There he commanded that prayers be offered for all. To this it was necessary to add clarifying statements, 3-7. Now he returns again to instruction about prayer and says: in general, perform the Church’s prayers in this manner.
“I will that men offer prayers.” When they assembled together, they sang the psalms of the prophet David and new songs composed by the movement of the Spirit.
These were sung to the glory of the Most Holy Trinity, of Christ the Lord, of His death and resurrection, and of the other Christian mysteries.
Other prayers were read aloud before all. For the most part they were prayers already in use, though sometimes new ones were read.
Concerning these, however, it must be noted that, after the disorders in the Church of Corinth, they were not admitted without the knowledge and permission of the Church’s presiders.
All such prayers, read and sung in the common assembly of the faithful, must, the Apostle says, be offered by men.
By “men,” of course, he does not mean all who were gathered, nor each one in turn. For the gifts were various.
Those who had received gifts were obliged to use the gift received for the good of the Church, 1 Pet 4:10. They were equally obliged not to undertake a work for which they had received no gift.
Therefore one must suppose that prayers in the assembly of the faithful were also offered by men who had received a gift for this.
How were they designated? Those who had an inclination for reading and speaking prayers were evident to all.
They were appointed by the community of the faithful for the offering of prayers. Some entered this work after prayerful consecration, and others after sacramental ordination.
Both groups constituted the clergy. Saint Paul had the custom of establishing it wherever he founded Churches of Christ, Acts 14:23.
He probably has this clergy in mind by the word “men.” Every assembly of the faithful in Ephesus, of course, had its own celebrant of the mysteries, its presider, and its own prayer-readers.
The word concerns them: they are to offer prayers, and others are not to intrude into this work arbitrarily. Otherwise all things in the Church cannot proceed decently and in order, 1 Cor 14:40.
When he says, “in every place,” this has no special significance in the present command. The Apostle’s concern is not the place of prayer, but “how one ought to pray,” Saint Chrysostom says.
These words, however, suggest several incidental considerations. There were not yet churches. They gathered for prayer in houses, which were given for this holy work by certain lovers of God.
When one house could not contain all the believers in a city or village, a second, a third, and so on were appointed. Thus in Ephesus also there was more than one house.
The Apostle commands that, in every place where believers gather for prayer, men are to offer the prayer. He means definite men, τους ανδρας.
“In every place.” Thus the Lord’s prophecy was fulfilled: “the hour cometh, when neither in this mountain,” that of Samaria, “nor at Jerusalem shall ye worship the Father,” cf. Jn 4:21.
So too was the prophetic vision fulfilled: “in every place incense is offered unto My name, and a pure sacrifice,” cf. Mal 1:11.
The Jews had one place for divine worship. It was not lawful for them to offer sacrifices to God in another place.
“The Apostle introduces ordinances contrary to this. Having freed us from that necessity, he says that our customs are not like those of the Jews.
For just as he commands prayers to be offered for all, because Christ died for all, and says, ‘For all I preach,’ so likewise it is good for us to pray everywhere,” says Saint Chrysostom and Blessed Theodoret.
“Lifting up holy hands.” “To lift up the hands and pray was proper to the priests of the Old Testament,” says Blessed Theodoret.
The Apostle commands Christian men who conduct public divine worship to do the same. Yet it is also an apostolic tradition, as Basil the Great says, for Christians to make the sign of the Cross upon themselves when praying.
In our divine worship both are joined together: the lifting up of hands and the sign of the Cross. They are accompanied by bows from the waist and prostrations.
The lifting up of hands raises the mind to God. The sign of the Cross shows the path of ascent to God, for the door of approach to God is the Cross of Christ.
Yet here the Apostle does not direct attention so much to the outward act as to the state of the soul.
Therefore he did not simply say, “lifting up hands,” but “holy hands,” that is, hands not stained by any vice.
Saint Chrysostom says: “What does ‘holy’ mean? Pure. And what does ‘pure’ mean? Certainly not washed with water, but pure from covetousness, murders, robbery, and wounding.”
Blessed Theodoret expresses the same thing thus: “The Apostle commands this to be done in a holy manner, that is, having been freed from every unrighteousness and from every lawlessness.”
Or it means “having cleansed them by almsgiving,” says Oecumenius, “which should gush from them as water gushes from a spring,” says Blessed Theophylact.
Thus this word requires one to approach prayer with a pure conscience and a pure heart. “For hands are holy and sacred only when the heart is pure,” says Ambrosiaster.
“Without wrath and doubting.” In a state of wrath it is impossible to pray. “Does anyone become angry during prayer?” Saint Chrysostom asks.
Yet one can remember evil even during prayer, because this feeling is quiet and hidden. While prayer is above, remembrance of wrongs may be secretly concealed below.
All our interpreters understand remembrance of wrongs here. “Let the soul of him who prays be pure and free from every passion.
Let no one approach God with enmity. Let no one approach with indignation,” says Saint Chrysostom.
“The Lord also laid down this law: if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar.
Go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift,” cf. Mt 5:23-24, says Blessed Theodoret.
And again: “When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any,” Mk 11:25, as Saint Chrysostom notes.
“Thus the Apostle teaches that in prayer one must be peaceful in spirit, if we desire it to bear fruit,” says Ambrosiaster.
“Without doubting,” χωρις διαλογισμου, means without anxious deliberation, without wavering in thought over whether God will hear.
Saint James prescribes to one who asks something in prayer: “let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.
For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. Let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord,” cf. Jas 1:6-7.
All our interpreters understand it in this way. Saint Chrysostom says: “What does ‘without doubting’ mean? Let us listen. It means that we must not doubt at all that we shall be heard.
For the Lord says: ‘whatsoever ye shall ask in faith, ye shall receive,’” cf. Mt 21:22.
Theodoret says: “‘Without doubting’ means without uncertainty, believing that you will certainly receive what you ask.”
Oecumenius says: “‘Without doubting’ means without asking in thought, Will God hear me? Am I praying in vain and to no purpose?
For one must be assured that God will hear, if we ask of Him what is pleasing to Him, being pure.”
Theophylact says: “The Apostle called doubt ‘reasoning.’ He teaches that one who prays should pray without doubt and wavering in thought over whether he will receive what he asks.
Only let him ask for what accords with the will of God, that is, for spiritual things, and let him ask without wrath and with pure hands.”
“If you approach in this manner, then in every case you will receive what you ask.
For if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?” Mt 7:11, says Saint Chrysostom.
THEOSIS