The Orthodox Prayer Rope
Prologue
In the Orthodox Church, a prayer rope is an almost indispensable aid for the individual Christian in the practice of private prayer and spiritual growth, particularly in reciting the Jesus Prayer. While the use of a prayer rope is not required, it is certainly recommended. However, it must be understood that the prayer rope is not an amulet—nor is the Jesus Prayer a mantra—but a means to focus ones attention on prayer. By keeping a prayer rope with you everywhere and at all times, it serves as an ever-present reminder to pray without ceasing. By holding a prayer rope during prayer, it serves as a means to help overcome distraction. By counting with a prayer rope—specifically in terms of the number of times the Jesus Prayer is said—it is a way to fulfill a prayer rule.
While the details may be murky, historically the Orthodox prayer rope appears along with the rise of monasticism in Egypt in the Third or Fourth Century A.D. The use of a prayer rope was first fostered by angelic visitations. Furthermore, a Biblical type (prophetic symbol) for the prayer rope is found in the sling that King David used to kill Goliath. And it almost goes without saying that the Jesus Prayer that is so central to the use of the prayer rope is exemplified many times over in Scripture.
Introduction
In Church Tradition, a prayer rope is used to assist the individual
worshipper in their performance of various types of prayer, as will be outlined
below. In all such cases, it is intimately tied with and used to recite the
Jesus Prayer, either vocally or silently (Prayer of the Heart). Simply put,
integral to the prayer rope are a number of knots, and for each knot the Jesus
Prayer is said. Repeating the prayer a large number of times (preferably continually!)
as a part of personal ascetic practice is an integral part of the eremitic
tradition of prayer known as Hesychasm (Greek: ἡσυχάζω,
hesychazo, to keep stillness).
Because of the close tie between an Orthodox prayer rope and the Jesus Prayer, a few words in regards to the prayer itself are in order. In its simplest form, the Jesus Prayer is just calling out His Name: Jesus! Eleven Scripture verses in the New Testament refer to and associate power and authority with the name of Jesus, while thirteen more do so for the name of the Lord; consider, for example:
Wherefore God also exalted Him exceedingly, and freely
gave to Him a name that is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every
knee should bow (Phil. 2:10[1])
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall
be saved. (Rom. 10:13)
Furthermore, this idea is
exemplified in Scripture multiple times, such as when blind men (Matt. 9:27,
Matt. 20:30-31, Mark 10:47-48, Luke 18:38-39) and a distraught mother (Matt.
15:22) called out to Him variously as Son of David, Lord Son of David, or Jesus Son of David, with a plea for mercy. It might also be noted that
this prayer is very similar to that of the publican: God, be gracious to me
the sinner (Luke 18:13).
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Healing of the two blind
men. Virgin Nativity Cathedral of the
St. Ferapont Monastery, Belozersk, by Dionisy in1502. Commemorated on the 7th
Sunday after Pentecost. |
Christ heals the Canaanite
(Cananite) womans daughter. Provenance
unknown. Commemorated on the 17th Sunday after Pentecost (also the
Sunday before the Triodion begins when there are four Sundays between the
Sunday after Theophany and the First Sunday of the Triodion). |
The Publican and the
Pharisee. Virgin Nativity Cathedral of
the St. Ferapont (Therapont) Monastery, Belozersk, by Dionisy in 1502.
Commemorated on the first Sunday of the Triodion. |
Consider, for example, Luke 18:38, in the Greek, includes the following five word phrase: Ihsouv uie Dauid, elehso/n me; in English this translates as (1) Jesus (2) Son-of (3) David (4) have-Mercy-on (5) me. By replacing David with God in this phrase in confession that Jesus is Gods Son (cf. 1 John 4:15), we have Ihsouv uie Θεοῦ, elehso/n me (or Jesus Son of God have Mercy on me), which can be considered to be the most basic form of the Jesus Prayer as it has been handed down by the Church Fathers. (For reference, in Russian this phrase remains five words long as in the Greek: Иисусе, Сыне Божий, помилуй мя.) Other variations of this prayer exist—such as Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have Mercy on me—but that is another subject.
