Misplaced Pages

#702297

102-985: The last rites , also known as the Commendation of the Dying , are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death . The Commendation of the Dying is practiced in liturgical Christian denominations , such as the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church . They may be administered to those mortally injured, terminally ill , or awaiting execution . Last rites cannot be performed on someone who has already died. Last rites, in sacramental Christianity, can refer to multiple sacraments administered concurrently in anticipation of an individual's passing (such as Holy Absolution and Holy Communion ). The Latin Church of

204-587: A greater or lesser extent, in modern religious traditions throughout the world, most notably in Japanese Shinto , Vietnamese folk religion , and Chinese folk religion . The practices involved in Shinto prayer are heavily influenced by Buddhism; Japanese Buddhism has also been strongly influenced by Shinto in turn. Shinto prayers quite frequently consist of wishes or favors asked of the kami , rather than lengthy praises or devotions. The practice of votive offering

306-409: A laying on of hands and others. Prayers may be recited from memory, read from a book of prayers, or composed spontaneously or "impromptu". They may be said, chanted, or sung. They may or may not have a musical accompaniment. There may be a time of outward silence while prayers are offered mentally. Often, there are prayers to fit specific occasions, such as the blessing of a meal , the birth or death of

408-473: A loved one, other significant events in the life of a believer, or days of the year that have special religious significance. Details corresponding to specific traditions are outlined below. Anthropologically, the concept of prayer is closely related to that of surrender and supplication . The traditional posture of prayer in medieval Europe is kneeling or supine with clasped hands, in antiquity more typically with raised hands. The early Christian prayer posture

510-457: A more standardized form, although still radically different from the form practiced by modern Jews . Individual prayer is described by the Tanakh two ways. The first of these is when prayer is described as occurring, and a result is achieved, but no further information regarding a person's prayer is given. In these instances, such as with Isaac , Moses , Samuel , and Job , the act of praying

612-497: A person of the need to take active measures. This potential drawback manifests in extreme forms in such cases as Christian Scientists who rely on prayers instead of seeking medical treatment for family members for easily curable conditions which later result in death. Christopher Hitchens (2012) argued that praying to a god which is omnipotent and all-knowing would be presumptuous. For example, he interprets Ambrose Bierce 's definition of prayer by stating that "the man who prays

714-607: A person to focus on divinity through philosophy and intellectual contemplation. This approach was taken by Maimonides and the other medieval rationalists. One example of this approach to prayer is noted by Rabbi Steven Weil, who was appointed the Orthodox Union's Executive-Vice President in 2009. He notes that the word "prayer" is a derivative of the Latin "precari", which means "to beg". The Hebrew equivalent "tefilah", however, along with its root "pelel" or its reflexive "l'hitpallel", means

816-454: A pig in order to placate the god or goddess of the place and beseech his or her permission to cut down some trees from the grove. Celtic , Germanic and Slavic religions are recorded much later, and much more fragmentarily, than the religions of classical antiquity. They nevertheless show substantial parallels to the better-attested religions of the Iron Age. In the case of Germanic religion,

918-420: A question, if there in fact comes an answer. Some may experience audible, physical, or mental epiphanies. If indeed an answer comes, the time and place it comes is considered random. Some traditions distinguish between contemplative and meditative prayer. Outward acts that may accompany prayer include anointing with oil ; ringing a bell; burning incense or paper; lighting a candle or candles; facing

1020-560: A rational soul, which the Word of God united to himself according to the hypostasis, was born from her, the Word is said to be born according to the flesh. The competing view, advocated by Patriarch Nestorius of Constantinople, was that Mary should be called Christotokos , meaning "Birth-giver of Christ," to restrict her role to the mother of Christ's humanity only and not his divine nature. Nestorius' opponents, led by Cyril of Alexandria , viewed this as dividing Jesus into two distinct persons,

1122-412: A significant minority of people still hold to this approach. In a rationalist approach, praying encompasses three aspects. First, ' logos ', as the "idea" of the sender, secondly ' rhemata ' as the words to express the idea, and thirdly 'rhemata' and 'logos', to where the idea is sent (e.g. to God, Allah ). Thus praying is not a conversation with God, or Jesus but a one-way direction to the divine. Among

SECTION 10

#1732845457703

1224-405: A small bag of sacred meal. There are different forms of prayer. One of them is to directly appeal to a deity to grant one's requests. Some have termed this as the social approach to prayer. Atheist arguments against prayer are mostly directed against petitionary prayer in particular. Daniel Dennett argued that petitionary prayer might have the undesirable psychological effect of relieving

1326-477: A specific direction (e.g., towards Mecca or the East ); and making the sign of the cross . One less noticeable act related to prayer is fasting . A variety of body postures may be assumed, often with specific meaning (mainly respect or adoration) associated with them: standing; sitting; kneeling; prostrate on the floor; eyes opened; eyes closed; hands folded or clasped ; hands upraised; holding hands with others;

