Jesus Prayer

The Jesus Prayer, also called the Prayer of the Heart, is a short, formulaic prayer often uttered repeatedly. It has been widely used, taught and discussed throughout the history of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The exact words of the prayer have varied from the simplest possible involving Jesus' name to the more common extended form: , "ousia") is distinct from God's "energies", or manifestations in the world, by which men can experience the Divine. The energies are "unbegotten" or "uncreated". They were revealed in various episodes of the Bible: the burning bush seen by Moses, the Light on Mount Tabor at the Transfiguration.

Apophatism [Eastern Orthodox theology doesn't stand Thomas Aquinas' interpretation to the "Mystycal theology" of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite ("modo sublimiori" and "modo significandi", by which Aquinas unites positive and negative theologies, transforming the negative one into a correction of the positive one). Like pseudo-Denys, the Eastern Church remarks the antinomy between the two ways of talking about God and acknowledges the superiority of apophatism. Cf. Vladimir Lossky, op. cit., p. 55, Dumitru Stăniloae, op. cit., pp. 261-262.] (negative theology) is the main characteristic of the Eastern theological tradition. Incognoscibility isn't conceived as agnosticism or refusal to know God, because the Eastern theology isn't concerned with abstract concepts; it is contemplative, with a discourse on things above rational understanding. Therefore dogmas are often expressed antinomically.ro icon Vladimir Lossky, "Teologia mistică a Bisericii de Răsărit" ("The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church"), translation from French, Anastasia Ed., Bucharest, 1993, pp. 36-37, 47-48, 55, 71. ISBN 973-95777-3-3.]

For the Eastern Orthodox the knowledge of the uncreated energies is usually linked to apophatism. [ro icon Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae, "Ascetica şi mistica Biserici Ortodoxe" ("Ascetics and Mystics of the Eastern Orthodox Church"), Institutul Biblic şi de Misiune al BOR (Romanian Orthodox Church Publishing House), 2002, p. 268, ISBN 973-9332-97-3.]

Repentance in Eastern Orthodoxy

The Eastern Orthodox Church holds a non-juridical view of sin, by contrast to the satisfaction view of atonement for sin as articulated in the West, firstly by Anselm of Canterbury (as debt of honor) and Thomas Aquinas (as a moral debt). The terms used in the East are less legalistic ("grace", "punishment"), and more medical ("sickness", "healing") with less exacting precision. Sin, therefore, does not carry with it the guilt for breaking a rule, but rather the impetus to become something more than what men usually are. One repents not because one is or isn't virtuous, but because human nature can change. Repentance ( _gr. "polytonic|μετάνοια", "metanoia", "changing one's mind") isn't remorse, justification, or punishment, but a continual enactment of one's freedom, deriving from renewed choice and leading to restoration (the return to man's original state).John Chryssavgis, [http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article8493.asp Repentance and Confession - Introduction] , Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, accessed 2008-03-21.] This is reflected in the Mystery of Confession for which, not being limited to a mere confession of sins and presupposing recommendations or penalties, it is primarily that the priest acts in his capacity of spiritual father. [http://orthodoxeurope.org/page/10/1.aspx An Online Orthodox Catechism] , Russian Orthodox Church, accessed 2008-03-21.] The Mystery of Confession is linked to the spiritual development of the individual, and relates to the practice of choosing an elder to trust as his or her spiritual guide, turning to him for advice on the personal spiritual development, confessing sins, and asking advice.

As stated at the local Council of Constantinople in 1157, Christ brought his redemptive sacrifice not to the Father alone, but to the Trinity as a whole. In the Eastern Orthodox theology redemption isn't seen as "ransom". It is the "reconciliation" of God with man, the manifestation of God’s love for humanity. Thus, it is not the anger of God the Father but His love that lies behind the sacrificial death of his son on the cross.

The redemption of man is not considered to have taken place only in the past, but continues to this day through theosis. The ini­tiative belongs to God, but presupposes man's active accep­tance (not an action only, but an attitude), which is a way of perpetually receiving God.

