Have you ever wanted to pray in Ancient Greek, but needed some examples for inspiration? After all, Greek is not our native language, so it may not come naturally to us to speak to God in Greek. I’d like to post some ancient prayers here for your inspiration and edification, starting today with one by Clement of Alexandria.
ἀξιοῦμέν σε, δέσποτα, βοηθὸν γενέσθαι καὶ ἀντιλήπτορα ἡμῶν.
—Clement of Alexandria (1 Clement 59:4)
τοὺς ἐν θλίψει ἡμῶν σῶσον,
τοὺς ταπεινοὺς ἐλέησον,
τοὺς πεπτωκότας ἔγειρον,
τοῖς δεομένοις ἐπιφάνηθι,
τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς ἴασαι,
τοὺς πλανωμένους τοῦ λαοῦ σου ἐπίστρεψον·
χόρτασον τοὺς πεινῶντας,
λύτρωσαι τοὺς δεσμίους ἡμῶν,
ἐξανάστησον τοὺς ἀσθενοῦντας,
παρακάλεσον τοὺς ὀλιγοψυχοῦντας·
γνώτωσάν σε ἅπαντα τὰ ἔθνη,
ὅτι σὺ εἰ ὁ θεὸς μόνος
καὶ Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ὁ παῖς σου
καὶ ἡμεῖς λαός σου καὶ πρόβατα τῆς νομῆς σου.
Click here to view the English translation.
We beseech thee, Master, to be our “help and succour.” Save those of us who are in affliction, have mercy on the lowly, raise the fallen, show thyself to those in need, heal the sick, turn again the wanderers of thy people, feed the hungry, ransom our prisoners, raise up the weak, comfort the faint-hearted; let all “nations know thee, that thou art God alone,” and that Jesus Christ is thy child, and that “we are thy people and the sheep of thy pasture.”