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The Power of the Name: The Jesus Prayer in Orthodox Spirituality
Re-printed many times since it was first published, and translated into numerous languages, this book is an invaluable guide at every stage of spiritual pilgrimage. It is a classic exposition of the Jesus Prayer and its use in the Hesychast Orthodox tradition of the prayer of stillness, and the author shows how anyone who prays can apply this teaching to themselves.
47 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1974
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195 people want to read
About the author
Kallistos Ware
108 books271 followersHis Excellency, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia (also known by his lay name, Timothy Ware) is a titular metropolitan of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Great Britain. From 1966-2001, he was Spalding Lecturer of Eastern Orthodox Studies at Oxford University, and has authored numerous books and articles pertaining to the Orthodox Christian faith.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 27, 2019
“To achieve silence... Another speaking with him.”
–Metropolitan Kallistos Ware
So begins The Power of the Name: The Jesus Prayer in Orthodox Spirituality. Silence is here expressed in both passive and active terms, an agent of negation as well as inner activity. In popular idiom, silence speaks volumes, and even louder than words. As a way of connecting with God it has been explored by many authors of various religions. Hinduism has the cosmos resonating with an all-profound “OM” syllable, and Buddhist insight meditation is generally silent.
According to the Apostle James, “everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19); the Psalms maintain that mindless speech is foolishness. This connection with self-restraint is probably the most frequent Scriptural characterization of silence. There is also a connection with silence in personal prayer (go to your room and shut the door; be still and know that I am God, etc) but corporate prayer is usually represented with loud praise, song and dance. However, in practice the use of silence has had a long history in Christianity, particularly in Eastern Orthodoxy. Saints like Gregory of Sinai, Theophan the Recluse, and especially Gregory Palamas represent this school of thought. The Christian West has incorporated silence as well, e.g. extended pauses in Gregorian chant and quiet Eucharistic Adoration. The monks of the Carthusian Order in the Latin Church rarely speak at all. A recent contribution to this field was Cardinal Robert Sarah’s The Power of Silence, a contemplative theological work encouraging lay Catholics to escape the cacophony of the world and into a deeper communion with God’s presence.
“Even if it enjoys no exclusive monopoly in the field of inner prayer, the Jesus Prayer has become for innumerable Christians over the centuries the standard path, the royal highway. And not for Eastern Christians only; in the meeting between Orthodoxy and the West which has occurred over the past seventy years, probably no element in the Orthodox heritage has aroused such intense interest as the Jesus Prayer, and no single book has exercised a wider appeal then The Way of a Pilgrim”. -Ibid
I have recently read this short book by an anonymous Russian seeker. It is incredibly simple, a tale of a homeless pilgrim wandering from town to town. His goal is to learn to “pray without ceasing” as St Paul tells the Thessalonians. He learns from many spiritual advisers and gradually prays the Jesus prayer more and more frequently (this prayer is commonly rendered “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”), many thousands of times each day. He starts by repeating it aloud (prayer of the lips), then silently in time with his breath (inner prayer) and finally in time with his heartbeat (prayer of the heart). In this way the prayer is linked with physical processes and comes naturally at all times, even unconsciously. Repetitive prayers tend to be criticized as “vain repetitions” (Matthew 6:7), but when asked how to pray, Jesus himself gave a formulaic prayer meant for memorization and repetition. Ware writes, “Christ told his disciples not to use vain repetitions; but the repetition of the Jesus Prayer, when performed with inward sincerity and concentration, is most emphatically not ‘vain’. The act of repeatedly invoking the Name has a double effect: it makes our prayer more unified and at the same time more inward.”
“Do not trouble about the number of times you say the Prayer. Let this be your sole concern, that it should spring up in your heart with quickening power like a fountain of living water. Expel entirely from your mind all thoughts of quantity.” –St Theophan, cited in Ware
“The Prayer speaks by implication, although not explicitly, of the three Persons of the Trinity. While addressed to the Second Person, Jesus, it points also to the Father, for Jesus is called ‘Son of God’; and the Holy Spirit is equally present in the Prayer, for ‘no one can say “Lord Jesus” [Jesus is Lord], except in the Holy Spirit’ (1 Cor 12:3). So the Jesus Prayer is both Christocentric and Trinitarian.” –Ware
“To contemplate means, first of all, to be present where one is – to be here and now. But usually we find ourselves unable to restrain our mind from wandering at random over time and space... We lack the power to gather ourselves into the one place where we should be – here, in the presence of God; we are unable to live fully in the only moment of time that truly exists – now, the immediate present.” –Ibid
This sounds immediately Buddhist in premise, reminiscent of the Buddha’s diagnosis of mind before insight meditation. Ware goes on to (intentionally?) equate the kairos (important decisive moment) of Orthodoxy with the place of the “present moment” in mindfulness practice. However, rather than bringing an extinguishing of self, he presents this activity as restoring our fallen nature to its original wholeness, praying with our entire being in preparation for the world to come.
