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THE LORD's PRAYER
... A Historical Account of the Most Well Known Prayer in the
Christian Religion
The Lord's Prayer,
sometimes known by its first two Latin words as the Pater Noster, or the
English equivalent 'Our Father', is probably the most well-known prayer in
the Christian religion. The Lord's Prayer is excerpted from Matt. 6:9-13
during the Sermon on the Mount. A similar prayer is found on Luke 11:2-4.
It is called the "Lord's Prayer" because it was the prayer given by Jesus in
response to a request from the Apostles for guidance on how to pray. Most
Christian theologians point out that Jesus would have never used this prayer
himself, for it specifically asks for forgiveness of sins or, more
literally, for cancellation of debts, and in most schools of Christian
thought, Christ never sinned. However since it says "forgive us our sins",
not "forgive me my sins", Christ might have prayed it by way of identifying
himself with the common plight of man and of asking for the forgiveness of
the sins of his disciples.
It should be noted that the doxology (For thine is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen) was not present in the
original version of the prayer, but rather was added to the Gospels as a
result of its use in the liturgy of the early church. For this reason, it is
not included in many modern translations.
Biblical scholars
disagree about Jesus' meaning in the Lord's Prayer. Some view it as
"existential," referring to man's present experience on earth, while others
interpret it as "eschatological," referring to the coming Kingdom of God.
The prayer itself lends to both interpretations, and further questions are
posed by the existence of other translations and the problems inherent in
the process of translation.
It has always been of great interest as to the many different
interpretations of the various aspects of what is offered as foundational
information about Jesus the Nazarene, what he said and taught, and how
translations over the centuries have changed dramatically sometimes even
altering the original meaning of a particular text.
Aramaic manuscripts have been uncovered over the years which provide us with
original source documents that can be fairly well authenticated. Beginning
with Constantine around 325 AD, dramatic changes began to be infused into
interpretations as texts were translated from Aramaic into Greek and then
into Latin. In later years there was then translations into old English, and
later, more translations into modern English.
The Aramaic Language, the language of Jesus, doesn't distinguish between
means and purpose, inside quality or outside acting. Both are given
simultaneously as in "what you've sown, so you'll harvest." When Jesus
relates to the "Kingdom of Heaven" he means the Kingdom inside as well as
the Kingdom in the middle or "amongst" us. Also "the next one" is inside and
outside as in the whole or Self. The arbitrary borders between spirit, body
and soul are nonexistent.
The Aramaic Language has (like the Hebrew and Arabic) different levels of
meaning. The words are organized and defined by a poetical system where
different meanings of every word are possible. So, every line of the Lords
Prayer could be translated into English in many different versions. As an
example of how the intent of a passage can be changed, here are some
translations of the Lord's Prayer directly translated from the ancient
Aramaic language into modern English:
The Prayer To Our Father
(in the original Aramaic)
Abwûn
"Oh Thou, from whom the breath of life comes,
d'bwaschmâja
who fills all realms of sound, light and vibration.
Nethkâdasch schmach
May Your light be experienced in my utmost holiest.
Têtê malkuthach.
Your Heavenly Domain approaches.
Nehwê tzevjânach aikâna d'bwaschmâja af b'arha.
Let Your will come true - in the universe (all that vibrates)
just as on earth (that is material and dense).
Hawvlân lachma d'sûnkanân jaomâna.
Give us wisdom (understanding, assistance) for our daily need,
Waschboklân chaubên wachtahên aikâna
daf chnân schwoken l'chaijabên.
detach the fetters of faults that bind us, (karma)
like we let go the guilt of others.
Wela tachlân l'nesjuna
Let us not be lost in superficial things (materialism, common temptations),
ela patzân min bischa.
but let us be freed from that what keeps us off from our true purpose.
Metol dilachie malkutha wahaila wateschbuchta l'ahlâm almîn.
From You comes the all-working will, the lively strength to act,
the song that beautifies all and renews itself from age to age.
Amên.
Sealed in trust, faith and truth.
(I confirm with my entire being)
Lords Prayer Translated from Aramaic
A Translation of "Our Father" directly from Aramaic into English
O cosmic Birther of all radiance and vibration. Soften the ground of our
being and carve out a space within us where your Presence can abide.
