Tertullian’s On Prayer

Tertullian, the founder of Latin Christianity and a man of great intellect, was born in Carthage to a proconsular centurion sometime around A.D. 145. He was likely educated in Rome as an expert in law and joined the Church around 185, becoming a presbyter in 190. His writings profoundly influenced Augustine and Cyprian who, in turn, provided inspiration to the Reformers in Europe and in the Anglican Church. 

In his later years Tertullian embraced Montanism, a movement, labeled a heresy by the Church, which claimed to have further revelation from the Holy Spirit, held to a strict moral code, and elevated female prophets. Tertullian perhaps embraced this because he was discontent with the orthodox church of his day and found the uncompromising morality of Montanism appealing. Despite this, he is recognized as the founder of Latin Christianity and an incredibly influential Christian thought leader and writer.

Here Tertullian treats the subject of prayer. In the first half of this text he expounds the Lord’s prayer, working clause by clause to uncover meaning and significance in this short, but significant, prayer. His explanations bear remarkable similarity to Martin Luther’s Small Catechism written some 1200 years later. After this, Tertullian addresses practical questions about prayer: when to pray, where to pray, how to pray, and what to wear while praying. While Christians today will likely not follow all of Tertullian’s suggestions, they yet remind us of the importance and weight we ought to place on prayer in our daily walk with Christ. 

And now, please enjoy this rendition of Tertullian’s On Prayer.

If you would like to read more of the writings of the Early Christian Fathers, please visit ccel.org to view the full collection.