1428-514: A specific faith tradition or a broader grouping of people. Prayer can be incorporated into a daily "thought life", in which one is in constant communication with a god. Some people pray throughout all that is happening during the day and seek guidance as the day progresses. This is actually regarded as a requirement in several Christian denominations, although enforcement is neither possible nor desirable. There can be many different answers to prayer, just as there are many ways to interpret an answer to

1530-592: A spiritual cleansing process called purgatory ). Although these three (Penance, Anointing of the sick, and Viaticum) are not, in the proper sense, the Last Rites, they are sometimes spoken of as such; the Eucharist given as Viaticum is the only sacrament essentially associated with dying. "The celebration of the Eucharist as Viaticum is the sacrament proper to the dying Christian". In the Roman Ritual 's Pastoral Care of

1632-477: A term called "religious experience" in his book, The Varieties of Religious Experience . The origins of the use of this term can be dated further back. In the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, several historical figures put forth very influential views that religion and its beliefs can be grounded in experience itself. While Kant held that moral experience justified religious beliefs , John Wesley in addition to stressing individual moral exertion thought that

1734-449: A unity of dignity and authority... nor do we name separately Christ the Word from God, and in similar fashion, separately, another Christ from the woman, but we know only one Christ, the Word from God the Father with his own flesh... But we do not say that the Word from God dwelt as in an ordinary human born of the holy virgin... we understand that, when he became flesh, not in the same way as he

1836-595: Is Bogoroditsa (Russian/Serbian/Bulgarian Богородица ). The full title of Mary in Slavic Orthodox tradition is Прест҃а́ѧ влⷣчица на́ша бцⷣа и҆ прⷭ҇нод҃ва мр҃і́а (Russian Пресвятая Владычица наша Богородица и Приснодева Мария ), from Greek Ὑπεραγία δέσποινα ἡμῶν Θεοτόκος καὶ ἀειπάρθενος Μαρία "Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary". German has the translation Gottesgebärerin (lit. "bearer of God"). In Arabic , there are two main terms which are widely used at

1938-640: Is universal and is attested at least since the Bronze Age. In Shinto, this takes the form of a small wooden tablet, called an ema . Prayers in Etruscan were used in the Roman world by augurs and other oracles long after Etruscan became a dead language. The Carmen Arvale and the Carmen Saliare are two specimens of partially preserved prayers that seem to have been unintelligible to their scribes and whose language

2040-528: Is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus , used especially in Eastern Christianity . The usual Latin translations are Dei Genitrix or Deipara (approximately "parent (fem.) of God "). Familiar English translations are "Mother of God" or "God-bearer" – but these both have different literal equivalents in Ancient Greek : Μήτηρ Θεοῦ , and Θεοφόρος respectively. The title has been in use since

2142-582: Is a medieval Polish hymn, possibly composed by Adalbert of Prague (d. 997). The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God is a Roman Catholic feast day introduced in 1969, based on older traditions associating 1 January with the motherhood of Mary. One of the two earliest known depictions of the Virgin Mary is found in the Catacomb of Priscilla (3rd century) showing the adoration of the Magi. Recent conservation work at

SECTION 20

#1732845457703

2244-524: Is a method of changing a situation for the better. The second way in which prayer is depicted is through fully fleshed out episodes of prayer, where a person's prayer is related in full. Many famous biblical personalities have such a prayer, including every major character from Hannah to Hezekiah . In the New Testament prayer is presented as a positive command. The People of God are challenged to include Christian prayer in their everyday life, even in

2346-472: Is acknowledged as indispensable. For this reason, it is formally defined as official dogma . The only other Mariological teaching so defined is that of her virginity. Both of these teachings have a bearing on the identity of Jesus Christ. By contrast, certain other Marian beliefs which do not bear directly on the doctrine concerning the person of Jesus (for example, her sinlessness, the circumstances surrounding her conception and birth , her Presentation in

2448-428: Is administered first to the seriously ill and dying is because the forgiveness of one's sins, and most especially one's mortal sins , is for Catholics necessary for being in a state of grace (in a full relationship with God). Dying while in the state of grace ensures that a Catholic will go to heaven (if they are in a state of grace but still attached to sin, they will eventually make it to heaven but must first go through

2550-745: Is also now recognized as yet another Roman matron with accompanying figure and not the Virgin Mary. Recently another third-century image of the Virgin Mary was identified at the eastern Syrian site of Dura Europos in the baptistry room of the earliest known Christian Church. The scene shows the Annunciation to the Virgin. The tradition of Marian veneration was greatly expanded only with the affirmation of her status as Theotokos in 431. The mosaics in Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, dating from 432 to 40, just after

