The Lord's Prayer: A Survey Theological and Literary

Throughout the history of Christendom, the Lord's Prayer has held a special place of honor in Church liturgy, in the sacraments of baptism and eucharist in particular, and also in devotional prayer. The Lord's Prayer presents a carefully detailed exposition of the Our Father as a text worthy of inspiring both mind and heart. Nicholas Ayo's approach combines a word by word biblical and exegetical study including an anthology of patristic and modern commentary on the Lord's Prayer, drawn from among others Origen, Thomas Aquinas, Teresa of Avila, and Simone Weil. In addition, he provides a historical analysis, critical evaluation, and discussion of the deeper issues raised by the various interpretations of the Lord's Prayer. Finally, Ayo includes a personal meditation on the overall significance of this unique prayer in the spiritual life. The Lord's Prayer offers wisdom and meditative reflections valuable for study/ classroom groups as well as the individual seeking spiritual reading. It is a treasure for students of theology and spirituality, containing an invaluable analysis of Greek, Latin, and modern language versions of the Lord's Prayer along with a bibliography of patristic commentaries and books in English. In short, this book is a definitive study of the exemplary prayer of the gospel.