“We cannot altogether halt the flow of thoughts, but through the Jesus Prayer we can disengage ourselves progressively from it, allowing it to recede into the background so that we become less and less aware of it... [the prayer is] a way of achieving the kind of non-discursive, non-iconic prayer in which we do not just form pictures of Christ in our imagination, but are ‘oned’ with him in an all-embracing, unmediated encounter.” –Ware
He goes on to describe a near-explicitly Buddhist method of gently redirecting attention each time it wanders, but to Christ. “To stop the continual jostling of your thoughts, you must bind the mind with one thought, or the thought of One only.” –Theophan the Recluse
“Prayer is a laying aside of thoughts.” –Evagrius of Pontus (~399)
–Metropolitan Kallistos Ware
So begins The Power of the Name: The Jesus Prayer in Orthodox Spirituality. Silence is here expressed in both passive and active terms, an agent of negation as well as inner activity. In popular idiom, silence speaks volumes, and even louder than words. As a way of connecting with God it has been explored by many authors of various religions. Hinduism has the cosmos resonating with an all-profound “OM” syllable, and Buddhist insight meditation is generally silent.
According to the Apostle James, “everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19); the Psalms maintain that mindless speech is foolishness. This connection with self-restraint is probably the most frequent Scriptural characterization of silence. There is also a connection with silence in personal prayer (go to your room and shut the door; be still and know that I am God, etc) but corporate prayer is usually represented with loud praise, song and dance. However, in practice the use of silence has had a long history in Christianity, particularly in Eastern Orthodoxy. Saints like Gregory of Sinai, Theophan the Recluse, and especially Gregory Palamas represent this school of thought. The Christian West has incorporated silence as well, e.g. extended pauses in Gregorian chant and quiet Eucharistic Adoration. The monks of the Carthusian Order in the Latin Church rarely speak at all. A recent contribution to this field was Cardinal Robert Sarah’s The Power of Silence, a contemplative theological work encouraging lay Catholics to escape the cacophony of the world and into a deeper communion with God’s presence.
“Even if it enjoys no exclusive monopoly in the field of inner prayer, the Jesus Prayer has become for innumerable Christians over the centuries the standard path, the royal highway. And not for Eastern Christians only; in the meeting between Orthodoxy and the West which has occurred over the past seventy years, probably no element in the Orthodox heritage has aroused such intense interest as the Jesus Prayer, and no single book has exercised a wider appeal then The Way of a Pilgrim”. -Ibid
I have recently read this short book by an anonymous Russian seeker. It is incredibly simple, a tale of a homeless pilgrim wandering from town to town. His goal is to learn to “pray without ceasing” as St Paul tells the Thessalonians. He learns from many spiritual advisers and gradually prays the Jesus prayer more and more frequently (this prayer is commonly rendered “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”), many thousands of times each day. He starts by repeating it aloud (prayer of the lips), then silently in time with his breath (inner prayer) and finally in time with his heartbeat (prayer of the heart). In this way the prayer is linked with physical processes and comes naturally at all times, even unconsciously. Repetitive prayers tend to be criticized as “vain repetitions” (Matthew 6:7), but when asked how to pray, Jesus himself gave a formulaic prayer meant for memorization and repetition. Ware writes, “Christ told his disciples not to use vain repetitions; but the repetition of the Jesus Prayer, when performed with inward sincerity and concentration, is most emphatically not ‘vain’. The act of repeatedly invoking the Name has a double effect: it makes our prayer more unified and at the same time more inward.”