2652-567: Is evidently the Christotokos (bearer of Christ), it could be misleading to describe her as the "bearer of God". At issue is the interpretation of the Incarnation , and the nature of the hypostatic union of Christ's human and divine natures between Christ's conception and birth . Within the Orthodox doctrinal teaching on the economy of salvation, Mary's identity, role, and status as Theotokos

2754-506: Is expressed by Rabbi Nosson Scherman in the overview to the Artscroll Siddur (p. XIII). Among Christian theologians, E.M. Bounds stated the educational purpose of prayer in every chapter of his book, The Necessity of Prayer . Prayer books such as the Book of Common Prayer are both a result of this approach and an exhortation to keep it. In this view, the ultimate goal of prayer

2856-599: Is expressed by Rabbi Nosson Scherman in the overview to the Artscroll Siddur (p. XIII); note that Scherman goes on to also affirm the Kabbalistic view (see below). Theotokos Autocephaly recognized by some autocephalous Churches de jure : Autocephaly and canonicity recognized by Constantinople and 3 other autocephalous Churches: Spiritual independence recognized by Georgian Orthodox Church: Semi-Autonomous: Theotokos ( Greek : Θεοτόκος )

2958-459: Is found on Eastern icons, where it is used to identify Mary. The Russian term is Матерь Божия (also Богома́терь ). Variant forms are the compounds The theological dispute over the term concerned the term Θεός "God" vs. Χριστός " Christ ", and not τόκος ( genitrix , "bearer") vs. μήτηρ ( mater , "mother"), and the two terms have been used as synonyms throughout Christian tradition. Both terms are known to have existed alongside one another since

3060-469: Is full of archaisms and difficult passages. Roman prayers and sacrifices were envisioned as legal bargains between deity and worshipper. The Roman principle was expressed as do ut des : "I give, so that you may give." Cato the Elder 's treatise on agriculture contains many examples of preserved traditional prayers; in one, a farmer addresses the unknown deity of a possibly sacred grove, and sacrifices

3162-432: Is mediated by intellectual and cognitive activity. The specific teachings and practices of a specific tradition may even determine what "experience" someone has, which means that this "experience" is not the proof of the teaching, but a result of the teaching. A pure consciousness without concepts, reached by "cleaning the doors of perception", would be an overwhelming chaos of sensory input without coherence. In

Last rites - Misplaced Pages Continue

3264-679: Is most often used in English , largely due to the lack of a satisfactory equivalent of the Greek τόκος. For the same reason, the title is often left untranslated, as "Theotokos", in Eastern liturgical usage of other languages. Theotokos is also used as the term for an Eastern icon , or type of icon, of the Mother with Child (typically called a Madonna in western tradition), as in "the Theotokos of Vladimir " both for

3366-422: Is often cited as the earliest author to use theotokos for Mary (Socrates, Ecclesiastical History 7.32 ( PG 67, 812 B) citing Origen's Commentary on Romans ), but the surviving texts do not contain it. It is also claimed that the term was used c. 250 by Dionysius of Alexandria , in an epistle to Paul of Samosata , but the epistle is a forgery of the 6th century. The oldest preserved extant hymn dedicated to

3468-639: Is often used in hymns to Mary in the Eastern Orthodox , Eastern Catholic and Oriental Orthodox churches. The most common is Axion Estin ( It is truly meet ), which is used in nearly every service. Other examples include Sub tuum praesidium , the Hail Mary in its Eastern form, and All creation rejoices , which replaces Axion Estin at the Divine Liturgy on the Sundays of Great Lent . Bogurodzica

3570-413: Is preferred over solitary prayer, and a quorum of ten adult males (a minyan ) is considered by Orthodox Judaism a prerequisite for several communal prayers. There are also many other ritualistic prayers a Jew performs during their day, such as washing before eating bread, washing after one wakes up in the morning, and doing grace after meals. In this view, the ultimate goal of prayer is to help train

3672-492: Is read aloud; the passage is meditated upon using the mind to place the listener within a relationship or dialogue with the text; recitation of a prayer; and concludes with contemplation . The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes prayer and meditation as follows: Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt

3774-446: Is said to dwell among the saints do we distinguish the manner of the indwelling; but he was united by nature and not turned into flesh... There is, then, one Christ and Son and Lord, not with the sort of conjunction that a human being might have with God as in a unity of dignity or authority; for equality of honor does not unite natures. For Peter and John were equal to each other in honor, both of them being apostles and holy disciples, but

3876-425: Is said to have been begotten according to the flesh" (Cyril's second letter to Nestorius). Explaining his rejection of Nestorius' preferred title for Mary ( Christotokos ), Cyril wrote: Confessing the Word to be united with the flesh according to the hypostasis, we worship one Son and Lord, Jesus Christ. We do not divide him into parts and separate man and God as though they were united with each other [only] through

