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On Prayer

Tertullian

Chapter 28

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XXVIII.—Of the Spiritual Victim, Which Prayer is.

For this is the spiritual victim which has abolished the pristine sacrifices

‹ Chapter 27 Chapter 29 ›

.

“

To

what

purpose

,

”

saith

He

,

“

(

bring

ye

)

me

the

multitude

of

your

sacrifices

?

I

am

full

of

holocausts

of

rams

,

and

I

desire

not

the

fat

of

rams

,

and

the

blood

of

bulls

and

of

goats

.

For

who

hath

required

these

from

your

hands

?

”

What

,

then

,

God

has

required

the

Gospel

teaches

.

“

An

hour

will

come

,

”

saith

He

,

“

when

the

true

adorers

shall

adore

the

Father

in

spirit

and

truth

.

For

God

is

a

Spirit

,

and

accordingly

requires

His

adorers

to

be

such

.

”

We

are

the

true

adorers

and

the

true

priests

,

who

,

praying

in

spirit

,

sacrifice

,

in

spirit

,

prayer

,

—

a

victim

proper

and

acceptable

to

God

,

which

assuredly

He

has

required

,

which

He

has

looked

forward

to

for

Himself

!

This

victim

,

devoted

from

the

whole

heart

,

fed

on

faith

,

tended

by

truth

,

entire

in

innocence

,

pure

in

chastity

,

garlanded

with

love

,

we

ought

to

escort

with

the

pomp

of

good

works

,

amid

psalms

and

hymns

,

unto

God’s

altar

,

to

obtain

for

us

all

things

from

God

.

Notes

1
1 Pet. ii. 5.
2
Isa. i. 11. See the LXX.
3
John iv. 23, 24.
4
Sacerdotes; comp. de Ex. Cast. c. 7.
5
1 Cor. xiv. 15; Eph. vi. 18.
6
Or, “provided.”
7
“Agape,” perhaps “the love-feast.”
8
Or, “procession.”
9
Altare.