The Prayer Rope & Prayer of the Heart
Turning back to the discussion on the use of a prayer rope, we will begin by considering private, or interior, prayer—the Prayer of the Heart. The Scriptural motivation for such prayer is perhaps best typified by the injunctions of the Apostle Paul:
Be persevering in prayer
(Colossians 4:2)
be praying unceasingly. (1
Thessalonians 5:17)
This is not unlike what King David had to say:
I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall
continually be in my mouth. (Ps 33:1)
Achieving such a goal—continuous prayer—is what the practice of hesychasm (stillness) is intended to help one to achieve (see, for example, the Philokalia, the Ladder of Divine Ascent, the collected works of St. Symeon the New Theologian, and the works of St. Isaac the Syrian). However, one big problem that affects everyone—except perhaps for the most spiritually advanced—is the distraction that comes at us from all sides, physical and spiritual. In the words of several Church Fathers:
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Until we have acquired genuine
prayer, we are like people teaching children to begin to walk. Try to lift up,
or rather, to enclose your thought within the words or your prayer, and if in
its infant state it wearies and falls, lift it up again. If you constantly
train your mind never to wander, then it will be near you during meals too. But
if it wanders unrestrained, then it will never stay beside you. A great
practiser of high and perfect prayer says: I wish to speak five words with my
understanding, and so on. But such prayer is foreign to infant souls. (St. John Climacus [ca. 525-606],
[2]
with a quote from 1 Corinthians 14:19)
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| If you pray with your lips but your
mind wanders, how do you benefit? When one buildeth, and another pulleth down,
what profit have they then but labour? As you labour with your body, so you
must labour with your intellect, lest you appear righteous in the body while
your heart is filled with every form of injustice and impurity. St. Paul
confirms this when he says that if he prays with his tongue—that is, with
his lips—his spirit or his voice prays, but his intellect is
unproductive: I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray also with the
understanding. And he adds, I wish to speak five words with my
understanding,than myriads of words in a tongue. (St. Gregory of Sinai [ca. 1260s-1346],
[3]
with quotes from Ecclesiasticus (the Wisdom of Sirach) 31:23
[4]
and 1 Corinthians 14:15,19)
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The Apostle Pauls five words—as quoted here by St. John Climacus and St. Gregory of Sinai—is generally understood by hesychasts as reference to use of the Jesus Prayer, such as given above. But what guidance do the Fathers have concerning training for our wandering mind? St. Anthony the Great [ca. 251-356]—the father of all monastics—too, wrestled with this problem, out of which came a solution.
When the holy Abba Anthony lived in the desert he was
beset by accidie [lethargy] and attacked by many sinful thoughts. He said to God,
Lord, I want to be saved, but these thoughts do not leave me alone; what shall
I do in my affliction? How can I be saved? A short while afterwards, when he
got up to go out, Anthony saw a man like himself sitting at his work, getting
up from his work to pray, then sitting down and plaiting a rope, then getting
up again to pray. It was an angel of the Lord sent to correct and reassure him.
He heard the angel saying to him, Do this and you will be saved. At these
words, Anthony was filled with joy and courage. He did this, and he was saved.[5]
St. Anthony the Great.[6]
One interpretation of this story is that it represents the
origin of the prayer rope: guidance sent from Heaven to the Father of all
monks! This, however, is not the only angelic visitation associated with the
prayer rope. St. Pachomius the Great[7] [ca. 292-346]—a Desert Father from the Thebaid and the founder of cenobitic
monasticism—was visited by an angel who gave him direction to form a
community, along with rules to govern it by.[8]
One of these rules addressed the prayer life to be followed by the monks. The
version of this prayer rule handed down through the Slavic tradition reads as
follows:[9]
Begin with the Trisagion. After the Our Father: Lord, have mercy [12]. Glory, Both now: O come, let us worship, thrice. Psalm L, Have mercy upon me, O God;
I believe in one God; one hundred prayers, O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner. And then, It is truly meet, and the Dismissal. And
this is one prayer. It is commanded to perform twelve of these in the day, and
twelve at night.