Distinctiveness from analogues in other religions

The practice of contemplative or meditative chanting is known from several religions including Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam (e.g. japa, zikr). The form of internal contemplation involving profound inner transformations affecting all the levels of the self is common to the traditions that posit the ontological value of personhood. [Olga Louchakova, "Ontopoiesis and Union in the Jesus Prayer: Contributions to Psychotherapy and Learning", in "Logos pf Phenomenology and Phenomenology of Logos. Book Four - The Logos of Scientific Interrogation. Participating in Nature-Life-Sharing in Life", Springer Ed., 2006, p. 292, ISBN 1-4020-3736-8. Google Scholar: [http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=exqlzPD9KGMC ] .] The history of these practices, including their possible spread from one religion to another, is not well understood. Such parallels (like between unusual psycho-spiritual experiences, breathing practices, postures, spiritual guidances of elders, peril warnings) might easily have arisen independently of one another, and in any case must be considered within their particular religious frameworks.

Although some aspects of the Jesus Prayer may resemble some aspects of other traditions, its Christian character is central rather than mere "local color." The aim of the Christian practicing it is not humility, love, or purification of sinful thoughts, but becoming holy and seeking union with God ("theosis"), which subsumes them. Thus, for the Eastern Orthodox:

:* The Jesus Prayer is, first of all, a prayer addressed to God. It's not a means of self-deifying or self-deliverance, but a counterexample to Adam's pride, repairing the breach it produced between man and God.:* The aim is not to be dissolved or absorbed into nothingness or into God, or reach another state of mind, but to (re)unite ["Unite" if referring to one person; "reunite" if talking at an anthropological level.] with God (which by itself is a process) while remaining a distinct person.:* It is an invocation of Jesus' name, because Christian anthropology and soteriology are strongly linked to Christology in Orthodox monasticism.:* In a modern context the continuing repetition is regarded by some as a form of meditation, the prayer functioning as a kind of mantra. However, Orthodox users of the Jesus Prayer emphasize the "invocation" of the name of Jesus Christ that St Hesychios describes in "Pros Theodoulon" which would be contemplation on the Triune God rather than simply emptying the mind.Fact|date=March 2008:* Acknowledging "a sinner" is to lead firstly to a state of humbleness and repentance, recognizing one's own sinfulness.:* Practicing the Jesus Prayer is strongly linked to mastering passions of both soul and body, e.g. by fasting. For the Eastern Orthodox not the body is wicked, but "the bodily way of thinking" is; therefore salvation also regards the body.:* Unlike mantras, the Jesus Prayer may be translated into whatever language the pray-er customarily uses. The emphasis is on the meaning not on the mere utterance of certain sounds.:* There is no emphasis on the psychosomatic techniques, which are merely seen as helpers for uniting the mind with the heart, not as prerequisites.

A magistral way of meeting God for the Eastern Orthodox,ro icon "Puterea Numelui sau despre Rugăciunea lui Iisus" ("The Power of the Name. The Jesus Prayer in Orthodox Spirituality") in Kallistos Ware, "Rugăciune şi tăcere în spiritualitatea ortodoxă" ("Prayer and silence in the Orthodox spirituality"), translation from English, Christiana Ed., Bucharest, 2003, p. 23, 26, ISBN 973-8125-42-1.] the Jesus Prayer does not harbor any secrets in itself, nor does its practice reveal any esoteric truths.ro icon Fr. Ioan de la Rarău, "Rugăciunea lui Iisus. Întrebări şi răspunsuri" ("Jesus Prayer. Questions and answers"), Panaghia Ed., Rarău Monastery, Vatra Dornei, p. 97. ISBN 978-973-88218-6-6.] Instead, as a hesychastic practice, it demands setting the mind apart from rational activities and ignoring the physical senses for the experiential knowledge of God. It stands along with the regular expected actions of the believer (prayer, almsgiving, repentance, fasting etc.) as the response of the Orthodox Tradition to St. Paul's challenge to "pray without ceasing" (bibleverse|1|Thess|5:17).

Practice

"There isn't Christian Mysticism without Theology, especially there isn't Theology without Mysticism", writes Vladimir Lossky, for outside the Church the personal experience would have no certainty and objectivity, and "Church teachings would have no influence on souls without expressing a somehow inner experience of the truth it offers". For the Eastern Orthodox the aim isn't knowledge itself; theology is, finally, always a means serving a goal above any knowledge: theosis.

The individual experience of the Eastern Orthodox mystic most often remains unknown. With very few exceptions, there aren't autobiographical writings on the inner life in the East. The mystical union pathway remains hidden, being unveiled only to the confessor or to the apprentices. "The mystical individualism has remain unknown to the spiritual life of the Eastern Church", remarks Lossky.

