhenHannah,silentwithgrief,

prayedinthetempleofShiloh,onlymovingherlipswithoutallowinghervoicetobeheard,Elithepriestconcludedthatshemustbedrunk...105HencetheprayershandeddowntousintheNewTestament,andevenmore

plentifullyinthewritingsoftheFathers,whicharesaidtohavebeenrecitedononeoccasionoranother,cannotsimplybedismissedasmerepoeticinventions.Forthemanofantiquityitwasself-evidentthatsuchfreelyformulatedprayerswere said for all to hear and thus could also be handed down as “maxims”.Indeed,thesayingsoftheDesertFathers,too,arefullofsuchprayers,someofwhichareveryshortandsimple,whileothersarequiteextensive;allofthem,atanyrate,arespontaneous.

ThestoryistoldofAbbaMakariostheGreatthathevisitedabrotherinthesketeeverydayforfourmonthsanddidnotoncefindhimidle.Whenhevisitedhimyetagainandremainedoutsidestandingatthedoor,heheardhimsayingtearfully:“Lord,doyourearsnothearmecryingouttoyou?Havemercyonmeonaccountofmysins,forIdonotgrowwearyofcallingtoyouforhelp.”106

Such a direct expression of emotions might seem strange to modern man, assomethingnotatallinkeepingwithhisideasof“prayer”and“meditation”.AndyetthespiritualFathers—includingthoseintheChristianEastdowntothisday—teach thatoneshould reciteeven theprayerof theheart inanundertone,atleast at the beginning and for a certain time, that is, until it has become trulyunitedwithone’sheartbeat.Fortheyknewthatthis,asinthecaseofreadingor“meditating” in an undertone, is an excellent means of bringing distractionsundercontrol,whichareotherwisesodifficulttoovercome.

Whentheintellectwanders,thenreading,watching,andprayerbringittoastandstill.107

Hearing one’s own voice makes it easier to concentrate on the words ofScripture,ofthepsalms,oroftheprayer,justasthebeadsoftherosaryslippingthroughthefingers,inanotherway,focustheattention.Someonewhowantstolearnatextbyheartwilldoso,eventoday,byrecitingittohimselfaloudorinan undertone. For even though prayer in and of itself is a purely spiritualphenomenon,thebodymustneverthelessbeabletomakeitscontributiontoit.

Thiswillbediscussedindetailinthechapterongesturesinprayer.

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Themanofbiblicaltimes,nevertheless,wouldhardlyhavebeenthinkingaboutthispracticalbenefitofprayingoutloudorsottovocewhenhe“criedaloudtotheLord.”His“loudcries”were,instead,theexpressionoftheimmediacyoftherelationship,whichmodernmantoagreatextenthaslostsightof.TheLordtowhom he calls is, after all, no purely abstract principle like the “God of thephilosophers”; neither is he the “distant God” of the Gnostics, but rather the“livingGod”,whoofhisownaccordrevealshimselftoman,speakstohim,andalsodemandsthatheforhispartturntohim.

CalluponmeinthedayoftroubleandIwilldeliveryouandyoushallglorifyme.108FortheLordisneartoallwhocalluponhim,toallwhocalluponhimintruth.109

Thisis,indeed,instarkcontrasttotheidols,whohavemouthsbutcannotspeak,eyesbutcannot see, earsanddonothear. . .110 “God,who isnear”,however,“hearsthevoiceofmysupplication.”111Furthermorehealonepossesses,inthetruesenseoftheword,a“face”,whichisnotmerelyasilverorgoldenmask,asinthecaseofsomething“madebyhumanhands”.Thereforetheonewhopraysalso “seeks” this “face of God”112 and asks him to “let his face shine uponhim”,113sothathemaybe“saved”.114These and other very graphic ways of speaking about God aremuchmore

thanmerepoeticmetaphors.ThemorespiritualizedtheimageofGodintheOldCovenant becomes, the more “anthropomorphic”—having a human form—speech about God can and must be, if the relationship with God is not toevaporateintoimpersonalabstractions.TheOldTestamentprophetsarethemostoftencitedexamplesof thisseeminglyparadoxicaldevelopment.TheirGodis,as Johnwould later say, entirely “spirit”,115 in sharp contrast to all the paganreificationofthedivine.Forpreciselythisreason,though,theycandaretospeakofhiminanunprecedented,concretelyanthropomorphicway.IntheIncarnationoftheWord,thispersonalbeingofGod,hisbeingpresent

for us aswell, has transcended all imaginable limitations.His nearness in theSon isa light thatblinds theunbelieverwith its radiance.Only to thebeliever

doestheSongrantaccesstothe“hiddenFather”;heevenmakesitpossibleforthebelievertocallhimbythefamiliarnameof“Abba—dearFather”,asonlyachildwoulddaretoaddresshisfatherwhoisphysicallypresent.Is there any reasonwhy the believer not speak audibly to this Godwho is

absolutelypresent,thatis,whenheisinhisroomwithhimaloneorthinksthathe is alone? Yes, prayer is a time to be on guard against all sorts of vanity.Therefore, during the “prayer” that followed each of the twelve psalms of themorningandeveningoffice,themonksthereforeremained“inperfectsilence”,asJohnCassianreportsfromfirst-handobservation.116Whatmattersinthefinalanalysis, though, is taught by the following saying of Bishop Epiphanius ofSalamisontheisleofCyprus.

He himself said: “The Canaanite woman cried out and was heard,117 and the woman with thehemorrhage remained silentandwas calledblessed.118ThePharisee called [inanaudible voice]andwascondemned,whilethetaxcollectordidnotevenopenhismouthandwasheard.”119

Ultimately it does not depend on whether we pray aloud or silently—be it“togetherwithothersor alonebyourselves”—but insteadonwhetherwepray“inaroutineway”or“withfeeling”,asEvagriussays.120

Thefeeling(αἴσθησις)thataccompaniesprayeris[acertain]seriousness,combinedwithreverence,contrition,andgriefofsoulinacknowledgingone’sfailings“withloudsighs”.121

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Finally,weshouldnotleaveunmentionedanotherreasonforrecitingthepsalmsaloudand,undercertaincircumstances, forprayingout loudaswell—areasonthatmayatfirstseemstrangetomodernmanuntilhehaspersonallyexperiencedthetruthofit.Godisnottheonlyonetohearthevoiceofthepersonpraying;thedemonshearit,too!

Question:WhenIprayorrecitepsalmsandbecauseofthehardnessofmyheartamnotconsciousofthemeaningofwhatissaid,whatgooddoesitdomethen?Answer:Evenifyouarenotconscious[ofthemeaning],thedemonsarestillconsciousofit,andthey hear and tremble! Therefore do not stop reciting psalms and praying, and by and by yourhardnessofheartwillbealleviatedwithGod’shelp.122

The demons are reduced to “trembling” especially by those psalm verses thatspeakaboutthe“enemies”andtheirdestructionbytheLord,forexample,allofthe “imprecatory psalms” that present such great difficulties for modernsensibilities, because their cursing seems tobe irreconcilablewith the spirit of

thegospel.TheFathers,whowerewellaware“thatthejustmanisnotcursingbutpraying,”123spiritualizedthesetextsasamatterofcourseandrelatedthemtothe “enemies” of the human race par excellence, the demons. The latterunderstoodthisquitewellandfearit,whichiswhytheysometimesevenattempttoturnthisweaponbackontheonewhowieldsit,asEvagriusassuresus.

Ihavealsocometorecognizedemonswhocompelustorecite“psalmsandspiritualsongs”124 inwhichpreciselythosecommandmentsarefoundwhichwe—deceived[bythem]—havetransgressed,in order tomock us, when they hear it, asmen “who preach and do not practice”.125 ThereforeDavid,too,says:126“Letnotthegodlessexultoverme.”127

The same reasons that the Fathers had for praying and especially for recitingpsalmsaloudinthisbattle,notonlyagainstevilbutagainsttheevilone,whichthey understood quite concretely, impelled them also to pray silently undercertaincircumstances,aswewillnowsee.

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5.“Atimetokeepsilenceandatimetospeak”(Eccles3:7)

AsmuchastheFatherslikedtoread,recitepsalms,meditate,andevenprayout

loud,oratleastinanaudiblevoice,thiswasbynomeansaruletowhichtheywerebound.Tertullian recommendspraying at all times “in a loweredvoice”,sinceGod is no “hearer of voices, but of hearts”. Prayer that is too loudonlydisturbs the neighbors or, worse still, is tantamount to praying on the streetcorners128 and thus is essentially nothing more than that vain display whichChrist expressly forbade his disciples tomake.129 Clement ofAlexandria alsomakesastatementalongtheselines.

Henceprayeris,toventureanaudaciousexpression,aconversationwithGod.Thereforeifwespeaktohimonlyinawhisperorsilently,withoutevenopeningourlips,westillcallouttohimaloudinourhearts;forGodcontinuouslyhearstheinnervoiceofourheart.130

Godalonehearsthisvoiceoftheheart,infact,sincehealone“knowstheheartsofallmen”.131 Incontrast,notonlyour fellowmenhearourbodilyvoice,butalso the demons, aswe have seen. Itmakes sense, therefore, to conceal fromthemcarefullythecontentofourintimateconversationwithGod.

We pray “in secret” when we make our petitions known to God alone in our heart and with awatchfulmind, in suchmanner that thehostile powers cannot even tellwhat sort of petition it is.Therefore one should pray in the most profound silence, not only so as to avoid distracting thebrothersaroundusbyourwhisperingandcalling,ordisturbingthesentimentsofthosewhoareatprayer, but also so that the purpose of our petition might remain hidden from our enemiesthemselves, who lie in wait for us especially when we pray. In this way, then, we fulfill thecommandment:“Guardthedoorsofyourmouthfromherwholiesinyourbosom.”132

Ofcourse,whattheadversariesoughttoheararethewordsofthepsalms,whichare inspiredby theHolySpiritand insistentlyannounce theirdestruction.Thatwillscarethemandputthemtoflight.ThisiswhatEvagriushasinmindwhenheadvises:

Donotpray,whenyouarebeingtempted,untilyouhavesaidafewwordsinangeragainsttheonewhoisoppressingyou.Becauseyoursoulhasbeenassailedbythoughts,itfollowsthatyourprayer,too,isnotpurewhenitisoffered.Nevertheless,ifinfuryyousaysomethingagainstthem,youthwartanddestroythementalimagesoftheadversary.Indeed,angerusuallyhasthiseffectevenupongoodmentalimages.133

ThecontentofourintimateconversationwithGod,ontheotherhand,oughttoremainhiddenfromthedemons;otherwise theycouldpoison itbitbybitwiththeirtemptations.

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Nevertheless, praying aloud disturbs not only the neighbors but, under certaincircumstances, the one praying, too. Instead of promoting recollection, it canalsohinderit.Indeed,notonlycanmyownvoicebedistracting(thatwouldbethe least of my problems). What proves to be much more distracting andtroublesome over time are my own words and thoughts, which I necessarilymake use ofwhile praying.Although this goes beyond our actual subject,westilloughttospeakbrieflyhereaboutthatsilenceoftheheartaswell,whichistheultimategoalofallourefforts.In his workOn Prayer, Evagrius adopts the beautiful definition of prayer

givenbyClementofAlexandria and inhisownwaymakes itmoreprofound.Prayer isa“conversation(ὁμιλία)withGod”,saysClement.Evagriusadds:“aconversation of the intellect with Godwithout any mediation whatsoever”.134This“trueprayer”thustakesplace immediately;aswewouldsaytoday, it isa“personal”encounterbetweenGodandman.Standinginthewayofthisdesiredimmediacy,nevertheless,arenotonlyour

voices and ourwords but also and above all our “mental images” (νοήματα),insofar as they represent a “mediation” between us andGod. Thismeans notonly the passionate, sinful “thoughts”135 but all thoughts whatsoever aboutcreated things,orevenaboutGodhimself,be theyeversosublime,since theyholdapersonboundtohumanconcerns.136Inaword,manmust“castasideallmentalimages”137ifhewantsto“prayintruth”.This“withdrawal”isastep-by-stepprocesscorrespondingtotheascentinthespirituallife,nota“technique”tobeacquiredsomehow,asoneoftenencounters inmanynon-Christianmethodsof“meditation”.Man,tobesure,doeshisshareinthis,buthecannotaccomplishthis “transcendence” by his own power, because the destination, God, is a“Person”whoinclineshimselftomanwithabsolutefreedom.138

The intellect does not contemplate the “place of God”139 within itself, unless it goes beyond allthoughtsaboutcreatedthings.Howeveritdoesnotgobeyondthemunlessitsetsasidethepassions,whichbindhimtosensiblethingsthroughhisthoughts.Nowitwillsetasidethepassionsthroughthevirtues;merethoughts,140ontheotherhand,hewillsetasidethroughspiritualcontemplation.This,inturn,[hewillsetaside]whenthatlightbeginstoshineforhimwhichrepresentsduringthetimeofprayerthe“placeofGod”.141

The created spirit sees this “light of the Holy Trinity”—the sign of God’spersonal presence—not outside itself, but rather “within itself”, as it is statedexplicitly,namelyinthatintelligible“mirror”whichhehimselfis,byvirtueofbeingcreated“intheimageofGod.”142

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Should this unusual grace of entering the mysterious “place of prayer”143 begranted to anyone, then it is fitting that he adapt his own activity to thisabsolutely new thing. Indeed, he actually does this quite spontaneously, asDiadochosofPhotiketeaches.

Whenthesoulfindsitselfamidstthefullnessofitsnaturalfruits,thenitrecitesthepsalmodywithanevenstrongervoiceanddesires,morethananythingelse, toprayaloud.When,however, theHolySpiritworkswithinit,thenitrecitesthepsalmsverygentlyandlovinglyandpraysintheheartalone.Thefirststateisfollowedbyajoythatisboundupwithmentalimagery;thesecond,byspiritualtearsandthereafteracertainjoyintheheartthatlovessilence.Forbeingmindful[ofGod],whichmaintains itswarmth throughthemoderationof thevoice,enables theheart tobring forth tearful,verygentlethoughts.144

Themastersofthespirituallifeexpresslywarnagainstdisturbingthis“visitationoftheHolySpirit”145bystubbornlyclingingtoone’sownactivityortoanyself-imposed“rule”.Atthismomenttheonlyvalidlawisthatof“thefreedomofthechildrenofGod”,astheEast-SyrianmysticJosephHazzayateaches.

Closeall thedoorsofyourcell,entertheinnerroom,andsitdownindarknessandseclusioninaplace where you do not even hear the song of a bird. Thenwhen the hour for theDivineOfficecomes,beware,donotstandup,lestyoubelikeachildthatinitsignoranceexchangesatalentofgold fora fig that sweetens itsgums foran instant.Butyou, likeawisemerchant,onceyouhavediscoveredthe“pearlofgreatprice”,146donotexchangethisforcontemptiblethingsthatyoufindbefore you at all times, lest you end as did that people which went forth from Egypt and whichdespisedthefoodofthespiritualmannaandcravedtheloathsomefoodoftheEgyptians.147

This freedom even from the Divine Office, which for monks is otherwiseabsolutely obligatory, is valid as long as this divine light shines upon the onewhoispraying.Assoonashedepartsfromthis“place”,anddeparthemust,healsoreturnsinallhumilityandfidelitytohisusualactivitiesagain.148

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Butnotonlythelipshavetobesilentatthe“placeofprayer”!“Silentworshipoftheineffable”149alsomeans,aboveall,silenceofthe“heart”,aswehaveseen,hencethesilenceofallthoughtsaboutGod.Paradoxically,though,thisadoringsilence is not the ultimate thing, as that same East-Syrian Father cited aboveteaches. For if the Holy Ghost leads man further into the light of the HolyTrinity,thereburstsforthinhimfinallyastreamofmysterious“speech”,whichday and night never again runs dry.150 Evagrius describes this astonishing

experienceinthefollowingwords:

Hewho“praysinspiritandintruth”151nolongerhonorstheCreatorfromthecreatures,butratherpraises[God]withhymnsfromwithinHimself.152

This,finally,isthat“conversationwithGodwithoutanymediationwhatsoever”whichwas spoken of earlier. For creatures, however exalted theymay be, arestillalwaysthings[interveningand]mediatingbetweenusandGod.“Spiritandtruth”, though, that is to say, according to the Evagrian interpretation of John4:23, the Persons of the Holy Spirit and of the only begotten Son,153 are notcreatures but rather “God fromGod”, as theCreed of theSecondEcumenicalCouncil[theCouncilofConstantinople](381)teaches.Onewhothrough“trueand“spiritualprayerhasbecomea“theologian”inthe

strict senseof theword,154 therefore,praises theFather at thehighest levelofprayer “without any mediation whatsoever”—neither of a creature nor of amental representation or contemplation—immediately, through the Spirit andtheSon!Hehasbecomea“theologian”,becausenowhenolongerspeaksaboutGodfromhearsay,butratherbearswitnesstotheHolyTrinityonthebasisofhisintimatefamiliarity.155If“eternallife”consistsinthefactthatwe“know[theFather,]theonlytrue

GodandJesusChristwhom[hehas]sent”,156 then theprayer“inspiritand intruth”isagenuineforetasteofthiseschatologicalblessedness.

ChapterIV

PrayerGestures

Today one often hears the reproach that Christianity—supposedly “hostiletowardthebody”—assignstoolittleimportancetothebodyinthespirituallife.Onemissesallofthosefinelyhoned“methods”ofsitting,breathing,andsoon,whicharesocharacteristicofthereligionsoftheFarEast.Thereisalongingtogetawayfromtheemphasison“thehead”inthespirituallifeandtoprayinstead“withthebody”.Thereproachisbasedinpartonamisunderstanding,asthoughtheChristian

“methods”had tobe absolutelyof the same sort as thoseof thenon-Christianreligions,andinpartonignorance.“Iwasastonished...atallthattheancientsalready knew and wondered how much of it their descendants forgot.” Thisexclamationofsurprise,whichescapedfromF.J.Dölgerwhilehewasreadingabookfromthebeginningoftheseventeenthcentury,1bestdescribesthegradualneglectofallthattheFathersonceknew—andputintopractice.Forourspirituallife—in theWest—hasbynomeansalwaysbeensodevoidofprayergesturesand the like as is unfortunately the case today.All the gestures that the East-Syrian mystic Joseph Busnaya (d. 979) once enumerated, and which we willdiscussindetailinthefollowingchapter,wereatonetimethecommonpropertyofEastandWest.

