Jesus' Teaching on Prayer
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i JESUS’ TEACHING ON PRAYER Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer Ville Auvinen ÅBO 2003 ÅBO AKADEMIS FÖRLAG – ÅBO AKADEMI UNIVERSITY PRESS CIP Cataloguing in Publication Auvinen,Ville Jesus’ teaching on prayer / Ville Auvinen. - Åbo : Åbo Akademi University Press, 2003. Diss.: Åbo Akademi University. ISBN 951-765-148-1 ISBN 951-765-148-1 ISBN 951-765-149-X (digital) Åbo Akademi University Printing House Åbo 2003 Acknowledgements There are several persons, who have made it possible for me to write this book. I will express my gratitude to them. I will thank professor Karl-Gustav Sandelin for his encouraging guidance. It has surely been hard work to read through different versions of the manuscript, but he has never lost his faith in that the crude papers will one day mature to a real thesis. I will thank professor Antti Laato for his valuable advice concerning the Old Testament and early Jewish material. Chapter 2 of this book would be quite lamentable without his help. I am grateful to Pekka Lindqvist, Lic.Th., for his remarks concerning the sections, which deal with early Rabbinic literature. Likewise I will thank Jutta Jokiranta, M.Th., who has led me to understand some problems concerning the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls. I want to express my gratitude to my research colleagues, doctors Sven- Olav Back, Tom Holmén and Jari Laaksonen, who have completed their doctoral theses about the Historical Jesus before me and thereby acted as encouraging examples. I have also received many valuable points of view in discussions with them. I will thank Margot Kottelin-Longley, M.Th., for converting my wannabe- English to a real language. The Academy of Finland has kindly financed my research. Especially I will thank my dear wife. Without her loving encouragement and sometimes even gentle pressure I would never have accomplished – maybe not even initiated – this effort. I dedicate this book to my wife Jaana and to our children Tuomas, Henriikka and Ulriikka. Turku, Spetember 2003 Ville Auvinen Contents 1. Introduction............................................................................................ 1 1.1. The Task: Impetus............................................................................ 1 1.2. Historical Jesus – Real Jesus? .......................................................... 5 1.3. Authenticity Criteria ...................................................................... 16 1.4. The Third Quest for the Historical Jesus ........................................ 21 1.5. A Glance at Previous Research ...................................................... 28 1.5.1. Earlier Contributions ............................................................... 28 1.5.2. Recent Contributions ............................................................... 30 1.6. The Task: a More Profound Definition........................................... 34 1.7. Definition of the Concept of Prayer ............................................... 36 2.TheContext.PrayerintheHebrewBible,inEarlyJudaismandinEarly Rabbinic Judaism..................................................................................... 38 2.1. Introduction ................................................................................... 38 2.2. External Conditions ....................................................................... 44 2.2.1. Places of Prayer ....................................................................... 44 2.2.2. Times of Prayer ....................................................................... 52 Excursus: A Morning Service in the Second Temple............... 58 2.2.3. Prayer Postures ........................................................................ 61 2.2.4. Accompanying Elements ......................................................... 64 2.3. Prayer Texts................................................................................... 66 2.3.1. Genres ..................................................................................... 66 2.3.2. Boundary-making Elements..................................................... 85 2.3.3. Addresses ................................................................................ 87 2.4. Intercessory Prayer......................................................................... 93 2.5. Grounds for God’s Answering ....................................................... 95 2.5.1. Attributes of God..................................................................... 96 2.5.2. Attributes of the Praying Person .............................................. 99 2.5.3. Attributes of Prayer................................................................ 104 2.6. Institutionalization of Prayer........................................................ 108 2.7. Summary...................................................................................... 113 2.7.1. External Conditions ............................................................... 113 2.7.2. Prayer Texts........................................................................... 114 2.7.3. Intercessory Prayer ................................................................ 115 2.7.4. Grounds for God’s Answering............................................... 115 2.7.5. Institutionalization of Prayer.................................................. 116 3. Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer. Analysis – Sayings in the Separate Materials ............................................................................................................... 117 3.1. Q-source ...................................................................................... 119 3.1.1. The Admonition to Pray for Enemies (Q 6:27-28,35c)........... 119 3.1.2. The Prayer (Q 11:2-4)............................................................ 128 3.1.3. The Similitude of a Child Asking for Food (Q 11:9-13)........ 149 3.1.3. Summary ............................................................................... 159 3.2. Mark ............................................................................................ 160 3.2.1. The Saying about Prayer in Connection with the Healing of a Boy with an Evil Spirit (Mk 9:29) ................................................... 160 3.2.2. Mark 11:12-25....................................................................... 162 3.2.2.1. The Temple Cleansing Episode (Mk 11:15-18) ............... 163 3.2.2.2. The Saying about Faith as a Precondition for Effective Prayer (Mk 11:24)........................................................................ 171 3.2.2.3. The Saying about Mutual Forgiveness as a Precondition for Effective Prayer (Mk 11:25)......................................................... 172 3.2.3. The Warning about the Teachers of the Law (Mk 12:38-40). 175 3.2.4. Summary ............................................................................... 184 3.3. Matthew’s Special Material ......................................................... 185 3.3.1. Mt 6:1-18............................................................................... 185 3.3.1.1. The Saying against Hypocritical Praying with a Positive Alternative (Mt 6:5-6).................................................................. 186 3.3.1.2. The Saying against Heathen-like Prayer (Mt 6:7-8)......... 194 3.3.2. The Saying about Common Agreement about the Petitioned Matter and Jesus’ Presence in the Midst of His Followers (Mt 18:19- 20)................................................................................................... 199 3.3.3. Summary ............................................................................... 207 3.4. Luke’s Special Material ............................................................... 208 3.4.1. The Parable of the Friend at Midnight (Lk 11:5-8) ................ 208 3.4.2. Lk 18:1-14 ............................................................................ 216 3.4.2.1. The Parable of the Unjust Judge (Lk 18:1-8) .................. 216 3.4.2.2. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Lk 18:9- 14)................................................................................................ 223 3.4.3. Summary ............................................................................... 232 4. Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer. Synthesis. ................................................ 233 4.1. External Conditions ..................................................................... 233 4.2. Prayer Texts................................................................................. 237 4.3. Intercessory Prayer....................................................................... 239 4.4. Grounds for God’s Answering ..................................................... 240 4.5. Institutionalization of Prayer........................................................ 244 4.6. Significance of Prayer.................................................................. 245 Excursus: Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer in the Gospel of John... 247 5. Summary............................................................................................ 250 Appendix. Hebrew Verbs and Nouns Denoting Prayer........................... 251 Bibliography .......................................................................................... 253 Texts and translations. ........................................................................ 253 Literature ............................................................................................ 255 Abbreviations........................................................................................