§1Dei spiritus et dei sermo et dei ratio, sermo rationis et ratio sermonis et spiritus utriusque, Iesus Christus dominus noster nouis discipulis noui testamenti nouam orationis formam determinauit.
The Spirit of God, the Word of God, and the Reason of God—the Word of Reason, the Reason of the Word, and the Spirit of both—our Lord Jesus Christ, determined a new form of prayer for the new disciples of the New Testament.
oportebat enim in hac quoque specie nouum uinum nouis utribus recondi et nouam plagulam nouo adsui uestimento.
For it was fitting that in this aspect too, new wine should be stored in new wineskins, and a new patch should be sewn onto a new garment.
ceterum quicquid retro fuerat, aut demutatum est, ut circumcisio, aut suppletum, ut reliqua lex, aut impletum, ut prophetia, aut perfectum, ut fides ipsa.
Furthermore, whatever had existed in the past was either altered, like circumcision; or supplemented, like the rest of the Law; or fulfilled, like prophecy; or perfected, like faith itself.
omnia de carnalibus in spiritalia renouauit noua dei gratia superducto euangelio, expunctore totius retro uetustatis, in quo et dei spiritus et dei sermo et dei ratio approbatus est dominus noster Iesus Christus, spiritus quo ualuit, sermo quo docuit, ratio qua uenit.
The new grace of God renewed all things from carnal into spiritual, by introducing the Gospel, the eraser of all past antiquity, in which our Lord Jesus Christ was approved as the Spirit of God, the Word of God, and the Reason of God: the Spirit by which He was powerful, the Word by which He taught, the Reason by which He came.
sic igitur oratio a Christo constituta ex tribus constituta est: ex sermone, quo enuntiatur, ex spiritu, quo tantum potest, ex ratione, qua docetur.
Thus, therefore, the prayer established by Christ was constituted of three things: of the word, by which it is expressed; of the spirit, by which it has such power; of the reason, by which it is taught.
docuerat et Iohannes discipulos suos adorare; sed omnia Iohannis Christo praestruebantur, donec ipso aucto, sicut idem Iohannes praenuntiabat illum augeri oportere, se uero deminui, totum praeministri opus cum ipso spiritu transiret ad dominum.
John also had taught his disciples to pray; but everything of John’s was a preparation for Christ, until, when He Himself was increased—just as the same John foretold that He must increase, but he himself must decrease—the whole work of the precursor, along with the spirit itself, passed over to the Lord.
ideo nec extat, in quae uerba docuerit Iohannes adorare, quod terrena caelestibus cesserint.
Therefore, it is not even extant in what words John taught to pray, because earthly things have given way to heavenly.
qui de terra est, inquit, terrena fatur, et qui de caelis adest, quae uidit, ea loquitur.
"He who is of the earth," He says, "speaks of the earth; and He who comes from heaven, speaks those things which He has seen." And what is not heavenly that belongs to the Lord Christ, such as this discipline of prayer also?
et quid non caeleste quod domini Christi est, ut haec quoque orandi disciplina? consideremus itaque, benedicti, caelestem eius sophiam, inprimis de praecepto secrete adorandi, quo et fidem hominis exigebat, ut dei omnipotentis et conspectum et auditum sub tectis et in abditum etiam adesse confideret, et modestiam fidei desiderabat, ut, quem ubique audire et uidere fideret, ei soli religionem suam offerret.
Let us therefore consider, blessed ones, His heavenly wisdom, first of all concerning the precept of praying in secret, whereby He both demanded a man's faith, so that he should trust that the sight and hearing of Almighty God are present even under roofs and in secret places, and desired the modesty of faith, so that he should offer his worship to Him alone, whom he trusted heard and saw everywhere.
sequens sophia III sequenti praecepto perinde pertineat ad fidem et modestiam fidei, si non agmine uerborum adeundum putemus ad dominum, quem ultro suis prospicere certi sumus.
Let the following wisdom, III by the following precept, likewise pertain to faith and the modesty of faith, if we do not think that we should approach the Lord with a crowd of words, whom we are certain cares for His own of His own accord.
et tamen breuitas ista, quod ad tertium sophiae gradum faciat, magnae ac beatae interpretationis substantia fulta est quantumque substringitur uerbis, tantum diffunditur sensibus.
And yet this brevity, in that it contributes to the third grade of wisdom, is supported by the substance of a great and blessed interpretation; and as much as it is restricted in words, so much is it diffused in meanings.
\' neque enim propria tantum orationis officia complexa est, uenerationem dei aut hominis petitionem, sed omnem paene sermonem domini, omnem commemorationem disciplinae, ut reuera in oratione breuiarium totius euangelii comprehendatur.
For it has embraced not only the proper duties of prayer, the veneration of God or the petition of man, but almost every discourse of the Lord, every remembrance of His discipline, so that indeed in the prayer a breviary of the entire Gospel is comprehended.
§2Incipit a testimonio dei et merito fidei, cum dicimus, PATER QVI IN CAELIS ES. nam et deum oramus et fidem commendamus, cuius meritum est haec appellatio.
It begins with the testimony of God and the merit of faith, when we say, OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN. For we both pray to God and commend our faith, of which this appellation is the merit.
scriptum est: qui in eum crediderint, dedit eis potestatem, ut filii dei uocentur. quamquam frequentissime dominus patrem nobis pronuntiauit deum, immo et praecepit, ne quem in terris patrem uocemus, nisi quem habemus in caelis.
It is written: "To those who believed in Him, He gave power to be called the sons of God." Although very frequently the Lord declared God to us as Father, and indeed even commanded that we should call no one on earth father, except Him whom we have in heaven.
itaque sic adorantes etiam praeceptum obimus.
Therefore, by praying in this way, we also perform the commandment.
felices, qui patrem agnoscunt.
Happy are they who recognize the Father!
hoc est quod Israeli exprobratur, quod caelum ac terram spiritus contestatur, filios, dicens, genui, et illi me non agnouerunt. dicendo autem patrem deum quoque cognominamus.
This is what is reproached to Israel, which the Spirit protests, calling heaven and earth to witness, saying, "I have begotten sons, and they have not recognized Me." Moreover, by saying "Father," we also name God.
appellatio ista et pietatis et potestatis est.
This appellation belongs both to piety and to power.
item in patre filius inuocatur. ego enim, inquit, et pater unum sumus. ne mater quidem ecclesia praeteritur.
Likewise, in the Father the Son is invoked; for He says, "I and the Father are one." Not even our mother, the Church, is passed over.
siquidem in filio et patre mater recognoscitur, de qua constat et patris et filii nomen.
Since in the Son and the Father the mother is recognized, upon whom the name of both Father and Son depends.
uno igitur genere aut uocabulo et deum cum suis honoramus et praecepti meminimus et oblitos patris - denotamus.
Therefore, by one class or term, we both honor God with His own, remember the commandment, and brand those who have forgotten the Father.