Jesus Prayer

E7980

The Jesus Prayer is a short, repetitive Christian invocation—traditionally “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”—central to Eastern Orthodox spirituality and contemplative practice.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Shantih shantih shantih 1

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Christian prayer
Eastern Christian devotion
contemplative practice
invocatory prayer
repetitive prayer
short prayer
addressedTo Jesus Christ
associatedWithDoctrine Name of Jesus
inner stillness
theosis
centralTextOf Eastern Orthodox spirituality
closelyLinkedTo hesychast tradition
commonlyUsedWith prayer rope
emphasizes Christological faith
appeal to divine mercy
confession of sinfulness
historicalDevelopment Byzantine monastic tradition
influenced Russian Orthodox spirituality
modern Christian contemplative practice
languageOfOrigin Greek
originRegion Eastern Mediterranean
practiceType heart prayer
mantric repetition
mental prayer
recitationMode silent repetition
synchronized with breathing
vocal repetition
recommendedBy Desert Fathers
Eastern Orthodox spiritual fathers
Philokalia
surface form: Philokalic tradition
religiousTradition Christianity
Eastern Catholic Churches
surface form: Eastern Catholicism

Eastern Orthodox Christianity
surface form: Eastern Orthodoxy

Oriental Orthodoxy
scripturalBasis 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Luke 18:13
Philippians 2:10-11
shortForm "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me"
spiritualDiscipline contemplative prayer
meditative repetition
spiritualGoal purification of the heart
unceasing remembrance of God
union with God
theologicalTheme humility
mercy
repentance
unceasing prayer
typicalForm "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner"
usedIn Eastern Christian lay devotion
Eastern Orthodox monasticism
Philokalia
surface form: Hesychasm

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Philokalia focusesOn Jesus Prayer
The Waste Land hasFamousLine Jesus Prayer
this entity surface form: Shantih shantih shantih
St. Hesychios the Priest mainTheme Jesus Prayer
hesychast tradition usesPractice Jesus Prayer