An Angel Delivers
the Monastic Rule to St. Pachomius the Great. Fresco by Andrei Rublev ca. 1400,
Assumption Cathedral on the Gorodok, Zvenigorod, Russia
There is an obvious question concerning this rule: how is
one to keep track of the number of times the Jesus Prayer is said? Paul the
Simple of Pherme (Ferme), a disciple of St. Anthony, used pebbles to count the 300 prayers he said daily
(see).[10]
While this may be functional, it does not seem very practical. The
obvious answer—following after tradition—is with a prayer rope. In
fact, there is archaeological evidence in the form of grave goods from the 3rd-4th
Century A.D. Antino[11]
that beaded prayer ropes,[12]
at least, were in use in Egypt contemporaneous with St. Anthony and St.
Pachomius.
Finally, there is a third story involving an angelic
visitation and the traditional method of making an Orthodox prayer rope: The
story is told of a monk who decided to make knots in a rope, which he could use
in carrying out his daily rule of prayer. But the devil kept untying the knots
he made in the rope, frustrating the poor monk's efforts. Then an angel appeared
and taught the monk a special kind of knot that consists of ties of interlocked
crosses, and these knots the devil was unable to unravel.[13]
But there is an earlier, Biblical type (prophetic symbol) of the prayer rope that is found in the story of David and Goliath (see 1 Kings 17 LXX; 1 Samuel 17 KJV). When St. David went out to slay the giant Goliath, he took a sling and five stones. As a type, the five stones represent the five words of the Jesus Prayer, while the sling represents (and even resembles) a prayer rope. This typing becomes even stronger if we recall the words that David spoke to Goliath:
And David said to the Philistine, Thou comest to me
with sword, and with spear, and with shield; but I come to thee in the name
of the Lord God of hosts [emphasis added] And all this assembly shall
know that the Lord delivers not by sword or spear, for the battle is the
Lords, (1 Kings 17:45-47)
David and Goliath.
Byzantine plate, ca. 628-630 (Metropolitan Museum of Art).
Carrying this to the spiritual level—perhaps beginning
by imagining the prayer rope hanging at your side as casting a shadow not
unlike a sword—it should not take too much to see the prayer rope sling
loaded with Jesus Prayer stones as being part of our arsenal that will help in
waging spiritual warfare.
Put on the full armor of God, for you to be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil; because for us the wrestling is not
against blood and flesh, but against the principalities, against the powers,
against the cosmic rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts
of evil on account of the heavenly things. For this cause take up the full
armor of God, in order that ye might be able to withstand in the day, and
having counteracted all things, to stand. Stand therefore, having girt your
loins with truth, and having put on for yourselves the breastplate of
righteousness, and having shod your feet in readiness of the Gospel of peace;
on the whole, take up the shield of faith, with which ye shall be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of
God—by means of every prayer and entreaty, praying in every
season in the Spirit, and being vigilant toward this same thing with all perseverance
and entreaty for all the saints, [emphasis added] (Ephesians 6:11-18)
While this Scripture provides a clear connection between sword and prayer (the emphasized text), a closer reading of the text is instructive. Since we know that salvation can only be found in the name of Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 4:10-12), and that He is the Head of the Church and we are the body (cf. Eph 5:22-33), we can understand that the helmet of salvation refers to Jesus. Scripturally, it is also true that the word of God can be a reference to Jesus Christ (cf. John 1:1-5), Therefore we can interpret the last verse quoted above as referring to prayer that calls on Jesus.
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But there is
more. Consider St. John Chrysostoms commentary on this Scripture:
With all prayer and supplication, praying at all
seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance for all the
saints. Limit it not, I say, to certain times of the day, for hear what he is
saying; approach at all times; pray, saith he, without ceasing.
[14]
So here we have another injunction from the Apostle Paul to
be in continual prayer (as in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 and Colossians 4:2 quoted
above)—specifically calling on Jesus—as part of the armor we need
(sword and helmet) to defend ourselves from evil. This sounds a lot like what
the Jesus Prayer and prayer rope have to offer!