The bows, the stretching out [of the hands] during theDivineOffice, the continual genuflectionsduringprayer,conferonthemonk,duringtheconstantstandingoftheOfficeinthepresenceofGod,humblingandabasementofthemind,warmthoftheheart,purificationofthebody,ardorofthesoul,anddiligenceinthought.Forwithoutprostrations,bows,stretchingoutthehands,andgenuflections,theOfficeofthebrotherswillberoutine,cold,andshallow,aswillbetheprayerssaidduringit.Devoteyourselfthereforetothesethings,myson,withallyourstrength,forcefully,ardently,andcourageously,sothatyourofferingmightbepleasingtoGod.2

Liturgical scholars know quite well that these words could also have beenwritten by aWestern author from theMiddle Ages. Recall, for example, the“NineWaysofPrayerofSaintDominic”.Onecan recognizeonan illustratedmanuscriptmany different gestures, including deep bows, prostrations (venia),genuflections,standing,prayingwithhandsoutstretchedintheformofacross,meditation while sitting—in each case facing a crucifix that is placed on the

easternwallofthecell.Forvariousreasonsthisentirewealthofbodilyexpressionshasbeenlostbit

bybitsincethebeginningofthesecondmillennium,untilinmoderntimesonlykneelingremained.Uptothepresent, indeed,thefaithfulkneltbothduringthepublicworshipoftheliturgyandalsoduringprivateprayer,preferablyonaprie-dieuor“kneeler”speciallyconstructedforthepurpose.Inrecenttimes,however,thesekneelershavedisappearedfrommanychurchesand,withthem,thecustomofkneelingtopray.

Letuslookatwhatthe“original,unwrittentraditionoftheChurchhasinstoreforusinthewayofprayergestures,andinwhatspirittheholyFathersmadeuseofthem!

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1.“Riseandpray”(Lk22:46)

ModernmanintheWesternworld,howevermuchhevaluessportsandphysicalactivity,hasbecomeasedentarycreatureinthespirituallife.Notonlydoeshesitmostofthetimeinservicesofpublicworship;healsospendshismomentsof

privatemeditation comfortable and relaxedon a cushionor a small stool, in asittingposture.What a difference between that and the characteristic posture for prayer of

meninbiblicaltimes,andalsoofthefathers!Notsittingincomfort,butratherstanding at the cost of some effort is the hallmark of the onewho prays. He“standsinthehouseoftheLord,inthecourtsofthehouseofourGod”3and“inhis holy place”,4 whether he is a self-righteous Pharisee or a remorseful taxcollectorwhoscarcelydarestostandatadistance.5Hence Christ, too, as a matter of course exhorts his disciples: “Rise and

pray.”6Orhewarnsthemnottopraylikethehypocrites,who“lovetostandandpray . . . at the street corners, that theymay be seen bymen”.7 Accordingly,Mark11:25doesnotsayinageneralway,“Whenyoupray”,assomeversionshaveit,butratherverydefinitely:“Wheneveryoustandpraying”.

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The early Church carried on the biblical and apostolic tradition without anybreak.

Afterthemealoneshouldgetuptopray,

itsaysintheApostolicTraditionofHippolytusofRome(atthebeginningofthethirdcentury).8Thereferencehereistothecommonprayeraftertheagape,orconvivialmeal thatwas connectedwith the celebration of theEucharist; eventodayChristiansusuallystanduptoprayaftereating.TheFathersandthegreatmasters of the spiritual life, however, considered personal prayer to be nodifferentinthisrespect.

Itwasalsosaid[ofAbbaArsenios]thatonSaturdayevening,astheLord’sdaybegan,heletthesunsetbehindhimandstretchedouthishandstoheaveninprayer,untilthesunshoneagaininhisface.Thenhewouldsitdown.9

Arsenios theGreat, a high official of theByzantine court before he became astrictasceticintheEgyptiandesert,wasfurthermoreoftheopinionthatamonk,if hewas a good fighter, should be able to dowith one hour of sleep. . .10 Itshouldbenoted that the textcitedabovedescribes thenightbefore theLord’sday,whichthemonks—and,originally,theearlyChristiansingeneral—usedtospendinwatchingandpraying,thuswaitingforthereturnofChrist.Standingtopray,however,isthegeneralpractice.AnthonytheGreatlearnedfromanangel

howamonkcouldavoidboredom,eventhoughhelivedincontinualseclusioninhiscell.Heworkssittingdownandgetsupatregularintervals,soastopraywhilestanding.11Theexamplescouldbemultipliedindefinitely;letonesufficehere.

OnceAbraham,thediscipleofAbbaSisoes,wastemptedbyademon,andtheeldersawthathehadgivenway.Atthathestoodup,liftedhishandsuptoheaven,andsaid,“OGod,whetheryouwillitornot,Iwillnotletyoualoneuntilyouhavehealedhim!”Andimmediatelyhewashealed.12

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Thegeneralcustomofstandinguptopray,naturally,doesnotmeanthatoneisallowedtoprayonlywhilestanding.

Still,asweemphasize, thismust takeplaceasamatterofcoursewhenever thereareno[special]circumstances;forinsomecircumstancesitispermittedtoprayevenwhilesittinginasuitablewayifone issuffering fromafootailment that isnot trifling,orelse lyingdownonaccountof feverorsimilarillnesses;furthermoreitispermittedonaccountofspecialcircumstances,forexample,whenwe travel by ship, or when the situation does not allow us to withdraw and perform our duty ofpraying—thenitispermissibletoprayevenwithoutgivingthe[outward]appearanceofdoingso.13

Theseobvious,common-senseexceptionsonlyprove thegeneral rule:HewhowantstopraytoGodnormallydoessostanding.Nodifferentwastheopinionofthemasters of the spiritual life, even though onemight expect that they usedspecial“methods”thatwerenotthegeneralcustom.TheonlybodilyposturethatEvagrius,forinstance,appearstoknowofatallinhisfamous153ChaptersonPrayer is “standing during prayer”.14 All of the astonishing things that themonkparticipatesin“duringthetimeofprayer”,includingthe“stateofprayer”(κατάστασιςπροσευχῆς)itself,occurwhenhe“standstopray”.Thisholdstrueeven at the level of the Evagrian “mysticism” of prayer; the goal of all themonk’sefforts,afterall,istobring“toastandstill”theintellect,whichbynatureisextremelymobile.15

Amanbound in chains cannot run,nor canan intellect enslaved to thepassions see theplaceofspiritualprayer.Indeed,itisdraggedoffbypassionatethoughtsandhasnofixedplacetostand.16

These “passionate thoughts” destroy the desired “state of prayer”17 and thusprevent the one who prays “from reaching out to his Lord unswervingly andholdingaconversationwithhimwithoutanymediation”.18

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Thequestion thusarises:Whydoes themanof theBiblepraywhilestanding?Why do the Fathers also, as a rule, stand up to pray? The question is notunfounded,consideringthatWesternerstodayoftendonotevenkneelanymoreto pray, and many consciously assume the most relaxed, comfortable posturetheycan,whereasOrthodoxChristians today—inpublicworshipat theDivineLiturgy and also in private prayer—still prefer to pray standing. The Fathers,too,gavethoughttothisquestionataveryearlydate.

Nor may anyone doubt that of the countless postures (κατάστασις) of the body, the posture withhandsoutstretchedandeyesupliftedistobepreferredtoall[theothers],becauseonethencarriesinthe body too, as itwere, the image (εἰκών)of that special conditionwhich befits the soul duringprayer.19

This remarkofOrigen isof fundamental significanceandapplies toallprayermethods and gestures; indeed, he mentions several of them. Between the“specialcondition”ofthesoulduringprayerandthepostureofthebodythatwethenassume,theremustbeaperfectcorrespondence.WhatTertulliansaysaboutthe sacraments, about the relation between visible, corporeal actions andinvisible, spiritual workings of grace, can be applied also to prayer and itsgestures:

Thebodyiswashedsothat thesoulmaybefreedfromitsstains; thebodyisanointed,sothat thesoul too may be consecrated; the body is signed [with the cross], so that the soul too may bestrengthened[protected].”20

Like sacramental actions, methods and gestures in prayer must also bemeaningful,thatistosay,thebodymustreproducevisiblywhatistakingplacein the soul. As it is understood in the Bible, standing to pray is the bodilyexpressionoftheprofoundreverenceofthecreaturebeforetheexaltedmajestyofitsCreator,inwhosepresenceeventheangelsstand.21Fortheinferiorstandsup to greet the superior and remains standing as long as the latter is present.ThusforexampleAbrahamstandsbeforeGodwhenthelatterspeakswithhim,knowingfullwellthatheisonly“dustandashes”.22The outward posture, however, does not only give bodily expression to the

interior attitude, italsohasan immediateeffectupon thisdisposition.Withouttheeffortofstanding—andoftheotherprayergestures,whichwillbediscussedlater—ourprayerwillnever attain theproper fervor, said JosephBusnaya,butwillremain“routine,cold,andshallow”.Thus there is a genuine reciprocity between one’s internal disposition and

externalposture.Thisisthe“specialproperty”ofthesoul,whichinthebody’s

posturecreates, so tospeak,a suitable“icon”of itself,which thereforealwaysprecedesit,asOrigensaysinthisconnection.Oncesuchavisiblerepresentationexists, though—once a suitable gesture has been formed and has become a“tradition”inthecourseofsalvationhistory,thentheindividualcannotforgoitwithout harming his “interior condition”. Bymaking it his own, on the otherhand,and“practicing”itdiligently,heformsandstrengthenswithinhimselfthatsame interior disposition that once created the gesture, as Joseph Busnayateaches.At a time when the Church is especially emphasizing and promoting the

introduction of the biblical message into the different cultures that make uphumanity, the obviously supratemporal meaning attributed to those externalaspects of prayer will probably cause consternation for many people.Nevertheless, theFathersevidentlysawnoproblemwith this.The testimonies,whichcouldbemultipliedadlibitum,datefromdifferentepochsandoriginateinthemostvariedculturalregions.Culturallyconditioneddifferencesofsensibilityseem to be of no importance for either theLatinTertullian or theEast-SyrianJoseph Busnaya. However much the Fathers were ready to adopt existingcustomsor else togive aChristianmeaning to them, theywerenotwilling torenounce those special things in particular that had entered into the history ofmankind with revelation. For in Christ there is “neither Greek nor Jew . . .neither barbarian nor Scythian”,23 and hence all cultural barriers have beenlowered.Forthisreason,whenitcomestoaconflict,biblicaltraditionbecomesa fearlesscritiqueof culture aswell.Thus, for example, the rigoristTertulliandoes not want to grant any validity at all to the heathen custom, found alsoamongtheChristians,ofsittingdownafterprayer.

Ifitshowsdisrespecttositdowninthepresenceofsomeonegreatlyfearedandhonored,howmuchmoreissuchconductquiteirreligiousinthepresenceofthelivingGod,whenconsideringtheangelof prayer is still standing there,24 unlesswe are remonstratingwithGod because the prayer hasweariedus!25

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For the Christian, standing reverently before God in prayer means that he isawarethatinthePersonofGodhehasarealinterlocutorwhoismostcertainlypresent.Heknowsfromrevelation thathehimself isacreatedperson—atruththat he never experiences except in the encounterwith the absolute Person ofGod,eventhoughitmayforeversurpasshiscomprehension.Where this revealedknowledgeof thepersonal natureofGod is absent, for

instance in paganism, where the gods are never anything more than

personifications of impersonal divinity, man assumes another attitudeautomatically.Thisisalsotruewherethisonce-accessibleknowledgedisappearsor evaporates into a false feeling of “inwardness”. Then the personspontaneouslymakesthingsascomfortableaspossibleforhimselfwheneverhedevotes his attention to this “divinity”. How far we have today often strayedfromthespiritofSacredScriptureandtheFathersmaybeillustratedbyatextofEvagriusthemystic.

WhenyougotostandinprayerbeforeGod,theAlmightyCreator,whoseprovidenceembracesall,whyintheworlddoyouplaceyourselfbeforehimsoirrationallythatyouoverlookthefearofhim,which surpasses everything, and are frightened by gnats and beetles?Or have you not heard thesaying,“Youshall fear theLord,yourGod,”26andagain:“[Fear]him,before themighty faceofwhomallthingsquakeandtremble”andsoon?27

The one who praysmust not allow anything to divert him from this reverentstandingbeforeGod:neitherdemonicappearances,whicharenothingmorethanbothersome“gnatsandbeetles”,28nor theawarenessofourownweaknessandsinfulness.Fortheadversariesmakeuseofthesesameevilthoughts,whichtheywhisperintoourears,

inordertodrawusawayfromprayer,sothatwemightnolongerstandbeforetheLordnordaretostretchoutourhandstohim,againstwhomwehadsuchthingsinmind.29

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2. “Let the lifting up ofmy hands be before thee as an evening sacrifice” (Ps140:2)

Thefundamentalbiblicalattitudeofprayer,aswehaveseen,isstandingbeforeGod.YettheFathersdidnotjuststandthere;atthesametimetheyalsolifteduptheir hands to heaven. The earlyChristiansmust have felt that this gesture ofprayer—manibusextensis,withoutstretchedhands—wassotypicalofthemthatthey preferred to be portrayed as orantes, as countless examples of earlyChristianiconographytestify.However,becausewearedealingherewithaverycommon but by no means exclusively Christian gesture, we will have to askwhatparticularmeaningtheChristiansassignedtoit.

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Whereas the pagan—and also the apostate—throws himself down to worshipbeforeanidol30andliftsuphishandstothis“strangegod”invain31sincethis

muteobjectfashionedbyhisownhandsislesscapableofhelpingthananothermanwouldbe,thebelieverliftsuphishandsonly“inthenameofGod”,32who“createdheavenandearth”andisabletodoeverythingthathewills.33Hedoesthis also “in thenight”whenhe“cries aloud toGod”34 inhisdistress.Henotonly “lifts up” his hands; he “stretches them out”,35 when his “soul, like aparched land,”36 thirsts for the living water of God. And because God hascommunicated himself toman completely in hisword, in his commandments,theonewhoprays stretcheshishandsout figuratively—imploring,yearning—towardthesemanifestationsofthedivinewillalso,“whichheloves”.37

Thegestureofliftingupone’shandsinprayer,then,wascustomaryforthemanoftheBiblefromtheverybeginning38andthereforeChristandtheapostlesalsoprayedaccordingly.ThusPaul, for example, admonishes the faithful “in everyplace. . . [to] pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling”.39 Suchprayer, even in theOldCovenant, is a substitute for allmaterial sacrifices. It“ascendslikeincense”toGod,and“theliftingupofmyhands”istohim“asaneveningsacrifice”.40Like the lifting upof the eyes,whichwill be discussed later, stretchingout

one’shandsisalsotheexpressionofanintimateandquitepersonalrelationship

of thecreaturewithhisCreator. Inadditionthisgesturegivesadirection,as itwere, to prayer. For the one praying lifts up his hands “to heaven” as thesymbolic “place” of God, or else to the temple as the place of his presenceamong his people in the course of salvation history.41 Christians go even onestepfartherbyturning,notonlytowardheaven,butalsotowardthe“orient”,aswehaveseen.TheearlyFatherswerewell awareof the symbolicmeaningof thisgesture,

which is somovingon a human level aswell.Thus, for example,Clement ofAlexandriawritesatthebeginningofthethirdcentury:

Thatiswhywealsoraiseourheadtowardtheheights[whilepraying]andstretchoutourhandstoheavenand,whilerecitingtheconcludingwordsoftheprayertogether,standontip-toe,inthatwayseekingtofollowtheyearningofthemindupwardintothespiritualworld.Afterwehaveraisedoursoultotheheights—asoultowhichlonginghaslentwings42—wetryatthesametime,throughthewordsthatwehavespoken,tofreethebodyfromtheearth,andwestrainwithallourmighttoreach“thesanctuary”43bydespisingthebondsoftheflesh.44

Or,toputitinOrigen’swords:

Normayanyonedoubtthatofthecountlessposturesofthebody,theposturewithhandsoutstretchedandeyesupliftedistobepreferredtoall[theothers],becauseonethencarriesinthebodytoo,asitwere,theimageofthatspecialconditionthatbefitsthesoulduringprayer.45

Itisoftensaidnowadaysthatonemustalso“praywiththebody”,andthereforemuch importance is ascribed to the corresponding “techniques”. What theFathersmeant, though,wassomethingdifferent.Thebodydoesnotstand,asitwere,onitsownbesidethesoul.Rather, thetwomakeupaperfectunity.Thewholemanprays, bodyand soul,whereby thebody, so to speak,provides thesoulwithamediumthroughwhichitcanmakevisibleits“specialcondition”—inthiscaseitsstrivingforGod,whichisinvisibleinandofitself.Andthisisnoinsignificant thing,asweshallsee,becausethis“embodiment”keepstheinnerdispositionfromevaporatingintosomethinginsubstantial.

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Theliftingupof thehandswassoobviouslyconnectedwithprayer that in theearly Scriptures it can be simply synonymouswith praying. The Fatherswerewell aware, however, that this was by no means a matter of an exclusivelyChristiangesture.NotonlytheJews,butalsothepagans,afterall,lifteduptheirhandsinprayer—prayernotnecessarilydirectedtotheiridols,at that.ClementofAlexandria,forexample,doesnothesitatetoreporthowthemythicalÆacus,

sonofZeusandamodelofmeeknessandpiety,causedashowerofraintofalluponthearidlandbyliftinguphis“purehands”.46HencetheFathersconsidereditparticularlyimportanthere,asinthecaseofotherreligiouscustomscommontoallmankind,topointoutitsspecificallyChristianmeaning,evenwhenitwasaquestionofgestures thatwerealreadycharacteristicof thepeopleof theOldCovenant.

