Paul's Intercessory Prayers The Significance of the Intercessory Prayer Passages in the Letters of St Paul
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Texts and Abbreviations
- 1 Introductory
- 2 Intercessory prayer material in Paul's letters
- 3 Intercessory wish-prayers: their background and form
- 4 Function of the wish-prayers in I Thessalonians
- 5 Function of the wish-prayers in Romans, I Corinthians, and Philippians
- 6 Blessings and curses
- 7 Intercessory prayer-reports: their form and function
- 8 Function of the prayer-reports in the thanksgiving periods
- 9 Function of the prayer-reports in the body of the letters
- 10 Requests and exhortations about intercessory prayer
- 11 Concluding statement
- Appendixes
- Bibliography
- Index of passages cited
- Index of authors
- Index of subjects
10 - Requests and exhortations about intercessory prayer
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 October 2009
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Texts and Abbreviations
- 1 Introductory
- 2 Intercessory prayer material in Paul's letters
- 3 Intercessory wish-prayers: their background and form
- 4 Function of the wish-prayers in I Thessalonians
- 5 Function of the wish-prayers in Romans, I Corinthians, and Philippians
- 6 Blessings and curses
- 7 Intercessory prayer-reports: their form and function
- 8 Function of the prayer-reports in the thanksgiving periods
- 9 Function of the prayer-reports in the body of the letters
- 10 Requests and exhortations about intercessory prayer
- 11 Concluding statement
- Appendixes
- Bibliography
- Index of passages cited
- Index of authors
- Index of subjects
Summary
The third major functional class of intercessory prayer passages consists of those in which the apostle either exhorts the readers to practise regular prayers and intercessions; e.g.,
Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances
(I Thess. 5:16–18),or requests them to join together in supplications on his behalf: e.g.,
You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us in answer to many prayers.
(II Cor. 1: 11)We have already remarked how he prepared for the prayer-requests in several letters, by emphasizing the urgency of his own constant thanksgivings and supplications for them, in the wish-prayers and particularly in the prayer-reports. Now we come to his pleas that the believers in return take up their own share, by offering up prayer for him in his costly work of spreading the gospel. In these passages a crucial, additional dimension will be added to our understanding of the network of intercessions that lay behind the Pauline epistles.
REQUESTS FOR PRAYER
We begin with the five direct and indirect requests for prayer, and inquire first about their stylistic peculiarities in the light of any Jewish or Hellenistic usage that may be discovered.
Formal characteristics and background of the prayer-requests
When we compare the wish-prayers and the prayer-reports with the requests for prayer, we seem to encounter a more heterogeneous group of passages as far as their formal characteristics are concerned.
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- Paul's Intercessory PrayersThe Significance of the Intercessory Prayer Passages in the Letters of St Paul, pp. 259 - 292Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1974
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