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The connection between a sword, the Jesus Prayer, and
spiritual warfare is also found explicitly stated in the liturgical material
(specifically, the Euchologion) of the
Church. When a monk is tonsured into the Order of the Great and Angelical
Schema, at one point in the service he is given a prayer rope with these words:
Our Brother, N. taketh the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God, for continual prayer to Jesus; for thou must always have
the Name of the Lord Jesus in thy mind, in thy heart, and on thy lips, ever
saying: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me. And know that thou
must ever henceforth have the word of God upon thy lips, in prayer, in psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs; and may no vain words go forth out of thy mouth;[15]
Hieroschemamonk
Ephrem of Valaam with prayer rope ca. 1900.[16]
In summary to this point, we can see that the prayer rope is
an important tool in helping to train us up in constant, undistracted, interior
prayer—spiritual warfare—as we are called to do by the Holy
Scriptures and Church Fathers.
The Prayer Rope & Liturgical Prayer
Now we will turn the discussion to the use of the prayer
rope in liturgical or corporate prayer. In both Old Testament and New Testament
times, it was a custom to pray, privately or publicly, at fixed times.
Consider, for example, the following quotes from Scripture:
three times in the day he [Daniel] knelt upon his
knees, and prayed and gave thanks before his God
(Dan 6:10)
As for me, unto God have I cried, and the Lord hearkened unto me. Evening, morning, and noonday will I tell of it and will declare it, and He will hear my voice. (Ps 54:18-19)
Seven times a day have I praised Thee for the
judgments of Thy righteousness. (Ps 118:164)
And having risen up very early at night [i.e., in the
very early morning], He [Jesus] went out and departed into a desolate place,
and was praying there. (Mark 1:35)
And after He dismissed the crowds, He went up into the
mountain apart to pray. And evening having come to pass, He was there alone. (Matt 14:23)
and He [Jesus] was passing the night in prayer [vigil] to God. (Luke 6:12)
And while the day of Pentecost was being fulfilled, they were all with one accord in the same place... the third hour of the day. (Acts 2:1-15)
And Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the
sixth hour. (Acts 10:9)
And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until
this hour, and I was keeping the ninth hour of prayer in my house; (Acts 10:30)
And at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and
singing hymns to God; (Acts 16:25)
While we can say little or nothing regarding the specific
content of the prayers and praise on these particular occasions, Scripture does
provide a brief, general description of the types of liturgical material in
use:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual odes, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord. (Col 3:16)
keep on being filled with the Spirit, speaking to one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and chanting in your
heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to the God and Father in
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, (Eph
5:18-20)
Whenever ye come together, each one of you hath a
psalm, hath a teaching, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an
interpretation. (1 Cor 14:26)
It probably comes as no surprise that the practice of
liturgical prayer at fixed times through the day is also well attested to by
the early Church Fathers. For example:
One time when he [Pachomius] was
sitting in his cave an angel appeared to him and told him: call the young
monks together Rule them by the model which I am now giving you. He
commanded that they pray twelve prayers each day and twelve at lamp-lighting
time, and that at all-night devotions they say twelve prayers, and three at the
ninth hour. When the group was about to eat, he commanded them to sing a psalm
in addition to each prayer. (Pachomius and the
Tabennesiotes
[17]
)
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What then is more blessed than to imitate on earth the
anthems of angels choirs; to hasten to prayer at the very break of day, and to
worship our Creator with hymns and songs; (St.