Fill us with your creativity so that we may be empowered to bear the fruit
of your mission.
Let each of our actions bear fruit in accordance with our desire.
Endow us with the wisdom to produce and share what each being needs to grow
and flourish.
Untie the tangled threads of destiny that bind us, as we release others from
the entanglement of past mistakes.
Do not let us be seduced by that which would divert us from our true
purpose, but illuminate the opportunities of the present moment.
For you are the ground and the fruitful vision, the birth, power and
fulfillment, as all is gathered and made whole once again.
Lords Prayer, from the original Aramaic
Translation by Neil Douglas-Klotz in Prayers of the Cosmos
O Birther! Father- Mother of the Cosmos
Focus your light within us - make it useful.
Create your reign of unity now-
through our fiery hearts and willing hands
Help us love beyond our ideals
and sprout acts of compassion for all creatures.
Animate the earth within us: we then
feel the Wisdom underneath supporting all.
Untangle the knots within
so that we can mend our hearts' simple ties to each other.
Don't let surface things delude us,
But free us from what holds us back from our true purpose.
Out of you, the astonishing fire,
Returning light and sound to the cosmos.
Amen.
Lords Prayer, from Aramaic into Old English
Translation by G.J.R. Ouseley from The Gospel of the Holy Twelve
Our Father-Mother Who art above and within:
Hallowed be Thy Name in twofold Trinity.
In Wisdom, Love and Equity Thy Kingdom come to all.
Thy will be done, As in Heaven so in Earth.
Give us day by day to partake of Thy holy Bread, and the fruit of the living
Vine.
As Thou dost forgive us our trespasses, so may we forgive others who
trespass against us.
Shew upon us Thy goodness, that to others we may shew the same.
In the hour of temptation, deliver us from evil.
Amun.
ORIGINS OF THE LORD'S PRAYER:
For a better look at the prayer, let's review its origins. In
the latter part of the second century, Matthew translates the Lord's Prayer
in rather crude Greek, behind which one can still sense the original
Aramaic. The commonly accepted version of the Lord's Prayer is the version
of Matthew. This version however is admitted to be grossly inaccurate. It
contains sixty-six words. The Revised Version of Matthew contains but
fifty-five. Twenty-four words either do not belong to the prayer, or have
been misplaced; while words which do belong to it have been omitted. In this
regard, John E. Remsberg, author of The Christ writes: "If the
custodians of the Christian Scriptures have permitted the prayer of their
Lord to be corrupted to this extent, what reliance can be placed upon the
genuineness of the remainder of these writings?"
The Lord's Prayer, like so many more of the precepts and discourses ascribed
to Jesus, is borrowed. Dr. Hardwicke, of England, says: "The so-called
'Lord's Prayer' was learned by the Messiah as the 'Kadish' from the Talmud."
The Kadish, as translated by Christian scholar, Rev. John Gregorie, is as
follows:
"Our Parent which art in heaven, be gracious to us, O Lord, our God;
hallowed be thy name, and let the remembrance of thee be glorified in heaven
above and in the earth here below. Let thy kingdom reign over us now and
forever. The holy men of old said, Remit and forgive unto all men whatsoever
they have done against me. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from the evil thing. For thine is the kingdom, and thou shalt reign in glory
for ever and for evermore."
The eminent Swiss theologian, Dr. Wetstein, says: "It is a curious fact that
the Lord's Prayer may be constructed almost verbatim out of the Talmud. The
Sermon on the Mount is derived largely from the teachings of the Essenes, a
Jewish sect to which Jesus is believed by many to have belonged."
In the early Church, the Christians living in the eastern half of the Roman
Empire added the doxology ("For thine is the kingdom ect.") to the Gospel
text of the Our Father when reciting the prayer at Mass. Evidence of this
practice is also found in the Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles), a
first-century manual of morals, worship and doctrine of the Church. (The
Didache also prescribed that the faithful recite the Our Father three times
a day.) Also when copying the scriptures, Greek scribes sometimes appended
the doxology onto the original Gospel text of the Our Father; however, most
texts today would omit this inclusion, relegate it to a footnote, or note
that it was a later addition to the Gospel. Official "Catholic" Bibles
including the Vulgate, the Douay-Rheims, the Confraternity Edition, and the
New American have never included this doxology.
