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Interpretation of the prayer Our Father

Interpretation of "Our Father"

59.627 Our Father who art in heaven. Do you call God Father, O man? You speak well. For He is the Father of all. But hasten to do works pleasing to your Father. But if you do evil works, it is manifest that you call the devil father; for he is the overseer of evil things. Therefore hasten to flee from this one, and to please your good Father and maker. Hallowed be thy name. And what then? Is God not holy? Yes, He is holy; but you say this, In me let your name be hallowed, so that men may see my good works, and glorify my Father and maker. Thy kingdom come. What then? Is God not king, that His kingdom is about to come? Yes, He is king of all, but just as a city surrounded by enemies seeks for the power of the king to come and deliver it; so also we, being surrounded by opposing powers and by our sins and evil thoughts, seek for the kingdom of God to come and deliver us. And in another way: since the prophet says, God has reigned over the nations, using the past tense as for the future, for this reason we cry out: Thy kingdom come, O Lord; that is, let thy mercies come upon us; Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. For it says thus: Lord, just as your will was done in heaven, and all the angels are in peace, and there is not among them one who pushes and is pushed back, nor one who strikes and is struck, but all are in deep peace; so also among us men on earth let your will be done; that all nations with one mouth and one heart may glorify our maker 59.628 and Savior. Give us this day our daily bread. We ask to receive our daily bread. And the bread of the soul is the word of God, as one of the saints said: Open, my child, your mouth to the word of God. And for this reason it is good to be mindful of God more frequently than to breathe; And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. And it says thus. And forgive us our debts, that is, our sins and our trespasses, as we also forgive all our brothers who trespass and sin against us, both free and slaves, and all those under our hand. Saying these things, O man, if you do not do so, consider that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God; and having corrected yourself, return to your maker and Lord. But deliver us from the evil one. If Satan should seek to sift us as wheat, just as he sought the apostles, and as was fitting, failed, but as of old with Job, do not give him authority over us; but even if an evil man should wish to tempt us or wrong us, do not give us over to his will, but cover us in the shelter of your wings. For thine is the kingdom and the power. O Lord, since yours is the kingdom, do not let us fear another kingdom, or any other lordship, even if we are worthy of punishment on account of our sins. Punish us yourself, in whatever way you wish, and do not deliver us into the hands of men; but let us fall into your hands, for as is your greatness, so also is your mercy, O Father Almighty, for ever. Amen.

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Interpretatio orationis Pater noster

Ἑρμηνεία εἰς τὸ, "Πάτερ ἡμῶν"

59.627 Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Πατέρα λέγεις, ἄνθρωπε, τὸν Θεόν; Καλῶς

