Origen on Prayer

A CHRISTIAN CLASSIC Written in the late first/early second century AD, Origen on Prayer remains a significant and masterful text for all Christian believers on the subject of prayer. Origen, an early church theologian and scholar, was born, lived, and taught in Alexandria, Egypt. He writes that prayer is the way in which humans can know and have discourse with God. He notes the many ways prayer is depicted in the Bible, and then tackles the argument that prayer is superfluous. He describes the four purposes of prayer: requests, praise, intercessions, and thanksgivings. Origen also performs an exegesis of the Lord’s Prayer, which makes this in-depth look at each phrase of the prayer a valuable resource. Origen concludes with comments on the formalities of prayer in which he describes the proper posture and state of mind for praying. Origen on Prayer uses many Biblical references, particularly to prayerful characters, so the text presents many role models for our communication with God and is essential for those who wish to know how to approach the practice, structure, and mindset of prayer.