In the western half of the Roman Empire and in the Latin rite, the Our
Father was always an important part of the Mass. St. Jerome (d. 420)
attested to the usage of the Our Father in the Mass, and St. Gregory the
Great (d. 604) placed the recitation of the Our Father after the Canon and
before the Fraction. The Commentary on the Sacrament of St. Ambrose (d. 397)
meditated on the meaning of "daily bread" in the context of the Holy
Eucharist. In this same vein, St. Augustine (d. 430) saw the Our Father as a
beautiful connection of the Holy Eucharist with the forgiveness of sins. In
all instances, the Church saw this "perfect prayer which the Lord gave" as a
proper means of preparing for Holy Communion. However, none of this evidence
includes the appended doxology.
The English wording of the Our Father that is used today reflects the
version mandated for use by Henry VIII, which was based on the English
version of the Bible produced by Tyndale (1525). Later in 1541 after his
official separation from the Holy Father, Henry VIII issued an edict saying:
"His Grace perceiving now the great diversity of the translations of the
Pater Noster hath willed them all to be taken up, and instead of them hath
caused an uniform translation of the said Pater Noster, Ave, Creed, etc., to
be set forth, willing all his loving subjects to learn and use the same and
straitly [sic] commanding all parsons, vicars, and curates to read and teach
the same to their parishioners."
This English version without the doxology of the Our Father became
accepted throughout the English-speaking world, even though the later
English translations of the Bible including the Catholic Douay-Rheims (1610)
and Protestant King James versions (1611) had different renderings of
prayers as found in the Gospel of St. Matthew. Later, the Catholic Church
made slight modifications in the English: "who art" replaced "which art,"
and "on earth" replaced "in earth." During the reign of Edward VI, the Book
of Common Prayer (1549 and 1552 editions) of the Church of England did not
change the wording of the Our Father nor add the doxology. However, during
the reign of Elizabeth I and a resurgence to rid the Church of England from
any Catholic vestiges, the Lord’s Prayer was changed to include the
doxology.
EVOLUTION OF THE LORD's PRAYER
The Prayer To Our Father in the Original Aramaic
Abwûn O cosmic Birther, from whom the breath of life comes,
d'bwaschmâja who fills all realms of sound, light and vibration.
Nethkâdasch schmach May Your light be experienced in my utmost holiest.
Têtê malkuthach. Your Heavenly Domain approaches.
Nehwê tzevjânach aikâna d'bwaschmâja af b'arha. Let Your will come true in
the universe (all that vibrates) just as on earth (that is material and
dense).
Hawvlân lachma d'sûnkanân jaomâna. Give us wisdom (understanding,
assistance) for our daily need,
Waschboklân chaubên wachtahên aikâna daf chnân schwoken l'chaijabên. detach
the fetters of faults that bind us, (karma) like we let go the guilt of
others.
Wela tachlân l'nesjuna Let us not be lost in superficial things
(materialism, common temptations),
ela patzân min bischa. but let us be freed from that what keeps us off from
our true purpose.
Metol dilachie malkutha wahaila wateschbuchta l'ahlâm almîn. From You comes
the all-working will, the lively strength to act, the song that beautifies
all and renews itself from age to age.
Amên. Sealed in trust, faith and truth. (I confirm with my entire being)
The Lord's Prayer in Greek
Matthew's second century mistranslation of the Lord's Prayer in crude Greek,
the commonly accepted version of the Lord's Prayer from which all others are
translated.
Pater hêmôn ho en toes ouranoes;
hagiasthêtô to onoma sou;
elthetô hê basileia sou;
genêthêtô to thelêma sou,
hôs en ouranô, kae epi tês gês.
ton arton hêmôn ton epiousion dos hêmin sêmeron;
kae aphes hêmin ta opheilêmata hêmôn,
hôs kae hêmeis aphiemen toes opheiletaes hêmôn;
kae mê eisenenkês hêmas eis peirasmon,
alla rhysae hêmas apo tou ponerou.
hoti sou estin hê basileia kae hê dynamis kae hê doxa eis tous aeônas;
amên.
