The Lord's Prayer

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DanteAlighieri

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I’d be amazed if this is the first time someone has brought up this topic, but I was unable to find another thread.

In saying the Lord’s Prayer, most Catholics say “Amen” after “…but deliver us from evil”, but most Protestants continue with “For thine is the Kingdom…”. I searched Matthew and Luke, and found only a footnote on biblegateway.com saying that “some manuscripts” include “For thine is the Kingdom”.

In the Mass, we say (essentially) the same thing, but only after the priest has done an invocation (“Deliver us, Lord, from every evil…”).

I teach at an Episcopal school, at which (naturally) they include those lines at the end of the prayer. It has occurred to me that, since we say the same thing in Mass, there’s no reason to stop at “from evil” just to show how Catholic I am; in fact, I often say “For thine is…” when I’m praying alone.

My question is this: what is the appropriate thing to do, and why?

Peace,
Dante
 
DanteAlighieri said:
I’d be amazed if this is the first time someone has brought up this topic, but I was unable to find another thread.

In saying the Lord’s Prayer, most Catholics say “Amen” after “…but deliver us from evil”, but most Protestants continue with “For thine is the Kingdom…”. I searched Matthew and Luke, and found only a footnote on biblegateway.com saying that “some manuscripts” include “For thine is the Kingdom”.

In the Mass, we say (essentially) the same thing, but only after the priest has done an invocation (“Deliver us, Lord, from every evil…”).

I teach at an Episcopal school, at which (naturally) they include those lines at the end of the prayer. It has occurred to me that, since we say the same thing in Mass, there’s no reason to stop at “from evil” just to show how Catholic I am; in fact, I often say “For thine is…” when I’m praying alone.

My question is this: what is the appropriate thing to do, and why?

Peace,
Dante
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The most appropriate thing to do is whatever is most comfortable for you.

Interestingly, the “Doxology” (For thine is the kingdom…) can be traced back to the earliest Christians in the first century. I think it was added to some texts of Matthew.
 
NotWorthy said:
The most appropriate thing to do is whatever is most comfortable for you.

Interestingly, the “Doxology” (For thine is the kingdom…) can be traced back to the earliest Christians in the first century. I think it was added to some texts of Matthew.
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All true.

What is a ‘doxology’?

There’s a great treatment of that topic at New Advent:

newadvent.org/cathen/05150a.htm

Note that the doxology is present in Matthew 6, but is lacking in Luke 11.

Peace in Christ…Salmon
 
From the Didache (written approx 70AD to 100AD):

Chapter 8. Fasting and Prayer (the Lord’s Prayer). But let not your fasts be with the hypocrites, for they fast on the second and fifth day of the week. Rather, fast on the fourth day and the Preparation (Friday). Do not pray like the hypocrites, but rather as the Lord commanded in His Gospel, like this:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily (needful) bread, and forgive us our debt as we also forgive our debtors. And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (or, evil); for Thine is the power and the glory for ever…
 
As you point out there is nothing un-Catholic about the doxology since it is used at Mass. So, I think, you should include it when praying in an Episcopal setting. As they say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans.” Otherwise, your silence at that point in the common prayer may be a needless distraction to others and it might give others the impression that Catholics think our heavenly Father is somehow undeserving of “the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever.”
 
Doxologies were known in the Old Testament as well. You’ll find them in the Psalms at the end of the “five books” of the Psalms (The Psalms are divided up into five books, some think it’s to emulate the Pentateuch).

You’ll find them at the end of certain Psalms. I think it’s 30, 60, 90, etc, but it’s certainly around them.

The Doxologies were believed to be added later on - not by the original authors.

Also, Paul put one or two of them in his Epistles.
 
The reason Catholics say Amen after “deliver us from evil” is because that is the end of the Lords Prayer. The doxology is not part of the prayer, beautiful as it is. To include it as part of the prayer is misleading people to believe it is part of the Lords Prayer which it isn’t. That is why you will not see the doxology in most if not all bibles today.
 
ricko said:
The reason Catholics say Amen after “deliver us from evil” is because that is the end of the Lords Prayer. The doxology is not part of the prayer, beautiful as it is. To include it as part of the prayer is misleading people to believe it is part of the Lords Prayer which it isn’t. That is why you will not see the doxology in most if not all bibles today.
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The ESV, NIV, and Protestant versions of the RSV and NRSV all place the doxology in the footnotes. The NASB places the doxology in brackets.
 
Deviating a little from the original post…

Where can I learn to say the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic (with text and audio)?
 
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