Moses,thehierophant,47putAmalektoflightwhenhe,imitatingChristwhostretchedouthishandson theCross,heldhisstaff sidewayswithbothhands.48That iswhywe, too, ifwestretchoutourhandsinprayer,willvanquishSatan.IftheholymanMoseshadheldouthisstaffstraightaheadandnotsideways,howwouldhishandshavebecomeheavy then, so thatheneededAaronandHur toholduphishandsontherightandontheleft49[Therefore]itishelpfultoprayatmosttimes[withhandsspreadout]intheformofacross.ForinthatwayweareblessedbyGod50andwealsoblessothers.ThedivineMoses,too,blessedthepeopleat the consecration of the tabernacle and at the installation of his own brother as priest, whilestretchingouthishandstoheavenintheformofacross.51

Thisgesture,however,wasnotonlyfirmlyrootedinthesalvationhistoryoftheOldCovenant (even though the fulldepthof itsmeaningwas revealedonly inthe New Covenant); the Fathers found it mysteriously prefigured even in theorderofcreationitself.

Indeed,alltheangelspray,too.Everysortofcreatureprays:thecattleandthewildanimalspray.52They,too,bendtheirknee,andwhentheycomeoutoftheirstallsortheirlairs,theydonotlookuptoheavenwithanidlemouth,butrathermakethebreathmove,eachinitsownway.Thebirds,whentheycomeoutoftheirnests,setoutinthedirectionofheaven,andinsteadofhandstheyspreadouttheirwingsintheformofacrossandsaysomethingthatmightseemtobeaprayer.53

Similarly, Clement of Alexandria also saw in the direction of the axis of theoldest pagan temple a wondrous “orientation” (inadvertent on the part of thepagansthemselves)ofmentowardthetrue“orient”,Christ.54

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This idea of “prefiguration” and “fulfillment” is profoundly biblical, as theGospels teachus.Paul saw in the events andpersonagesof theOldCovenant“figures”or“types”(τύποι),the“realization”ofwhichcameonlywiththeNewCovenant.55 In this sense the Fathers saw in Moses, who prayed with armsoutstretched in the form of a cross and conquered Amalek in this strenuousposture, a prefigurement of Christ, who conquered spiritual “Amalekites”, thedemons,ontheCross.Thedemons,too,graspthisquitewell,andthereforethey

usealltheirmachinationstoforcesomeonewhoisprayingtolethisarmssink,asEvagriusreportsabout“oneofthesaints”.“He,however,neverloweredhisarmsuntil hehadended the customaryprayers.”56 Indeed,bothof themknewvery well what happens when someone praying intercedes in this way in thepostureoftheCrucified.

AbbaLotwenttoAbbaJosephandsaidtohim:“Abba,accordingtomystrength,Irecitemylittleoffice and carry outmy little fasts, prayer,meditation, seclusion, and according tomy strength Ipurifymyselfofmythoughts.WhatelsemustIdo?”Thentheelderstoodup,spreadouthishandstoward heaven, and his fingers became like ten burning lamps. And he said to him: “If youwill,becometotallylikefire!”57

This is the “burning prayer”, as Evagrius58 and John Cassian59 call it, whichmakesman into an “angel”60 (since an angel consistsmostly of “fire”)61 andfreeshimfromeveryearthlything,soastoplacehim,likeanangel,“beforethefaceofGod”.62

ThestorywastoldofAbbaTithoes[thatis,Sisoes]thatwhenhestoodinprayer,hisspiritwouldbesnatched up into the heights if he did not lower his arms quickly. Now when it happened thatbrothersprayedwithhim,hehastenedtolowerhishandsquickly,sothathisspiritwouldnotberaptandwouldnotlinger[intheheights].63

3. “To thee I lift up my eyes, O thou who art enthroned in the heavens” (Ps122:1)

Thegestureofstretchingoutone’shandsisaccompaniedby“liftingone’seyes”toheaven,asisalreadyapparentfromseveraltexts.ItsmeaningbecomesclearfromthewaythatScriptureitselfuseslanguage.Thematerial“heaven”orskyisonly a symbol of God’s “place”, since in reality he is enthroned “above theheavens of the heavens”64 The gesture is intended for God himself. The onepraying directs his spiritual eyes—and hence his bodily eyes as a sign of that—“evertowardtheLord&lrdquo;,65justastheeyesofservantsarefixedonthehandsoftheirmasterandtheeyesofamaidareonthehandsofhermistress,66soastobeofserviceattheslightestsignofcommand.Liftingupone’seyestoheavenandfixingone’sgazeontheLord,therefore,

isbothasignofintimatefamiliaritywiththeLord,whoisknowntobepresent,and also a sign ofwillingattention. Hence it is recorded inmany places thatChrist, too,whoasmanprayedmightilyandwas theexampleforallChristianprayer,“raisedhiseyestoheaven”whenhewantedtopresentapetitiontohisFather. It was so at the healing of the deaf-mute,67 at the miraculousmultiplication of the loaves,68 at the raising of Lazarus,69 and finally at thebeginningofhisfarewellprayer,whenJesusaskedhisFatherto“glorify”him.70InourLord’s case thegestureof liftingup the eyes thus acquires a stirring

solemnity; after all it is the expression of that utterly unique relationship thatexists between the Son and his Heavenly Father. Only “in Christ” does theChristian actually dare, like him, to “lift up his eyes to heaven,” just as “inChrist”alonehedarestosay:OurFatherinheaven!

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Like other gestures of men of the Bible, lifting up the eyes was carried onuninterruptedly from biblical times into the tradition of the early Church as alastingcomponentofChristianprayer.Howcouldithavebeenotherwise,sincethe Fathers still read Sacred Scripture from a perspective quite different fromours!

Davidsays:“TotheeIliftupmyeyes,Othouwhoartenthronedintheheavens”,71and:“Tothee,OLord,Iliftupmysoul.”72Forwhenthe“eyes”ofthespiritare“raised”,distancethemselvesfromdealingwith earthly thingsand frompermeationwithall-too-worldly ideas, anddirect themselvestowardsuchaheightthattheylookevenbeyondcreationandstriveonlytocontemplateGodandtocarryonaworthyandfittingconversationwithhim,whoislistening:Howcouldthisnotbringabout

thegreatestbenefitforthese[souls]themselves,[whoraisetheir]“eyes”,“whowithunveiledfacebehold the glory of the Lord as in a mirror”, and “are changed into his likeness from glory toglory”?73Fortheyparticipatetheninacertainspiritualemanationofadivinesort,whichisclearfromthepassage:“Letthelightofthycountenancebesigneduponus,OLordI”74

Theunderlyingthoughtisbynowfamiliartous:Theexternalgestureisonlythereflectionoftheinteriordisposition,whichisafterallthesoleconcern.Liftingupone’seyestoheaven, thesymbolic“place”ofGod,makesthebodyintoan“icon”,75 a representation of “the mind’s upward striving into the spiritualworld”.76Infact,thisisbeingtruetotheApostle’sadmonition:

IfthenyouhavebeenraisedwithChrist,seekthethingsthatareabove,whereChristis,seatedattherighthandofGod.Setyourmindsonthethingsthatareabove,notonthingsthatareonearth.Foryouhavedied[towhatisearthly],andyourlifeishidwithChristinGod.77

Setting one’s sights “on the things that are above”, therefore, has the samemeaning as facing east topray: it is turning toward theLord! Just as the soulturns to the Lord in prayer, because as a created personal being it has in thePersonofGodagenuine interlocutor, so toodoes thehumanperson at prayerturnhisbodilycountenance,the“mirror”ofthesoul,towardtheLord.

Whereverwemaybe,evenwhenwearewalkingalongtheroad,wemustpraytoGodwithourwholeheart.Letusdevoteourselves toprayer,witharmsspreadout in the formofacross, reciting theprayerthatisrecordedintheGospel[i.e.,theOurFather],andkeepingtheeyesofourheartandofour body turned toward the Lord, as it is written: “To thee I lift up my eyes, O thou who artenthronedintheheavens!Behold,astheeyesofservantslooktothehandoftheirmaster.”78

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Ifthemonkissupposedtoprayeverywhereaswell,“whetheratgatheringsforprayer . . . or in the houses, in everyplace, whether in the fields or in thecongregation”,79 thenstandingconspicuouslywitharmsspreadout in theformofacrossandothergesturesofthissortaretobereserved,rather,forthehiddenprayerinthe“room”.

Forthosewhohavenotyetattainedthetrueprayeroftheheart,thepainofbodilyprayercomestotheirassistance.BywhichImean:stretchingoutthehands,beatingthebreast,apurelookinguptoheaven, loud sighing, unceasing genuflections—all of which is often not possible for us, though,becauseofthosewhoarepresent.80

Amongthesegestures thatarenotsuitable inpublic,becausetheycouldeasilyarouse the curiosity of others, or at times even their amazement, and thus

becomeacauseofvainglory,perhapsonly“apurelookinguptoheaven”istobeexcluded. For this gesture not only takes the place of standing with handsuplifted; it is furthermore so inconspicuous in andof itself that theuninitiatedpersonscarcelyunderstandsitsmeaning,andour“spiritualactivity”inthiswayremainshidden.

AbbaJakobossaid:“IoncewenttoBaleostovisitAbbaIsidoros,theonefromNezare,andfoundhimwritingwhileseatedinhisdwelling.Iremainedforawhilewithhimandobservedhowheoftenraisedhiseyestoheaven,withoutmovinghis lips;neitherwashisvoicetobeheard.Iaskedhim:What are you doing,my father?He answeredme:Don’t you knowwhat I am doing?Not at all,Abba,Isaid.Thenheanswered:Ifyoudonotknowthat,Jakobos,youhavenotyetbeenamonkforevenaday!See,thisiswhatIamsaying:Jesus,havemercyonme!Jesus,helpme!Ipraisethee,myLord!”81

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There are moments in the life of every man, however, when he suddenlybecomes painfully aware ofwhat a privilege it actually is to raise his eyes toGod—atthosemomentswhenhis“faceiscoveredwithshame”82andhehaslosthis familiar boldness through a sin, an offense against God. Then, evenafterward,hedoesnotfeellikestandingbeforeGodandliftinguphishandstohim.Rather he falls onhis knees, and like the tax collectorwhodidnot evendare to “lift up his eyes to heaven”, remorsefully beats his breast, that is, theplace of the heart, out of which come evil thoughts,83 and says, “O God, bemercifultome,asinner!”84Liftinguptheeyesandlookingtowardheaveninthiscasewouldnotbeasign

of intimacy with God, but rather the expression of insolent audacity. In thissensethepsalmistspeaksof“themanofhaughtylooks”85andprotests,“OLord,my heart is not lifted up [proudly], my eyes are not [insolently] raised toohigh.”86 The Fathers did not fail to note this distinction, either.Humility is aregularpartoftheirdoctrineonprayer.

On theotherhand,we recommendourpetitions toGod inamuchbetterwaywhenwepraywithmodestyandhumility,withoutevenoncestretchingoutourhandstoohigh,butrathermerelyliftingthemupmoderatelyanddecorously,andnotlookinguptooconfidentlyeither.Thewell-knowntaxcollectorwho,whenheprayed,showedhumilityandsubmission,notonlyinhispetitionbutalsoinhis comportment, went away from there more justified than the insolent Pharisee. One’s tone ofvoice, too, must be subdued; otherwise what sort of voice would be necessary if being hearddependedonhowloudonecouldspeak?Goddoesnotlistentovoices,buttotheheart,whichhealsoscrutinizes.87

Likewise the master of prayer Evagrius, too, recommends “keeping the eyes

lowered during prayer”88 and, with more attention to the “quality” than the“quantity”,89“prayingnotpharisaically,butlikethetaxcollector”90

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But wait: the Christian, in spite of everything, must not allow himself to berobbedofthat“confidence”(παῥῤησία)thathasbeengrantedtohiminChrist.91Thatiswhatthetempteraimstodo,however,byurgingafalsehumilityuponus.

Thedemon,whodrives the intellect to blasphemyagainstGodand to those forbidden imaginingsthatIdarenotevencommittowriting,shouldnottroubleusordestroyoureagerness.FortheLordisa“searcherofhearts”,92andheknowsthat,whilewearestillintheworld,wecouldnevergiveourselvesovertosuchmadness.Thegoalofthisdemonistodrawusawayfromprayer,sothatwemightnolongerstandbeforetheLordordaretostretchoutourhandstohim,againstwhomwehadsuchthingsinmind.93

In this, as in similar cases, “one should not listen to them, but rather do theopposite[ofwhatthedemonsaresuggesting].”94

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4.“Hekneltdownandprayed”(Acts9:40)

Ifstanding,then,issotospeakthebasicpostureofthoseintheBiblewhopray,it is still by no means the only posture. There are moments when the onlyappropriateposturebeforeGodis“bendingtheknee”.ThusthemanoftheBiblekneels,forinstance,whenhewantstobeseechGodforsomething.95PeterkneelsdownwhenheasksthatDorcas,whohasjustdied,bereawakened;96Paulandthe elders of the congregation do the same before the Apostle’s dramaticdeparture fromMiletus,97 and again when bidding farewell to the brothers inTyre.98 In the same way Paul bows his knee during his solemn intercessoryprayerinEphesians3:14-21.

Thesick,99orelsetheirrelatives,100begJesusforhealingontheirknees.Buttherichman,too,whowantstofollowChristfallstohiskneesbeforehimwithhisrequest.101Finally,Christ himself in theGardenofGethsemanebegs hisFather on his

knees toallowthecupofsuffering, ifpossible, topasshimby.Preciselywhatgesture is meant here and in many passages of later texts, however, is notentirely clear! For according toLuke 22:41,Christ “knelt down”;Mark 14:35says that he “fell on the ground”,whereasMatthew26:39 says “on his face”.Bendingbothkneesinfactoftenleadstoafull-lengthprostrationontheground.Wewillexaminethisverycharacteristicprayerpostureinthefollowingsection.Like standing, the bending of one knee [or both] also expresses profound

reverence, whether it be sincere102 or feigned, as when the Roman soldiersmocked Christ.103 Bending the knee is a visible sign of acknowledging themajestyoftheonebeforewhomoneperformsthisreverence.

Tomeeverykneeshallbow,everytongueshallswear.OnlyintheLord,itshallbesaidofme,arerighteousnessandstrength.104

AswasthecustomforthemanoftheBible,sotooitwaswiththeFathers,forwhomasamatterofcoursetheexampleoftheformerwasstillthenorm.

Insayingthis[thatis,thatoneshouldpraywhilestanding]webynomeansintendtodoawaywiththepiousandbeautiful[customof]bendingtheknee!FortheprophetDaniel,too,madesupplicationtoGodbygettingdownuponhiskneesatthethird,sixth,andninthhour.105

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Sincestandingtoprayalsoexpressesreverenceandattentiverecollection,asisfittingforacreatureinanencounterwithhisCreator,thispostureisnotwithoutdignity. Nevertheless there are moments when man forfeits this dignity andstandingbeforeGodaswellasliftinguptheeyeswouldsignifyinsolenceratherthanreverence.ThereforemanquitespontaneouslykneelsonthegroundbeforeGodwhenhewantstoaskforforgivenessofhissins.

Furthermoreoneoughttoknowthat,whensomeoneaccuseshimselfbeforeGodofhisownsinsandwantstobegforhealingandforgiveness,kneelingisnecessary;foritservesasadistinguishingmarkoftheonewhohumblesandsubmitshimself.ForPaulsays:“ForthisreasonIbowmykneesbeforetheFather,fromwhomeveryfamilyinheavenandonearthisnamed.”106 Thespiritualbendingof theknee,however, socalledbecauseeveryexisting thinghumblesandlowersitselfbeforeGod“intheNameofJesus”,seemstometobeindicatedbytheApostleinthesewords:“that at the nameof Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven andon earth andunder theearth.”107But thewordof the prophet, also,“Tome every knee shall bow”,108means the samething.109

Thusbendingtheknee,inthesamewayasstanding,expressesinthebody“theimageofthatspecialconditionthatbefitsthesoulduringprayer”,110namely,the“humblingandabasementofthespirit”,asJosephBusnayasaid.

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Sincebendingthekneeisprincipally—butbynomeansexclusively—agestureof humiliation and therefore also of repentance, it is understandable that it isreserved forspecified times.For time, too,gainsanewdimension through thefulfillmentofsalvationhistoryinChristandacquiresthecharacterofasignthatisdirectedtowardthisfulfillment.OnlythisrelationtoChristmakesaperhapsuniversallyhumangestureintoaspecificallyChristiangesture.

Question:IfbendingthekneeduringprayersbringsthosewhoprayclosertoGodthanprayingwhilestandinganddrawsdownmoreplentifully thedivinecompassion,whythendothosewhopraynotbendthekneeontheLord’sdayandfromEasteruntilPentecost?Andwheredidthiscustominthechurchesoriginate?

Answer:Itisbecauseweneedtobemindfulatalltimesofbothfacts:bothofourfallintosinsandalsoofthegraceofourChrist,throughwhichwehaverisenfromourfall.Thereforeourbendingthekneeonthesixdays[oftheweek]isasymbolofourfallintosin.ThefactthatwedonotbendthekneeontheLord’sday,however,isasymboloftheResurrection,throughwhichwe,bythegraceofChrist,havebeenfreedbothfromsinsandalsofromdeath,whichwasputtodeathbyhim.Thiscustomhaditsorigininapostolictimes,asblessedIrenaeus,martyrandbishopofLyons,saysintheworkOnthePasch,111inwhichhealsomentionstheseasonofPentecost,duringwhichwedonotbendthekneebecauseitisequaltotheLord’sday,forthesamereasonthathasbeengivenforthatday.112

The custom of not bending the knee on Sunday and during the entire Easterseason until Pentecost is one of those “original, unwritten traditions” of theapostles,which formerlywere common toEast andWest butwhich today areonlypreservedintheEast.

Accordingtothetradition,wemust,onlyonthisdayoftheResurrectionoftheLord,refrainnotonlyfromthis,butalsofromeveryattitudeandpracticeinspiredbyanxiety,...likewiseintheseasonofPentecost,whichwedistinguishwiththeselfsamejoyfulconduct.Otherwise,whowouldhesitatetocast himself down every daybeforeGod, at least during the first prayerwithwhichwebegin theday?Onfastdaysandstationdays,113however,noprayeristobeofferedwithoutbendingthekneeand the other attitudes of humility. For then we are not merely praying, but are also beggingforgivenessandmakingsatisfactiontoGod,ourLord,114

Thereasonsgivenfor theprohibitionagainstbendingthekneeatcertain timesmayvarysomewhatfromoneFathertotheother,buttheunderlyingthoughtisalwaysthesame:Theunityofbodyandsoulissuchthatthepostureofthefirsthastobeinagreementwiththeinteriorattituderequiredatthatparticulartime.