The 'Pater Noster' in Latin:
Prior to the Protestant Reformation, the Our Father was
universally recited in Latin by clergy and laity alike. Hence it was then
most commonly known as the Pater noster. The rather curious English
translation we have today is due to Henry VIII's efforts to impose a
standard English version.
Pater Noster, qui es in caelis,
Sanctificetur nomen tuum.
Adveniat regnum tuum,
Fiat voluntas tua,
sicut in caelo, et in terra.
Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie,
Et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris.
Et ne nos inducas in tentationem,
Sed libera nos a malo.
Amen.
The Lord's Prayer Old English (c. 450-1100)
This version of the Lord's Prayer probably isn't recognizable by the
majority of modern English speakers. 1000 AD is before the Norman invasion
of England and therefore many of the words in Modern English that were taken
from French are not yet present in the Language.
Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum si þin nama gehalgod tobecume þin rice
gewurþe þin willa on eorðan swa swa on heofonum urne gedæghwamlican hlaf
syle us to dæg and forgyf us ure gyltas swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum
and ne gelæd þu us on costnunge ac alys us of yfele soþlice.
The Lord's Prayer Dated 1384 AD
Most modern English speakers should be able to understand some of this
version of the Lord's Prayer when written. Spoken it would sound a great
deal different; for instance, ou is pronounced like oo and in general the
vowels have their continental value (oorra fahderr thut arrt in ai(r)venas
ulwid bai(r) thee nahma, with trilled rr). Note the use of the letter þ,
this has essentially the same value as "th" in modern English.
Oure fadir þat art in heuenes halwid be þi name;
þi reume or kyngdom come to be.
Be þi wille don in herþe as it is doun in heuene.
yeue to us today oure eche dayes bred.
And foryeue to us oure dettis þat is oure synnys as we foryeuen to oure
dettouris þat is to men þat han synned in us.
And lede us not into temptacion but delyuere us from euyl.
The Lord's Prayer Dated 1611 AD (King James Bible)
Most modern English speakers should be able to understand this version of
the Lord's Prayer. Note the use of u in place of v. It is not until fairly
recently that u an v have been considered separate letters.
Our father which art in heauen,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen.
Giue us this day our daily bread.
And forgiue us our debts as we forgiue our debters.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliuer us from euill.
Amen.
The Lord's Prayer Dated (1700-)
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy
will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
The New Testament in Modern English (1963, tr. Phillips)
According to the New Testament, the Lord's Prayer is the name given to the
only form of prayer Christ taught his disciples (Matt. 6:9-13). The closing
doxology of the prayer is omitted by Luke (11:2-4), also in the R.V. of
Matt. 6:13. This prayer contains no allusion to the atonement of Christ, nor
to the offices of the Holy Spirit. All Christian prayer is based on the
Lord's Prayer, but is also guided by that of His prayer in Gethsemane and of
the prayer recorded by John 17. The Lord's Prayer is now comprehensive, the
simplest and most universal form of prayer.
Our Heavenly Father, may your name be honored;
May your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day the bread we need,
Forgive us what we owe to you, as we have also forgiven those who owe
anything to us.
Keep us clear of temptation, and save us from evil.
In Luke's far simpler version, 11. 2-4 NIV, it has become:
"'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our
daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins
against us. And lead us not into temptation.'
Once a student
of history begins to understand the history of religion and the influence of
the early Church on holy manuscripts, it is also not difficult to realize
that the early and modern day Church has largely influenced the interpretations and,
indeed, put words into and taken words out of their Lord's mouth. Even though
preeminent scholars, through extensive research, now have found many of the
interpretations to be incorrect, the modern day church still holds fast to their teachings.
It is also
intriguing that the misinterpretations that the modern day Church chooses to
hold steadfast are also needed to continue dominating and controlling their
masses. For interpreting otherwise would lead followers to believe
that 'heaven' is here and now ... is in each one of us ... only if we align
ourselves with the Spirit of God.
Click on the arrow below to hear the Lord's Prayer spoken in Aramaic:
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LAST UPDATED: November 21, 2005
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