Basil, Letter to Gregory of Nazianzus
[18]
)
Prayers are recited early in the morning so that the
first movements of the soul and the mind may be consecrated to God Again at
the third hour the brethren must assemble and betake themselves to prayer, It
is also our judgment that prayer is necessary at the sixth hour, in imitation
of the saints The ninth hour, however, was appointed as a compulsory time for
prayer by the Apostles themselves When the days work is ended, thanksgiving
should be offered for what has been granted us Again at nightfall, we must ask
that our rest be sinless and untroubled by dreams. Paul and Silas,
furthermore, have handed down to us the practice of compulsory prayer at
midnight, Moreover, I think that variety and diversity in the prayers and
psalms recited at appointed hours are desirable for the reason that routine and
boredom, somehow, often cause distraction in the soul, while by change and
variety in the psalmody and prayers said at the stated hours it is refreshed in
devotion and renewed in sobriety. (St. Basil, The Long Rules, Question 37
[19]
)
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| St. John Cassian the Roman [ca. 360-435], [21] in The Monastic Institutes devotes two entire books (Two and Three) in discussing these prayer offices. |  |
Some idea of
the importance of these prayer offices (as if Scripture was not enough) can be
found in the writings of the Church Fathers:
When thou instructest the people, O bishop, command
and exhort them to come constantly to church morning and evening every day, and
by no means to forsake it on any account, but to assemble together continually;
neither to diminish the Church by withdrawing themselves, and causing the body
of Christ to be without its member. (Apostolic Constitutions, Book 2, LXI[22])
But, if some, perhaps, are not in attendance because the nature or place of their work keeps them at too great a distance, they are strictly obliged to carry out wherever they are, with promptitude, all that is prescribed for common observance None of these hours for prayer should be unobserved by those who have chosen a life devoted to the glory of God and His Christ. (St. Basil, Ascetical Works [23])
The reason for this importance is tied up in the Orthodox understanding of ecclesiology and Gods economy, topics that are beyond the scope of this paper. In short, during corporate worship, we as members of Christs Body—the Church Militant—join together mystically with the rest of the Body, regardless of where we are physically located, as well as with that part of the Body that is in Heaven—the Church Triumphant—in offering up praise and prayers to God. But how does all this relate to the prayer rope? If you live near a church where you can attend these services: nothing (other than perhaps as an aid during the service to refocus your prayers after being distracted). However, if you are on travel, part of the Orthodox Diaspora, or a religious hermit, consider the following. As passed down to us by the Church Fathers, the basic framework for saying these Offices is contained in the Horologion. To fill out the framework, it is also generally necessary to have a Psalter, Octoechos, Menaion, Triodion, Pentecostarion, Evangelistarion, Apostolos, and liturgical calendar, as well as rubrics from a Typicon.
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There have been a few Saints who had a God-given ability to memorize this vast amount of material. Consider for example, St. Joseph, Hegumen of Volokolamsk [ca. 1439-1515]: Contemporaries were astonished at his exceptional memory. Often, without having a single book in his cell, he would do the monastic rule, reciting from memory from the Psalter, the Gospel, the Epistles, and all that was required. [24] |
However, such feats of memory are beyond most of us, and we must rely on the texts. But therein lies a quandary, for one can easily spend several thousand dollars building up such a library, to say nothing of carrying it with you! This, too, is clearly beyond what an average person can afford. What, then, is a person to do if one or more of these prayer services form part of their prayer rule as established in consultation with their spiritual director? The answer can be found in the churchs service books (e.g., the Russian Orthodox Service Psalter) where the Offices can be replaced by praying the Jesus Prayer a specified number of times. One scheme for this is as follows: [25]
Vespers:
600 prayers
Great
Compline: 700 prayers
Small
Compline: 400 prayers
Midnight
Office (Nocturn): 600 prayers
Matins:
1500 prayers
The
Hours without the Inter-Hours: 1000 prayers
The
Hours with the Inter-Hours: 1500 prayers
A
Canon or Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos: 300 prayers
Reciting
the entire Psalter: 6000 prayers
One
kathisma of the Psalter: 300 prayers
One
stasis of the Psalter: 100 prayers
This solves one problem—how to pray the Offices when the prayer books arent available—but creates a new one: how to keep track of counting hundreds (or thousands) of prayers. One solution can be found in the Church fathers:
| Paul dwelt at Ferme [ ca. 339], a mountain of Scetis, and
presided over five hundred ascetics. He did not labor with his hands, neither
did he receive alms of any one, except such food as was necessary for his
subsistence. He did nothing but pray, and daily offered up to God three hundred
prayers. He placed three hundred pebbles in his bosom, for fear of omitting any
of these prayers; and, at the conclusion of each, he took away one of the
pebbles. When there were no pebbles remaining, he knew that he had gone through
the whole course of his prescribed prayers.
[26]
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Needless to say, while this certainly works, there is a more practical solution: using the knots on a prayer rope for keeping count of the Jesus Prayers said when praying an Office without the service books.
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The elders now living among us [at the end of the 19th century] in sketes or special kellia in places such as Valaam or Solovki serve the entire service according to this [method]. [27] (Theophan the Recluse [1815-1891]) |
Other Prayer Rope Applications
There are two additional but similar uses of the prayer rope. First, monastics are often given cell rules that involve reciting a particular number of Jesus Prayers, often along with prostrations (such as the cell rule of five hundred [Jesus Prayers] of the Optina Monastery[28]). Second, when saying an Office (or the Liturgy) with the service books, there are times when certain prayers are repeated enough times that a prayer rope can help keep count (e.g., saying Lord have mercy forty times).