OntheLord’sdaywepraystanding,[thereby]expressingthesteadfastqualityoftheagetocome.Onotherdays,though,webendtheknee,indicatingtherebythefallofthehumanracethroughsin.Whenwerisefrombendingtheknee,indeed,wemakecleartheresurrectionthathasbeengrantedtousallthroughChristandwhichiscelebratedontheLord’sday.115

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Bendingtheknee,asweknowitnowintheWest,isessentiallyastaticgesture.Until recently the faithful have spent a considerable amount of time duringpersonalprayerorpublicdevotions,evenduringthecelebrationofHolyMass,practically immobile on their knees. To be sure, theChristians of the EasternChurch also pray occasionally on their knees, but the bending of both knees,whichisfrequentlyrepeatedmanytimesinarow,especiallywhenitisamatterofapenitentialgesture, ismostoftenaccompaniedbyashort invocationmuchliketheabove-mentionedejaculatoryprayers.

ThiswastrueintheWestalsowellintotheMiddleAges.Atanyrate,manyoftheoldtextsdonotalwaysmakeitentirelyclearwhethertheymeanbendingtheknee in the strict sense or, instead, prostrations (“metanias”), which we willdiscuss in thenextsection.Thisuncertaintyexists(forus), forexample, in thefollowingexcerptfromaletterwrittenbytherecluseJohnofGaza.

Therefore, if you encounter a temptation of this [nocturnal] battle [with demonic thoughts], thenmake seven times seven genuflections, that is, bend the knee forty-nine times, saying each time:“Lord,Ihavesinned,pardonmeforsakeofyourholyName!”Ifyouaresick,however,orif it isSunday,whenitisnotpermittedtomakegenuflections,saythesewordsseventytimesinsteadoftheforty-ninegenuflections.116

Itmaywellbethat“genuflections”(γονυκλισίαι)herereallymeansprostrations.Thefactthatthesearetwodifferentgesturesisunambiguous,however,whenwereadthatthepiousCountessAda(ca.1090)prayedtheHailMarysixtytimesaday: twenty times prostrate on the ground, twenty times on bended knee, andtwentytimesstanding.117

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With that,we toohavecome to thequestion thatperhapsmanyof the readershave already asked themselves: What do you do, then, stand or kneel? Theanswerisnot“either-or”,but“both-and”!Thevariousposturesadoptedinprayerdonotexcludeeachother,afterall.Thuswereadaboutamonkwho,aftereachpsalm(whichwasrecitedstanding),wouldmakeagenuflectionandthensayaprayer(standing).118ThemonksofthedesertofScetisfollowedmuchthesamepractice,asJohnCassiantellsus.Afterthepsalmody,whichwasreadbylectorsandwhichthecommunityfollowedsitting,allwouldgetuptopray.Thentheywouldbend the knee andprostrate themselves on the ground toworship for ashorttime,onlytoprayagainforalongertimestanding.119Essentiallythesame“ritual”ispresupposedbyBenedict,too,inhisRule.120AdistantechoofthisisstillfoundtodayintheliturgyofGoodFriday,whenthedeaconbidsthefaithfulduring the great intercessions:Flectamus genualevate; let us bend the knee—arise.

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5.“AdoretheLordinhisholycourt”(Ps28:2)

StandingbeforeGodinprayerisanexpressionofthatprofoundreverencewhich

befits thecreature in thepresenceofhisCreator.This same interiorattitude isexpressedby themanof theBiblebyanothergesture aswell: fallingdown inworship (προσκύνησις).Before themajesty of theLord of the universe, everycreaturemust bowdown, angels121 no less than “all kings”,122 indeed “all theearth”.123

This “bowing down to the earth” to worship124 is, in principle, a gestureintendedonlyforthePersonofGodAlmighty,125orelse,initsderivativeform,for the place in which he “dwells”, the temple,126 in the “holy courts”127 ofwhich the pious person falls down inworship before his “footstool”.128 Then,however, this form of reverence can also be shown to men whom God hasendowedwithaspecialspiritualauthority.

Thusmenfalldown“on their face”beforeChristwhen theybecomeawareofthemysteryofhisdivinebeing,129askhimforhelp,130orwanttothankhimforfavorsreceived.131Thesamethinghappenstohisapostles,whoappearandactinhispowerandwithhisauthority.132Later,intheancientmonasticliterature,thereisveryfrequentmentionofone

monk falling down before another, “making ametania”, as it is called. Here,however, this gesture of the most profound humility has a very particularmeaning:Itunderscoresthepleaforforgiveness.Hencealsotheterm“metania”(μετάνοια)—remorse, penance, conversion, which is consistently used in thisconnection.Theonlytruemonkistheonewhoisreadytohumiliatehimselfinthiswayevenbeforesomeonewhohasdonehimaninjustice.Fromthiswecan

understandhowoneFathercangoso faras tomaintain that itwasSatanwhocausedAdam to hide himself after the Fall in Paradise, so that hewould notmakeametaniawhenhemetGodandthusbeforgiven.133

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Asaprayergesture,the“metania”(prostratio)hasconstantlybeenapartofthespiritual life since biblical times, both in the East and also—for over amillennium—intheWest.

Abrotheraskedanelder:“Isitgoodtomakemanymetanias?”Theeldersaid:“WeseethatGodappearedtoJoshua,thesonofNun,whilehewaslyingonhisface.”134

Aswesee,theoneprayingthrowshimselfdownfulllengthontheground.“HethrowshimselfdownonhisfaceandpraystoGod”,135justasChristdidintheGardenofGethsemane.136Thisgestureisalsolistedamongthe“NineWaysofPrayerofSaintDominic”andwas retainedwell intomodern timesamong theDominicansintheformofthevenia,anexpressionofhumblingoneselfbeforeaconfrère. Within the Eastern Church two different forms of the prostrationdevelopedatanearlydate.

Theorderoftheprostrationsisasfollows:Oneshouldfalldownbeforethecrossuntilthekneesandthehead[thatis,actuallytheforehead]touchtheground.Inbowing,though,thekneesdonotreachtheground,butonlythehandsandthehead,whilethebodyremainssuspendedintheair.137

Corresponding to this distinction even today in that part of the East that isinfluencedbyByzantiumarethe“greatmetania”,inwhichtheknees,hands,andforehead touch the ground, and the “littlemetania”, theprofunda of theLatinmonks, in which only the right hand touches the ground. There is no prayer,whethersaidinacongregationorinprivate,thatisnotaccompaniedeventodayintheChristianEastbynumerous“metanias”.What,infact,wouldaprayerbewithout metanias? It would remain “routine, cold, and shallow” (JosephBusnaya).Of course, what was said earlier about genuflections is naturally true for

metaniasaswell:EveryweekontheLord’sdayandduringtheentirePentecostseason,thegreatmetaniasareforbidden,becausetheyarepenitentialgestures.

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IfAdamwouldhavebeenforgivenhadheonlymadeametaniainallhumilitybeforeGod after hisFall, then it is clear that this gesture is amightyweaponagainsttheattacksoftheevilone.Thusanelderadvisesabrotherwhoissorelytempted:

Standup,prayandmakeametania,whilesaying:“SonofGod,havemercyonme!”138

Yet not only duringprivate prayer, but also in services of publicworship, theFathersmadeacertainnumberofmetanias.

Theabove-mentionedprayersbeginand end [among theEgyptianDesertFathers] as follows:Assoonasapsalmisfinished,theydonotbendthekneehastily,asdosomeofusinthisareawho,evenbeforethepsalmisactuallyfinished,throwourselvesdownquicklytopray,soastogettotheendofit as quickly as possible. Since we want to surpass the measure [of twelve psalms] that wasdetermined from time immemorial by the Fathers, we also rush to the end, reckoning howmanypsalmsstillremain,thinkingmoreofrefreshingourtiredbodiesthanofthebenefitsandadvantagesofprayer!139

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For centuries the gesture of prayer called the metania, which John CassiandescribeshereforhisWesternreaders,wasnolessfamiliarintheWestthanintheEast.TheRegulaMagistri140assumesknowledgeofitnolessthantheRuleof Saint Benedict.141 Not only monks, but also the Christian faithful madeprostrations during their private prayers. In the eleventh century the piousCountessAda,aswehaveseen,madetwentyprostrationsdaily,whiletheholyhermitAybert (d.1140) threwhimselfdownonto theground fifty times.142Ayoungmonkofthedesertmadeasmanyasonehundredmetanias“accordingtothe custom”.143 Here again we are faced with the question of the propermeasure, which arises with all gestures that are repeated often. How many“prayers” should one recite, how many genuflections should one make, howmanymetanias?

Asforthenumberofgenuflections144thatwehavetomakeduringthefiveweekdaysinthecourseofadayandanight,weknowthatourgodlyfatherssetitatthreehundred.ForoneverySaturdayandoneverySunday,andalsoonseveralotherdaysandweeksthathavebeendeterminedbytraditionfor certain mysterious and unpublished reasons, it is commanded that we refrain from thesegenuflections.Therearethosewhosurpassthisnumber,othersfallshortofit,eachoneaccordingtohisstrengthorhisfreedecision.Youtoo,then,dowhatyoucan!Blessed,nevertheless,ishewhoatalltimesdoesviolencetohimselfineverythingthatpertainstoGod.For“thekingdomofheavenhassufferedviolence,andmenofviolencetakeitbyforce.”145

KallistosandIgnatiosarewritingfor“hesychasts”,monkswholiveincompleteseclusionanddedicatethemselvesentirelytoprayer.Eachonemustascertainthepropermeasurewithhisspiritualfather,whoisabletoweighinthebalancethefactorsofage,healthandconstitution,and,mostimportantly,spiritualmaturity.Inthespirituallifea“rule”isneverarigidlaworanunchangeableobligation.Itisaguidelineforthingsthatamanhasvoluntarilysetouttodo,forthegloryofGodandthehealingofhissoul.

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Today this practice, which in former times was the common property of allChristendom,hasalmostcompletelydisappearedintheWest.MostofthesonsofBenedict,whoseRule does foresee prostrations during prayer, are probablybarelyacquaintedwithitfromtheirownexperience.Thelayfaithful,atanyrate,willhaveexperienceditasaliturgicalriteduringtheGoodFridayliturgy.Bothgroups,asaresult,havebeenrobbedofamightyweaponinthespirituallife.IsaacofNineveh teacheswhat sort of power is inherent inmetanias. It is a

questionof thosedebilitatingperiodsof total interiordarkness,all toofamiliarto modern man as well, when one is incapable of saying even the slightestprayer. On those occasions, Isaac recommends taking refuge in repeatedmetanias, even if it is apparently without feeling and one seems to remaincompletely cold inside. For nothing frightens the adversary more than thisgestureofprofoundobeisance,andhencehewillemployallhismachinationstokeep us from making it146—as he once kept Adam in Paradise from castinghimselfdowntoworshipGodafterhisFall.Wehavealreadyencounteredthisunderlyingnotionthatthedemonsobserve

veryattentivelywhatwedoandsay.Evenwhenweourselvesaredistractedandarenotatallawareofthemeaningofthewordsinthepsalms,thedemonsstillhear them and tremble, as it is written!147 Why this is so is explained in apassagebyEvagrius.

“Theywatchmysteps”:Inordertolearnbyobservingwhatwedo.Forthedemonsarebynomeans“knowersoftheheart”.148 Only“hewhofashionstheheartsofthemall”canknow[them]aswell.ThereforeGodaloneisrightlycalledtheonewho“knowsthehearts[ofallmen]”.149

Thedemon is and remains the “stranger”,whohasonly indirect access toour“heart”,thecenterofourperson.Heknowsfromexperience,thatis,fromkeenobservation,thatthis“heart”,fromwhichindeedall“evilthoughts”originate,150

betrays itself through“body language”ofwhichwearemostoftencompletelyunaware. Sounding quite modern, Evagrius states that the demons drawinferencesabout theconditionofourheart fromourgestures,ourexpressions,thetoneofourvoice,inshortfromthetotalityofourexternalbehavior,andthentheyadapttheirtacticsaccordingly.151Weoughttotakeadvantageofthisunionofbodyandsoulandbenefitfromit

duringprayer,aswell!Andweshoulddothis,notonlyinviewofthedemonsthatprowlaboutus,butalsoandprimarilytoconfronttheresistanceofourownhalting,faithlessheart.Repeatingthemetaniagesture,evenwhenitisperformedonly with the body, is just as effective as tears in breaking the spell of thatinteriorvwildness”andinsensitivitythatseemstokillallspirituallifewithinus.Inamysteriouswaythebody,whichinitspostureisactuallythe“icon”ofthesoul’s interior disposition (Origen), ultimately draws the reluctant soul alongwithit.

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6.“...lethimtakeuphiscrossdaily”(Lk9:23)

Oneofthemostancient,exclusivelyChristiangestures,whichinanycaseisnotrestricted to the timeof prayer, ismaking the sign of the cross, or, to use thepreciseterm,“sealing”or“signing”oneself[withthesignofthecross].

Ateverystepoftheway,whengoinginandgoingout,whenputtingonourclothesandshoes,whilewashing,eating, lighting lamps,going tosleep,whilesittingdown,and inwhateveractionwearecarryingout,weimprintonourforeheadthelittlesign[ofthecross].152

OrigentestifiesfortheGreek-speakingregionsintheOrientthat“allthefaithful,before theybeginanysortofactivity,especiallybeforeprayerorbefore lectiodivina[devotionalreadingfromScripture]”marktheirforeheadwiththesignofthe cross. They did this, because they saw in the letter tau (written in OldHebrewasacross (+)and inGreekasa“T”),whichaccording toEzekiel9:4wasmarked on the foreheads of those whowere faithful, “a prophecy of thecustomary sign [of the cross] on the foreheads of Christians”.153 This wasprobablyintendedbytheseeroftheApocalypsewhenhespokeof“seal[ing]theservants of our God upon their foreheads”.154 Luke 9:23, too, could haveoriginallybeenmeantinthesenseofsuchadistinctive“marking”.

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Howeverhistoriansmayexplaintheoriginofthisgesture,fortheFathersitwasaquestionofoneofthose“original,unwrittentraditions”155thatgobacktotheapostlesandthustotheearlyChurchherself,eventhoughthey—intentionally—were not set down in writing definitively.156 Tertullian also refers to thistraditionoftheChurchintheworkcitedabove,whichhewroteintheyear211.A text that originated in the circle ofPachomianmonks inEgyptmakes clearthatthisgesture,too—justlikefacingtheeastwhilepraying—alwaysremindedtheearlyChristiansoftheirbaptism,thatis,oftheall-surpassingeventtowhichtheyowedtheirChristianityandhencetheirsalvation.

Let us sign ourselves as we begin our prayers with the sign of baptism, let us make upon ourforehead the sign of the cross, as on that daywhenwewere baptized, and as it iswritten in theprophetEzekiel.157Letusnotraiseourhandonlyasfarasthemouthorthebeard,butratherletusbringittoourforehead,whilesayinginourheart:“Wehavesignedourselveswiththeseal!”Whilethisisnotofthesamenobilityasthesealofbaptism,neverthelessonthedaywhenwewerebaptized,thesignofthecrosswasimprintedontheforeheadofeachoneofus.158

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Thisgestureof signingoneselfwith the cross, likenoothergesture, identifiesthe Christian as a “Christian”, as a man whose salvation comes solely fromChrist’s death on the Cross, into which he has been drawn in a mysteriousmannerthroughthesacramentofbaptism.

“To bear the sign of the cross”,159 though, means to carry death around with me”,160 by“renouncingall”161eveninthislife,sincethereisadifferencebetweentheloveofwhatthefleshhasbegottenandtheloveofwhatthesoulhasaccomplishedforthesakeofknowledge.162

For this reason the holy sign of the cross, which wemake over ourselves orothers,isalwaysaprofessionoffaithinthevictorythatChristontheCrosswonagainsteveryhostilepower.FortheFathersalwaysmadeuseofthissign,also,whenever they knew that they were confronted with these hostile powers.Indeed, Anthony the Great taught his disciples that the demons and theirphantasms were in reality “nothing and quickly disappear, especially when apersonarmshimselfwithfaithandthesignofthecross”.163Thesameistrueofallformsofpaganmagic.164

Ifyouoftensealyourownforeheadandyourheartwith thesignofourLord’sCross, thedemonswilltakeflightfromyoutrembling,fortheyshuddervehementlyatthisblessedsign165Ifyouwanttowipeoutthebadmemoriesleftinthemindandthemultifariousattacksoftheenemy,thenarmyourselfspeedilywiththerecollectionofourSaviorandwiththeardentinvocationofhisexalted name by day and by night, while sealing yourself often, both on the forehead and on thebreast,with the signof ourLord’sCross.Foras oftenas thenameof our Savior JesusChrist ispronouncedandthesealoftheLord’sCrossisplacedontheheartandtheforeheadandontheothermembers[of thebody], thepowerof theenemyis indubitablyquelled,andthewickeddemonsfleetremblingfromus.166

Asgreatasthepowerofthesignofthecrossis,itisnotaquestionofamagicalgesture.Itisfaiththatmakesitmighty!

Whenyouaretempted,signyourforeheadwithdevotion.ThissignofthePassionisshownagainstthedevil,whenanyonemakes it in faith,andnot inorder tobepleasing tomenbutpresenting itdeliberatelylikeashield;theadversarywillseethestrengthofspiritthatcomesfromtheheart.167

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Thesignofthecrosswasprobablymadeatfirst“inthenameofourSaviorJesusChrist”andthenlater“inthenameoftheFatherandoftheSonandoftheHolySpirit”.168Becausethereissuchpowerinthisholysign,itgoeswithoutsayingthatitmustnotbeusedoutofmerevainglory,norforthatmatterthoughtlessly.ForthisreasonthetraditionoftheChurchhasdeterminedthemannerinwhich

weshouldcrossourselves.The texts from the patristic era that have been cited thus far teach that the

“little sign” (signaculum) at first was traced mainly on one’s own forehead,probablywithjustonefinger,bothintheGreekEastandintheLatinWest.Inthesameway, then,onealso“sealed” the lips, theheart,andsoon,oncertainoccasions,until eventually thisdeveloped into thatgreatgesture familiar tousall,throughwhichthebelieverplaceshimselfwithhisentirebody,sotospeak,undertheCrossofChrist.

