The Lord’s prayer in Paleo Hebrew – based on the best wishes from the antiquity. Based on the letters of Manesse Codex, it’s a transcription, in Paleo Hebrew and in Romanization. The purpose of this research paper is to explore the possibility that Paleo Hebrew Isn’t just a dead language but that some of its fundamental beliefs are still alive nowadays and can be used as a foundation for modern Hebrew.
Though we call it a prayer, it is obvious that the content of this prayer has the disciples who heard it in mind,[700] and so it is at the same time a petition, a proclamation, and a revelation.
The outline of the prayer is straightforward:
- Prayer for himself (17:1-5),
- Prayer for his disciples (17:6-19), and
- Prayer for future believers (17:20-26).
However, the prayer is not simple to analyze, since themes weave in and out, themes drawn from the entire Gospel that now find their fulfillment in Jesus’ glorification that is imminent. Themes include: obedience, glorification of the Father, revelation of God, choosing the disciples out of the world, unity modeled on the Father and Son, and their final destiny in the presence of Father and Son.
Remarkably, the prayer not gloomy, but breathes a kind of “triumphant expectation” of what will occur when Jesus’ mission is completed and his disciples begin their mission.
Glorify Your Son (17:1-2)
Jesus begins the prayer talking with the Father about his “glorification” — crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. (For more on “glorify,” see Appendix 6. “Glory” and “Glorify” in John’s Gospel)
“1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: ‘Father, the time[701] has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.'” (17:1-2)
This High Priestly Prayer has glory woven throughout it (verses 1, 4, 5, 10, 22, and 24).
The reference to Jesus being given authority[702] over all people recalls the familiar Son of Man passage:
“And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him….[703]” (Daniel 7:14)
Jesus has spoken previously of his authority to grant eternal life:
“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it…. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.” (5:21, 26-27)
paleo hebrew words
Eternal Life — to Know You (17:3)
Verse 3 is somewhat of a definition of eternal life.
“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ[704], whom you have sent.” (17:3)
We might think of eternal life as life with no end, but it’s clear that just existence isn’t the point. The “life” comes from a never-ending relationship with God and his Son — “knowing” them. The prophets foresaw this:
“No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.” (Jeremiah 31:34)
“The earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9; also Habakkuk 2:14)
Jesus and the prophets are not just saying that everyone will know about him, but that they will know him intimately. Paul is willing to count every other thing as dung, garbage, “that I may know him” (Philippians 3:10). If this personal relationship between God’s people and him is our destiny, now is the time to explore and deepen this relationship.
Q1. (John 17:3) If the average person were to define the words “eternal life,” what would they say? Does Jesus define eternal life in terms of duration of time? What is the key element of his definition? How are you doing at present in Jesus’ definition of eternal life.
http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/topic/1523-q1-knowing-god/
Completing the Father’s Mission (17:4)
“I have brought you glory on earth by completing (teleioō[705]) the work you gave me to do.” (17:4)
Jesus is now in the “home stretch.” During the years of his earthly ministry, he has been doing the Father’s work. Now it is coming to its culmination and completion with the cross and resurrection — and the redemption the cross will bring. Completion of the Father’s mission has been foremost on his mind — to glorify the Father on earth by making sure that the Father’s plan for salvation is accomplished, finished, completed.
“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish (teleioō) his work.” (4:34)
“The very work that the Father has given me to finish (teleioō)….” (5:36)
Finally, at the cross, Jesus’ last words concern the completion of this mission:
“Jesus said, ‘It is finished (teleō[706]).’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (19:30)
Q2. (John 17:4) What was the “work” the Father gave Jesus to do? How did it bring glory to the Father? What is the “work” the Father has given you to do? In what ways are you bringing glory to the Father in this?
http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/topic/1524-q2-completing-the-work/
Pre-existent Glory (17:4-5)
“4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” (17:4-5)
We look at the cross and see anguish, pain, and Jesus being crushed under the weight of the sins of multiplied billions of men and women. But Jesus sees the cross as bringing glory to the Father on earth. It is the glory of the Son’s obedience and the Father’s divine love that brings redemption to humanity, but at a staggering cost.
Now Jesus looks forward to glory in the Father’s presence, the glory he left when he “emptied himself” and became a man (Philippians 2:7). What is this glory that preceded Jesus’ earthly mission, that he alludes to again in verse 24? John’s Gospel begins:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (1:1-3)
Paul speaks of this pre-existent glory in superlative terms — glory that Jesus again receives when he leaves this earth to ascend to the Father.
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” (Colossians 1:15-18)
The writer of Hebrews says,
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:3)
Later, John the Apostle has a vision of Christ in heaven as a Lamb before the throne, receiving the praise due his name.
“… The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song: ‘You are worthy….’
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang:
‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom
and strength and honor and glory and praise!’