Prayer Rope Description
The earliest form of the prayer rope was, of course, like
that apparently used by St. Anthony the Great: a plated rope with knots made
from palm fronds, [29] or perhaps
from reeds gathered along the Nile River or Red Sea that he used in weaving
baskets.[30] This type
of prayer cord is still seen in portions of the Middle East, particularly in
the desert monasteries.[31]
While the actual details are buried in history, as the use of the prayer rope spread, the preferred materials used in its making changed to leather and plaited wool yarn. We can surmise that such changes reflected both material availability and a desire for durability. In todays world, the materials used by many have again changed—to synthetics—primarily for cost considerations. It is important to note here that traditional Orthodox prayer ropes are NOT an adaptation of the technique of Paul (of Ferme), i.e., a string of stones or beads—although, strictly speaking, there is nothing wrong with using a beaded prayer rope. The traditional technique of using fronds, leather or wool is intended to produce a prayer rope that is quiet. Consider that practicing the Prayer of the Heart—hesychasm—is the practice of stillness such that one can hear their heart beat; the clicking of beads would only serve to distract and not to focus. (While it possible to find orthodox prayer ropes made with wooden beads—чётки, chotki—it is probably fair to say that this design is due Western influences and the design of a rosary.)
The most prevalent form of
prayer rope is a cord of 100 knots—which supports reciting the Offices by
praying the Jesus Prayer a specified number of times as given above—that
is ~2-feet long, formed into a loop (Greek: Κομοσκοίνι, komposkini; Russian: вервица, vervitsa,
small rope); this is the type
found in use by the monks on Mt. Athos. The knots, ~¼ diameter, are
generally closely strung together and are quite complex in form (knots of
interlocked crosses as related earlier).
Typically there is a knotted cross where the prayer rope is joined together to form a loop. Frequently there is also a tassel at the end of the cross. In some prayer rope designs, additional strings with moveable beads—"martyria" (witnesses)—are attached to the main loop in order to keep track of the hundreds of times the prayer is recited. For those who recite a shorter rule (e.g., involving multiples of 10, 25, or 50), the prayer rope may be divided up in sections using larger than normal knots or, more typically, beads. In addition to prayer ropes of 100 knots, it is also possible to find prayer ropes of 10, 12, 33, 50, 150, 300, and 500 knots. The most important thing is to use a prayer rope of a suitable length and with appropriate dividers (or martyria) that matches ones prayer rule (noting that if it is only being used to practice interior, Prayer of the Heart, the length or divisions thereof is immaterial).
In keeping with Orthodox tradition
to associate every day things with the Heavenly—and so direct our mind
there—the knotted cord prayer rope has its own symbology. The prayer rope
is traditionally made out of wool, symbolizing the flock of Christ, a reminder
that we are rational sheep of the Good Shepherd, Christ the Lord, and also a
reminder of the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world (cf. John
1:29). The most prevalent (but not only) color of a prayer rope is black,
symbolizing mourning for one's sins. The tassel at the end of the cross is to
dry the tears shed due to heartfelt compunction for one's sins (or, if you have
no tears, to remind you to weep because you cannot weep); it can also be said
to represent the glory of the Heavenly Kingdom, which one can only enter
through the Cross. The beads (if they are colored)—and possibly a portion
of the tassel—are traditionally red, symbolizing the blood of Christ and
the blood of the martyrs. And of course the cross itself speaks to us of the
sacrifice and victory of life over death, of humility over pride, of
self-sacrifice over selfishness, of light over darkness. Finally, the manner of
tying the knots may produce either seven or nine crosses in each separate knot,
symbolizing the seven heavens or the nine ranks of angels.
There is also a leather form of the prayer rope that is
still in use—albeit rarely—which comes down to us through
traditions of the Russian Orthodox. This leather prayer rope is made of strips
~½ wide that are cut, intertwined, and sewn (or glued) together to form
a flat rope ~2-feet long, whose ends are also sewn together. The strips
themselves are folded into a series of small loops ~
in diameter, each often containing a short length of
small-diameter dowel to help it keep its shape; one small loop forms one prayer
counter. The main loop of a leather prayer rope normally contains 100 such
small loops. This sequence of 100 is divided into four, shorter groups of
counters: 12, 38, 33, and 17. These sections are separated by three divider
loops of ~¼ diameter (i.e., larger than the small counting loops). Each
end of the main loop of the prayer rope also includes three divider-sized loops
(for a total of nine) that are separated from the counters by a ~½-long
space. To complete the prayer rope, four triangular leaves are attached to the
point where the ends are joined; these are sewn together two and two, the upper
pair overlapping the lower.
Like the knotted cord prayer rope, the leather version has its own symbology. At the macro-scale, this prayer rope is intended to resemble a ladder, which is its prevalent name in Church Slavonic: лѣстовка (lestovka). Thus the form of the prayer rope itself reminds its user that prayer is a spiritual ascent into heaven. Association may also be made with the practice of hesychasm as found in the Ladder of Divine Ascent written by St. John Climacus. The four different sized groups of counters are also given meaning as follows: 12 for the number of Apostles; 38 plus the dividers on each end total 40, which is the number of weeks for human gestation and thus reminds us of the pregnancy of the Theotokos; 33 for the years of Christ's life on earth; and 17 for the number of prophets. The nine dividers represent the nine ranks of angels. The four triangular leaves represent the four Gospels.
The lestovka form of the prayer rope is also suited for counting litany responses and prostrations. For example, the groupings of 12 and 40 (38 plus 2 dividers) can be used for counting Lord have mercy responses that are found in many of the Offices. Other combinations, such as 30 and 50, are also possible. For such liturgical purposes it is clearly more practical than the more familiar variety of knotted cord prayer rope.
Tradition tells us that the lestovka
came to Russia from Jerusalem. We can speculate that its arrival there coincided with the work of St. Cyprian,
metropolitan of Moscow and Kiev, when, at the end of 14th century,
he undertook actions to replace the Studite liturgical practices originally
introduced in the 11th century through the efforts of St. Theodosius
with the Jerusalem Typicon (or Typicon of St. Sabbas). However, little can be
said of its actual introduction or prevalence in use. While Old Believers
would have you believe that the lestovka was the form of prayer rope in use in
Russia prior to the reforms of Patriarch Nikon in 1652, it is easy to show that
this was not the case (just as they are wrong concerning early
Russian traditions concerning how to make the Sign of the Cross). Consider, for
example, Saint Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake (Cв.
Евфросин
Синеезерский), a schemamonk and abbot who was martyred by the
Latins on March 20, 1612. When his relics were uncovered in 1655, they were
found to be incorrupt; also preserved with him were the Schema-epitrachelion,
-cowl, and two prayer ropes that the Saint was wearing when he was martyred and
buried (note that, although the photograph shown below is of poor quality,[32]
the prayer ropes are clearly not lestovka).
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Using the Prayer Rope [33]
When praying, the prayer rope is normally held in the left
hand, leaving the right hand free to make the Sign of the Cross. When not in
use, the prayer rope is traditionally wrapped around the left wrist so that it
continues to remind one to pray without ceasing. If this is impractical, it may
be placed in the (left) pocket, but should not be hung around the neck or
suspended from the belt. The reason for this is humility: one should not be
ostentatious or conspicuous in displaying the prayer rope for others to see.
Epilogue
The hesychasts practice of repeatedly praying the Jesus Prayer is considered to be second only to the Divine Liturgy in terms of importance to the spiritual well being and development of an Orthodox Christian. That inevitably means that the devil will be hard at work trying to cause distractions while we are at prayer, and, insofar as he becomes successful in that regard, he will attempt to lure us to neglect and eventually supplant our prayer with other activities. If we let our prayer life wane, it wont be long before spiritual things in their entirety begin to slip away. And if that happens, how will we prevent the devil from completely dominating our life and avoid alienating ourselves from God? The watchword: persevere in prayer.
Monk Iosef with his sword (prayer rope; provenance unknown).
