(fi) PraiifT wtiH made stAndlng(Mk ir^)or kneenng(Ao 203*216) with uplifted hands (1 Ti 2f). Kveu if the words of the prayer were uttered by one person only, the nmyer was reganled a» that of Ibe whole congregiitlon. Thus in Ac 4'i4-30 the prayer it given verbally, but Is ascribed to the whole assembly iij^Oufx^iat *!/>«. ^•r., ir/ioi T6, 6ii» ««i iiT«. We must not press this too literally, as if all actually spoke In the words given. It may
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mean ibal they followed it, and by their 'amen' at the end identified themselves with the speaker ; or ^>erhaps they repeated his words audibly after him ; cf. Ac 20^*^* *««•<» avT-nf wp6<iY,;itt.ro. All prayer did not, however, consist of definite lau^'uage. The indistin^ishable 'iflo3solalia' comprised prayer as well as praise (1 Co 14i-*), and such 'prayer with the spirit' waji incomprehensible, both to the speaker and to the hearers, unless it were interpreted by one who had the fcift of inVeri>ret- inj( tontjues. The object of the prayers would vary with the ociitsion. "The necessity of the moment supplied the Church with the material for its daily supplications (cf. Ac Vl^). We find, however, in addition to these occasional topics, injunctions to establish certain prayers as a permanent part of the worship. Such were prayers for the advance of the gospel preachiiit' throurrh the apostle (Ro 15^", Eph Oi», Col 4». 2 Th 'M, cf. I Th S'', He ia*«); pravers tor the civil rulers and all men (ITi 2')', prayers for errinjj' members (Ja o^**, iJn 5i6). But no special form of prayer is laid down to be followed. Of a formulated liturgv of prayer we find aa yet no 8ig;ns, but there are expressions in N'T which bear the appearance of more or less ntereotyped formulsB. Such are especially (I) the form of salutation, 'tirace to you (and mercy) and peace from Ood the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,' which occurs with variations in the opening of all the i'auline Epp.. and also of 1 F, 2 P, 2 Jn, Jude.and Rev: (2) the bene- dictions, 'The God of peace be with you' (Ro 15^), ' the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you' {ib. le^O), or the much fuller form, * the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God. and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with j'ou all' ('i Co la'-*). These occur also in similar form at the close of all the Pauline Epp., He, I P, and Rev. The form of these opening and concluding prayers is in all cases so much alike, that it may very well represent the prayers of salutation and benediction with which tht services were begun and finished, differing: verbally in different churches, but agreeing in the main. Their liturgical aspect in NT is heightened by the frequent addition of 'amen'(e.3. Ro 1533, Gal i>i«). The long prayer with which Clement of Rome concludes his Ep. to Uie Cor., and the set forms of prayer given in the Didache (ch3. 9, 10), have a strong alttnity with Jewish prayers, which suggests that the Church may have for some time used forms of public prayer borrowed from these sources.
It is remarkaijle that, except in the Gospels, we hear nothing in NT of the Lord's Prayer. It is not quoted at all, nor can we find instances in NT language which can be said to conUiin any distinct reminisceiRcs of it. But in the Didachp{ch. fe) the Christian is commanded to repeat the Lord's Prayer three times daily, which proves how uuiversal its use became in the sub- apostolic age.
(y) i'raise, i.e. the giving of thanks (iix*^'*"''''^*.)i the act of blessing (iCxoyi7»), of praising (^ecUii*), or of glorifjing (iolaZii*) God. Like prayer, it could be expressed in ordinary language. or in the 'tongue' (1 Co Uti). (See ToKOUKS.) From its more emotional cliaracter, it lent itself more to the latter than was the case with prayer. Examples of praise are to be found in the doxologies which occur with great frequency in the Epistles, e.g. Ro 95 lti25, Gal 1^, Eph 3'^. Ph 42", iTi 1", 2 Ti 4^8, He IS'-^i, 1 P411 5n, 2 P 3I8, Rev Iti. These, again, are given a litur- gical form by the ' Amen ' which almost invariably follows, but the language is not so stereotyped as in the case of the saluta- tions and Denedictions. We see also in sublime outburst* of praise, such as Ro li'*^'''- or the hjinns of the Apoc. (e.g. Rev 4^1 111' 153 etc.), examples of praise in freer and less stereotyped form than in the doxologies. We perceive in them the most intense religious emotion. Language of so sublime and ecstatic strain easily passed into the form of song. The singing of a ' psalm ' or ' hymn ' by a member of the congregation was the form which the giving of praise frequently took (Ac Ifi-'^, 1 Co I4I6. Qti^ Kph 619, Col 3l«>, Ja 513). Specimens of these extempore hymns are preserved id Lk 1 or in Rev {loc. cit.Y Possibly, too, in rhythmic passages such as 1 Ti 3l6, Rev 16^-* are preserved fragments of hymns sung by the whole congregation together. As in the case of prayer, the congregation made the ascription of praise a corporate act bv saying 'Amen' at the close (1 Co WK Rev 614 19^).