Prayers of the Early Church

by Unknown

PRAYERS
of the
EARLY CHURCH

Edited by
J. MANNING POTTS

THE UPPER ROOM

The World’s Most Widely Used Devotional Guide
1908 Grand Avenue
Nashville 5, Tennessee

Copyright, 1953
by
The Upper Room
Nashville, Tennessee

UR-74-50-1053-10
Printed in the United States of America

Preface

Demand for books of prayers has caused this book to be compiled. The experience of The Upper Room in publishing Ralph S. Cushman’s A Pocket Book of Prayer with its sale of over a million copies and the reaction from the publication of other prayer books have prompted the editor to collect and arrange these prayers. There are prayers of our Lord, the apostles, the martyrs, and the saints covering the period of the Early Church from its beginning through the fifth century. There are some prayers from each of the first five centuries. The treasure house from which to choose is almost unlimited. It is a vast and fruitful field and anyone is amply rewarded who delves into it.

The prayers have been selected primarily for their spiritual and devotional content. Many have been laid aside with regret that they could not be included in this book, but its compass in size is set and only so many can be used.