There is also one other point I would like to stress: saying
the Jesus Prayer is important for all
Orthodox Christians. The discussion to this point has invoked examples and
sayings from many monastic fathers that may lead one to erroneously believe
that it is really not meant for lay people. This would be wrong. Consider the
following entry from the Prologue:[34]
Does the Lord's commandment about unceasing prayer
(Lk.18:1) apply only to monks, or to all Christians? If it applied only to
monks, the Apostle would not have written to the Christians in Salonica: 'Pray
without ceasing' (I Thess. 5:17). The Apostle, then, reiterates the Lord's
command word for word, and gives it to all Christians without distinction of
monk or layman. St Gregory Palamas lived for some time as a young man in a
monastery in Beroea. There lived in those parts a well-known ascetic, the elder
Job, who was venerated by all. It happened at one time that St Gregory, in the
elder's presence, quoted the Apostle's words, asserting that unceasing prayer
was a necessity for all Christians, not only for monks. The elder Job replied
to these words, saying that the Jesus prayer is a necessity only for monks, and
not for all Christians. Gregory, being a young man, ceded the argument, not wishing
to quarrel, and withdrew in silence. When Job had returned to his cell and was
standing in prayer, an angel of God appeared to him in great heavenly glory,
and said to him: 'Old man, don't doubt the truth of Gregory's words; he spoke
truly. So, hold your peace and advise others to do the same.' Thus, then, both
the Apostle and the angel underlined the commandment that all Christians must
pray to God without ceasing. If not unceasingly in church, then unceasingly in
every place and at every time, in the depths of your heart. If God does not for
a moment tire of giving us good things, how can we tire of thanking Him for
these good things? If He is constantly thinking of us, why do we not think
constantly of Him?
Appendix: The St. Pachomius Prayer Rule
Note: The version
that follows below is adapted from the translation of Fr. Lawrence of
Jordanville found at http://www.saintjonah.org/services/stpachomius.htm.
Trisagion
Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.
Amen. Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, Treasury of good things and Giver of life: Come and dwell in us, and cleanse us of all impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the unto the ages of ages. Amen.
All-Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, wash away our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name's sake.
Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, Who art in the Heavens, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and let us not enter into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
O Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. (Twelve times)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O come, let us worship and fall down before our King and God.
O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ our King and God.
O come, let us worship and fall down before Him, Christ the King and our God.
Psalm L (50)
Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of Thy compassions blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know mine iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. Against Thee only have I sinned and done this evil before Thee, that Thou mightest be justified in Thy words, and prevail when Thou art judged. For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother bear me. For behold, Thou hast loved truth; the hidden and secret things of Thy wisdom hast Thou made manifest unto me. Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be made clean; Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. Thou shalt make me to hear joy and gladness; the bones that be humbled, they shall rejoice. Turn Thy face away from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and with Thy governing Spirit establish me. I shall teach transgressors Thy ways, and the ungodly shall turn back unto Thee. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation; my tongue shall rejoice in Thy righteousness. O Lord, Thou shalt open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Thy praise. For if Thou hadst desired sacrifice, I had given it; with whole-burnt offerings Thou shalt not be pleased. A sacrifice unto God is a broken spirit; a heart that is broken and humbled God will not despise. Do good, O Lord, in Thy good pleasure unto Zion, and let the walls of Jerusalem be builded. Then shalt Thou be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, with oblation and whole-burnt offerings. Then shall they offer bullocks upon Thine altar.
The Creed
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God; begotten, not made; being of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation, came down from the heavens, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man; And was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried; And arose again on the third day according to the Scriptures; And ascended into the heavens, and sitteth at the right of the Father; And shall come again, with glory, to judge both the living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life; Who proceedeth from the Father; Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; Who spake by the prophets. In One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, And the life of the age to come. Amen.
The Jesus Prayer
Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me. (100 Times)
The Dismissal
It is truly meet to call thee blest, the Theotokos, the ever-blessed and all immaculate and Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, thee who without corruption gavest birth to God the Word, the very Theotokos, thee do we magnify.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)
O Lord, Bless.
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, for the sake of the prayers
of Thy most pure Mother, of our holy and God-bearing fathers, and all the saints,
have mercy on us and save us, for Thou art good and the Lover of mankind. Amen.
Revision of 03/16 December 2009.