Relating Through Prayer by Maria Louise Munkholt Christensen;

Author:Maria Louise Munkholt Christensen;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Peter Lang Copyright AG

3.2.5.5 Silent prayer and contemplation

It should also be mentioned that prayers were not necessarily supposed to be verbal at all; Origen holds Hannah’s and Jonah’s silent prayers as ideal.806 Even more or less wordless prayers were approved.807 It even seems that silent or mental prayer is ideal according to Origen, although he in no way dismisses verbal prayer.808

←185 | 186→ The two Alexandrian authors promote contemplation, θεωρία, as the finest form of Christian contact with God. It is an activity for the rational mind, it is thinking about and reflecting on God, and it is perfect prayer. Contemplation is, however, not only presented as an intellectual exercise of reflection, but also as a way to be lead to unification with God. However, it is not an easy endeavour, since it requires knowledge of God, but also a mind worthy of God. For Clement, contemplation is the true and gnostic way to pray, and the true gnostic remains in “uninterrupted contemplation.”809 Clement understands “contemplation” to be a perfection of prayer and life, a way of moving as close to God as possible and thus as proleptic salvation.810 Soul and mind can communicate with God without use of voice and tongue, and the human thought can pray in a most perfect way.811 Similarly, Origen understands contemplation as an ideal activity. According to Origen, intellectual beings were made to contemplate God’s goodness, but fell away from this activity and now have to find their way back.812 Origen writes that the greatest benefit of prayer is gained by those who “look beyond what is begotten and contemplate (ἐννοεῖν) God alone, and hold modest and solemn converse with the one who hears them.”813 They will be transformed into God’s image (τὴν αὐτὴν εἰκόνα μεταμορφουμένους). Elsewhere in Perì Euchês, Origen is more explicit in that he contrasts those, who are ignorant of God and consequently do not know for what to pray, with those who are contemplating God, and therefore know what is truly good:

“Anyone who is ignorant of God is ignorant of the things of God, and ignorant of the things that are necessary; what he reckons as necessary are the wrong things. But whoever has contemplated (ὁ τεθεωρηκὼς) the better and more divine things, which are necessary to him, will obtain the objects of his contemplation (ὧν τεθεώρηκε), for they are known of God, and are known to the Father even before they are requested.”814

←186 | 187→ In his Commentary on the Song of Songs, Origen is stating a similar point when he writes that theoria is going “beyond things seen and contemplate to a degree things heavenly and divine, beholding them with the mind alone.”815 Contemplation is a mode of piety and is a goal to which “ordinary Christians” can and should strive, since the ability to contemplate God requires a certain practice, mastery of passions, love, faith and knowledge. It is a mode of piety that goes beyond simply praying for earthly goods. As such contemplation is a form of mysticism, because

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