Many Christians today are discouraged because they feel that their prayers do not make a difference; and many people pray very little, if at all. What did the early Christians teach about prayer and its counterpart, fasting?

The importance of prayer

James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” The early Christians believed in the importance of prayer:

• “To me, there is no doubt but that the earth abides because of the prayers of the Christians.” – Aristides (c. 125)
• “Prayer is the wall of faith [that] keeps watch over us on all sides. And so we never walk unarmed.” – Tertullian (c. 198)
• “Be constant in both prayer and reading. First, speak with God; then let God speak with you. Let Him instruct you in His teachings; let Him direct you.” – Cyprian (c. 250)

When to pray

1 Thessalonians 5:17 instructs believers to “pray without ceasing.” The early Christians prayed everywhere, at all times:

• “As it is befitting, before partaking of food, we should bless the Creator of all. . . . Finally, before partaking of sleep, it is a sacred duty to give thanks to God, having enjoyed His grace and love. As a result, we can go straight to sleep.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “The whole life of the one who truly knows God is a holy festival. His sacrifices are prayers, praises, and readings in the Scriptures before meals. They are psalms and hymns during meals and before bed – and prayers also again during night. By these, the spiritual man unites himself to the divine choir.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “The one who truly knows God . . . has learned to ask of the Lord what is necessary. In every place, therefore, but not ostensibly and visibly to the multitude, he will pray. While engaged in walking, in conversation, while in silence, while engaged in reading and in works according to reason, he prays in every situation.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “You will not dismiss a brother who has entered your house without prayer. . . . But again, when [you are] received yourself by brethren, you will not make earthly refreshments more important than heavenly.” – Tertullian (c. 198)
• “If He who was without sin prayed, how much more should sinners pray. He prayed continually, watching through the whole night in uninterrupted petitions. Therefore, how much more should we watch nightly in constantly repeated prayer.” – Cyprian (c. 250)

Where to pray

Jesus instructed His disciples to pray in secret: “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:5-6).

The early Christians did not believe that Jesus forbade corporate prayer, for they frequently met together to pray with each other. However, they carefully observed Jesus’ instruction about the secret place, and they were careful to make sure that their prayers were to God alone and not for the praise of an audience:

• “When we pray, we should let our speech and petition be under discipline, observing quietness and modesty. We should remember that we are standing in God’s presence. We must please the Divine eyes with both the posture of our body and the volume of our voice. For it is characteristic of a shameless man to be noisy with his cries. On the other hand, it is fitting to the modest man to pray with moderated petitions. In fact, in His teaching, the Lord has told us to pray in secret – in hidden and remote places, in our very storage closets – which is best suited to faith.” – Cyprian (c. 250)
• “To secure the performance of one’s prayers in peace without distraction, the rule is for every person to choose, if possible, what I call the most solemn spot in his house before he prays. In addition to his general examination of this room, he should consider whether any violation of law or righteousness has been done in that place in which he is praying. . . . For the place of his personal prayer should not be of such a nature that the fear of God has fled from it.” – Origen (c. 245)
• “The sounds of our voice, likewise, should be subdued. For, if we are to be heard for our noise, what large windpipes we would need! But God is the hearer – not of the voice – but of the heart. . . . What superior advantage will those who pray too loudly gain – except that they annoy their neighbors?” – Tertullian (c. 198)
• “When we meet together with the brethren in one place, . . . we should be mindful of modesty and discipline. We should not throw out our prayers indiscriminately, with unsubdued voices. . . . He does not need to be clamorously reminded, for He sees men’s thoughts. . . . Hannah prayed to God, not with clamorous petition, but silently and modestly – within the very recesses of her heart. She spoke with hidden prayer, but with open faith. She spoke with her heart, not her voice.” – Cyprian (c. 250)
• “How [can we pray] ‘in every place’ [1 Tim. 2:8], since we are prohibited from praying in public? He means in every place that opportunity or even necessity may have rendered suitable. For that which was done by the apostles (who, in jail, in the hearing of the prisoners ‘began praying and singing to God’ [Acts 16:25]) is not considered to have been done contrary to this teaching.” – Tertullian (c. 198)
• “The very act that would otherwise be honorable and praiseworthy is polluted when we do it to be praised by men or to be seen by them. For that reason, it receives no reward from God.” – Origen (c. 245)

How to pray

James 4:2-4 says, “You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. . . . Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” The early Christians understood that we must come to prayer with our hearts right, doing our best to live according to Jesus’ teachings:

• “You should not go to prayer with an evil conscience.” – Barnabas (c. 70-130)
• “How can a person who does not serve the Lord ask and obtain anything from Him? Those who serve Him will obtain their requests. However, those who do not serve Him will receive nothing.” – Hermas (c. 150)
• “[The spiritual man’s] whole life is prayer and conversation with God. And if he is pure from sins, he will by all means obtain what he wishes. For God says to the righteous man, ‘Ask, and I will give you’ [Matt. 7:7]. . . . But if someone says to us that some sinners even obtain according to their requests, [we reply] that this takes place only rarely.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “The exercise of prayer should not only be free from anger, but from all mental disturbances whatever. Prayer should be uttered from a spirit like the Spirit to whom it is sent. For a defiled spirit cannot be acknowledged by a holy Spirit, nor a sad one by a joyful one, nor a fettered one by a free one. . . . But what reason is there to go to prayer with hands indeed washed, but the spirit foul?” – Tertullian (c. 198)
• “‘If two of you will agree on earth as regarding anything that they will ask, it will be done for them’ [Matt. 18:19]. . . . This is the cause why we are not heard when we pray – because we do not agree with one another on earth, neither in opinions nor in life.” – Origen (c. 245)

Jesus continued His instruction on prayer: “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:7-8). The early Christians taught that we should not be wordy in our prayers:

• “The one who truly knows God does not use wordy prayer by his mouth. For he has learned to ask of the Lord what is necessary.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “We should not think that the Lord must be approached with a train of words.” – Tertullian (c. 198)
• “God does not wait for talkative tongues . . . but knows absolutely the thoughts of all. What the voice communicates to us, our thoughts speak to God. For, even before the creation, He knew what would come into our minds. So prayer may be uttered without the voice.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “He who uses empty repetition in prayer is in a ‘synagogue’ worse than any yet described. He does not preserve even a vestige of godly conduct. According to the passage in the Gospel, only Gentiles do this. For they are quite ignorant about great and heavenly petitions. Therefore, they send up all their prayers for material and external things. The Lord dwells in heaven and above the heights of the heavens. So he who asks for things from below is nothing more than a babbling Gentile.” – Origen (c. 245)

What to pray for

Following Jesus’ teachings on prayer, He instructed His disciples: “Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:9-13).

The early Christians believed that the Lord’s Prayer was not simply a model prayer; rather, it was a prayer that believers were to pray frequently. The Didache, a first-century document written to instruct new believers in the basics of the faith, says that Christians should pray the Lord’s Prayer three times a day:

• “Do not pray as the hypocrites do, but pray as the Lord commanded in His Gospel: ‘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, and forgive us our debt as we also forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the power and the glory forever.’ Pray this three times a day.” – Didache (c. 50-120)

Third-century writer Cyprian, bishop of the church at Carthage, North Africa, comments:

• “What can be more spiritual than to pray that which was given to us by Christ? It is He who also gave us the Holy Spirit. How can we pray to the Father more truthfully than through that prayer which was delivered to us by the Son out of His own mouth?” – Cyprian (c. 250)

Philippians 4:6 teaches, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Following were some of the topics of prayer for first-century believers:

• “The one who truly knows God prays in thought during every hour, being allied to God by love. First, he will ask forgiveness of sins; and afterwards, he asks that he may sin no more. . . . The one who truly knows God gives thanks always for all things to God – by righteous hearing and divine reading, by true investigation, by holy oblation, and by blessed prayer. Always lauding, hymning, blessing, and praising – such a soul is never separated from God at any time.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “Thanksgiving and request for the conversion of our neighbors is the function of the person who truly knows God. . . . If any occasion of conversation with God becomes prayer, no opportunity of access to God should be omitted.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “But they are not yet obedient if they do not pray even for their enemies, having become entirely free of resentment.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “In days gone by, prayer used to call down plagues, scatter the armies of foes, and withhold the wholesome influences of showers. Now, however, the prayer of righteousness averts all of God’s anger, keeps patrol on behalf of personal enemies, and makes supplication on behalf of persecutors.” – Tertullian (c. 198)
• “With mutual prayers, let us by turns cherish, guard, and arm one another. Let us pray for the lapsed, that they may be raised up. Let us pray for those who stand, that they may not be tempted to such a degree as to be destroyed. Let us pray that those who are said to have fallen may acknowledge the greatness of their sin.” – Cyprian (c. 250)

Lactantius, a fourth-century writer from North Africa, provides an interesting perspective:

• “That he may obtain the favor of God and be free from every stain, let him always implore the mercy of God and pray for nothing else but pardon for his sins, even though he has none. If he desires anything else, there is no need of expressing it in word to One who knows what we wish. If anything good has happened to him, let him give thanks. If any evil has come, let him make amends and let him confess that the evil has happened to him because of his faults. . . . And let him not think that this is to be done by him only in the temple – but at home and even in his very bed. In short, let him always have God with himself, consecrated in his heart.” – Lactantius (c. 304-313)

The attitude of prayer

Jesus taught that believers should persevere in prayer: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). The early Christians taught likewise:

• “Let us ask and we will receive. And if there is delay and tardiness in our receiving – since we have grievously offended – let us knock, for ‘to him that knocks it will also be opened’ [Matt. 7:8]. But our prayers, our groanings, and our tears must knock at the door. And with these, we must be urgent and persevering, even though prayer is offered with one mind. . . . Let us urgently pray and groan with continual petitions. Know this, beloved brethren, that I was not long ago reproached in a vision about this – that we were lethargic in our prayers and did not pray with watchfulness. . . . Therefore, let us strike off and break away from the bonds of sleep and pray with urgency and watchfulness.” – Cyprian (c. 250)
• “For who of you does not know that the prayer of one who accompanies it with lamentation and tears, with the body prostrate, or with bended knees, propitiates God?” – Justin Martyr (c. 160)
• “When He recommends perseverance and earnestness in prayer, He sets before us the parable of the judge who was compelled to listen to the widow.” – Tertullian (c. 207)
• “Let each one of us pray to God, not only for himself, but for all the brethren. For this is as the Lord has taught us to pray. For He . . . directed us when we pray to pray for everyone in a common prayer and joint supplication. . . . Let us beseech the Lord in simplicity and unanimity. Let us ask without ceasing, with full faith that we will receive. We should entreat not only with groanings, but with tears.” – Cyprian (c. 250)

The rewards of prayer

Through prayer, we fulfill the words of James 4:8: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” The early Christians commented:

• “Prayer . . . is conversation with God. Though whispering (and consequently, not opening the lips), we speak in silence, yet we cry inwardly. For God hears continually all the inward conversation.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “We are prone to err, and to yield to various lusts and appetites through the fault of our innate weakness. Therefore, He allows Himself at all times to be comprehended in our thoughts . . . so that we may receive a desire for purity and may free ourselves from every stain by the removal of all our shortcomings.” – Arnobius (c. 305)
• “Be constant in both prayer and reading. First, speak with God; then let God speak with you. Let Him instruct you in His teachings; let Him direct you.” – Cyprian (c. 250)

The importance of fasting

The counterpart of prayer is fasting. In Mark 9:29, when Jesus healed a boy with an unclean spirit, He said, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting” (NKJV). The early Christians likewise understood the connection between prayer and fasting:

• “Every prayer should be accompanied with humility. Fast, therefore, and you will obtain from the Lord what you plead for.” – Hermas (c. 150)
• “At the time of some religious observance [i.e. fasting], our prayer ascends with more acceptability.” – Tertullian (c. 198)
• “When, indeed, have droughts not been put away by our kneelings and our fastings?” – Tertullian (c. 212)

When to fast

Jesus taught that His followers would fast after His ascension: “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days” (Luke 5:34-35).

Scripture does not give any specific instructions regarding when to fast. However, the Didache (which is perhaps the earliest Christian writing outside the Bible and was originally considered part of Scripture) gives specific instructions to fast on Wednesday and Friday each week:

• “Do not fast when the hypocrites do, for they fast on the second and fifth days of the week. You should fast on the fourth day [Wednesday] and the Day of Preparation [Friday].” – Didache (c. 50-120)

The Apostolic Constitutions adds that fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays was a command given by Jesus:

• “He [Jesus] commanded us to fast on the fourth and sixth days of the week; the former on account of His being betrayed, and the latter on account of His passion. . . . For on the fourth day, the condemnation went out against the Lord, Judas promising on that day to betray Him for money. And you must fast on the day of the Preparation because the Lord suffered the death of the cross under Pontius Pilate on that day.” – Apostolic Constitutions (compiled c. 390)
• “No one will find fault with us for observing the fourth day of the week [Wednesday] and the Preparation [Friday], on which it is reasonably directed for us to fast according to the tradition. We fast on the fourth day, indeed, because on it the Jews took counsel for the betrayal of the Lord. And we fast on the sixth day because Christ Himself suffered for us on it.” – Peter of Alexandria (c. 310)
• “We have the fourth and the sixth day of the week on which we regularly fast.” – Origen (c. 238)

In addition to the weekly fasts every Wednesday and Friday, new believers fasted for one or two days before being baptized, as instructed in the Didache. The early Christians also fasted before Easter Sunday, although the length of the fast varied between regions. Some people fasted only the Saturday before Easter, some fasted Friday and Saturday, others fasted the entire week, and a minority fasted for 40 days. (The 40-day fast eventually developed into what is now known as Lent.)