λέγεις. Ἔστι γὰρ Πατὴρ πάντων. Ἀλλὰ σπεῦδε ἐργάζεσθαι ἔργα ἀρέσκοντα τῷ Πατρί σου. Εἰ δὲ κακὰ ποιεῖς ἔργα, πρόδηλον ὅτι τὸν διάβολον ἐπικαλῇ πατέρα· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἔφορος τῶν κακῶν. ∆ιὸ σπεῦδε ἐκφυγεῖν τοῦτον, ἀρέσαι δὲ τῷ ἀγαθῷ Πατρὶ καὶ ποιητῇ σου. Ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου. Καὶ τί γάρ; οὐκ ἔστιν ἅγιος ὁ Θεός; Ναὶ, ἅγιος· ἀλλὰ τοῦτο λέγεις, Ἐν ἐμοὶ ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου, ὅπως ἴδωσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὰ καλὰ ἔργα μου, καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα καὶ ποιητήν μου. Ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου. Τί γάρ; οὐκ ἔστι βασιλεὺς ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι μέλλει ἔρχεσθαι ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ; Ναὶ, βασιλεύς ἐστι πάντων, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ πόλις κυκλωθεῖσα ὑπὸ ἐχθρῶν ζητεῖ ἐλθεῖν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἐξελέσθαι αὐτήν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς κυκλωθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων δυνάμεων καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν καὶ πονηρῶν λογισμῶν, ζητοῦμεν ἐλθεῖν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐξελέσθαι ἡμᾶς. Καὶ κατὰ ἄλλον τρόπον· ἐπειδὴ ὁ προφήτης λέγει, Ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τὰ ἔθνη, τῷ παρελθόντι χρόνῳ ὡς μέλλοντι χρησάμενος, χάριν τούτου κράζομεν· Ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου, Κύριε· τουτέστιν, Ἐλθέτω ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὰ ἐλέη σου· Γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Λέγει γὰρ οὕτω· Κύριε, ὥσπερ ἐγένετο τὸ θέλημά σου ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ εἰσὶν ἄγγελοι ἅπαντες ἐν εἰρήνῃ, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς ὁ ὠθῶν καὶ ἀντωθούμενος, οὔτε τύπτων καὶ τυπτόμενος, ἀλλὰ πάντες ἐν εἰρήνῃ βαθείᾳ· οὕτω καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς ἀνθρώποις γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου· ἵνα πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐν ἑνὶ στόματι καὶ μιᾷ καρδίᾳ δοξάσωμεν τὸν ποιητὴν 59.628 καὶ Σωτῆρα ἡμῶν. Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον. Ἐπιούσιον ἄρτον λαβεῖν αἰτοῦμεν. Ἄρτος δὲ ψυχῆς λόγος Θεοῦ, καθὼς ἔφη τις τῶν ἁγίων· Ἄνοιγε, τέκνον, σὸν στόμα λόγῳ Θεοῦ. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο συχνοτέρως μνημονεύειν Θεοῦ καλὸν ἢ ἀναπνεῖν· Καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν. Λέγει δὲ οὕτω. Καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ χρέη ἡμῶν, τουτέστι, τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν καὶ τὰ πταίσματα, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν πᾶσι τοῖς πταίουσι καὶ ἁμαρτάνουσιν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀδελφοῖς ἡμῶν, ἐλευθέροις τε καὶ δούλοις, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ὑποχειρίοις ἡμῶν. Ταῦτα λέγων, ἄνθρωπε, ἐὰν οὐ ποιῇς οὕτως, ἐννόησον ὅτι φοβερὸν τὸ ἐμπεσεῖν ἡμᾶς εἰς χεῖρας Θεοῦ ζῶντος· καὶ διορθωσάμενος ἐπίστρεψον πρὸς τὸν ποιητὴν καὶ Κύριον. Ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ. Ἐὰν ζητήσῃ ἡμᾶς ὁ Σατανᾶς σινιάσαι, ὡς τὸν σῖτον, ὥσπερ καὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐζήτησε, καὶ ὡς δέον ἀπέτυχεν, ἀλλ' ὡς τὸ πάλαι Ἰὼβ, μὴ δῷς αὐτῷ ἐξουσίαν καθ' ἡμῶν· ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ πονηρὸς ἄνθρωπος θελήσῃ πειρᾶσαι ἡμᾶς ἢ ἀδικῆσαι, μὴ δῷς ἡμᾶς εἰς τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ σκέπασον ἡμᾶς ἐν τῇ σκέπῃ τῶν πτερύγων σου. Ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία καὶ ἡ δύναμις. Κύριε, ἐπεὶ σή ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία, μὴ ἐάσῃς ἡμᾶς φοβηθῆναι ἑτέραν βασιλείαν, εἴτε δεσποτείαν ἄλλην, εἰ καὶ ἄξιοί ἐσμεν κολάσεως διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν. Σὺ ἡμᾶς, οἵῳ θέλεις τρόπῳ, τιμώρησον, καὶ μὴ παραδῷς ἡμᾶς εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων· ἀλλ' ἐμπεσώμεθα εἰς χεῖράς σου ὅτι ὡς ἡ μεγαλωσύνη σου, οὕτω καὶ τὸ ἔλεός σου, Πάτερ παντοκράτορ, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.