Furthermoreonemustmarvelathowthedemonsandmanysortsofsicknessaredrivenawaybythesignof the precious and life-givingCross,whichanyone canmakewithout cost or difficulty.Andwho can number the panegyrics composed in its honor? The holy Fathers, though, have handeddowntousthemeaningofthisholysign[ofthecross]inordertorefutehereticsandunbelievers.

Thetwofingersandtheonehand,then,representthecrucifiedLordJesusChrist,whomweprofessashavingtwonaturesinonePerson.Therighthandrecallshisunlimitedmight169andhissittingattherighthandoftheFather.170Andonebegins[totrace]itfromabovebecauseofhisdescentfromtheheavenstous.171Furthermore[themovementofthehand]fromtherightsidetotheleftdrivesawaytheenemiesandindicatesthattheLordthroughhisinvinciblemighthasconqueredthedevil,whoisontheleft,apowerlessandgloomybeing.172

It is easy to see that this “two-finger cross”, which is well known to us as agestureofblessingfromcountlessancientdepictionsofChristintheEastandtheWest,andwhichtheRussian“OldBelievers”havepreservedto thisday,musthaveariseninamilieuwheretherewere“unbelievers”and“heretics”.Thetwofingersandtheonehandare—inoppositiontotheMonophysitesandNestorians—a mute profession of the two natures of the incarnate Word in one“hypostasis” or Person. Much older and not limited to any time or place, incontrast,isthebiblicalsymbolismof“above—below”,“right—left”,whicheventodayisdeeplyrootedineverydaylanguageandcustoms.Astheabove-mentionedchristologicaldisputesdieddownandacontextthat

was free of polemics emerged, the sign of the cross then revealed the wholewealthofitssymbolismandtookonitsdefinitiveform.

Oneshouldmakethesignofthecrosswith[thefirst]threefingers[oftherighthand],becauseitistracedwhile invoking theTrinity—ofwhich theprophet says:“Whohaspoised [that is,weighed]withthreefingersthebulkoftheearth?”173—insuchawaythatonegoesdownfromhightolowandthenfromrighttoleft,becauseChristdescendedfromheaventoearthandpassedoverfromtheJewstotheGentiles.174

ThewayofmakingthesignofthecrossthatPopeInnocentIIIdescribed,whilestill a deacon of theChurch inRome,was customary at that time also in the

territoriesoftheEasternChurch,andOrthodoxChristiansstillmakeitthatwaytoday.EvenaftertheGreatSchismof1054,then,thesignoftheHolyCross,agesturewithprofound,carefullythoughtoutsymbolism,continuedforthetimebeingtouniteEastandWest.Asthefollowinglinesofthechapterjustquotedmakeclear,however,atthat

time somepeople” alreadywerebeginning to trace thehorizontalbeamof thecrossintheoppositedirection,thatis,fromlefttoright,asisthepracticetodayonly in theWest. Symbolic and practical reasons for this were cited. As theexplanationwent,wemustpassfrommisery(symbolizedbytheleft,“bad”side)to glory (symbolized by the “good” right side), just as Christ himself passedfromdeathtolifeandfromthenetherworldtoParadise.Furthermore,oneoughtto cross oneself in the very same way in which one is signed with the crossduringablessing.Innocentoffersnocommentonthesymbolicreason,buthedoesnotgrantthe

validityofthepracticalone.Hecorrectlypointsoutthatwedonotmakethesignof thecrossoverothersas thoughtheyhad theirbacks turned tous,but ratherfacetoface!Thereforethepriesttracesthehorizontalbeamfromlefttoright,sothatthebelievermayreceiveitfromrighttoleft,justashecrosseshimself.It is regrettable that “some people” soon became “many” and then “all”,

despitetheveryclearwordsofthisgreatPope,andthatwethuslostonemorebitofthatcommonheritagethatformerlyunitedEastandWest.ItisevenmoreregrettablethattodayintheWestthereisprobablynexttonooneleftwhostillknows the sacred symbolismof the signof the cross, as theFathershanded itdowntous.

CONCLUSION

The“treasureinearthenvessels”(2Cor4:7)

“Thefaithisevaporating”—wetookthislamentasthepointofdepartureforourstudy.Itisevaporating,weanswered,becauseitisnot“practiced”.Thiscanbeseenasplainasday in thepresent stateofpersonalprayerand its“practices”.Afterall, from time immemorialprayerhasbeen, so to speak,abarometer fortheintensityoffaith.ThetraditionsoftheChurch,ofScripture,andoftheFathershaveleftusan

abundanttreasure,notonlyoftexts,butalsoofcustoms,forms,gestures,andsoon, associated with prayer. In the modern age—especially in WesternChristianity—little or almost nothing of it remains. Where these seemingly“external” things are lacking, however, prayer becomes “routine, cold, andshallow” (JosephBusnaya), and faith itself,whichought tobeexpressed in it,imperceptiblygrowscoldaswellandfinallyevaporates.

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TheearlyFatherswerewellawarethatthesethings,whichintheirviewwerebyno means mere “externals”, are always in danger of being neglected andultimately forgotten, once their meaning is no longer understood. Early on,therefore,TertullianintheLatinWestandOrigenintheGreekEastconsidereditappropriatetofollowuptheirtreatisesOnPrayerwitha“practical”appendix,inwhichthis“original”,thatis,apostolic,albeit“unwrittentradition”(MakariosofAlexandria,citedbyEvagrius)oftheChurchwouldagainbecalledtomind.On the other hand, many people today conclude from the—apparent—

extinctionofthesetraditionsthatthereisnoreturningtothepast!Thehealingofthespiritualcrisis in theWest lies“aheadofus” rather than“behindus”, theysay.Thepresenttask,indeed,inaspiritofabroad-basedecumenism,istolearnfrom thegreat religionsofhumanityand toborrow from them the thingswithwhich we have been losing touch. Consequently, for many people, adoptingvarious “methods”—of meditation, for instance—from other religions has

becomeamatterofcoursethattheydonotevenquestion.Thisseemspossible,quite simple in fact, because, as they say, “Zen is not a belief system but adiscipline”(R.Resch),whichthereforecanbedetachedfromitsBuddhistsettingwithnoproblemwhatsoever.Zen,indeed,hasbecomeformanythe“way”uponwhichtheyhopetoreachanauthentic“experienceofGod”.Sine ira et studio let us pose a few questions here at the conclusion and

attempt to give the kind of answers that the Fathers recommend.Thiswill beusefulwithrespecttoourmainsubjectaswell.

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As the above-cited statementby aWesternZen-master illustrates, “praxis” (or“discipline”) and “faith” are regarded by many as two dimensions standingindependently,onebesidetheother,whichthereforecanalsobeseparatedfromeachotherwithoutanyproblem.VeryfewChristianswhopracticeZen,afterall,haveinmindaformalconversiontoBuddhism.Butdoesthismentaldistinctionhaveanybasiswhatsoeverinreality?LetushearagainwhatEvagriushastosay.In the prologue to his treatiseOnPrayer, Evagrius praises that anonymous

friendwhoaskedhimtocomposeitfordemandingnotonlythosechaptersthatowetheirexistencetoinkandpaper,butalsothosethathavetheirbasis intheintellectthroughloveandavoidingallthoughtofevil,whichvirtuesarethefruitofthe“practical”life.1Evagriusthencontinues:

Well,then!Since“allthingsaretwofold,oneoppositetheother,”accordingto[thesayingof]thewise man Jesus [Sirach],2 accept [these chapters] according to the letter and the spirit, andunderstandthatthemeaningabsolutelyprecedestheletter.Forifthisdidnotexist,theletterwouldnoteither.

Inwhatfollows,Evagriusappliesthisdistinctiontoprayer.Prayer,too,consistsofatwofoldmanner;theoneis“practical”,theother“contemplative”.Theyarerelated to eachother as “quantity” is to “quality”or, inbiblical terms, as “theletter”istothe“spirit”(πνεῦμα)3ortothemeaning(νοῦς).The “practical manner” of prayer—which also includes everything we call

“method”—does not exist at all as something separate in and of itself. It isnothingmore than the form assumed by the “contemplativemanner”, withoutwhich those “letters” would have neither “spirit” nor “meaning” and, in fact,wouldnot even exist.Accordingly one cannot separate the “practicalmanner”fromits“meaning”andtrytopracticeitforitsownsake,eitherinChristianityorinanyotherreligionyoumaychoose.It is likely thatall theFathers thoughtasEvagriusdid.Origen, for instance,

for whom the gestures characteristic of Christian prayer are “so to speak theimageof thespecialconditionof thesoul”during“prayer [offered] . . . in thebody”,recommendsthatoneshould“stretchoutone’ssoul,sotospeak,beforestretchingoutone’shands,andliftupone’sspirittoGodbeforeliftingupone’seyes,and,beforestandingatone’splacetopray,[oneshould]raiseone’smindfromtheearthandplaceitinthepresenceoftheLordofall.”4

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Continuing this trainof thought,wemayconclude that“spirit”and“meaning”always precede the “letter”, and not only conceptually; on the contrary, the“practical manner” of prayer owes its concrete form to the “contemplativemanner”,thatis,tothecontentsoftheChristianfaith.Thismeans,though,thatthe practicalmanner” has no other purpose than to provide the “spirit” of the“contemplativemanner”withprecisely thosemeans that it requires inorder tobecomearealityinthepersonwhoprays.The“twofold,spiritualandbodilyworship”(JohnDamascene) thatweoffer

toGodisthereforeaself-containedunity.The“contemplativemanner”andthe“practicalmanner”ofprayermutuallyaffectoneanother,eachinitsownway.A“practical manner” or a “method” without an intrinsic “spirit” informing it ismeaningless. Conversely, however, the “contemplativemanner”would remaininsubstantial if it failed to take on a form within the praying person (whoconsistsofsoulandbody)asa“praxis”thatwasappropriateanddirectedtowardit.By“method”,inthesenseinwhichEvagriususestheterm,isnotmeantany

mere“technique”.The“practices”thathavebeenthemainsubjectofthisbookareratherthesensual-perceptiblesideofthat“spiritualmethod”which“purifiesthepassionatepartofthesoul”andwhichEvagrius5callspraktike—specifically,inthecaseoftheprayerlife,the“practicalmannerofprayer”.Evagriusalludesto this comprehensive “spiritual method” when he speaks of those “chaptersabout prayer”, which do not owe their existence to ink and paper, but rather“taketheirplaceintheintellectthroughloveandavoidingallthoughtofevil”,asthefruitofthecooperationof“divinegraceandhumaneffort”.6

Loveisthedaughterofdispassion,whiledispassionistheflowerofthepraktike.Praktike,inturn,isbaseduponkeepingthecommandments.Theirguardian,though,isthefearofGod,whichisanoffshootofrightfaith.

Faith,now,isanimmanentgood,whichisnaturallyfoundeveninthosewhodonotyetbelieveinGod.7

Althoughthecapacitytobelieveisanimmanentgood(eveninthepersonwhopresentlydoesnotyetbelieve),thankstothecreationofallmen“intheimageofGod”,itstillrequiresGod’sself-revelationinordertoawakenthat“rightfaithinthe adorable andHoly Trinity”.8 Only this right faith can lead the “practical”believerbystagestothat“perfectandspiritualloveinwhichtheprayerinspiritandintruthbecomesreal”.9From what has been said we must conclude that, in any case, a so-called

“neutral praxis”, which each one could arbitrarily fill upwith “meaning” andwhichwould leadallmen,believersandnonbelievers, to thesamegoal, in theopinionofourFathersinfaith,doesnotexistandinprinciplecannotexist.For our subject in particular it follows that those “practices” that were

discussedon theprecedingpages constitute the formation of biblical-Christianprayer,asthisprocesswasrealizedinthecourseofsalvationhistory.Theyareinno way “time-bound externals”, but rather the “earthen vessels” in which theimperishable “treasure” has come down to us. Although the apostlesintentionally did not set them down permanently in writing, the Fathers, forinstance, Basil the Great, but even earlier Tertullian, rightly ascribe to thesepracticesthesameauthorityasheascribestothetraditionsthatweresetdowninwriting.TheFathers at any ratewere alreadywell aware—Origenmentions it—that

amongthecustomsoftheChurchtherearemanythatindeed“mustbefollowedbyall,withoutallof them[necessarily]knowingthereasonsfor them.”10Thiswidespreadignorancemeansthatthesecustomsruntheriskofbeingdisparagedandultimatelyneglected and abandoned.For this reason, aswehave said, theFathers soon recognized the necessity of explaining the sense of theseecclesiastical customs, so that the disparagement of these unwritten apostolictraditionswouldnot“unintentionally [cause]damage tobedone to theGospelitselfinimportantpassages.”11Everygenerationfacesthisnecessityanew,anditisthedutyoftheteachersoftheChurchnotonlytopreserveinanunadulteratedformboththe“written”andthe“unwrittentradition”,butalsotoproclaimthemanewtothefaithfulatalltimes.Andifthatdoesnothappen...?

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The“practicalmannerofprayer”,Evagriussaid—andthisistrueforthepraktike

ingeneral—canbecomparedto“theletter”(or“writing”or“thetext”,sincetheGreek word γράμμα can mean all of these) that owes its existence to thepreexisting “meaning”, to which it in turn gives expression, thus making itcommunicable.Inotherwords,allofthose“practical”elementsofthespirituallife (we have presented a few of them here) together constitute, as it were, a“language” thatmakes the“spirit”ofprayeraccessible tosomeonewhoprays.Onlythepersonwhohasacommandofthis“language”iscapableofconveyingtoothersaswellthehidden“meaning”ofprayer.Therefore the loss of this “language” unquestionably leads to a sort of

speechlessness, that is, the inability to communicate to others that “meaning”which we ourselves no longer have experienced existentially. Today this iscalleda“breakinthetradition”:theinabilitytounderstandthe“language”ofourFathersinfaith,andourmutehelplessnessbeforeourownchildren.

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Nevertheless,natureabhorsavacuum.Theparentsmightbecontenttohavelostthe“way”,but theirchildrenwillnotbe reconciledsoeasily to the idea.Theysearch for new “ways”, unaware that they thereby “introduce things that areforeign to our path”, thus exposing themselves to the danger of becoming,themselves,strangerstothewaysofourSavior”(Evagrius).Thefactis,whetheryoulikeitornot,thatthechoiceofthe“means”already

determines the result.Ce que tu fais, te fait, as it is put succinctly in French:What you do, makes you! Anyone who devotes himself to “practices” and“methods” that are not home-grown in the soil of his own faith willimperceptibly be led toward that “faith”which developed these practices as agenuine expression of itself. Today plenty of people are going through thispainfulexperience,eventhoughmanydonotdareadmiteventothemselvesthattheyhavestrayedfromthepath.

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What is tobedone, then,whensomeonerealizes thathe isuprooted?Well, touse the biblical expression, he must “convert” to “what was from thebeginning”!Whenapersonhas“abandonedthelove[he]hadatfirst”,hemust“rememberthenfromwhat[hehas]fallen,repent,anddotheworks[he]didatfirst”.12 In the spiritual life—and not only there—this means that one “asksaboutthepathsofthosewhowentaheadofusintherightway”,soas“tofollowintheirfootsteps”.Onemust“conversewiththem”,whichinmostcasesmeans:

study their lives and theirwritings, in order to “learn of them”. Then, having“heard [from them]what ishelpful”, it is amatterofbeginning“at the lowestplace”, with those “externals” that were discussed here, and “demanding ofoneself also the accomplishment of the same deeds of the Fathers amid greatlabors”.Only the personwho undertakes these labors can hope to be deemedworthyonedayofthatsameknowledgeofGodthatweadmiresomuchintheholyFathers.

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Nevertheless,itcannotbeprovedconclusivelythatallofthisreallyisthecase,justasitispresentedhere.ToquoteEvagriusPonticusonelasttime:Forthosewho content themselves eitherwith speakingwith pleasure about the deedsofthe Fathers” or merely studying them academically”, no matter how great orsincere their interestmay be, it is inevitable that “much [will remain] hidden,otherthings[willbe]obscure”,andatanyratetheywillmisswhatisessential.

For those who set foot on the same path [which the feet of the holy Fathers have marked out],nevertheless,thesethingswillbeclear.13

APPENDIX

PracticalAdvice

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in part 4 about “Christian Prayer”,includesashortreferencetothe“favorableplaceforprayer”,whichsays:

Forpersonalprayer,thiscanbea“prayercorner”withtheSacredScripturesandicons,inordertobethere,insecret,beforeourFather.1

Thereforeitmightbeuseful,basedonthetraditionoftheholyFatherssetforthinthislittlebook,todraw a few practical conclusions for setting up such a “prayer corner” and for the little office ofprayersthattheChristiancouldcarryoutthere,“insecret”,beforehisHeavenlyFather.Forthemostbeautifulthoughtsaboutprayerremainfruitless,afterall,iftheydonotleadtoprayeritself.

1.Thechoiceoftherightplaceandsettingitup

So as to be able to have a personal “conversation” with the Father “insecret”, the “prayer corner” should be as secluded and peaceful as the“room”behind“closeddoors”ofwhichChristspoke.It goeswithout saying that it shouldbe set up to face toward the east.

