Piety of Early Christians

Individual piety finds no less expression in the life and teaching of the apostles than in that of the Lord. Paul is a good example. He practices (1 Thessalonians 2:1) and urges (1 Thessalonians 5:17) unceasing prayer. He calls for prayer in support of his ministry (Ephesians 6:18). In many passages he indicates the content of his own prayers, which in the Epistles at least are largely intercessory in character (Philippians 1:4–11; Colossians 1:9–12), though a passage like Philippians 3:8–11 becomes almost a prayer of aspiration, and his first Christian prayer (Acts 9:11) was almost certainly a prayer for forgiveness and enlightenment. The indication of content is even more extended in Ephesians 3:14–21, which seems to have been dictated by the apostle quite literally on his knees in the gesture of individual prayer (Daniel 6:10). This prayer of petition characteristically moves to a doxological climax that expresses the confidence of faith and that sees in all God’s work a fulfillment of the first request of the Lord’s Prayer. Steeped as he is in Old Testament and Jewish forms, Paul adopts quite naturally a liturgical language that is a free adaptation of existing phrases. The intensity of his faith and devotion, allied to extensive biblical knowledge, produces a perfect blend of dignity and fervor.