3978-535: Is the name given to Anointing of the Sick when received during last rites. If administered to someone who is not just ill but near death, Anointing of the Sick is generally accompanied by celebration of the sacraments of Penance and Viaticum. The order of the three is important and should be given in the order of Penance (confessing one's sins), then Anointing of the Sick, and finally the Viaticum. The principal reason Penance

4080-434: Is the one who thinks that god has arranged matters all wrong, but who also thinks that he can instruct god how to put them right." In this view, prayer is not a conversation. Rather, it is meant to inculcate certain attitudes in the one who prays, but not to influence. Among Jews, this has been the approach of Rabbenu Bachya, Rabbi Yehuda Halevi , Joseph Albo , Samson Raphael Hirsch , and Joseph B. Soloveitchik . This view

4182-483: Is to help train a person to focus on divinity through philosophy and intellectual contemplation ( meditation ). This approach was taken by the Jewish scholar and philosopher Maimonides and the other medieval rationalists. It became popular in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic intellectual circles, but never became the most popular understanding of prayer among the laity in any of these faiths. In all three of these faiths today,

Last rites - Misplaced Pages Continue

4284-551: Is well developed by the early medieval period . The tradition of Luke the Evangelist being the first to have painted Mary is established by the 8th century. An early icon of the Virgin as queen is in the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome, datable to 705-707 by the kneeling figure of Pope John VII , a notable promoter of the cult of the Virgin, to whom the infant Christ reaches his hand. The earliest surviving image in

4386-648: The Abrahamic religions , Islam , Orthodox Christianity and Hasidic Judaism are likely most adhering to this concept, also because it does not allow secondary mythologies, and has taken its spiritual roots from Hellenistic philosophy , particularly from Aristotle . Similarly in Hinduism , the different divinities are manifestations of one God with associated prayers. However, many Indians – particularly Hindus – believe that God can be manifest in people, including in people of lower castes, such as Sadhus . In this approach,

4488-683: The Assyrian Church of the East Mar Dinkha IV signed an ecumenical declaration, mutually recognizing the legitimacy of the titles "Mother of God" and "Mother of Christ." The declaration reiterates the Christological formulations of the Council of Chalcedon as a theological expression of the faith shared by both Churches, at the same time respecting the preference of each Church in using these titles in their liturgical life and piety. Theotokos

4590-477: The Book of James says that the lack of blessings in life results from a failure to pray. Jesus healed through prayer and expected his followers to do so also. The apostle Paul wrote to the churches of Thessalonica to "Pray continually." Observant Jews pray three times a day, Shacharit , Mincha , and Ma'ariv with lengthier prayers on special days, such as the Shabbat and Jewish holidays including Musaf and

4692-530: The Catholic Church defines Last Rites as Viaticum ( Holy Communion administered to someone who is dying), and the ritual prayers of Commendation of the Dying, and Prayers for the Dead. The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is usually postponed until someone is near death. Anointing of the Sick has been thought to be exclusively for the dying, though it can be received at any time. Extreme Unction (Final Anointing)

4794-642: The Church of England 's Book of Common Prayer would have permitted reservation of the Blessed Sacrament for use in communing the sick, including during last rites. This revision failed twice in the Parliament of the United Kingdom 's House of Commons . Prayer Prayer can take a variety of forms: it can be part of a set liturgy or ritual , and it can be performed alone or in groups. Prayer may take

4896-515: The Continuous Rite of Penance, Anointing, and Viaticum , Rite for Emergencies , and Christian Initiation for the Dying . The last of these concerns the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation to those who have not received them. In addition, the priest has authority to bestow a blessing in the name of the Pope on the dying person, to which a plenary indulgence is attached. In

4998-736: The Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite , the last rites consist of the Sacred Mysteries (sacraments) of Confession and the reception of Holy Communion . Following these sacraments, when a person dies, there are a series of prayers known as The Office at the Parting of the Soul From the Body . This consists of a blessing by the priest,

5100-581: The Formula of Concord (1577), accepted by the Lutheran World Federation . Whilst Calvin believed that Mary was theologically speaking rightly qualified as "the mother of God", he rejected common use of this as a title , saying, "I cannot think such language either right, or becoming, or suitable. ... To call the Virgin Mary the mother of God can only serve to confirm the ignorant in their superstitions." In 1994, Pope John Paul II and Patriarch of

5202-604: The Lutheran Churches , last rites are formally known as the Commendation of the Dying, in which the priest "opens in the name of the triune God, includes a prayer, a reading from one of the psalms, a litany of prayer for the one who is dying, [and] recites the Lord’s Prayer". The dying individual is then anointed with oil and receives the sacraments of Holy Absolution and Holy Communion . The proposed 1928 revision of

SECTION 50

#1732845457703

5304-620: The Merseburg Incantations , the latter recorded in the 9th or 10th century but of much older traditional origins. In Australian Aboriginal mythology , prayers to the "Great Wit" are performed by the "clever men" and "clever women", or kadji . These Aboriginal shamans use maban or mabain, the material that is believed to give them their powers. The Pueblo Indians are known to have used prayer sticks , that is, sticks with feathers attached as supplicatory offerings. The Hopi Indians used prayer sticks as well, but they attached to it

