Ancient prayers
Pray as the First Christians Prayed
Long before there were denominations, Christians prayed these words. They come from Scripture and from the first centuries of the Church, and believers of every tradition still pray them today. Each prayer below has a short note on where it comes from.
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Matthew 6:9–13 · King James Version
Ancient roots. Jesus taught this prayer to his disciples. The Didache, one of the oldest Christian writings outside the Bible, written about 100 AD, tells believers to pray it three times a day.
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell; The third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; The holy catholic Church; The Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body, And the Life everlasting. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer
Ancient roots. This creed grew from the baptismal creed of the church in Rome in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. New believers said it when they were baptized. Here "catholic" keeps its old meaning: the whole, universal Church.
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
Ancient roots. The first form of this creed was agreed at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD and expanded at the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD. It is the most widely shared statement of Christian faith in the world.
Glory to the Father
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Ancient roots. Christians have closed the Psalms with this short hymn of praise to the Trinity since the 4th century.
The Jesus Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Ancient roots. This prayer echoes the tax collector in Luke 18:13 and the blind man in Luke 18:38. It grew among the desert monks of Egypt and Palestine in the 5th and 6th centuries, who prayed it slowly, again and again, with each breath.
O Gracious Light
O gracious Light, pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven, O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed! Now as we come to the setting of the sun, and our eyes behold the vesper light, we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices, O Son of God, O Giver of life, and to be glorified through all the worlds.
Phos Hilaron · The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
Ancient roots. This is one of the oldest Christian hymns outside the Bible. Christians sang it in Greek as the lamps were lit at evening, and by the 4th century Saint Basil already called it ancient.
Christ Be With Me
Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
From Saint Patrick's Breastplate · translated by Cecil Frances Alexander, 1889
Ancient roots. This old Irish prayer of protection is traditionally credited to Saint Patrick, who brought the Gospel to Ireland in the 5th century.
Saint Augustine
Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it repose in Thee.
Confessions, Book 1 · translated by E. B. Pusey
Ancient roots. Augustine of Hippo wrote his Confessions as a long prayer to God in about 397 AD. These words from its first page are among the most loved in Christian history.
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