Afterall, thepersonprayingis turningtowardthe“truelight”,2God,who“hascalledusoutofdarknessintohismarvelouslight.”3Thereforethecornershouldnotbewithoutalight,intheformofanicon

lampand/orcandles.Lightingthislamp[orthesecandles]beforedawnandat nightfall is part of that “spiritual worship”4 which the person prayingperformsbeforeGodinsecret.Theorientationoftheprayercornertowardtheeastisbestindicatedwith

across,ashasbeenthecustomfromtimeimmemorial.Inselectingsuchacross,careshouldbetakenthatitdepictsnotonlythesufferinganddeathoftheSonofMan(acrucifix)butalsohisvictoryoverdeath.Manyold(andmodern)crossesverybeautifullycombinetheTreeofLifeandthewoodoftheCrossintooneimageandthuspictoriallyremindthepersonprayingthathedoessowhilefacingParadise,his“originalhome”.Ontherightandtheleftofthis“signoftheLord”,orelsebeneathit,one

canhangiconsofChrist(totheright)andtheMotherofGod(totheleft),aswellasfavoritesaints.TheymakepresentinpictureformourSaviorandthoseinwhom“Godhasshownhimselfwonderful[LXX]”,5andhelpthepersonprayingalonetorealizethathealwaysprays“inthecommunionofsaints”.Onaprie-dieuorprayerstand the“instruments”ofdailyprayershould

beavailable: theSacredScriptures, thePsalter,orotherprayerbooks thatonemightneed,arosary...Alittleoratoryofthiskind,thoughitmayremainhiddenfromtheeyes

of men, is what turns the dwelling of any Christian into a “domesticchurch”!Likeapinchofsalt,whichseems todisappear in the“world”, itactuallyflavorsandseasonsit.

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2.Thetimesforprayer

Thedailyroutineofthemanofancienttimes,dividedasitwasintolargeperiods of three hours each, followed a rhythm that was much morepeaceful than that of modern man, who is ruled by the dictates of theprecisionclock.Thechoiceof favorable times forprayer is therefore thatmuchmoreimportant.Like themanof theBible, theearlymonasticFatherspreferred topray

their two“offices”during the timeafter sunset andbefore sunrise.Theseare themoments thatevenamodernman—withacertainamountofself-discipline—can most readily reserve for prayer. Someone who offers toGodthebeginningofthedayorofthenightas“firstfruits”canhopethattherestofthedayornight,too,willbesanctified.Itwillalsobeeasierforhimtokeepthe“memoryofGod”aliveinhisheartinthemidstofallhisactivities.However extensive or brief one’s daily prayer may be, the most

importantthingisitsregularity,thatof“perseveringinprayer”.6

3.The“littleoffice”

TheChurch’sLiturgyof theHours—in theEast to amuchgreater extentthan in the West—became more and more differentiated and also morevoluminous in the course of the centuries. The “breviary” represents anearlyattempttoreducethisLiturgyoftheHourstoamorecompactform.

TheliturgicalreformsofthelastcenturieshaveledtofurtherabridgementsintheWesternChurch.ManyChristians (clergy and religious among them) are convinced that

praying long offices is something “typicallymonastic”. The early DesertFathers,eventhoughtheyhadwithdrawnfromallworldlyaffairsandlivedentirely for prayer, nonetheless always speak about their “little office”(μικράσυναξις).Infactbothoftheiroffices,eachwithtwelvepsalmsandthe corresponding prayers, were not particularly long. The numerous“prayers”, too, that theysaidbydayduring theirworkdidnotgobeyondthelengthofanOurFather,tosaynothingatallabouttheshortejaculatoryprayers,whichcomprisedonlyafewwords.AnyonewhowouldliketofollowinthefootstepsoftheholyFathersand

enter the “place of prayer”, anyonewho yearns for the “state of prayer”,would therefore do well to devise for himself an office suited to hiscapabilities,whichwillawaken in him andmaintain the spirit of prayer.Thegoal,indeed,istokeep“themindinprayeralldaylong”.Forpersonalprayer,themostsuitablebookisthePsalter,whichshould

be arranged accordingly for this purpose. This means dividing the longpsalmsintosmallersections,with“quality”ratherthan“quantity”inmind.

Therefore[theholyFathers]consideritmoreusefultosingtenverseswithunderstandingandattentionthantorattleoffanentirepsalminadisorderlyway.7

In keepingwith thiswise rule, each person should undertake to pray thenumber of psalms that corresponds to his abilities. Someone who wouldliketopreservethehallowednumberoftwelvepsalmsforthemorningandevening office with the prayers that follow them can easily do so bysubdividingthePsalteraccordingly.Inprinciple,thepsalmsshouldbereadinsequence,withoutpickingand

choosingandaboveallwithoutleavinganyout;it is,afterall,primarilyaquestionofhearingtheWordofGod.As onewishes, anyone can enrich this psalmodywith hymns from the

Church’straditionorrounditoffwithScripturereadings.Insteadof this relatively free-formoffice,manyperhapswillprefer the

Church’sLiturgyof theHoursasasetframework.Inthatcase, though, itshould be noted that this really presupposes a praying community withvariousreaders,singers,andsoforth.Inanycase,oneshouldtakecarethatthe“littleoffice”neverdegenerates

intoamereformality,adutythatisdischargedconscientiouslybutwithout

interior involvement. The freedom that many experiencedmasters of thespirituallifeconcedetothepersonwhopraysregularly8ismeantpreciselytocutoffanysortofformalismattherootsandtoleadto“trueprayer”.Asexperience has shown, the alternation of psalm and prayer is a goodguideline.Theprayerof theheart, in andof itself, isnotbound to anyparticular

prayer time,beingas it is the“breathingof thesoul”.Experienceteaches,though, that it ishelpful todevote aparticularperiodof themorningandeveningoffice to itaswell,because in thatway itmoreeasilybecomesapartofone’sfleshandblood.SinceapostolictimesthebelieverhasprayedtheOurFatherthreetimes

aday (Didache). It is theprayerof theChristian,which theLordhimselftaught.ThereforeitgoeswithoutsayingthatoneshouldpraytheOurFatheroften during the day—never repeating it mindlessly, however. It shouldalways be the high point of each prayer time, and its special charactershouldalsofindexpressioninthepostureassumedbythepersonprayingit.

4.Methodsandgesturesinprayer

Thevariousmethodsandgesturesofprayerhavebeendiscussedindetail.Thepersonwhopraysshouldstrivetomakethemhisownwiththepassageof time, so as to practice themwith understanding and at the appropriatetimes. In thatway hewill keep his prayer frombecoming “routine, cold,andshallow”.Inparticularheshould takecare topray inharmonywith theChurch’s

liturgical year, and thatmeans not onlywith regard to particular hymns,readings,andsoon,butalsoinwhatpertainstogesturesinprayer.Thatistosay,heshouldmaketheseriouscharacterofthosedaysandseasonsthatare traditionally designated as days of fast and abstinence (Wednesday,Friday,Lent) justasvisible(genuflections,metanias)as the joyful, festivecharacteroftheLord’sdayandoftheEasterseason.

_____

ThesefewpagesdonotclaimtoexhausttheentirewealthofwhathasbeenhandeddownfromtheholyFathersconcerningpersonalprayer;theydonotevencomeclose.Theyareintended,asBenedictsaysofhisRule,onlytomakea“beginning”.

Butforanyonehasteningontotheperfectionof[themonastic]life,therearetheteachingsoftheholyFathers,theobservanceofwhichwillleadhimtotheveryheightsofperfection. Whatpage,whatpassageof theinspiredbooksof theOldandNewTestaments isnot thetruestofguidesforman’slife?WhatbookoftheholycatholicFathersdoesnotresoundinglysummonusalongthetruewaytoreachourCreator?Then[too,]the“Conferences”oftheFathers,their“Institutes”9andtheir“Lives”,10[and]alsothe“Rule”ofourholyfatherBasil,11

and all of the other writings of those Fathers who from the beginning”walked along that “way”which says of itself, “I am theway”—what arethey, if not reliablemasters whowill instruct all of thosewhomake thenecessary effort to “set their foot on the same path” and to accomplishthemselvesthedeedsoftheFathers”?

_____

SOURCES

Besidesthosealreadyindicatedinthefootnotes,thefollowingeditionsandtranslationswereused:

ApophthegmataPatrum:Acriticaleditionofthesevoluminousandwidelyramifiedmaterialsisnotyetavailable.WehaveusedtheGreektext,tothe extent that it is accessible (Gerontikon; Evergetinos; Nau; LesApophtegmes des Pères: Collections systématique, edited by J.-C.Guy,chaps.1-9,SC387[Paris,1993]).Otherwisewereferthereaderto the useful translations of L. Regnault, who brought together thewholematerial:

LesSentencesdesPèresduDésert:LaRecensiondePélageetJean.Solesmes,1966.

Les Sentences desPères duDésert:Nouveau recueil. Solesmes,1970.

LesSentencesdesPèresduDésert:Troisièmerecueil.Solesmes,1976.

Les Sentences des Pères du Désert: Collection alphabétique.Solesmes,1981.

Les Sentences des Pères du Désert: Série des anonymes.Bellefontaine,1985.

LesCheminsdeDieuauDésert:LaCollection systématiquedesapophtegmesdesPères.Solesmes,1992.

BarsanuphiosandJohn.Epistulae.EditedbyNikodemosHagiorites.(Manyeditions.)Newcriticaledition(letters1to616todate):BarsanupheetJeandeGaza:Correspondence.EditedbyF.NeytandP.deAngelis-Noah.TranslatedbyL.Regnault.SC426.Paris,1997;427:1998;450:2000; 451: 2001. Cf. for the remaining letters: L. Regnault,BarsanupheetJeandeGaza,Correspondence.Solesmes,1972.

ClementofAlexandria.Stromateis.EditedbyO.Stählin.Theoftenquotedbook 7 can be found inAlexandrianChristianity, edited by J. E. L.OultonandH.Chadwick.Pp.93ff.London:SCMPress,1954.

Evagrius.1DeDiversisMalignisCogitationibus.EditedandtranslatedbyP.Géhin and C. and A. Guillaumont: Sur les Pensées. SC 438. Paris,1998.

_____. De Octo Spiritibus Malitiae. PG 79, 1145-64. Cf. G. Bunge.Evagrios Pontikos: Über die acht Gedanken. Würzburg, 1992.(TranslationoftheCoislin109manuscript.)

_____. De Oratione. PG 79, 1165-1200. A better text is found in thePhilokalia. 1:176-89. Athens, 1957. Cf. English translation in ThePhilokalia. Translated by G. E. H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard, andKallistosWare. 1:55-71. London, 1979. Cf. also Evagrius Ponticus.ChaptersonPrayer.TranslatedbyJ.E.Bamberger.CS4.Kalamazoo,Mich.,1981.

_____. Epistulae. Edited byW. Frankenberg. Evagrius Ponticus. Berlin,1912.(Syriac).TranslatedbyG.Bunge:EvagriosPontikos.BriefeausderWüste.Trier,1986.

_____.Praktikos.EditedbyA.andC.Guillaumont:Traitépratique,ouLeMoine. SC 171. Paris, 1971. Cf. Evagrius Ponticus. The Praktikos.TranslatedbyJ.E.Bamberger.CS4.Kalamazoo,Mich.,1981.

_____.ScholiainPsalmos.WiththegraciouspermissionofM.-J.Rondeau,weusethetextthatshecopiedfromthemanuscriptVaticanusgraecus754.Cf.M.-J.Rondeau,LeCommentairesurlesPsaumesd’EvagrelePontique.Pp.307-48.OCP26.1960.

_____. Vita. Cf. A. de Vogué and G. Bunge.Quatre Ermites egyptiensd’aprèslesfragmentscoptesdel’HistoireLausiaque.Pp.153ff.(Vied’Evagre)Bellefontaine,1994.

Hazzaya,Joseph.Lettresurlestroisétapesdelaviespirituelle.EditedandtranslatedbyP.HarbandF.Graffin.PO45,no.202.Turnhout,1992.

Origen.DeOratione.EditedbyP.Koetschau.TranslatedbyJ.J.O’Meara:Prayer, Exhortations to Martyrdom. Ancient Christian Writers 19.NewYork,1954.

Pseudo-Justin.Quaestiones et Responsiones adOrthodoxos. PG 6, 1249-

1400.

Tertullian.DeOratione.EditedbyOehler.Cf.E.Evans.Tertullian’sTractonPrayer.London,1953.

Endnotes

INTRODUCTION1Cf.Mt24:12.Backtotext.2Cf.GabrielBunge,Akedia:DiegeistlicheLehredesEvagriosPontikos

vomUberdruss,4thed.(Würzurg,1995).Backtotext.3Gen1:27.Backtotext.42Cor4:4.Backtotext.5Gen1:26.Backtotext.61Jn3:2.Backtotext.71Cor13:12.Backtotext.8Ps26:8(LXX)=Ps27:8(RSV).Backtotext.9Ps79:4(LXX)=Ps80:3(RSV).Backtotext.10Origen,DeOratione31,1.Backtotext.11Evagrius,AdMonachos120(Gressmann).Backtotext.

CHAPTERI1Cf.Lk1:2.Backtotext.2Mt19:8.Backtotext.3Gen2:24.Backtotext.4Mt15:1-20.Backtotext.5Cf.Jn4:34.Backtotext.6Cf.1Jn2:7.Backtotext.7Lk1:2.Backtotext.8Mk1:1.Backtotext.9Acts1:21f.Backtotext.10Jn15:27.Backtotext.112Thess2:15;cf.1Cor11:2.Backtotext.12Gal1:6ff.Backtotext.131Jn1:1-4.Backtotext.

14Lk20:38.Backtotext.15Eph2:20.Backtotext.162Tim1:14.Backtotext.17 Evagrius, Mal. cog. 33, 28 (Paul Gehin, Claire Guillaumont, and

AntoineGuillaumont[hereafterGehin-Guillaumont];PG40,1240D).Backtotext.

18Basil,DeSpirituSanctoXXVII,66,4-5(Pruche).Backtotext.19Tit3:5.Backtotext.202Tim1:13.Backtotext.21Evagrius,DeVitiis1(PG79,H40B-C);quoting1Cor4:7-8.Backto

text.22Evagrius,Praktikos91.Backtotext.23RegulaBenedicti73,2.Backtotext.24Jn14:6.Backtotext.25Evagrius,Epistula17,1.Backtotext.26Evagrius,AntirrheticusI,27(Frankenberg).Backtotext.27 Evagrius,Mal. cog. 35, 13-14 (Gehin-Guillaumont; PG 79, 1229

C).Backtotext.28Ibid.,13,3-4(Gehin-Guillaumont;PG79,1216C).Backtotext.29Ibid.,35,24-30(Gehin-Guillaumont;PG79,1229D).Backtotext.30Evagrius,Epistula25,3.Backtotext.31Cf.Evaggrius,Praktikos,prol.[9].Backtotext.32Evagrius,AdEulogium16(PG79,1113B).Backtotext.33 Evaggrius, Mal. cog. 35, 27 (Gehin-Guillaumont; PG 79, 1229

D).Backtotext.34Evagrius,Praktikos92.Backtotext.35Rom11:16.Backtotext.36Heb13:8.Backtotext.37Jn1:1.Backtotext.382Tim1:14.Backtotext.39Jn15:26.Backtotext.40Jn16:13.Backtotext.41Cf.Lk10:16.Backtotext.42Evagrius,AdMonachos92(Gressmann).Backtotext.431Jn2:1.Backtotext.

44Jn15:26;20:22.Backtotext.45Jn14:16.Backtotext.46Jn14:26.Backtotext.47Jn16:13.Backtotext.481Cor2:6-16.Backtotext.49Evagrius,Mal.cog.40,7(Gehin-Guillaumont;PG40,1244B).Back

totext.50Ibid.,8,5(Gehin-Guillaumont;PG79,1208C).Backtotext.51Evagrius,InPs118:131v8.Backtotext.52Evagrius,DeOratione132.Backtotext.53Ibid.,77.Backtotext.54Gal5:22f.;Evagrius,InPs51:10Sff.Backtotext.55Evagrius,DeOratione139.Backtotext.56Evagrius,Epistula52,7.Backtotext.571Cor6:17.Backtotext.58Cf.1Cor2:15ff.Backtotext.591Cor13:4.Backtotext.60Evagrius,InPs62:9y.Backtotext.61Evagrius,DeOratione28,50,63,72,101.Backtotext.62Jn4:23.Backtotext.63Evagrius,DeOratione59.Backtotext.64Ibid.,41,65,76,113.Backtotext.65Ibid.,59.Backtotext.66Cf.Rom8:26.Backtotext.67Evagrius,DeOratione70.Backtotext.68Rom8:26.Backtotext.69Evagrius,DeOratione63.Backtotext.70JosephHazzaya(JosephtheVisionary),p.190.Backtotext.71Evagrius,Praktikos66,89.Backtotext.72Evagrius,InPs25:2a.Backtotext.73Evagrius,DeOratione84.Backtotext.74 Cf.GabrielBunge,“NachdemIntellekt leben”, inSimandron—Der

Wachklopfer:GedenkschriftGamber(Cologne,1989),pp.95~109.Backtotext.

75Evagrius,DeOratione43.Backtotext.76Ibid.,77.Backtotext.77Cf.Evagrius,InPs77:21t].Backtotext.78Gen25:26.Backtotext.79Evagrius,InPs149:2a.Backtotext.80Ibid.,86:2a.Backtotext.81Ibid.,143:7ε.Backtotext.82Ibid.,26:3βb,citing2Cor10:5.Backtotext.83Ibid.,133:1α.Backtotext.84Ibid.,150:4bξ.Backtotext.85Ibid.,117:10β.Backtotext.86Ibid.,77:21η.Backtotext.87Cf.Evagrius,DeOratione,prol.Backtotext.88Gen32.Backtotext.89Cf.Eusebius,PraeparatioEvangelicaVII,9,28(Mras).Backtotext.90Evagrius,DeOratione,prol.Backtotext.91Evagrius,Praktikos78.Backtotext.92Ibid.,81.Backtotext.93Ibid.,56.Backtotext.94Ibid.,60.Backtotext.95Evagrius,DeOratione146.Backtotext.96Evagrius,KephalaiaGnostikaV,27(Guillaumont).Backtotext.97Ibid.,V,38.Backtotext.98Evagrius,InPs143:1a.Backtotext.99Evagrius,Praktikos,prol.[8].Backtotext.100Mt5:8.Backtotext.101Evagrius,InPs17:21ιβ.Backtotext.102Evagrius,DeOratione87.Backtotext.103Ibid.,59,70.Backtotext.104Evagrius,InPs13:7ξandfrequently.Backtotext.105Evagrius,DeOratione87.Backtotext.106Eph3:10.Backtotext.107Evagrius,DeOratione85.Backtotext.108Cf.Lk24:44.Backtotext.

