The Jesus Prayer in all Languages
The Jesus Prayer,[a] also known as The Prayer,[b] is a short formulaic prayer. It is most common in Eastern Christianity.[3] There are multiple versions of this prayer, however the most widely used version is as follows:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.[3]
It is often repeated continually as a part of personal ascetic practice, its use being an integral part of the Hermitic tradition of prayer known as hesychasm.[c] The prayer is particularly important to the spiritual fathers of this tradition, such as in the Philokalia, as a method of cleaning and opening up the mind and after this the heart (kardia), brought about first by the Prayer of the Mind, or more precisely the Noetic Prayer (Νοερά Προσευχή; Noerá Proseyxí), and after this the Prayer of the Heart (Καρδιακή Προσευχή; Kardiakí Proseyxí). The Prayer of the Heart is considered to be the “Unceasing Prayer” that the Apostle Paul advocates in the New Testament.[d] Theophan the Recluse regarded the Jesus Prayer stronger than all other prayers by virtue of the power of the Holy Name of Jesus.[4]
Though identified more closely with Eastern Christianity, the prayer is found in Western Christianity in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.[5] It is also used in conjunction with the innovation of Anglican prayer beads.[6] The prayer has been widely taught and discussed throughout the history of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Lutheran Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches. The ancient and original form did not include the words “a sinner”, which were added later.[4][7] The Eastern Orthodox theology of the Jesus Prayer as enunciated in the 14th century by Gregory Palamas was generally rejected by Latin Church theologians until the 20th century. Pope John Paul II called Gregory Palamas a saint,[8] a great writer, and an authority on theology.[9][10][11] He also spoke with appreciation of hesychasm as “that deep union of grace which Eastern theology likes to describe with the particularly powerful term theosis, ‘divinization'”,[12] and likened the meditative quality of the Jesus Prayer to that of the Catholic rosary.[13]
Origins
The prayer’s origin is the Egyptian desert, which was settled by the monastic Desert Fathers and Desert Mothers in the 5th century.[14] It was found inscribed in the ruins of a cell from that period in the Egyptian desert.[15]
A formula similar to the standard form of the Jesus Prayer is found in a letter attributed to John Chrysostom, who died in AD 407. This “Letter to an Abbot” speaks of “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy” and “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on us” being used as ceaseless prayer.[16] Ammonas of Egypt advised another monk to “always keep in your heart the words of the Publican” (God, be merciful to me a sinner, Luke 18:13), while Macarius of Egypt taught Evagrius Ponticus to say with each breath “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me. I bless you, my Lord Jesus”, or when he is distressed, “My Lord Jesus, help me”.[17][18]
Early forms of the Jesus prayer are also mentioned in the context of Gazan monasticism; Saints Barsanuphius and John the Prophet recommended several formulae, including “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me”. Their chief disciple, Dorotheus of Gaza, later taught his disciple Dositheus to preserve the “remembrance of God” by saying continuously “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me” and then at intervals “Son of God, help me”.[19]
What may be the earliest explicit reference to the Jesus Prayer in a form that is similar to that used today is in Discourse on Abba Philimon from the Philokalia. Philimon lived around AD 600.[20] The version cited by Philimon is “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me”, which is apparently the earliest source to cite this standard version.[21] While the prayer itself was in use by that time, John S. Romanides writes that “We are still searching the Fathers for the term ‘Jesus prayer’.”[2]
A similar idea is recommended in the Ladder of Divine Ascent of John Climacus (circa 523–606), who recommends the regular practice of a monologistos, or one-worded “Jesus Prayer”.[7] The use of the Jesus Prayer according to the tradition of the Philokalia is the subject of the 19th century anonymous Russian spiritual classic The Way of a Pilgrim, also in the original form, without the addition of the words “a sinner”.[22]
Eastern Orthodoxy
The hesychastic practice of the Jesus Prayer is founded on the biblical view by which God’s name is conceived as the place of his presence.[23] Orthodox mysticism has no images or representations. The mystical practice (the prayer and the meditation) doesn’t lead to perceiving representations of God (see below Palamism). Thus, the most important means of a life consecrated to praying is the invoked name of God, as it is emphasized since the 5th century by the Thebaid anchorites, or by the later Athonite hesychasts. For the Orthodox the power of the Jesus Prayer comes not only from its content, but from the very invocation of Jesus’ name.[24]
Kuigi jeesuspalvet seostatakse rohkem idakristlusega, leidub see palve läänekristluses katoliku kiriku katekismuses.[3] Seda kasutatakse ka koos hiljutise uuendusega anglikaani kirikus (Anglican Prayer Beads).[4]
The Jesus Prayer in all Languages
Estonian: Isand Jeesus, Jumala Poega, ole mulle patusele armuline.