5406-493: The Nestorian Schism . Cyril of Alexandria wrote, "I am amazed that there are some who are entirely in doubt as to whether the holy Virgin should be called Theotokos or not. For if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, how is the holy Virgin who gave [Him] birth, not [ Theotokos ]?" (Epistle 1, to the monks of Egypt; PG 77:13B). But the argument of Nestorius was that divine and human natures of Christ were distinct, and while Mary

5508-742: The Septuagint translation of Biblical Hebrew תְּפִלָּה tĕphillah . Various spiritual traditions offer a wide variety of devotional acts. There are morning and evening prayers, graces said over meals , and reverent physical gestures. Some Christians bow their heads and fold their hands. Some Native Americans regard dancing as a form of prayer. Hindus chant mantras. Jewish prayer may involve swaying back and forth and bowing. Muslim prayer involves bowing, kneeling and prostration , while some Sufis whirl . Quakers often keep silent. Some pray according to standardized rituals and liturgies, while others prefer extemporaneous prayers; others combine

5610-483: The polytheistic religions of the Iron Age , most notably Ancient Greek religion , which strongly influenced Roman religion . These religious traditions were direct developments of the earlier Bronze Age religions . Ceremonial prayer was highly formulaic and ritualized . In ancient polytheism, ancestor worship is indistinguishable from theistic worship (see also euhemerism ). Vestiges of ancestor worship persist, to

5712-447: The usual beginning , and after the Lord's Prayer , Psalm 50 . Then a Canon to the Theotokos is chanted, entitled, "On behalf of a man whose soul is departing, and who cannot speak". This is an elongated prayer speaking in the person of the one who is dying, asking for forgiveness of sin, the mercy of God, and the intercession of the saints . The rite is concluded by three prayers said by

5814-403: The "flight" posture, a crouching posture with raised hands related to the universal "hands up" gesture of surrender. The kneeling posture with clasped hands appears to have been introduced only with the beginning high medieval period, presumably adopted from a gesture of feudal homage. Although prayer in its literal sense is not used in animism , communication with the spirit world is vital to

5916-802: The 3rd century, in the Syriac tradition (as Classical Syriac : ܝܠܕܬ ܐܠܗܐ , romanized:  Yāldath Alāhā/Yoldath Aloho ) in the Liturgy of Mari and Addai (3rd century) and the Liturgy of St James (4th century). The Council of Ephesus in AD 431 decreed that Mary is the Theotokos because Her Son Jesus is both God and man : one divine person from two natures (divine and human) intimately and hypostatically united . The title of Mother of God (Greek: Μήτηρ (τοῦ) Θεοῦ ) or Mother of Incarnate God , abbreviated ΜΡ ΘΥ (the first and last letter of main two words in Greek),

6018-469: The Catacombs of Priscilla revealed that what had been identified for decades as the earliest image of the Virgin and Child was actually a traditional funerary image of a Roman matron; the pointing figure with her, formerly identified as a prophet, was shown to have had its arm position adjusted and the star he was supposedly pointing to was painted in at a later date. The putative Annunciation scene at Priscilla

6120-565: The Father — but only with reference to the birth of Jesus , that is, the Incarnation . To make it explicit, it is sometimes translated Mother of God Incarnate . (cf. the topic of Christology , and the titles of God the Son and Son of man ). The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381 affirmed the Christian faith on "one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds (æons)", that "came down from heaven, and

6222-568: The Hebrew Bible prayer is an evolving means of interacting with God , most frequently through a spontaneous, individual, unorganized form of petitioning and/or thanking. Standardized prayer such as is done today is non-existent, although beginning in Deuteronomy , the Bible lays the groundwork for organized prayer, including basic liturgical guidelines, and by the Bible's later books, prayer has evolved to

SECTION 60

#1732845457703

6324-473: The Orthodox Church Holy Unction is not considered to be solely a part of a person's preparation for death, but is administered to any Orthodox Christian who is ill, physically or spiritually, to ask for God's mercy and forgiveness of sin. There is an abbreviated form of Holy Unction to be performed for a person in imminent danger of death, which does not replace the full rite in other cases. In

6426-616: The Services said at the parting of the soul, we note that if time does not permit to read the whole Canon, then customarily just one of the prayers, found at the end of the Canon, is read by the Priest at the moment of the parting of the soul from the body." As soon as the person has died the priest begins The Office After the Departure of the Soul From the Body (also known as The First Pannikhida ). In

6528-456: The Sick: Rites of Anointing and Viaticum , Viaticum is the only sacrament dealt with in Part II: Pastoral Care of the Dying . Within that part, the chapter on Viaticum is followed by two more chapters, one on Commendation of the Dying , with short texts, mainly from the Bible, a special form of the litany of the saints, and other prayers, and the other on Prayers for the Dead . A final chapter provides Rites for Exceptional Circumstances , namely,

6630-453: The Temple , her continuing virginity following the birth of Jesus, and her death ), which are taught and believed by the Orthodox Church (being expressed in the Church's liturgy and patristic writings), are not formally defined by the Church. The term was certainly in use by the 4th century. Athanasius of Alexandria in 330, Gregory the Theologian in 370, John Chrysostom in 400, and Augustine all used theotokos . Origen (d. 254)

6732-399: The Virgin Mary, Ὑπὸ τὴν σὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν (English: "Beneath thy Compassion," Latin: Sub tuum praesidium ,) has been continually prayed and sung for at least sixteen centuries, in the original Koine Greek vocative, as ΘΕΟΤΟΚΕ. The oldest record of this hymn is a papyrus found in Egypt, mostly dated to after 450, but according to a suggestion by de Villiers (2011) possibly older, dating to

6834-434: The act of self-analysis or self-evaluation. This approach is sometimes described as the person praying having a dialogue or conversation with God. In this view, prayer is not a conversation. Rather, it is meant to inculcate certain attitudes in the one who prays, but not to influence. This has been the approach of Rabbenu Bachya, Yehuda Halevy , Joseph Albo , Samson Raphael Hirsch , and Joseph Dov Soloveitchik . This view

6936-499: The animist way of life. This is usually accomplished through a shaman who, through a trance , gains access to the spirit world and then shows the spirits' thoughts to the people. Other ways to receive messages from the spirits include using astrology or contemplating fortune tellers and healers. Some of the oldest extant literature, such as the Kesh temple hymn (c. 26th century BC), is liturgy addressed to deities and thus technically "prayer". The Egyptian Pyramid Texts of about

7038-457: The busy struggles of marriage as it brings people closer to God . Jesus encouraged his disciples to pray in secret in their private rooms, using the Lord's Prayer , as a humble response to the prayer of the Pharisees , whose practices in prayer were regarded as impious by the New Testament writers. For evangelists and other Christian sects , prayer is shown to be God's appointed method by which we obtain what He has to bestow. Further,

7140-430: The concept of experiential religion or mystical experience because of a long history or authors living and writing about experience with the divine in a manner that identifies God as unknowable and ineffable, the language of such ideas could be characterized paradoxically as "experiential", as well as without the phenomena of experience. The notion of "religious experience" can be traced back to William James , who used

7242-419: The conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ. Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in lectio divina or the rosary . This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him. The experience of God within Christian mysticism has been contrasted with

7344-446: The council documents, Cyril explained his doctrine. He noted that "the holy fathers... have ventured to call the holy Virgin Theotokos , not as though the nature of the Word or his divinity received the beginning of their existence from the holy Virgin, but because from her was born his holy body, rationally endowed with a soul, with which the Word was united according to the hypostasis , and

7446-546: The council, does not yet show her with a halo . The iconographic tradition of the Theotokos or Madonna (Our Lady) , showing the Virgin enthroned carrying the infant Christ, is established by the following century, as attested by a very small number of surviving icons, including one at Saint Catherine's Monastery in Sinai , and Salus Populi Romani , a 5th or 6th-century Byzantine icon preserved in Rome. This type of depiction, with subtly changing differences of emphasis, has remained

7548-504: The early church, but it has been argued, even in modern times, that the term "Mother of God" is unduly suggestive of Godhead having its origin in Mary, imparting to Mary the role of a Mother Goddess . But this is an exact reiteration of the objection by Nestorius , resolved in the 5th century, to the effect that the term "Mother" expresses exactly the relation of Mary to the incarnate Son ascribed to Mary in Christian theology. Theologically,

7650-503: The form of a hymn , incantation , formal creedal statement, or a spontaneous utterance in the praying person. The act of prayer is attested in written sources as early as five thousand years ago. Today, most major religions involve prayer in one way or another; some ritualize the act, requiring a strict sequence of actions or placing a restriction on who is permitted to pray, while others teach that prayer may be practised spontaneously by anyone at any time. Scientific studies regarding

7752-553: The general level, first one is: " Walidatu-liilahi" ( Arabic : وَالِدَةُ ٱلْإِلَـٰهِ , lit.   'Birther of God') and "Ùmmu-'llahi" or "Ùmmu-l'iilahi" ( Arabic : أُمُّ ٱللهِ or أُمُّ ٱلْإِلَـٰهِ, lit. 'Mother of God'). "Mother of God" is the literal translation of a distinct title in Greek, Μήτηρ τοῦ Θεοῦ (translit. Mētēr tou Theou ), a term which has an established usage of its own in traditional Orthodox and Catholic theological writing, hymnography, and iconography. In an abbreviated form, ΜΡ ΘΥ ( М҃Р Ѳ҃Ѵ ), it often