109ClementofAlexandria,StromataVII,39,6.Backtotext.110Cf.Ps34:38;36:30;70:24.Backtotext.111Evagrius,InPs118:92a.Backtotext.112Evagrius,KephalaiaGnostikaIII,4(Guillaumont).Backtotext.113Evagrius,InPs137:1aBacktotext.114Evagrius,Praktikos69.Backtotext.115Ps62:7.Backtotext.116Ps67:12f.;142:5.Backtotext.117Ps76:6.Backtotext.118Ps36:30.Backtotext.119Ps70:16,24.Backtotext.120Ps118:16,23,48,117.Backtotext.121Ps118:52.Backtotext.122Ps118:24,99.Backtotext.123Ps118:148.Backtotext.124Ps1:2;118:70,77,92,97.Backtotext.125Ps118:15,47,78,143.Backtotext.126Ps104:5;118:27.Backtotext.127Lk24:44-48.Backtotext.128Ps118:55.Backtotext.129Ps77.Backtotext.130Ps62:7;76:4.Backtotext.131Jas5:13.Backtotext.132Lk2:14.Backtotext.133Evagrius,InPs118:17108.Backtotext.134JoannesKolobos35.Backtotext.135Seebelow,page108.Backtotext.

CHAPTERII1Evagrius,Praktikos49.Backtotext.2Lk9:18.Backtotext.3Mk1:35;Lk5:16.Backtotext.4Mt14:23;cf.Mk6:46;Lk6:12;9:28.Backtotext.5Cf.Mk1:38.Backtotext.

6Mk1:36f.Backtotext.7Lk22:41andparallelpassages.Backtotext.8Mt6:5-6.Backtotext.9Acts3:1.Backtotext.10Acts1:14andpassim.Backtotext.11Acts10:9.Backtotext.12Mal1:11.Backtotext.131Tim2:8.Backtotext.14Origen,DeOrationeXXXI,4.Backtotext.15Cf.1Cor5:4.Backtotext.16Origen,DeOrationeXXXI,5.Backtotext.17 Evagrius,DeOctoSpiritibusMalitiaeVII,12 (German translation);

XVI(PG79,1161A).Backtotext.18Cf.Mt6:10.Backtotext.19Arsenios13.Backtotext.20Arsenios27.Backtotext.21Isaiah4;JosephofPanepho6,7.Backtotext.22Evagrius,DeOratione111.Backtotext.23Cassian,ConlationesIX,15ff.(Petschenig).Backtotext.24ConstitutionesApostolicaeII,57,3(Funk).Backtotext.25Origen,DeOrationeXXXI,1.Backtotext.26Ps102:22.Backtotext.271Tim2:8.Backtotext.28 Pseudo-Justin Martyr,Quaestiones et responsiones ad orthodoxos,

questionno.118(BEII4,pp.129f.;PG6:1368B-D).Backtotext.29Jn4:20.Backtotext.30Dan6:10.Backtotext.31Jn4:23.Backtotext.32BasiltheGreat,DeSpirituSanctoXXVII,66,13f.(Pruche).Backto

text.33 GregoryofNyssa,DeOrationeDominica 5 (PG44,1184).Back to

text.34BasiltheGreat,DeSpirituSanctoXXVII,66,60f.(Pruche).Backto

text.35Gen2:8.Backtotext.

36Gen3:23f.Backtotext.37Gen3:24.Backtotext.38Didymos,InGenVII,16,off.(Nautin,p.262).Backtotext.39Mt10:8.Backtotext.40Mt10:4-6.Backtotext.41Jn1:1.Backtotext.42GregoryofNyssa,DeOrationeDominica5(PG44,H84BC).Back

totext.43Col2:14.Backtotext.441Jn1:5.Backtotext.45Mal4:2.Backtotext.46Zach3:8;LkK78.4?Backtotext.47Ps67:34.Backtotext.48Gen2:8.Backtotext.49 This is to be inferred from theHebrew, not from theGreek text of

Genesis3:24.Backtotext.50ThisfollowsfromLev16:14.Backtotext.51Num2:3.FromthetribeofJudahcomestheMessiah!Backtotext.521Chron10:18.Backtotext.53 ProbablybasedonLk23:45:The sunwasdarkened to suggest that

Christ, the “Sun of righteousness”, the “Orient”, faced the occident (thewest) in death. Cf. Athanasius, In Ps 67:5 [= RSV Ps 68:4], where thewords,“tohim,whoridesbeyondthewest”areinterpretedas“tohim,whodescended into the nether world” (Athanasius) (PG 27, 203 B). Back totext.

54Cf.Athanasius,InPs67:34(PG27,303CD):“Sinceinthepreceding(i.e.,inverse5)heannouncedthesufferingofChristandhisdescenttothenetherworld, therefore he also announces his ascension into heaven.Thewords ‘toward the east’, though, are by way of analogy. For as the sunclimbs up from the sunset to the sunrise, in the sameway, too, theLordliftedhimselfasthoughfromthedepthsofthenetherworldtotheheavenof heavens.” Cf. also Evagrius, In Ps 67:34 χα (with reference to Eph4:10).Backtotext.

55Acts1:11.Backtotext.56Mt24:27.Backtotext.57JohnDamascene,DeFideOrthodoxa(OntheOrthodoxFaith)IV,12

(English translation: St. John of Damascus,Writings, trans. Frederic H.Chase, Jr., Fathers of the Church, vol. 37 [New York: Fathers of theChurch,1058],pp.352-54).Backtotext.

58Origen,DeOrationeXXXI,2.Backtotext.59Seeabove,pp.57f.Backtotext.60Num24:17.Backtotext.61Mt2:1ff.Backtotext.62CyrilofJerusalem,CatechesesMystagogicaeI,9(Englishtranslation:

R.W.Church,inF.L.Cross,ed.,St.CyrilofJerusalem’sLecturesontheChristianSacraments[London,1966],pp.57-58).Backtotext.

63Ambrose,DeMysteriis7(Germaned.:J.Schmitz,FontesChristiani3[Freiburg,1990],pp.208f.)Backtotext.

64AsfortheSignoftheCross,whichispertinentinthisconnection,seebelow,pp.179ff.Backtotext.

65Cf.Zech6:12;Lk1:78(dawn);Jn1:9(truelight).Backtotext.66Origen,DeOrationeXXXII.Backtotext.67Seebelow,pp.157ff.Backtotext.68Origen,Num.hom.V,1(Baehrens).Backtotext.69Origen,DeOrationeXXXI,1.Backtotext.70Origen,Num.hom.V,1(Baehrens).Backtotext.71ClementofAlexandria,StromataVII,43,7.Backtotext.72Wis7:26.Backtotext.73Cf.Gen11:1ff.Backtotext.74Deut32:9.Backtotext.75Origen,ContraCelsumV,29ff.(Koetschau).Backtotext.76Cf.2Cor4:6.Backtotext.77Cf.Mt4:16.Backtotext.78ClementofAlexandria,StromataVII,43,6.Backtotext.79Dan6:10,13.Backtotext.80Ps5:4;58:17;87:14;91:3.Backtotext.81Ps54:18;140:2.Backtotext.82Ps76:3,7;91:3;118:55;133:2.Backtotext.83Ps54:18.Backtotext.84Didache8,3(Rordorf/Tuilier).Backtotext.85Lk18:1.Backtotext.

86Tertullian,DeOratione24;1Tim2:8.Backtotext.87Acts2:15.Backtotext.88Acts10:9.Backtotext.89Tertullian,DeOratione25.ReferencetoActs3:1.Backtotext.90Ibid.Backtotext.91Ps118:164.Backtotext.92Cf.ClementofAlexandria,StromataVI,114,3.Backtotext.93Ibid.,VII,40,3-4.Backtotext.94Ps118:148.Backtotext.95Ps118:62.Backtotext.96Ps118:147.Backtotext.97Ps5:4.Backtotext.98Ps54:18.Backtotext.99Epiphanius7.LastcitationisPs118:164.Backtotext.100Ps31:3.Backtotext.101Ps1:2.Backtotext.1021Thess5:17;Epiphanius3.Backtotext.103Evagrius,DeOratione84.Backtotext.104JosephHazzaya(JosephtheVisionary),p.140.Backtotext.105Ibid.,p.144.Backtotext.106Ps1:2Backtotext.107Ps76:3;133:2.Backtotext.108Ps118:62.Backtotext.109Lk6:12.Backtotext.110Mk1:35.Backtotext.111Mk14:38;cf.Lk21:36.Backtotext.112Mk13:33andparallelpassages.Backtotext.113Cf.Mt26:41andparallelpassages.Backtotext.1142Cor6:5;11:27.Backtotext.115Col4:2;cf.Eph6:18.Backtotext.1161Thess5:4ff.Backtotext.117Cf.Mt25:8.Backtotext.118Lk12:35.Backtotext.119Didache16:1.ThelastreferenceistoMt24:42,44.Backtotext.

120Tertullian,DeOratione29.Backtotext.121Cf.Eph5:19.Backtotext.122HistoriaMonachoruminAegypto,Prol.7(Festugiere).Backtotext.123Thatis,approximatelyfrom6:00P.M.to8:00P.M.Backtotext.124From8:00P.M.to2:00A.M.Backtotext.125From2:00A.M.to6:00A.M.Backtotext.126BarsanuphiosandJohn,Epistula146.Backtotext.127Ibid.,Epistula147.Backtotext.128Ibid.,Epistula158.Inthemonasticdesertitwascustomarytosleep

forone-thirdofthenight,i.e.,aboutfourhours.Cf.Evagrius,VitaD(withnote).Backtotext.

129Lk6:12.Backtotext.130Acts16:25.Backtotext.131Ps118:62.Backtotext.132NilusofAncyra,EpistulaIII,127(PG79,444A).Backtotext.133Eph5:15f.Backtotext.134Cf.Gen31:40.Backtotext.135Ps12:4.Backtotext.136BarsanuphiosandJohn,Epistula321.Backtotext.137Cassian,ConlationesIX,31(Petschenig).Backtotext.138Evagrius,KephalaiaGnostikaV,42(Guillaumont).Backtotext.139Evagrius,VitaJ.Backtotext.140Cf.Ps79:12.Backtotext.141 Hesychios to Theodulos, c. 50/51 (Philokalia, 1:149 [Athens,

1957]).Backtotext.142Tob12:8.Backtotext.143Lk2:37.Backtotext.1442Cor6:5;cf.11:27.Backtotext.145Acts13:3.Backtotext.146Mt4:2andparallelpassages.Backtotext.147Mt11:19.Backtotext.148Lk5:33.Backtotext.149Mt6:16-18.Backtotext.150Evagrius,AdEulogium14(PG79,1112B).Backtotext.

151Nau222.Backtotext.152Mt9:15.Backtotext.153Mk1:15.Backtotext.154Lk7:36ff.Backtotext.155Lk19:1ff.Backtotext.156Mt9:10f.etc.Backtotext.157Evagrius,AdMonachos15(Gressmann).Backtotext.158Prov21:14.Backtotext.159Evagrius,Praktikos26.Backtotext.160Cassiani.Backtotext.161Cassian3.Backtotext.162Nau288.Backtotext.163Mt9:15.Backtotext.164Didache8,1(Rordorf/Tuilier).Backtotext.165Cassian,DeInstitutisII,18(Petschenig).Backtotext.166Ps34:13.Backtotext.167Cf.Deut8:12ff.;32:15,etc.Backtotext.168Deut8:3.Backtotext.169Evagrius,InPs34:13ξ.Backtotext.170Ibid.,68,11u.Backtotext.171Gen9:21.Backtotext.1721Cor11:5,11.Backtotext.173Evagrius,DeOratione145.Backtotext.174Evagrius,DeOctoSpiritibusMalitiae,I,12(PG79,1145B).Back

totext.175Ibid.,I,17.Backtotext.176Ibid.,I,14.Backtotext.177Ibid.,I,15.Backtotext.178Evagrius,Praktikos15.Backtotext.

CHAPTERIII11Tim2:8.Backtotext.2TheFathersunderstoodsuch“disputes”toinclude(wicked)“thoughts”

aswell.Cf.Evagrius,Mal.cog.32(Gehin-Guillaumont).Backtotext.3Ps38:13.Backtotext.

4Mk9:24.Backtotext.5Lk7:38.Backtotext.6Heb5:7.Backtotext.7 Evagrius, In Ps 125:5 γ. Evagrius repeats this empirical fact rather

often,cf.InPs29:6ε;134:7ε;Praktikos90.Backtotext.8Nau561.Backtotext.9Mal.cog.11(Géhin-Guillaumont;PG79,1212D).Backtotext.10Cf.Ps31:5.Backtotext.11Evagrius,DeOratione5.Backtotext.12Evagrius,AdVirginem39(Gressmann).Backtotext.13Evagrius,AdMonachos56(Gressmann).Backtotext.14 Evagrius,Praktikos 27.Quoting Ps 41:6, 12; 42:5 (LXX). Back to

text.15Evagrius,DeOratione6.Backtotext.16Ibid.,7.Backtotext.17Evagrius,InPs79:6γ.Backtotext.18Evagrius,DeOratione8.Backtotext.19Ibid.,78.Backtotext.201Cor9:27.Backtotext.21Evagrius,Gnostikos37(Guillaumont).Backtotext.22Evagrius,Praktikos57.Backtotext.23Nau572.ReferringtoLk7:38,47.Backtotext.24DiadochosofPhotike,c.LXXIII;seebelow,pp.135f.Backtotext.25Lk18:1.Backtotext.261Thess5:17.Backtotext.27Evagrius,Praktikos49.Backtotext.28Eph6:18.Backtotext.29 Evagrius, De Oratione 125: “A monk is someone who considers

himselftobeonewithall,becauseitalwaysappearstohimthatheisseeinghimself in every person.” That means, “Loving your neighbor asyourself.”Backtotext.

30 J.-G. Guy, “Un entretien monastique sur la contemplation”,RecherchesdeSciencesReligieuses50(1962):230ff. (nr.18-22).Backtotext.

31 TheWay of a Pilgrim and The Pilgrim Continues HisWay, trans.

R.M.French(London,1930;NewYork:SeaburyPress,1965);seealsothenew translation in Classics of Western Spirituality, The Pilgrim’s Tale(Mahwah,N.J.,2000).Backtotext.

32 SeeWritings from the Philokalia on Prayer of theHeart, trans. E.KadloubovskyandG.E.H.Palmer(LondonandBoston:FaberandFaber,1951); The Philokalia: The Complete Text, comp. St. Nikodimos of theHolyMountainandSt.MakariosofCorinth,trans.G.E.H.Palmer,PhilipSherrard, andKallistosWare, 4 vols. (London;Boston: Faber and Faber,1979-1995).Backtotext.

33Forwhatfollows,cf.G.Bunge,DasGeistgebet,(Cologne,1987),pp.29ff.(“BetetohneUnterlass”).Backtotext.

34BarsanuphiosandJohn,Epistula143.Backtotext.35Ibid.,146,citedaboveonpp.80f.Backtotext.36Cf.Ps50:3.Backtotext.37Cf.Ps69:6.Backtotext.38BarsanuphiosandJohn,Epistula143.Backtotext.39Palladios,HistoriaLausiaca20(Butler,pp.63,13ff.)and38(Butler,

p.120,11).Backtotext.40J741(Regnault,Sériedesanonymes,p.317).Backtotext.41Cf.L.Regnault,“Laprièrecontinuelle‘monologistos’..”Irén-ikon48

(1975):pp.479ff.Backtotext.42BarsanuphiosandJohn,Epistula143.Backtotext.43 Cassian,Conlationes IX, 36; similarlyAugustine,Epistula CXXX,

20,citedbelow,p.113.Backtotext.44Cf.Eph4:22;Col3:9.Backtotext.45BarsanuphiosandJohn,Epistula176.Backtotext.46Ibid.,143.Backtotext.47Nau280.Backtotext.48Evagrius,DeOratione53.Backtotext.49Ibid.,84.Backtotext.50Athanasius,VitaAntonii91,3(Bartelink).Backtotext.51Afterall,Cassian,ConlationesIX,2describesitas“thesinglegoalof

themonkandtheperfectionoftheheart”.Backtotext.52ClementofAlexandria,StromataVII,73,1.Backtotext.53Rom8:26.Backtotext.541Pet1:17.Backtotext.

55ClementofAlexandria,StromataVII,49,7.Backtotext.56Evagrius,InPs150:61.CitingProv20:27.Backtotext.57 Augustine, Epistula CXXX, 20 ad Probam (Goldzieher III, p.

62).Backtotext.58Evagrius,DeOratione98.Backtotext.59Ps22:4.Backtotext.60Cassian,ConlationesX,10(Petschenig).Backtotext.61Ammonas4.Backtotext.62Lk18:13.Backtotext.63Athanasius,VitaAntonii3,6(Bartelink).Backtotext.64Ibid.,13,7and39,3,5.Backtotext.65Mt6:7.Backtotext.66Cf.Mt6:10.Backtotext.67Cf.Mt6:8.Backtotext.68Ps40:5.Backtotext.69Mt15:25.Backtotext.70MakariostheGreat19.Backtotext.71Ammonas4.Backtotext.72MakariostheGreat19.Backtotext.73Nau167.Backtotext.74Nau184.Backtotext.75Nau574.Backtotext.76Evagrius,DeOratione102.Backtotext.77Lk18:10-14.Backtotext.78Cf.2Cor5:18-20.Backtotext.79Mk1:15.Backtotext.80Cf.Acts2:38;3:19;5:31;17:30.Backtotext.81Mt11:29.Backtotext.82Acts2:36.Backtotext.83Cf.Lk4:41;Jn20:31.Backtotext.84Jn20:28.Backtotext.85Ps139:8.Backtotext.86 Evagrius,Mal. cog. 34,19-22 (Géhin-Guillaumont; PG 40, 1241B).

CitingPs30:3.Backtotext.

