see \ b. Idv. Gent. \ i. 4; Lakemacher, Antiq. Gr.
Sacr. p. 425). He, however, who was surprised by the hour of prayer in the street stood there and said his prayer on the spot. In every case the face was turned towards the holy hill of the Temple (Dan. vi. 11; 2 Chron. \i. 34; "> Esdr. iv. 58; Mishna. Berach. iv, 5), bul by the Samaritans to Gerizim. In the court of the Temple the fare was turned to the Temple itself (1 Kings viii. 38), to the Holy of Holies i Psa. v, 8; see Thilo, Apocr. i. 20 I, Thus the .lews praying then fared the w< st, w hile the modem .lews in Europe and Amer- ica face the east in prayer. It was an early custom among < Ihristians, too, to turn the face towards the east in praying (< trigen, Horn. ■">. in Num.,\n Op. ii. 28 1 ; I Hem. Alex. Strom, vii, 724; comp. Tertul. Apol. xvi). The Mohammedans turn the face towards Mecca (Rosen- mltller, Morgenl. iv. 361 I. The usual posture in prayer was standing I I Sam. i. 26; I Kings viii. 22; Dan. ix, 20; Matt, vi, 5; Mark xi, 25; Luke xviii. 11: comp. Iliad, xxiv, 306 sq.; Martial, xii, 77,2; Al Koran, v, 8; Mishna, Berach. v, I ; Philo, Opp. ii. 1*1 ; Wetstein, i. 821). Bul in earnest devotion, bending the knee, or actual kneeling, was practiced (2 Chron. \ i. 18; 1 Kings viii, 54; Esdr. ix, 6; Dan. vi, 10; Luke xxii, 41; Ads i\. 10), or the bodj was even thrown to the ground (Gen. xxiv, 26; N'.h. viii,6; Judith ix, 1; Matt xxvi, 89). The hands before prayer inu-t be made clean. Says the Mishna, He thai prays with unclean hands commits deadly sin (Sohar Devt. f. 101, 427; comp. 1
Tim. ii. 8; Odys. ii. 261; Clem. Alex. Strom, iv, 531 ; Chrysost Horn. 43, «n 1 Cor."). The hands were then, in standing, often lifted up towards heaven (1 Kin^s viii, 22; Neh. viii. 7: Lam. ii, 19; iii. 11: Psa. xxviii, 2 ; exxxiv, 2; 2 Mace. iii. 20; 1 Tim. ii. 8; Philo, op],, ii. 181, 534; Iliad, i. 450; Virgil, ./:„. i. 93; Horace. Od. iii. 23, 1 : Plutarch, Alex. p. 682; Aristotle, Mund. vi; Seneca, Kp. 11: Wetstein, ii, 323; Dough tsei Analect.\\ 135); sometimes were spread out ilsa. i. 15; Ezra ix, 5); and in humble prayers of penitence wire laid meekly on the breast, or sometimes the breast was struck with them i Luke xviii. 13). A posture peculiar to prayer was dropping the head upon the breast | Psa. xxxv, 13), or between the knees (1 Kings xviii, 12). This was done in great sorrow. The former is -till customary among the Mohammedans (see the figs, in Reland's />• Relig. Mnli. p. 87). s. e \iiin in -. Extensive treatises on the kind- ofpraj er, and their order and conduct, are given in the Mishna (treatise Bt rachoth) and the double Gemara (in German by Rabe ] Halle, 1777]; see also Otho. Lex. Rab. p. 537 sq.). One species of prayer was intercession. Almost infalliUe virtue was ascribed to it when offered by a holy person (see James v, 16; comp. Diod. Sic. iv, 61 ; Apollod. iii. 12, 6; G< n. xx, 7, 17; Kxod. xxxii. II sip : L Kings xvii, 20 sq. ; dosephus, Ant. xiv, 2, 1; 2 Cor. i. 1 1 : 1 Tim. ii. I sq.; Phil, i, 19). Hence it was common to request the prayers of others (1 Thess. v, 25; 2 Thess. iii. 1; Heb. xiii. 18; comp. Deyling, Observ. ii, 587 sq.). See Jonath. On Gen. xxvi, 27; and esp. Suicer, Observ. Sacr. p. 1 I'.' sq.; s. hroder, Diss, de Precib. Hebraorum \ Marb. 1717 | ; Saubert, De Preeibus Heb.; ami Poleman, />< ,it,, prcecandi >;t. //,!,.. both in (Jgolini Thesaur. vol. xxi: Carpzov, Ap- par. p. 322 Bq.; Baur, Gottesd. Verf. i. 357 sq.; Rehm, Historia Precum Biblica (Gotting. 1814); Hartmann, Ferbind. </. .1. >,. A'. '/'. p. 236 sq., 286 sq.; ami on the whole subject. Brover. de Niedek, /<• popv.hr. vet. >t recent. Ado?-ationib. (Amsterd. 1713). 'the Homeric prayers are treated in Naegelsbach's Homer. TheoLf. 1*5 sq.— Winer. Sec Proseuche; Synagogi e.
2. The only form of prayer given for perpetual use in
the ( ). T. is the one ill Dent. xx\ i. 5 15. connected with
the offering of tithes and first-fruits, and containing in simple form the important elements of prayer, acknowl- edgment of God's mercy, self-dedication, and prayer for future blessing. To this may perhaps l"- added the threefold blessing ol Numb, vi, 24 26, couched as il is in a precatory form ; and the short prayers of Moses Numb, x, 35, 36) at the moving ami resting of the cloud, the former of which was the germ of the 68th Psalm.
Indeed, the forms given, evidently with a view to
preservation ami constant use, are rather hymns or
SOngS than prayers properly so called, although they often contain supplication. Scattered through the his- torical hooks we have the So ne; of Moses tuih/lil to the children of Israel (Dent, xxxii. I 43); his less impor- tant Bongs alter the passage of the lied Sea (Exod. xv, i 19)andal the springing out of the water (Numb, xxi, 17,18); the Song of Deborah and Barak (Judg. \ i; the Song of Hannah in 1 Sam. ii. 1 10 | the effect of which i- Been by reference to the Magnificat i; and il e Song of David (Psa. xviii), singled out in 2 Sam. xxii. Bul after David's time the existence ami use of the Psalms,