Prayer Beads and the Publican Prayer

[chrisb]

Grace and Peace,

I recently acquired a ‘Coptic’ 100-bead Prayer Rope…

How does one pray the Publican Prayer with a 100-bead Mequteria?

Are there different prayers for the first seven, the 12 Apostles, 41 for the 39 lashes, crown of thorns etc or is one to reflect on these while saying the Prayer of the Publican?

Peace and God Bless.

 

[Threepwood]

Kyrie Elieson is the prayer of the Coptic mequteria. Like the Byzantine chotki which uses the Jesus Prayer, it is usually added after the day’s morning or evening prayers.

No other prayers are used in the devotion. The beads are used to make sure the person doesn’t stop praying too soon, thinking he prayed more than he had. The purpose of the Jesus Prayer is inner stillness, called hesychasm. Imagery is discouraged.

You should not advance in the use of the Jesus Prayer in your personal life more than ten or fifteen minutes at a time without a spiritual director. Do not try to match your breathing to the prayer without guidance.

There are booklets that will explain the Jesus Prayer and how to pray it. I loaned mine out so I can’t look right now where it came from.

 

[chrisb]

Kyrie Elieson is the prayer of the Coptic mequteria. Like the Byzantine chotki which uses the Jesus Prayer, it is usually added after the day’s morning or evening prayers.

No other prayers are used in the devotion. The beads are used to make sure the person doesn’t stop praying too soon, thinking he prayed more than he had. The purpose of the Jesus Prayer is inner stillness, called hesychasm. Imagery is discouraged.

You should not advance in the use of the Jesus Prayer in your personal life more than ten or fifteen minutes at a time without a spiritual director. Do not try to match your breathing to the prayer without guidance.

There are booklets that will explain the Jesus Prayer and how to pray it. I loaned mine out so I can’t look right now where it came from.

Grace and Peace,

Thank you for the info. Much appreciated!

Some Questions though. The beads have dividers separating them at 7, 12, 41, 4, 36.

1.) the 7 are for the 7 days of creation.
2.) the 12 are for the 12 apostles.
3.) the 41 are for the 39 lashes, crown of thorns, etc
4.) the 36 to the end make 100 beads for use in Great Lent.

Why would Coptics have this divisions if we are not to recognize that we are praying the Publican Prayer (O God, have mercy on me, a sinner) if we aren’t to think about them?

I don’t think that the Coptic Prayer-Bead Tradition is identical with hesychasm because it appears to be an older tradition.

Can anyone illumine further for us?

 

[Zabdi_Premjit]

BUMP

 

[mardukm]

Dear brother Chrisb,

Grace and Peace,

Thank you for the info. Much appreciated!

Some Questions though. The beads have dividers separating them at 7, 12, 41, 4, 36.

1.) the 7 are for the 7 days of creation.
2.) the 12 are for the 12 apostles.
3.) the 41 are for the 39 lashes, crown of thorns, etc
4.) the 36 to the end make 100 beads for use in Great Lent.

Why would Coptics have this divisions if we are not to recognize that we are praying the Publican Prayer (O God, have mercy on me, a sinner) if we aren’t to think about them?

I don’t think that the Coptic Prayer-Bead Tradition is identical with hesychasm because it appears to be an older tradition.

Can anyone illumine further for us?

I am in a rush right now and I just caught this, so I will say a very few things.

For now, let me just say that you are correct. There is nothing in the Coptic Tradition that approaches EO hesychasm. At best, the use of the term “hesychast” is used sparingly in the Egyptian monastic tradition, but it is used more in reference to the retreat of the monk to quiet stillness, instead of the inner stillness espoused in EO hesychasm.

Coptic prayer is an active effort of will and mind. It is not an emptying. It is contemplative prayer in an ascetic sense, similar to the Latin understanding of contemplative prayer (I think the Latins actually inherited their contemplative Tradition directly from the Copts).

I would love to give a more detailed response. I will prepare one offline and present it after New Year’s. For now, given this busy holiday season, I am restricted to giving short answers for many of my posts here.

Blessings,
Marduk

 

[Zabdi_Premjit]

bump

 

[Zabdi_Premjit]

Dear brother Chrisb,

I am in a rush right now and I just caught this, so I will say a very few things.

For now, let me just say that you are correct. There is nothing in the Coptic Tradition that approaches EO hesychasm. At best, the use of the term “hesychast” is used sparingly in the Egyptian monastic tradition, but it is used more in reference to the retreat of the monk to quiet stillness, instead of the inner stillness espoused in EO hesychasm.

Coptic prayer is an active effort of will and mind. It is not an emptying. It is contemplative prayer in an ascetic sense, similar to the Latin understanding of contemplative prayer (I think the Latins actually inherited their contemplative Tradition directly from the Copts).

I would love to give a more detailed response. I will prepare one offline and present it after New Year’s. For now, given this busy holiday season, I am restricted to giving short answers for many of my posts here.

Blessings,
Marduk

Brother Marduk,

Did you ever get a chance to prepare a more detailed response? I am interested in any more information you may have on the mequteria and the Coptic prayer traditions surrounding it.

Sincerely,
Athanasios