The early Christians typically concluded their weekly fasts at 3:00 PM, although some fasted longer:

• “The stations [times of fasting] do not extend beyond the last hour of the day, since even prayers were generally concluded at the ninth hour [3:00 PM], according to Peter’s example, which is recorded in Acts [3:1].” – Tertullian (c. 213)
• “We fast even to the ninth hour [3:00 PM], or even to the evening. There may even be a passing over to the next day.” – Victorinus (c. 280)

In addition to the prescribed weekly fasts, individuals and church leaders were free to fast any time they desired:

• “[The majority of Christians agree] that fasting . . . is part of the new discipline of choice – not command. They say it should be observed according to the times and needs of each individual. Furthermore, they say that this had been the observance of the apostles, imposing no other yoke of definite fasts to be observed by all Christians in general.” – Tertullian (c. 213)
• “It is a customary practice for the bishops to issue mandates for fasts to the universal commonality of the church. I do not mean fasts for the special purpose of collecting contributions of alms, as your beggarly fashion has it. Rather, I am referring to fasts sometimes enacted because of some particular cause of ecclesiastical concern.” – Tertullian (c. 213)
• “There is certainly freedom for the Christian to fast at any time.” – Origen (c. 238)

How to fast

Although some believers may have refrained from all food on fast days, it appears that most of them ate only bread and water:

• “Having fulfilled what is written, in the day on which you fast, you will taste nothing but bread and water. Then, reckon up the price of the meals of that day that you intended to have eaten, and give that amount to a widow, an orphan, or some person in need.” – Hermas (c. 150)
• “In the first place, fasting is the affliction of the flesh. It makes an offering to the Lord of mourning garments and scantiness of food, content with a simple diet and the pure drink of water. It is a victim able to appease the Lord by means of the sacrifice of humiliation. . . . This bodily patience adds grace to our prayers for good, a strength to our prayers against evil.” – Tertullian (c. 200)

According to Isaiah 58, a fast that pleases God is not simply a fast from food. Rather, God is pleased when we fast from evil, pursue righteousness, and use our resources to help the poor and needy:

• “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? . . . Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually.” – Isaiah 58:6-11

The early Christians also believed that a true fast is one that refrains from evil and pursues righteousness:

• “He says, ‘You do not know how to fast unto the Lord; this useless fasting which you observe to Him is of no value.’ . . . ‘I say to you,’ he continued, ‘that the fasting which you think you observe is not a fasting. But I will teach you what is a full and acceptable fast to the Lord: . . . Do no evil in your life, and serve the Lord with a pure heart. Keep His commandments, walking in His precepts, and let no evil desire arise in your heart. And believe in God. Do these things, fear Him, and abstain from every evil thing. If you do so, you will live to God. And if you do these things, you will keep a great fast, one that is acceptable before God.’” – Hermas (c. 150)
• “What is a fast, then? ‘Look, this is the fast that I have chosen, says the Lord. Loose every band of wickedness’ [Isa. 58:6]” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “‘Fasting with prayer is a good thing’ [Tobit 12:8]. Now fasting signifies abstinence from all evils whatsoever: in action, word, and even in thought.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “Isaiah has also authoritatively declared, ‘Not such a fast has the Lord elected’ [Isa. 58:6] – that is, not abstinence from food, but the words of righteousness.” – Tertullian (c. 213)
• “If there is among the Christians any who are poor and needy, and if the others have no spare food, they fast two or three days in order to supply food to the needy.” – Aristides (c. 125)
• “When you fast, you must approach Christ, your High Priest. He certainly must not be sought on earth but in heaven. Through this One, you should make an offering to God. Do you still want me to show you what kind of fast it is appropriate for you to practice? Fast from every sin, take no food of malice, take no feasts of desire, do not burn with any wine of luxury. Fast from evil deeds, abstain from evil words, hold yourself from evil thoughts. Do not touch the ‘secret loaves’ of perverse doctrine. Do not desire the deceptive foods of philosophy which seduce you from truth. Such a fast pleases God. . . . However, I do not say this so that we might relax the practice of Christian abstinence. For . . . we have the fourth and the sixth day of the week on which we regularly fast. And there is certainly freedom for the Christian to fast at any time.” – Origen (c. 238)

Conclusion

As seen in their practices of prayer and fasting, the early Christians took Jesus’ teachings literally and did their best to follow them. Let us, like them, follow His instruction, “Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).