87Acts4:12.Backtotext.88Mt6:7.Backtotext.89WhatismeantistheOurFather(Mt6:9-13).Backtotext.901Tim2:8.Backtotext.91ClementofAlexandria,StromataVII,49,6.Backtotext.92Thatis,thePhariseeandthetaxcollector;cf.Lk18:10.Backtotext.93Evagrius,DeOratione151.Backtotext.94 Theconclusionof thechapter (“and soon”) indicates thatEvagrius

hastheOurFatherinmindasanexampleofcorrectprayer!Backtotext.95Mt6:8.Backtotext.96 Thewordsof theOurFatherare, as itwere, the red thread running

throughEvagrius’workOnprayer.Cf.Bunge,Geistgebet,pp.44ff.Backtotext.

971Thess5:18.Backtotext.98Evagrius,DeOratione15.Backtotext.99 Eth.Coll. 13, 42; cf. LucienRegnault,Les Sentences desPeres du

desert,nouveaurecueil(Solesmes),pp.298-99.Backtotext.100Mk8:38.Backtotext.101Eth.Coll.13,26(Regnault,Nouveaurecueil,p.293).Backtotext.102Ps27:2passim.Backtotext.103Ps3:5andmanyotherverses.Backtotext.104Ps5:2;17:7,etc.Backtotext.1051Sam1:12ff.Backtotext.106Nau16.Backtotext.107Evagrius,Praktikos15.Backtotext.108Ps49:15.Backtotext.109Ps144:18.Backtotext.110Ps113:13f.Backtotext.111Ps27:2.Backtotext.112Ps26:8.Backtotext.113Ps30:17.Backtotext.114Ps79:4,8,20.Backtotext.115Jn4:24.Backtotext.116Cassian,DeInstitutisII,8(Petschenig).Backtotext.117Mt15:21ff.Backtotext.

118Mt9:20f.Backtotext.119Epiphanius6.CitingLk18:9ff.Backtotext.120Evagrius,DeOratione42.Backtotext.121Ibid.,43.CitingRom8:26.Backtotext.122BarsanuphiosandJohn,Epistula711,cf.429.Backtotext.123Evagrius,InPs108:9ξwithareferencetoRom12:14.Backtotext.124Col3:16.Backtotext.125Mt23:3.Backtotext.126ThecitationconflatesPs118:122andPs24:2.Backtotext.127Evagrius,InPs136:3p.Backtotext.128Tertullian,DeOratione17.Backtotext.129Mt6:5ff.Backtotext.130ClementofAlexandria,StromataVII,39,6.Backtotext.131Acts1:24.Backtotext.132Cassian,ConlationesIX,35.CitingMic7:5(Vulgate).Backtotext.133Evagrius,Praktikos42.Backtotext.134Evagrius,DeOratione3.Backtotext.135Ibid.,55.Backtotext.136Ibid.,56-58.Backtotext.137Evagrius,Skemmata2(J.Muyldermans,Evagriana[Paris,1931],p.

374).Backtotext.138Cf.Evagrius,Epistula29,3.“Illumination”inChristianmysticismis

alwaysthefree,completelygratuitous[unvefügbar=nottobedisposedofatwillbytherecipient]self-revelationofthetriuneGod.Backtotext.

139Cf.Ex24:10(theplacewhereGod’sfeetstood).Backtotext.140Meanthereisthepurecontentofknowledge,whichneither“forms”

nor “leaves an imprint on” our mind. Cf. Mal. cog. 41, i—3 (Gehin-Guillaumont;PG79,1228C).Backtotext.

141Evagrius,Malcog.40(Gehin-Guillaumont;PG40,1244A/B).Backtotext.

142Cf.Evagrius,KephalaiaGnostikaII,1(Guillaumont).Backtotext.143Evagrius,DeOratione57andpassim.Backtotext.144DiadochosofPhotike,c.LXXIII(desPlaces).Backtotext.145Evagrius,DeOratione70.Backtotext.146Mt13:46.Backtotext.

147JosephHazzaya,p.153.WithreferencetoNum11:5-6.Backtotext.148Ibid.,p.159.Backtotext.149Evagrius,Gnostikos41(Guillaumont).Backtotext.150JosephHazzaya(JosephtheVisionary),pp.156ff.Backtotext.151Jn4:23.Backtotext.152Evagrius,DeOratione60.Backtotext.153Ibid.,59.Backtotext.154Ibid.,61.Backtotext.155Cf.Evagrius,AdMonachos120(Gressmann).Backtotext.156Jn17:3.Backtotext.

CHAPTERIV1 F. J. Dölger,Beiträge zur Geschichte des Kreuzzeichens I, JbAC 1

(1958),p.5.Backtotext.2 J.-B. Chabot, “Vie dumoine Youssef Bousnaya”,Revue de l’Orient

Chretien4(1899):411.Backtotext.3Ps133:1,cf.134:2.Backtotext.4Ps23:3.Backtotext.5Lk18:11,13.Backtotext.6Lk22:46.Backtotext.7Mt6:5.Backtotext.8TraditioApostolica,c.25(B.Botte,LaTraditionapostoliquedeSaint

Hippolyte: Essai de reconstitution, LiturgiewissenschaftlicheQuellen undForschungen,39[Münster,1963],p.64).Backtotext.

9Arsenios30.Backtotext.10Arsenios15.Backtotext.11Antoniosi.Backtotext.12Sisoes12.Backtotext.13Origen,DeOrationeXXXI,2.Backtotext.14Evagrius,DeOratione9,io,29,41,45,49,105,153.Backtotext.15Cf.Evagrius,Praktikos15.Backtotext.16Evagrius,DeOratione72.Backtotext.17Ibid.,27.Backtotext.18Ibid.,3.Backtotext.19Origen,DeOrationeXXXI,2.Backtotext.

20 Tertullian,DeCarnis Resurrectione 8 (Tertullian’s Treatise on theResurrection,ed.and trans.ErnestEvans[London,1960],p.24).Back totext.

21Lk1:19.Backtotext.22Gen18:27,cf.18:22.Backtotext.23Col3:11.Backtotext.24Cf.Tob12:15;1Cor11:10.Backtotext.25Tertullian,DeOratione16.Backtotext.26Deut6:13.Backtotext.27Evagrius,DeOratione100.CitingthePrayerofManasseh4.Backto

text.28TheFathers,infact,regardedthemassuch.Cf.MakariostheGreat33

(asflies),Am17:49(smallanimals,gnats,andothervermin)(inRegnault,Troisièmerecueil,p.177).Backtotext.

29Evagrius,Praktikos46,cf.DeOratione90.Backtotext.30Ps96:7,105:19.Backtotext.31Cf.Ps43:21.Backtotext.32Ps62:5.Backtotext.33Ps113:11f.Backtotext.34Ps76:3.Backtotext.35Ps87:10.Backtotext.36Ps142:6.Backtotext.37Ps118:48.Backtotext.38Cf.Ex9:29.Backtotext.391Tim2:8.Backtotext.40Ps140:2.Backtotext.41Ps10:4.Backtotext.42Cf.Ps54:7.Backtotext.43Cf.Ps133:2;Heb9:24f.Backtotext.44ClementofAlexandria,StromataVII,40,1.Backtotext.45Origen,DeOrationeXXXI,2.Backtotext.46ClementofAlexandria,StromataVII,28,5f.Backtotext.47Thiswasthenamegiventothe“priest”ofthepagancultwhoseduty

it was to demonstrate and explain the sacred symbols and practices. Heinitiatedothersintothereligiousmysteries.Backtotext.

48Ex17:9f.Backtotext.49NilusofAncyra,EpistulaI,86(PG79,120D).WithreferencetoEx

17:12.Backtotext.50Cf.Lk24:50.Backtotext.51NilusofAncyra,EpistulaI,87(PG79,121A).WithreferencetoLev

9:22-23.Backtotext.52TertullianmaybethinkingofPs148.Backtotext.53Tertullian,DeOratione29.Backtotext.54Seeabove,pp.69f.Backtotext.55Cf.1Cor10:6,ii.Backtotext.56Evagrius,DeOratione106,cf.109.Backtotext.57JosephofPanepho7,cf.6.Backtotext.58Evagrius,DeOrationeIII.Backtotext.59Cassian,ConlationesIX,15(Petschenig),etc.Backtotext.60Evagrius,DeOratione113.Backtotext.61Cf.Ps103:4.Backtotext.62Cf.Lk1:19.Backtotext.63Tithoesi.Backtotext.64Cf.Ps56:6,12,etc.Backtotext.65Ps24:15.Backtotext.66Ps122:2.Backtotext.67Mk7:34.Backtotext.68Mt14:19andparallelpassages.Backtotext.69Jn11:4f.Backtotext.70Jn17:1.Backtotext.71Ps122:1.Backtotext.72Ps24:1.Backtotext.732Cor3:18.Backtotext.74Origen,DeOrationeIX,2.CitingPs4:7.Backtotext.75Ibid.,XXXI,2.Backtotext.76ClementofAlexandria,StromataVII,40,1.Backtotext.77Col3:1-3.Backtotext.78 Horsiesios,Règements, quoting Ps 122:1-2 (Lefort, pp. 83.8ff.); cf.

Pachomian Koinonia, ed. Armand Veilleux, vol. 2, CS 46 (Kalamazoo,Mich.,1981),p.199.Backtotext.

79Ibid.Backtotext.80 John Climacus / Klimakos, Scala Paradisi, gr. XV, 76

(Sophronios).Backtotext.81 Eth.Coll. 13, 43; cf. LucienRegnault,Les Sentences desPéres du

désert,nouveaurecueil(Solesmes),pp.298-99.Backtotext.82Ps68:8.Backtotext.83Mt15:19.Backtotext.84Lk18:13.Backtotext.85Ps100:5.Backtotext.86Ps130:1.Backtotext.87Tertullian,DeOratione17.Backtotext.88Evagrius,DeOratione110.Backtotext.89Ibid.,151.Backtotext.90Ibid.,102.Backtotext.91Eph3:12.Backtotext.92Acts1:24.Backtotext.93Evagrius,Praktikos46.Backtotext.94Ibid.,22.Backtotext.951Kings8:54.Backtotext.96Acts9:40.Backtotext.97Acts20:36.Backtotext.98Acts21:5.Backtotext.99Mk1:40.Backtotext.100Mt17:14.Backtotext.101Mk10:17.Backtotext.102Rom14:11;Phil2:10.Backtotext.103Mt27:29;Mk15:19.Backtotext.104Is45:23f.Backtotext.105 Nilus ofAncyra,Epistula I, 87 (PG79, 121A).Referring toDan

6:10(11).Backtotext.106Eph3:14-15.Backtotext.107Phil2:10.Backtotext.108Is45:23/Rom14:11.Backtotext.109Origen,DeOrationeXXXI,3.Backtotext.

110Ibid.,XXXI,2.Backtotext.111 Notpreserved.According to the testimonyofEusebius,Hist.Eccl.

VI,13,9,ClementofAlexandria, inhisownwork,On thePasch (whichhas not been preserved either), draws from several sources, among themIrenaeus, i.e., probably from the above-mentioned work on the samesubject.Backtotext.

112 Pseudo-JustinMartyr,Quaestiones et responsiones ad orthodoxos,question115(BEn4,pp.127f.);PG6,1364A-1365A.Backtotext.

113Thatis,WednesdayandFriday.Backtotext.114Tertullian,DeOratione23.Backtotext.115NilusofAncyra,EpistulaIII,132(PG79,444D).Backtotext.116BarsanuphiosandJohn,Epistula168.Backtotext.117 Cf. R. Scherschel,Der Rosenkranz—das Jesus gebet desWestens

(Freiburg,1982),p.57.Backtotext.118Regnault,Seriedesanonymes1627A.Backtotext.119Cassian,DeInstitutisII,7,2(Petschenig).Backtotext.120RegulaBenedicti,c.20and50.Backtotext.121Ps96:7.Backtotext.122Ps71:11.Backtotext.123Ps65:4.Backtotext.124Gen13:2(AbrahambeforeGod).Backtotext.125Deut6:13/Mt4:10!Backtotext.126Ps5:8.Backtotext.127Ps28:2;95:9.Backtotext.128Ps98:5,cf.131:7.Backtotext.129Mt8:2;9:18,etc.Backtotext.130Lk5:12.Backtotext.131Lk17:16.Backtotext.132Acts10:25.Backtotext.133Regnault,Seriedesanonymes1765.Backtotext.134Nau301.ReferringtoJosh7:6,10.Backtotext.135JohannesKolobos40.Backtotext.136Mt26:39;however,seeabove,p.163.Backtotext.137JosephBusnaya,inChabot,“Vie”,p.397.Backtotext.138Nau184.Backtotext.

139Cassian,DeInstitutisII,7,1(Petschenig).Backtotext.140RegulaMagistri,c.48,10-11(deVogüé)Backtotext.141RegulaBenedicti,c.20,4-5.Backtotext.142Scherschel,Rosenkranz,pp.57-58.Backtotext.143Regnault,Sériedesanonymes1741.Backtotext.144Meantherearemetanias.Backtotext.145 Kallistos and Ignatios Xanthopuloi, Precise Methods, c. 39

(Philokalia,vol.4[Athens,1961],p.239).QuotingMt11:12.Backtotext.146IsaacofNineveh,c.49(Amsterdam:Wensinck,1923),pp.228ff.Cf.

HolyTransfigurationMonastery,TheAsceticalHomiliesofSaintIsaactheSyrian(Boston,1984),pp.387f.Backtotext.

147 Barsanuphios and John,Epistula 711, see abovepp.128f.Back totext.

148Evagrius,InPs55:78.Backtotext.149Evagrius,InPs32:151;Acts1:24.Backtotext.150Mt15:19.Backtotext.151Evagrius,Epistula16;InProv6:13(Géhin76).Backtotext.152Tertullian,DeCorona3(Kroymann).Backtotext.153Origen,SelectainEz9(PG13,800/801).Backtotext.154Rev7:3,etc.Backtotext.155 Evagrius, Mal. cog. 33, 28 (Géhin-Guillaumont; PG 40, 1240

D).Backtotext.156BasiltheGreat,DeSpirituSanctoXXVII,66(Pruche).Backtotext.157Ezek9:4.Backtotext.158 Horsiesios, Règlements (Lefort, pp. 83,16ff.; cf. Pachomian

Koinonia,2:199).Backtotext.159Cf.Lk14:27.Clementspontaneouslyreplacestheword“cross”here

with“sign”(σημεĩον),becauseheunderstandsthetexttorefertothesignofthecross.Cf.alsoMt24:30,the“signoftheSonofMan”.Backtotext.

160Cf.2Cor4:10.Backtotext.161Cf.Lk14:33.Backtotext.162ClementofAlexandria,StromataVII,79,7.Backtotext.163Athanasius,VitaAntonii,c.23,4(Bartelink),cf.13,5.Backtotext.164Ibid.,c.78,5.Backtotext.165NilusofAncyra,EpistulaII,304(PG79,349C).Backtotext.

166Ibid.,III,278(PG79,521B/C).Backtotext.167HippolytusofRome,TraditioApostolica42(B.Botte,LaTradition

apostolique de Saint Hippolyte: Essai de reconstitution,LiturgiewissenschaftlicheQuellenundForschungen,39[Munster,1963],p.64;EnglishtranslationfromtheGermanofW.Geerlings,FontesChristianiI[Freiburg,1991],p.309).Backtotext.

168BarsanuphiosandJohn,Epistula46.Backtotext.169Ps117:15,etc.Backtotext.170Ps109:1/Mt22:44,etc.Backtotext.171Eph4:10.Backtotext.172PeterDamascene,BookI,OntheDifferencesbetweenThoughtsand

Provocations (Philokalia,vol.3, [Athens,1960],p.110).Referringat theconclusiontoMt25:33f.,etc.Backtotext.

173Is40:12(Vulgate).Backtotext.174 Innocent III,De Sacro AltarisMysterio, lib. II, c. XLV (PL 217,

825).Backtotext.

CONCLUSION1Evagrius,Praktikos81.Backtotext.2Sir42:25.Backtotext.3Cf.2Cor3:6.Backtotext.4Origen,DeOrationeXXXI,2.Backtotext.5Evagrius,Praktikos78.Backtotext.6Evagrius,InPs17:21ιβ.Backtotext.7Evagrius,Praktikos81.Backtotext.8Evagrius,InPs147:2α.Backtotext.9Evagrius,DeOratione77.Backtotext.10Origen,Num.hom.V,1(Baehrens).Backtotext.11Basil,DeSpirituSanctoXXVII,66,8f.(Pruche).Backtotext.12Rev2:4-5.Backtotext.13Evagrius,Praktikos,prol.[9].Backtotext.

APPENDIX1§2691.Backtotext.21Jn2:8.Backtotext.

31Pet2:9.Backtotext.4Rom12:1.Backtotext.5Ps67:36.Backtotext.6Acts2:42.Backtotext.7Cassian,DeInstitutisII,11,2(Petschenig).Backtotext.8 Onemay read, for example, Isaac ofNineveh, c. 80 (Wensinck, pp.

366ff.);cf.TheAsceticalHomilies(Boston,1984),pp.365-75.Backtotext.9TwoworksofJohnCassianoftencitedhere.Backtotext.10 That is, the Lives of Anthony the Great and other Fathers of

monasticism,aswellas theApophthegmataPatrum, fromwhichwehavedrawnawealthofquotations.Backtotext.

11 Regula Benedicti, c. 73, 2-5. Translation from The Rule of St.Benedict in Latin and Englishwith notes, ed. Timothy Fry (Collegeville,Minn.,LiturgicalPress,1981),pp.295-97.Backtotext.

SOURCES1EvagriusPonticus(345-399)wasanasceticalwriterandaninfluential

figure in fourth-century monasticism. He was ordained a deacon byGregoryofNazianzen,andJohnCassianwasoneofhisdisciplesforthreeyears.DuringhislifetimeEvagriuswasrenownedintheEastasaspiritualguide.BecauseofhisNeo-Platoniccosmologicalspeculations,someofhisworkswerecondemnedasbeingOrigenistbyseveralecumenicalcouncilsin the sixth-eighth centuries.Throughhis disciples and theirwritings, histeachings on asceticism and prayer contributed to the Church’s monastictradition.EvagriusisquotedtwicebytheCatechismoftheCatholicChurch(2737,2742)inthesectiononprayer.—Trans.Backtotext.