English: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me sinner.
Arabic: أيها الرب يسوع المسيح ابن الله, إرحمني أنا الخاطئ Ayyuha-r-Rabbu Yasū` al-Masīħ, Ibnu-l-Lāh, irħamnī ana-l-khāti’ (ana-l-khāti’a if prayed by a female).
Bulgarian: Господи Иисусе Христе, Сине Божий, помилвай мен грешника.
Church Slavonic: Господи Ісусе Христе Сыне Божїй помилѹй мѧ грѣшнаго. (грѣшнѹю if prayed by a female)
Czech: Pane Ježíši Kriste, Syne Boží, smiluj se nade mnou hříšným.
Dutch: Heer Jezus Christus, Zoon van God, ontferm U over mij, zondaar.
Finnish: Herra Jeesus Kristus, Jumalan Poika, armahda minua syntistä.
Georgian: უფალო იესუ ქრისტე, ძეო ღმრთისაო, შემიწყალე მე ცოდვილი.
German: Herr Jesus Christus, Sohn Gottes, erbarme dich meiner, eines Sünders. (einer Sünderin if prayed by a female)
Greek: Κύριε Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ, Υἱέ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐλέησόν με τὸν ἁμαρτωλόν (τὴν ἁμαρτωλόν if prayed by a female)
Latin: Domine Iesu Christe, Fili Dei, miserere mei, peccatoris. (peccatricis if prayed by a female)
Maltese: Mulej Ġesù Kristu, Iben ta’ Alla l-ħaj, ikollok ħniena minni, midneb.
Norwegian: Herre Jesus Kristus, forbarm deg over meg.
Polish: Panie Jezu Chryste, Synu Boga, zmiłuj się nade mną, grzesznikiem.
Romanian: Doamne Iisuse Hristoase, Fiul lui Dumnezeu, miluieşte-mă pe mine păcătosul. (păcătoasa if prayed by a female)
Russian: Господи Иисусе Христе, Сыне Божий, помилуй мя грешнаго.(грешную if prayed by a female)
Variants: Господи, помилуй (The shortest form).
Serbian: Господе Исусе Христе, Сине Божји, помилуј ме грешног. / Gospode Isuse Hriste, Sine Božiji, pomiluj me grešnog.
Slovak: Pane Ježišu Kriste, Synu Boží, zmiluj sa nado mnou hriešnym.
Spanish: Señor Jesucristo, Hijo de Dios, ten piedad de mi, que soy un pecador.
Ukrainian: Господи Ісусе Христе, Сину Божий, помилуй мене грішного. (грішну if prayed by a female)/Господи, помилуй (The shortest form).
Languages of non autocephaly Orthodox Churches. (For example: The Hungarian Orthodox Church is subject to the Patriarchate of Moscow)
Hungarian: Uram Jézus Krisztus, Isten Fia, könyörülj rajtam, bűnösön!
Portuguese: Senhor Jesus Cristo, Filho de Deus, tende piedade de mim pecador!
Japanese: 主イイスス・ハリストス、神の子よ、我、罪人を憐れみ給え
Korean: 하느님의 아들 주 예수 그리스도님, 죄 많은 저를 불쌍히 여기소서