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!'” (Revelation 5:8-9a, 11-13)
The lord’s prayer in paleo hebrew
On earth, people saw the carpenter-turned-preacher. They saw a man who walked the dusty roads of Palestine, speaking in its villages, healing its sick and casting out demons. They saw their leaders pour abuse on him, and finally have him executed in great shame and disgrace. But near the end of this prayer, Jesus asks the Father, that his disciples might glimpse him in his true glory:
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.” (17:24)
Father, lift our eyes above this earth to see our Lord’s present glory, “glory as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth” (1:14). I think of that Messianic Psalm that was put to music in Handel’s Messiah:
“Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty — he is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24:7-10)
Q3. (John 17:4-5) What was Jesus’ preexistent glory like? What was his glory like during his earthly ministry? How did his glory peek through? What is his glory like now in the presence of his Father? Why do you think Jesus wants his disciples to see him in this glory (verse 24)?
http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/topic/1525-q3-preexistent-glory/
I Have Revealed You to the Ones You Gave Me (17:6-8)
Jesus has prayed that he might glorify the Father by his own mission. Now he turns to the second part of this prayer and talks to his Father about his disciples.
“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.” (17:6)
Notice how Jesus speaks of his disciples: They were the Father’s, given to Jesus out of the world. They weren’t the fruit of Jesus’ recruiting prowess, but the Father’s chosen gifts to his Son.
“7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.” (17:7-8)
Prior to his redemptive work on the cross, Jesus labored to reveal the Father to his disciples in word and deed. Jesus accurately communicates the Father’s message to them (12:49; 14:10; 15:15), and they receive it for what it is — the Father’s own words. They believe that the Father is in Jesus, and Jesus is in the Father, that Jesus is The Word, the Logos (1:1-2).
Sometimes I wonder about the arrogance of us preachers who feel free to bring our own message and “slant” to our congregations. My brothers and sisters, our charge is not to bring our opinions, but to communicate Jesus’ message with accuracy, just as Jesus spoke his Father’s words with accuracy. We are not independent pundits, but on-message spokesman for the Messiah!
I Am Praying for Them (17:9-10)
Jesus prays for his disciples in a number of places in the Gospels: 14:16; 16:26-27; Luke 22:32; Hebrews 7:25; etc. “Pray” in verse 9 is erōtaō, “to ask,” here, “to ask for something, ask, request.”[707]
“9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.” (17:9-10)
God loves the whole world (3:16). Jesus died for the sins of the whole world (1:19; 4:42; 1 John 2:2). He came as a light to the world (3:19; 9:5; 12:46; 17:21), to give life to the world (6:33, 51), and to save the world (12:47). But here he prays for his tiny band, those whom the Father has given him, the first recruits in what will become a mighty army of the Redeemed.
Jesus is not selfish or possessive of those the Father has given him. Jesus realizes that he shares everything with the Father; they co-possess everything. And there is a sense in which we are co-heirs in this way, as well, as we are one with Christ and the Father.
“All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future — all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.” (1 Corinthians 3:21b-23)
“Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” (Romans 8:17)
Matthew and Luke present the Lord’s Prayer differently in their Gospels. In Matthew, Jesus is preaching his Sermon on the Mount, explaining that there is a righteousness from God that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. He warns his followers against practicing hypocritical piety merely to be seen by others.
In Luke, Jesus teaches the Lord’s prayer during his journey to Jerusalem. As their rabbi, the disciples saw Jesus as an example of a man of prayer. One of his followers asked him for instruction in prayer, and Jesus gave them a model in the Lord’s Prayer.
The full version of The Lord’s Prayer is recorded in Matthew 6:9-15:
“This, then, is how you should pray:
” ‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (NIV)
Jesus Teaches the Pattern for Prayer
With the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus Christ gave us a pattern or model for prayer. He was teaching his disciples how to pray. There’s nothing magical about the words. The prayer is not a formula. We don’t have to pray the lines verbatim. Rather, we can use this prayer to inform us, teaching us how to approach God in prayer.
Here is a simplified explanation of each section to help you develop a thorough understanding of the Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father in Heaven
We pray to God our Father who is in heaven. He is our Father, and we are his humble children. We have a close bond. As a heavenly, perfect Father, we can trust that he loves us and will listen to our prayers. The use of “our” reminds us that we (his followers) are all part of the same family of God.
Hallowed Be Your Name
Hallowed means “to make holy.” We recognize our Father’s holiness when we pray. He is close and caring, but he’s not our pal, nor our equal. He is God Almighty. We don’t approach him with a sense of panic and doom, but with reverence for his holiness, acknowledging his righteousness and perfection. We are awed that even in his holiness, we belong to him.
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done, on Earth As It Is in Heaven
We pray for God’s sovereign rule in our lives and on this earth. He is our king. We recognize that he is in full control, and we submit to his authority. Going a step further, we desire God’s Kingdom and rule to be extended to others in our surrounding world. We pray for the salvation of souls because we know that God wants all men to be saved.
Give Us Today Our Daily Bread
When we pray, we trust God to meet our needs. He will take care of us. At the same time, we’re not worried about the future. We depend on God our Father to provide what we need for today. Tomorrow we will renew our dependence by coming to him in prayer once again.
Forgive Us Our Debts, As We Also Forgive Our Debtors
We ask God to forgive our sins when we pray. We search our hearts, recognize that we need his forgiveness, and confess our sins. Just as our Father graciously forgives us, we must forgive one another’s shortcomings. If we desire to be forgiven, we must grant that same forgiveness to others.
Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From the Evil One
We need strength from God to resist temptation. We must stay in tune with the Holy Spirit’s guidance to avoid anything that will tempt us to sin. We pray daily for God to deliver us from Satan’s cunning traps so that we will know when to run away.
The Lord’s Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer (1928)
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 this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.