“Do not trouble about the number of times you say the Prayer. Let this be your sole concern, that it should spring up in your heart with quickening power like a fountain of living water. Expel entirely from your mind all thoughts of quantity.” –St Theophan, cited in Ware
“The Prayer speaks by implication, although not explicitly, of the three Persons of the Trinity. While addressed to the Second Person, Jesus, it points also to the Father, for Jesus is called ‘Son of God’; and the Holy Spirit is equally present in the Prayer, for ‘no one can say “Lord Jesus” [Jesus is Lord], except in the Holy Spirit’ (1 Cor 12:3). So the Jesus Prayer is both Christocentric and Trinitarian.” –Ware
“To contemplate means, first of all, to be present where one is – to be here and now. But usually we find ourselves unable to restrain our mind from wandering at random over time and space... We lack the power to gather ourselves into the one place where we should be – here, in the presence of God; we are unable to live fully in the only moment of time that truly exists – now, the immediate present.” –Ibid
This sounds immediately Buddhist in premise, reminiscent of the Buddha’s diagnosis of mind before insight meditation. Ware goes on to (intentionally?) equate the kairos (important decisive moment) of Orthodoxy with the place of the “present moment” in mindfulness practice. However, rather than bringing an extinguishing of self, he presents this activity as restoring our fallen nature to its original wholeness, praying with our entire being in preparation for the world to come.
“We cannot altogether halt the flow of thoughts, but through the Jesus Prayer we can disengage ourselves progressively from it, allowing it to recede into the background so that we become less and less aware of it... [the prayer is] a way of achieving the kind of non-discursive, non-iconic prayer in which we do not just form pictures of Christ in our imagination, but are ‘oned’ with him in an all-embracing, unmediated encounter.” –Ware
He goes on to describe a near-explicitly Buddhist method of gently redirecting attention each time it wanders, but to Christ. “To stop the continual jostling of your thoughts, you must bind the mind with one thought, or the thought of One only.” –Theophan the Recluse
“Prayer is a laying aside of thoughts.” –Evagrius of Pontus (~399)
February 22, 2018
Great book. Very accessible and theologically sound. I'm an Episcopalian; some of us at our church used to say the Jesus Prayer using the Anglican Rosary, once a week. Very powerful experience. I particularly like Metropolitan Ware's advice to beginners.
Of course, we are all beginners. It is good to have "beginner's mind", as our Buddhist brethren say.
Of course, we are all beginners. It is good to have "beginner's mind", as our Buddhist brethren say.
May 5, 2019
Interesting quick read
I learned a few things I didn't already know. Very interesting read. It can give you a wider view of what happens when you pray
I learned a few things I didn't already know. Very interesting read. It can give you a wider view of what happens when you pray
November 11, 2019
Simple and clear
May 2, 2020
Excellent book
Know it by experiencing rather than just believing .
Simple understandable style
Traditions that trust the power of Gods name are the easiest.
Know it by experiencing rather than just believing .
Simple understandable style
Traditions that trust the power of Gods name are the easiest.
July 16, 2020
This is a short and beautiful book containing an overview of the Jesus Prayer in theory and in practice. It makes me excited to continue my own practice in the Prayer!
May 23, 2025
Anyone interested in a stronger prayer life should read this pithy summary of Orthodox Jesus Prayer practice. Deeply insightful and helpful to all. To be cherished and frequently re-read.
April 20, 2019
Practical teachings on The Jesus Prayer
This is a very readable account of the Jesus Prayer for those who wish for more practical instruction. Seek out this book.
This is a very readable account of the Jesus Prayer for those who wish for more practical instruction. Seek out this book.
August 26, 2013
one of the best books I have ever read. it remodeled my life. it represents the simple Christian spirituality in a world that became always busy and always in a hurry. A chance to discover Jesus in every moment and to stop the time, or more accurately to convert time into eternity.
It simply shows that eternity is not an illusion but a real experience can be tasted here, that living in God's presence doesn't require super natural prerequisites but just honest asking, that you can see Jesus at home, work , in public transport, everywhere. He is there. Just call Him and He will answer.
This book can change your life. Don't miss the chance
It simply shows that eternity is not an illusion but a real experience can be tasted here, that living in God's presence doesn't require super natural prerequisites but just honest asking, that you can see Jesus at home, work , in public transport, everywhere. He is there. Just call Him and He will answer.
This book can change your life. Don't miss the chance
March 23, 2022
Αυτή είναι η δεύτερη φορά που το διαβάζω και πραγματικά ανυπομονώ να το ξαναδιαβάσω. Το βιβλίο αυτό είναι υπέροχο: γραμμένο με ευαισθησία, με βαθιά νοήματα και ταυτόχρονα εύληπτο και πρακτικό! Μακάρι να βάλω αρχή στην εφαρμογή όσων λέει.
April 4, 2014
A very good, concise introduction to the Jesus prayer.
July 20, 2016
A very good short introduction to the prayer of the heart, the Jesus Prayer, from a well known English Orthodox bishop & writer.
Read
August 11, 2011Worth my while.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews