Chapter 1
PRAYER Chapter 1 Jesus Christ our Lord—the Spirit of God and the Word of God and the Reason of God—the Word
[which expresses] the Reason, and the Reason [which possesses] the Word, and the Spirit of both1—has prescribed for His new disciples of the New Testament a new form of prayer. For in this matter, also, it was fitting that new wine be stored in new wine skins and that a new patch be sewed upon a new garment.2 Whatever had prevailed in days gone by was either abolished, like circumcision, or completed, like the rest of the Law, or fulfilled, like the prophecies, or brought to its perfection, like faith itself. (2) Everything has been changed from carnal to spiritual by the new grace of 1 If Tertullian here and elsewhere calls the Son of God also the Spirit of God, he does so only to describe His essence, without intending to identify Him with the third Person who alone bears this name.
Tertullian almost combines the two meanings of the word Xdyoq, which in Greek means both 'word' and 'thought.' Therefore, he calls the Xoyoq 'sermo' (word), and 'ratio' (reason), the 'intellectus' (or vouq) of God. Cf. Adversus Hermogenem 18; 45; Apology 17; 21.10-11;
23.12; De came Christi 19.
2 Cf. Matt. 9.16,17; Mark 2.21,22; Luke 5.36,37.
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God which, with the coming of the Gospel, has wiped out the old completely; and in this grace it has been proved there is the Spirit of God and the Word of God and the Reason of God, Jesus Christ our Lord; as the Spirit wherein He pre vailed, the Word whereby He taught, and the Reason for which He came. Consequently, the prayer formulated by Christ consists of three elements: the spirit whereby it can have such power, the word by which it is expressed, and the reason why it produces reconciliation. (3) John, too, had taught his disciples to pray, but everything that John did was a preparation for Christ, until He would increase—even as John himself announced3 that He [Christ] must increase, but he himself must decrease—and the entire work of the servant would pass over, along with the spirit itself, to the Master.
Hence it is that the words in which John taught men to offer their prayer are not extant, for the earthly have given place to the heavenly. 'He who is from the earth,' He says, 'of the earth speaks, and he who comes from heaven bears witness to that which he has seen.' And what that is of Christ the Lord is not of heaven, as is also this instruction concerning prayer?
(4) Let us then, my blessed ones,4 consider His heavenly wisdom, in the first place with regard to the admonition to pray in secret. By this, He demanded of man the faith to believe that he is seen and heard by Almighty God even when he is within the house and out of sight; and He desired a modest reserve in the manifestation of his faith so that he would offer his homage to God alone who he believed was listening and observing everywhere. (5) The next recom mendation in the following precept would, then, pertain to 3 Cf. John 3.30-32.
4 'Blessed' (benedicti) was an appellation given especially to catechu mens; see To the Martyrs 1.1.
PRAYER
faith and the proper display of faith; we should not think that the Lord is to be approached with a barrage of words since we are certain that of His own accord He has regard for His creatures. (6) Yet, that concise phrase which forms the third point of His teaching rests for support upon a profound and effective figure of speech: the thought compressed within such few words carries a flood of meaning to the mind. For not only does it embrace the proper duties of prayer, namely, worship of God and man's act of supplication, but practically every word of the Lord, the whole content of His teaching, so that, really, in [the Lord's] Prayer, there is contained an abridgement of the entire Gospel.
Chapter 2 (1) It begins with a proof of [our belief in] God and a meritorious act of faith when we say, 'Father, who art in heaven.'1 For we adore God and prove our faith, of which this form of address is the result. It is written: 'To them that believe in God He gave the power to be called the sons of God.'2 (2) Our Lord very frequently spoke to us of God as a Father; in fact, He even taught us to call none on earth
'father,' but only the one we have in heaven.3 Therefore, when we pray like this we are observing this precept, too. (3)
Happy they who know the Father! This is the reproach made 1 Tertullian's text of the Pater Noster is as follows: Pater qui in caelis es, sa'nctificetur nomen tuum. Fiat voluntas tua in caelis et in terra.
Veniat regnum tuum. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie.
Dimitte nobis debila nostra, [sicut] nos quoque remittimus debitoribus nostris. Ne nos inducas in temptationem, sed devehe 'nos a malo
2 Cf. John 1.12.
3 Cf. Matt. 23.9.
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against Israel, when the Spirit calls heaven and earth to witness saying: 'I have begotten sons and they have not known me.'4 (4) Moreover, when we say 'Father,' we also add a title to God's name. This form of address is one of filial love and at the same time one of power. (5) In the Father, the Son is also addressed. For Christ said, 'I and the Father are one.'5 (6) Nor is Mother Church passed over without mention,6 for in the Son and the Father the Mother is recognized, since upon her the terms 'Father' and 'Son' depend for their meaning. (7) With this one form, then, or word, we honor God with His own, we heed His precept, and we reproach those who are unmindful of the Father.
Chapter 3 (1) The title 'God the Father' had not been revealed to anyone. Even Moses who had inquired about God's name had heard a different one.1 It has been revealed to us in His
Son. For, before the Son [came] the name of the Father did not exist. 'I have come,' said Christ, 'in the name of my
Father.'2 And again: 'Father, glorify thy name.'3 4 And, more explicitly: 'I have manifested thy name to men.'4 (2) We ask that this name be hallowed; not that it would be the proper thing for men to wish God well as if He were [just]
4 Cf. Isa. 1.2.
5 Cf. John 10.30.
6 The notion of the Church as a mother occurs in Tertullian for the first time in Latin Christian literature; see above, p. 17 n. 2.
1 Cf. Exod. 3.13,14.
2 Cf. John 5.43.
3 Ibid. 12.28.
4 Ibid. 17.6.