On Prayer

Origen, tr. Oulton, 1954

Moreover, it is not unreasonable to use some such illustration as this to encourage the …

Moreover, it is not unreasonable to use some such illustration as this to encourage the practice of prayer and discourage the neglect of prayer. As it is not possible to beget a child without a woman and the possession of the necessary powers of begetting, so a man may not obtain this or that, unless he has prayed in such a way, with such a disposition, with such a belief; and if before the prayer he has not lived in such a manner. Therefore, “vain repetitions”¹ ought not to be “used,”² nor ought we to ask for little things,³ nor ought we to pray concerning earthly things, nor ought we to come to prayer in “wrath”⁴⁵ and with agitated thoughts; indeed, without purity a man cannot secure the giving of himself to prayer,⁶ nor can he who prays obtain forgiveness of sins, unless “from” his “heart” he “forgives his brother”⁷ who has committed a fault and asks to receive pardon.

Advantages of Prayer (Chapters VIII, 2, to X, 2)

In my opinion benefit often accrues to him who prays as he ought or endeavours as far as in him lies to do so. In the first place, without doubt he whose mind is set on prayer is in some sense profited merely by the settled condition involved in praying, when he has disposed himself to approach God and speak in his presence as to one who watches over him and is present.⁸ For just as certain impressions and recollections of this or that sully the thoughts that have been involved in these impressions, in connection with the subjects of these recollections; in the same way we must believe that it is profitable to recollect God in whom we have put our trust, who perceives the secret movements of the soul, when it composes itself to please him who “trieth the hearts and searcheth out the reins”⁹ as one who is present and spies out and anticipates every purpose.¹⁰ For if, for the sake of argument, he who sets his mind to prayer obtains no benefit beyond this, it is to be observed that he who thus devoutly disposes himself at the time of prayer profits in no ordinary way. And if this happens often, how many sins it prevents and how many good deeds it promotes, is known by experience to those who have given themselves continually to prayer. For if the calling to mind and reminiscence of an illustrious man¹¹ who has profited by wisdom stirs us up to emulate him and often checks evil impulses, how much more does the calling to mind of God, the Father of the universe, together with prayer to him, benefit those who are confident in themselves that they stand before and speak to God as one who is present and hears?

Notes

VIII, 1. “vain repetitions”] See note on XXI, 1.
Matt. 6:7.
See II, 2.
I Tim. 2:8.
VIII, 1. nor ought we to come to prayer in wrath] Five times in this treatise (cf. also II, 2; IX, 1 (bis); XXXI, 1) Origen makes this point, with a reference to I Tim. 2:8. Perhaps the bitter experience he had recently gone through at Alexandria caused him to emphasize it. See Introduction, p. 176.
Cf. I Cor. 7:5.
Matt. 18:35.
VIII, 2. God . . . who . . . is present] Three times in this section Origen lays stress upon the need of remembering the presence of God when praying. The fact throws light upon the mystical side of his nature. Though for him God is transcendent, philosophically speaking, it is of the essence of his religion to realize God’s nearness.
Cf. Ps. 7:9; Jer. 11:20; 17:10; Rom. 8:27; Rev. 2:23.
VIII, 2. spies out and anticipates every purpose] Cf. Clement of Alexandria, Strom., VII, 7:36, 37, for the belief concerning God and his presence entertained by the true gnostic.
VIII, 2. if the calling to mind . . . of an illustrious man] Cf. Clement of Alexandria, Strom., VII, 7:35, where a similar line of thought is followed.