The practice of the Jesus Prayer is integrated into the mental ascesis undertaken by the Orthodox monastic in the practice of hesychasm.

In the Eastern tradition the prayer is said or prayed repeatedly, often with the aid of a prayer rope (Russian: "chotki"; Greek: "komvoskini"), which is a cord, usually woolen, tied with many knots. The person saying the prayer says one repetition for each knot. It may be accompanied by prostrations and the sign of the cross, signaled by beads strung along the prayer rope at intervals.

Psychosomatic techniques

There aren't fixed, invariable rules for those who pray, "the way there is no mechanical, physical or mental technique which can force God to show his presence" (Metropolitan Kallistos Ware).

People who say the prayer as part of meditation often synchronize it with their breathing; breathing in while calling out to God and breathing out while praying for mercy.

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

Levels of the prayer

Paul Evdokimov, a 20th century Russian philosopher and theologian, writesro icon Paul Evdokimov, "Rugăciunea în Biserica de Răsărit" ("Prayer in the Church of the East"), translation from French, Polirom Ed., Bucharest, 1996, pp. 29-31, ISBN 973-9248-15-2.] about beginner's way of praying: initially, the prayer is excited because the man is emotive and a flow of psychic contents is expressed. In his view this condition comes, for the modern men, from the separation of the mind from the heart: "The prattle spreads the soul, while the silence is drawing it together." Old fathers condemned elaborate phraseologies, for one word was enough for the publican, and one word saved the thief on the cross. They only uttered Jesus' name by which they were contemplating God. For Evdokimov the acting faith denies any formalism which quickly installs in the external prayer or in the life duties; he quotes St. Seraphim: "The prayer is not thorough if the man is self-conscious and he is aware he's praying."

"Because the prayer is a living reality, a deeply personal encounter with the living God, it is not to be confined to any given classification or rigid analysis" an on-line catechism reads. As general guidelines for the practitioner, different number of levels (3, 7 or 9) in the practice of the prayer are distinguished by Orthodox fathers. They are to be seen as being purely informative, because the practice of the Prayer of the Heart is learned under personal spiritual guidance in Eastern Orthodoxy which emphasizes the perils of temptations when it's done by one's own. Thus, Theophan the Recluse, a 19th century Russian spiritual writer, talks about three stages::* The oral prayer (the prayer of the lips) is a simple recitation, still external to the practitioner.:* The focused prayer, when "the mind is focused upon the words" of the prayer, "speaking them as if they were our own.":* The prayer of the heart itself, when the prayer is no longer something we do but who we are.

Others, like Father Archimandrite Ilie Cleopa, one of the most representative spiritual fathers of contemporary Romanian Orthodox monastic spirituality,ro icon [http://biserica.org/WhosWho/DTR/I/IlieCleopa.html Ilie Cleopa] in "Dicţionarul teologilor români" ("Dictionary of Romanian Theologians"), electronic version, Univers Enciclopedic Ed., Bucharest, 1996.] talk about nine levels (see External links). They are the same path to theosis, more slenderly differentiated::* The prayer of the lips.:* The prayer of the mouth.:* The prayer of the tongue.:* The prayer of the voice.:* The prayer of the mind.:* The prayer of the heart.:* The active prayer.:* The all-seeing prayer.:* The contemplative prayer.

In its more advanced use, the monk aims to attain to a sober practice of the Jesus Prayer in the heart free of images. It is from this condition, called by Saints John Climacus and Hesychios the "guard of the mind," that the monk is raised by the Divine grace to contemplation.Fact|date=April 2008

Variants of repetitive formulas

A number of different repetitive prayer formulas have been attested in the history of Eastern Orthodox monasticism: the Prayer of St. Ioannikios the Great (754–846): "My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my shelter is the Holy Ghost, O Holy Trinity, Glory to You," the repetitive use of which is described in his "Life"; or the more recent practicehuh|date=April 2008 of St. Nikolaj Velimirović.

Similarly to the flexibility of the practice of the Jesus Prayer, there is no imposed standardization of its form. The prayer can be from as short as "Have mercy on me" ("Have mercy on us"), or even "Jesus," to its longer most common form. It can also contain a call to the Theotokos (Virgin Mary), or to the saints. The single essential and invariable element is Jesus' name.

:* Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. (a very common form):* Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. (common variant in Orthodox ChristianityFact | date=June 2008 as on Mount Athos)Fact|date=March 2008:* Lord have mercy.:* Jesus have mercy. (not an Orthodox formula):* Christ have mercy. (not an Orthodox formula)

In various languages

The most common form, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner," was composed in Greek and it has been translated into numerous other languages, Eastern Orthodoxy not distinguishing between vernacular and liturgical languages. ["Orthodox Worship has always been celebrated in the language of the people. There is no official or universal liturgical language. Often, two or more languages are used in the Services to accommodate the needs of the congregation. Throughout the world, Services are celebrated in more than twenty languages which include such divers ones as Greek, Slavonic, Arabic, Albanian, Romanian, English, and Luganda.", [http://www.annunciation1.org/Services/ Worship] , Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, Ft. Myers, FL, USA, retrieved 2008-03-20.] [But it does have a liturgical vocabulary.] The following are languages of autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches: [Latin and Church Slavonic are included for historic reasons.]

*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.
*Georgian: უფალო იესუ ქრისტე, ძეო ღმრთისაო, შემიწყალე მე ცოდვილი.
*Greek polytonic|Κύριε Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ, Υἱέ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐλέησόν με τὸν ἁμαρτωλόν ("polytonic|τὴν ἁμαρτωλόν" if prayed by a female)
*Latin: Domine Iesu Christe, Fili Dei, miserere mei, peccatoris. ("peccatricis" if prayed by a female)
*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: Адонай ЯХВЕ, помилуй мя грешнаго. (A form addressing Jesus as 'Adonai Jehovah') / 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.
*Ukrainian: Господи Ісусе Христе, Сину Божий, помилуй мене грішного. ("грішну" if prayed by a female)/Господи, помилуй (The shortest form).

In art

Jesus Prayer is referred in J. D. Salinger's pair of stories "Franny and Zooey." It is also a central theme of the 2006 Russian film "Ostrov."

Notes

ee also

*Theology:
**Theosis (deification, the search of union with God)
**Tabor Light (or Divine Light, or Palamism), doctrine formulated by St. Gregory Palamas arguing for God's Essence-Energies distinction
*Asceticism:
**Hesychasm (ascetical tradition of prayer)
**Cardiognosis (ascetical method)
**Hermit (solitary monk); Starets (elder teacher, in Russian tradition)
*Praying:
**Kyrie eleison ( _gr. Lord, have mercy), prayer of Christian liturgy
**Prayer in Christianity
**Prayer beads; Prayer rope; Prayerbook; Poustinia (prayer room)
*Imiaslavie (Russian dogmatic movement)
*Rosary (similar Roman Catholic devotion)
*Fatima Prayer (Roman Catholic tradition)

External links

* [http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article7104.asp The Jesus Prayer] by Fr. Steven Peter Tsichlis (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America)
* [http://www.svots.edu/Faculty/Albert-Rossi/Articles/Saying-the-Jesus-Prayer.html/ Saying the Jesus Prayer] by Albert S Rossi (St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary)
* [http://archangelsbooks.com/articles/spirituality/JesusPrayer_Bloom.asp The Jesus Prayer] by Metropolitan Anthony Bloom
* [http://archangelsbooks.com/articles/spirituality/JesusPrayer_Brianchaninov.asp On Practicing the Jesus Prayer] by St. Ignatius Brianchaninov
* [http://archangelsbooks.com/articles/spirituality/IntroJesusPrayer.asp Introduction to the Jesus Prayer] by Mother Alexandra
* [http://www.orthodox.cn/catechesis/20051216prayerheart_en.htm Prayer of Jesus or Prayer of the Heart] by Archimandrite Fr. Jonah Mourtos
* [http://www.oodegr.com/english/psyxotherap/dyn_onom1.htm The Power of the Name] by Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia
* [http://www.theandros.com/kotsonispart1.html An Orthodox Christian Study on Unceasing Prayer] by John K. Kotsonis, Ph.D.
* [http://www.incommunion.org/articles/issue-36/becoming-the-jesus-prayer Becoming the Jesus Prayer] by Fr. Michael Plekon
* [http://www.norian.org/jesus_prayer.html The Jesus Prayer] by Ken E. Norian, TSSF
*Hieromonk Ilie Cleopa preaching [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOGXdLoNl2w on the levels of the Prayer of the Heart] (video)
* [http://timiosprodromos4.blogspot.com/2006/01/description-of-work.html The Psychological Basis of Mental Prayer in the Heart] (online book) by Fr. Theophanes (Constantine)