Prayers of Early Christianity
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This is a book about prayer and the ancient prayers that are embedded in the Books of the New Testament. It is written in the aftermath of the World Trade Center disaster of September 11, 2001. Christians all over America have turned to their faith and to prayer as a means of expressing their shock and sorrow over the attacks on so many people in New York and Washington. And now we are at war with the terrorists all over the world, a war unlike any other we have ever faced. For the first time, more people have died at home than overseas. And who knows what is yet to come? This, then, is a good time to turn our prayer life to the beginnings of Christianity and to listen in on those early voices filled with excitement and joy over the risen Lord. There are prayers recorded for us in the various works of the Bible that give us insight into the souls of the closest followers of Jesus Christ: Mary, his mother, John, his beloved disciple, Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, and Peter, the rock upon whom the Church was built. We will listen in on the Magnificat of Mary, the Last Discourse recorded by John, the Maran atha of Paul, and the words of Peter as he preaches fearlessly to the men of Israel about the Christ whom God has made. We will remember back to the time of the Great Persecution in the year 303 A.D. and read the words of the martyrs who prayed as they were about to die for their faith in the risen Lord, prayed with conviction for their beliefs and with hope for their own resurrections. "All the kingdoms of this world and the joy of them Thus wrote Ignatius of Antioch as he was on his way, in chains, to martyrdom at the circus in Rome. We will also uncover the ancient hymns that are embedded in the New Testament, words spoken during the time of the Kerigma, the period of oral transmission after Christ died and before the Gospels were written: "Awake, O Sleeper, said the bishop to the person being baptized into the faith. Rise up from the darkness of paganism into the inaccessible light of the one true God. Above all, we will be awe-struck as we listen to the words that Christ himself spoke as he was saying his farewell to his disciples, preparing them for the suffering and death that he knew would surely come. And we will reflect on the immortality of our own soul and the Day of the Lord to come, remembering that when we die, we die unlike those without faith; we die with the hope of our own resurrection. And then, for a moment, we are there in heaven in the embrace of the God of love, Himself. This is not a book for those who do not pray, or who do not want to learn to pray. It is written for those who believe or want to believe in the risen Christ.
Are nothing to me.
I prefer to die in Christ
Than to reign from one end of the earth to the other."
Rise up from the dead
And Christ will shine on you"
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About the Book
This is a book about Christian prayer and the ancient prayers that are embedded in the books of the New and Old Testaments. These prayers are recorded for us in the various scriptures and give us an insight into the souls of those who were the closest followers of Jesus Christ: Mary, his mother, John, his beloved disciple, Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, and Peter, the rock upon whom the Church was built. Singled out for meditation are the Magnificat of Mary, Christ’s Last Discourse recorded by John, the Evangelist, the Maran atha of Paul, the words of Peter as he preached to the men of Israel about the risen Christ, and the prayers of the martyrs of the first and second centuries. Written during the time of the war against terrorism, this book reflects on the terrorism that was wrought upon the early Christians by the Roman Empire. Their response to it is recorded in their prayers. This is a book written for those who pray and who want to learn how to "Pray the Scriptures". It is written for those who believe in the risen Christ and for those who are inspired by the words of the Apostle: "Awake, O Sleeper,
Rise up from the dead
And Christ will shine on you".
About the Author
Wallace S. Jungers, PhL., STB., is a graduate of Woodstock College in Theology, with other degrees in Philosophy and Chemistry, Mr. Jungers taught in High School at St. Joe’s Prep in Philadelphia and in College at Loyola College in Baltimore. In this work, he continues his research of Early Christianity that he began with his other books, called Jesus Christ in Glory, St. Paul, St. John and St. Augustine and Reflections on Jesus Christ in Glory. From the viewpoint of a modern Christian, Mr. Jungers has been explaining the New Testament scriptures to those who are searching for a better understanding of "the honest story of Jesus Christ." Well versed in Latin and Greek, he is an advocate of the modern trend of prayer-life, called "Praying the Scriptures." Mr. Jungers lives in Chicago with his wife, Sue, who is Principal of Mount Carmel Academy. They have two married daughters, Jane and Jennifer.