Intercession
Intercession or intercessory prayer is the act of praying to a deity on behalf of others, or asking a saint in heaven to pray on behalf of oneself or for others.[1]
The
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
Christianity
In the early Church
The early Christians continued to practice intercessory prayer on behalf of others after Jesus' death.
St. Ignatius and the other church fathers, such as Paul the Apostle, who were keen on intercessory prayer based this practice on Jesus' own teachings which required that one pray for others, especially one's enemies:
But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
According to Lionel Swain, of
Prof. Dr Johannes van Oort, Professor Extraordinarius in the Department of Church History and Church Polity of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, adds that, in addition to praying for wisdom, the early church was very much involved with different charismas, one of which being healing. Praying for other people's illnesses was another way that intercessory prayer was important in the early church, as healing was a sign of "the power of God's Kingdom".[7] This gift of healing is specifically mentioned, among the other charismata, as a sign of being a true Christian by Irenaeus of Lyons in his text, Against Heresies.[8] SUIIIIII
Saints
The dead
In addition to praying for each other in life, early Christians would pray for those who had died.
Theological perspective
In an article in Theological Studies, Catholic theologian Patricia A. Sullivan warns that saints should not be built up in a way that brings down God. Saint Augustine had famously said that we pray not to instruct God but to get our will in line with God's.[19] Sullivan warns away from the dictionary meanings of "intercession" as “intervention, mediation, arbitration, negotiation”, all of which sound like we are dealing with a hostile or unfriendly God, whom we need to manipulate to get what we need. Such is not the meaning of the hapax legomenon in the New Testament of the word for intercession.[20] Sullivan goes on:[21]
When we ask a saint to intercede for us, what is happening at a deeper level is that we are taking refuge in the all-enfolding community of the redeemed, approaching God thru saintly symbols of Christ's victory and of our hope. Saints want always what God wants, what is best for us whether we pray for it or not. They are in a perpetual attitude of praise for God’s love and care, to which we join ourselves, praying, more precisely, with them rather than to them. The value of our petitions is that they turn us in confidence toward the God who loves us, allowing God’s work to be more effective in us, and thru us in others.
It would be anathema to ask God to try any harder to do good. By invocation of a saint "we take refuge in faith in the all-enfolding community of all the redeemed," where "each is responsible for all". They are "creative models of holiness".[22][23]
Islam
Although the idea of intercession or mediation (Arabic: s̲h̲afāʿa) has historically played a very prominent role in Islamic thought,[24] it is not universally accepted by all Muslims in the present day.[24]
The
However, "intercession is mentioned in the Qurʾān with respect to angels praying for the believers and the
Studies
Some religions claim that praying for somebody who is sick can have positive effects on the health of the person being prayed for.
See also
- Episcopal intercession
- Faith healing
- Feast of the Intercession
- Intercession of Christ
- Intercession of the Theotokos
- Prayer warrior
References
- .
- ^ Shepherd, Jr. Massey Hamilton. "Smyrna in the Ignatian Letters: A Study in Church Order". The Journal of Religion 20.2 (1940): 151. Web.
- ^ "CHURCH FATHERS: Epistle to the Smyrnaeans (St. Ignatius)". www.newadvent.org.
- ^ "Smyrna in the Ignatian Letters: A Study in Church Order". The Journal of Religion 20.2 (1940): 152.
- ^ John Greehy, John Quinlan, Lionel Swain and S. Purcell. "Homiletic Notes", 17 The Furrow Vol. 19, No. 11, Supplement: The Bible, No. 6 (Autumn, 1968), pp. 14–19
- ^ a b "Homiletic Notes" 17
- ^ van Oort, Johannes. "The Holy Spirit and the Early Church: The Experience of the Spirit". Hervormde Teologiese Studies 68.1 (2012): 1–7.
- ^ "Church Fathers: Against Heresies, II.32 (St. Irenaeus)". www.newadvent.org.
- Evangelical Community Church-Lutheran. Archived from the originalon 18 May 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ "On the Intercession and Invocation of the Saints". orthodoxinfo.com.
- ^ "The Intercession of the Saints". Catholic Answers. Archived from the original on 2009-06-19. Retrieved 2015-10-09.
- ^ G. F. Hamilton. "Prayers of the Ancient Church for the Faithful Departed". The Irish Church Quarterly Vol. 9, No. 35 (July 1916), p. 201
- ^ a b c Hamilton 203
- ^ Hamilton 209
- ^ Hamilton 202
- ^ "The Martyrdom of Polycarp (Hoole translation)". www.earlychristianwritings.com.
- ^ Hamilton 204
- ^ "The Apology of Aristides the Philosopher". www.earlychristianwritings.com.
- ^ Hippo, St Augustine of (2017-10-17). "Our Father, the Lord's Prayer – Augustine". Crossroads Initiative. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
- ^ Cf. 1Tim 2.1–2: https://biblehub.com/greek/enteuxeis_1783.htm.
- ^ Patricia A. Sullivan, "A Reinterpretation of Invocation and Intercession of the Saints", Theological Studies, 66.2 (2005) 381–400. cdn.theologicalstudies.net/66/66.2/66.2.6.pdf. See also Lumen gentium, 51.
- ^ Karl Rahner, "Why and How Can We Venerate the Saints?" Theological Investigations 8, trans. David Bourke (New York, Seabury), 1977, 23.
- ^ Karl Rahner, "The Church of the Saints," Theological Investigations 3, trans. Karl-H. and Boniface Kruger (New York, Seabury), 1974. 100.
- ^ a b Wensinck, A.J., Gimaret, D. and Schimmel, Annemarie, “S̲h̲afāʿa”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs.
- Q36:23
- Q74:48
- Study Quran. San Francisco: HarperOne.
- ^ a b c d Hoffman, Valerie J., “Intercession”, in: Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, General Editor: Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Georgetown University, Washington DC.
- ^ K. Masters, G. Spielmans, J. Goodson "Are there demonstrable effects of distant intercessory prayer? A meta-analytic review." Annals of Behavioral Medicine 2006 Aug;32(1):21–26. [1]
- doi:10.1177/1049731506296170 Article abstract Archived 2011-12-02 at the Wayback Machine Full length article