7854-419: The goddesses Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr and Irpa . Folk religion in the medieval period produced syncretisms between pre-Christian and Christian traditions. An example is the 11th-century Anglo-Saxon charm Æcerbot for the fertility of crops and land, or the medical Wið færstice . The 8th-century Wessobrunn Prayer has been proposed as a Christianized pagan prayer and compared to the pagan Völuspá and

7956-557: The gods and the earth after being woken by the hero Sigurd . A prayer to Odin is mentioned in chapter   2 of the Völsunga saga where King Rerir prays for a child. In stanza   9 of the poem Oddrúnargrátr , a prayer is made to "kind wights , Frigg and Freyja , and many gods, In chapter 21 of Jómsvíkinga saga , wishing to turn the tide of the Battle of Hjörungavágr , Haakon Sigurdsson eventually finds his prayers answered by

8058-554: The holy virgin is Theotokos (for she bore in a fleshly manner the Word from God become flesh), let him be anathema. (Cyril's third letter to Nestorius) The Nestorian Church, known as the Church of the East within the Syrian tradition, rejected the decision of the Council of Ephesus and its confirmation at the Council of Chalcedon in 451. This was the church of the Sasanian Empire during

8160-578: The human who was Son of Mary, and the divine who was not. To them, this was unacceptable since by destroying the perfect union of the divine and human natures in Christ, it sabotaged the fullness of the Incarnation and, by extension, the salvation of humanity. The council accepted Cyril's reasoning, affirmed the title Theotokos for Mary, and anathematized Nestorius' view as heresy . (See Nestorianism ) In letters to Nestorius which were afterwards included among

8262-502: The label of "Nestorian" continued to be applied even though it was technically no longer correct. Modern research suggests that also the Church of the East in China did not teach a doctrine of two distinct natures of Christ." Lutheran tradition retained the title of "Mother of God" (German Mutter Gottes , Gottesmutter ), a term already embraced by Martin Luther ; and officially confessed in

8364-406: The late 5th and early 6th centuries. The schism ended in 544, when patriarch Aba I ratified the decision of Chalcedon. After this, there was no longer technically any "Nestorian Church", i.e. a church following the doctrine of Nestorianism , although legends persisted that still further to the east such a church was still in existence (associated in particular with the figure of Prester John ), and

8466-499: The mainstay of depictions of Mary to the present day. The roughly half-dozen varied icons of the Virgin and Child in Rome from the 6th to 8th centuries form the majority of the representations surviving from this period, as most early Byzantine icons were destroyed in the Byzantine Iconoclasm of the 8th and 9th century, notable exceptions being the 7th-century Blachernitissa and Agiosoritissa . The iconographic tradition

8568-474: The mid-3rd century. The use of Theotokos was formally affirmed at the Third Ecumenical Council held at Ephesus in 431. It proclaimed that Mary truly became the Mother of God by the human conception of the Son of God in her womb: Mother of God, not that the nature of the Word or his divinity received the beginning of its existence from the holy Virgin, but that, since the holy body, animated by

8670-451: The original 12th-century icon and for icons that are copies or imitate its composition. Theotokos is an adjectival compound of two Greek words Θεός "God" and τόκος "childbirth, parturition; offspring". A close paraphrase would be "[she] whose offspring is God" or "[she] who gave birth to one who was God". The usual English translation is simply "Mother of God"; Latin uses Deipara or Dei Genitrix . The Church Slavonic translation

8772-492: The period in-between world wars – famously rejected by Karl Barth . In the 20th century, religious as well as moral experience as justification for religious beliefs still holds sway. Some influential modern scholars holding this liberal theological view are Charles Raven and the Oxford physicist/theologian Charles Coulson . The notion of "religious experience" was adopted by many scholars of religion, of whom William James

8874-406: The practice of prayer is reliably attested, but no actual liturgy is recorded from the early (Roman era) period. An Old Norse prayer is on record in the form of a dramatization in skaldic poetry . This prayer is recorded in stanzas   2 and   3 of the poem Sigrdrífumál , compiled in the 13th century Poetic Edda from earlier traditional sources, where the valkyrie Sigrdrífa prays to

8976-552: The priest, the last one being said "at the departure of the soul." There is an alternative rite known as The Office at the Parting of the Soul from the Body When a Man has Suffered for a Long Time . The outline of this rite is the same as above, except that Psalm 70 and Psalm 143 precede Psalm 50 , and the words of the canon and the prayers are different. The rubric in the Book of Needs (priest's service book) states, "With respect to

9078-606: The purpose of prayer is to enable the person praying to gain a direct experience of the recipient of the prayer (or as close to direct as a specific theology permits). This approach is very significant in Christianity and widespread in Judaism (although less popular theologically). In Eastern Orthodoxy , this approach is known as hesychasm . It is also widespread in Sufi Islam, and in some forms of mysticism . It has some similarities with

9180-401: The rationalist approach, since it can also involve contemplation , although the contemplation is not generally viewed as being as rational or intellectual. Christian and Roman Catholic traditions also include an experiential approach to prayer within the practice of lectio divina . Historically a Benedictine practice, lectio divina involves the following steps: a short scripture passage

9282-553: The reading of the Torah . The siddur is the prayerbook used by Jews all over the world, containing a set order of daily prayers. Jewish prayer is usually described as having two aspects: kavanah (intention) and keva (the ritualistic, structured elements). The most important Jewish prayers are the Shema Yisrael ("Hear O Israel") and the Amidah ("the standing prayer"). Communal prayer

9384-536: The religious experiences in the Methodist movement (paralleling the Romantic Movement ) were foundational to religious commitment as a way of life. According to catholic doctrine , Methodists lack a ritualistic and rational approach to praying but rely on individualistic and moralistic forms of worship in direct conversation with God. This approach is rejected by most Orthodox religions . Wayne Proudfoot traces

9486-571: The roots of the notion of "religious experience" to the German theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768–1834), who argued that religion is based on a feeling of the infinite. The notion of "religious experience" was used by Schleiermacher and Albert Ritschl to defend religion against the growing scientific and secular critique, and defend the view that human (moral and religious) experience justifies religious beliefs . Such religious empiricism would be later seen as highly problematic and was – during

9588-435: The same period similarly contain spells or incantations addressed to the gods. In the loosest sense, in the form of magical thinking combined with animism , prayer has been argued as representing a human cultural universal , which would have been present since the emergence of behavioral modernity , by anthropologists such as Sir Edward Burnett Tylor and Sir James George Frazer . Reliable records are available for

9690-428: The terms "Mother of God", "Mother of Incarnate God" (and its variants) should not be taken to imply that Mary is the source of the divine nature of Jesus, who Christians believe existed with the Father from all eternity. Within the Orthodox and Catholic tradition, Mother of God has not been understood, nor been intended to be understood, as referring to Mary as Mother of God from eternity — that is, as Mother of God

9792-454: The two were not one. Nor do we understand the manner of conjunction to be one of juxtaposition, for this is insufficient in regard to natural union.... Rather we reject the term 'conjunction' as being inadequate to express the union... [T]he holy virgin gave birth in the flesh to God united with the flesh according to hypostasis, for that reason we call her Theotokos ... If anyone does not confess that Emmanuel is, in truth, God, and therefore that

9894-492: The two. Christian circles often look to Friedrich Heiler (1892-1967), whose systematic Typology of Prayer lists six types of prayer: primitive, ritual, Greek cultural, philosophical, mystical, and prophetic. Some forms of prayer require a prior ritualistic form of cleansing or purification, such as in ghusl and wudhu . Prayer may occur privately and individually (sometimes called affective prayer ), or collectively, shared by or led on behalf of fellow-believers of either

9996-406: The use of prayer have mostly concentrated on its effect on the healing of sick or injured people. The efficacy of prayer in faith healing has been evaluated in numerous studies, with contradictory results. The English term prayer is from Medieval Latin : precaria , lit.   'petition, prayer'. The Vulgate Latin is oratio , which translates Greek προσευχή in turn

10098-440: Was a topic of theological dispute in the 4th and 5th centuries and was the subject of the decree of the Council of Ephesus of 431 to the effect that, in opposition to those who denied Mary the title Theotokos ("the one who gives birth to God") but called her Christotokos ("the one who gives birth to Christ"), Mary is Theotokos because her son Jesus is one person who is both God and man, divine and human. This decree created

10200-556: Was incarnate by the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary, and was made man". Since that time, the expression "Mother of God" referred to the Dyophysite doctrine of the hypostatic union , about the uniqueness with the twofold nature of Jesus Christ God, which is both human and divine (nature distincted, but not separable nor mixed). Since that time, Jesus was affirmed as true Man and true God from all eternity. The status of Mary as Theotokos

10302-508: Was standing, looking up to heaven, with outspread arms and bare head. This is the pre-Christian, pagan prayer posture (except for the bare head, which was prescribed for males in I Corinthians 11:4, in Roman paganism, the head had to be covered in prayer). Certain Cretan and Cypriote figures of the Late Bronze Age, with arms raised, have been interpreted as worshippers. Their posture is similar to

10404-478: Was the most influential. The notion of "experience" has been criticised. Robert Sharf points out that "experience" is a typical Western term, which has found its way into Asian religiosity via western influences. The notion of "experience" introduces a false notion of duality between "experiencer" and "experienced", whereas the essence of kensho is the realisation of the "non-duality" of observer and observed. "Pure experience" does not exist; all experience

#702297