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Greek · Homilies ·

Interpretatio orationis Pater noster

John Chrysostom · khazarzar

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machine-draft · no human review 3 passages · 585 words

Work dossier · summary and historical context

Summary

The Interpretatio orationis Pater noster is a Greek homily on the Lord's Prayer traditionally attributed to John Chrysostom. It survives in a single manuscript tradition without early papyri or independent witnesses, making textual verification difficult. The work is often dated to Chrysostom's Antiochene period (c. 386–397), but this lacks firm evidence. It was widely copied in Byzantine liturgical manuscripts and influenced later catechetical and homiletic traditions. The homily interprets the Lord's Prayer as a call to moral action, using military imagery and Antiochene exegetical methods. Its brevity and style have led some scholars to question Chrysostom's authorship, though it remains influential in liturgical commentary.

This homily matters as a witness to the reception and interpretation of the Lord's Prayer in late antique Antioch, reflecting Antiochene exegetical methods and moral theology. Its influence on Byzantine liturgical and catechetical traditions underscores its role in shaping medieval Christian piety. The disputed authorship highlights broader questions about the Chrysostom corpus and the transmission of patristic texts.

Historical context

The homily is traditionally placed in the late 4th century, during John Chrysostom's presbyterate in Antioch (c. 386–397), a period of intense homiletic activity. The community was Greek-speaking, Nicene Christian, and engaged in Antiochene exegesis emphasizing literal and moral interpretation. The work survives only in a single manuscript tradition, with no early papyri or independent witnesses, suggesting limited circulation or later compilation. It was transmitted in Byzantine liturgical manuscripts, often alongside other catechetical texts, indicating its use in educational or liturgical settings. The genre is a homily, a common form for Chrysostom, but the brevity and style have raised doubts about authenticity. The text's relation to other Christian literature includes parallels with Chrysostom's other works and later Byzantine commentaries on the Lord's Prayer.

Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded

Annotation and terms

16 commentary units 3 structure3 reception2 sense2 scripture2 background2 parallel2 term 0 derived notes 4 open questions 3 narrative
What the kinds mean

Pipeline notes

  • coverageNo English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed.
  • limitThe English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve.
  • registerRegister: homily in ancient Greek; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them.
  • structurePassages: 3 narrative.
  • sourceSource edition: khazarzar — Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer

Term index

CopticRenderingCountFirst
no glossary terms recorded
khazarzar-john-chrysostom-interpretatio-orationis-pater-noster:1 · narrativehigh
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Ἑρμηνεία εἰς τὸ, "Πάτερ ἡμῶν" Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Πατέρα λέγεις, ἄνθρωπε, τὸν Θεόν; Καλῶς λέγεις. Ἔστι γὰρ Πατὴρ πάντων. Ἀλλὰ σπεῦδε ἐργάζεσθαι ἔργα ἀρέσκοντα τῷ Πατρί σου. Εἰ δὲ κακὰ ποιεῖς ἔργα, πρόδηλον ὅτι τὸν διάβολον ἐπικαλῇ πατέρα· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἔφορος τῶν κακῶν. Διὸ σπεῦδε ἐκφυγεῖν τοῦτον, ἀρέσαι δὲ τῷ ἀγαθῷ Πατρὶ καὶ ποιητῇ σου. Ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου. Καὶ τί γάρ; οὐκ ἔστιν ἅγιος ὁ Θεός; Ναὶ, ἅγιος· ἀλλὰ τοῦτο λέγεις, Ἐν ἐμοὶ ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου, ὅπως ἴδωσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὰ καλὰ ἔργα μου, καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα καὶ ποιητήν μου. Ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου. Τί γάρ; οὐκ ἔστι βασιλεὺς ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι μέλλει ἔρχεσθαι ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ; Ναὶ, βασιλεύς ἐστι πάντων, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ πόλις κυκλωθεῖσα ὑπὸ ἐχθρῶν ζητεῖ ἐλθεῖν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἐξελέσθαι αὐτήν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς κυκλωθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων δυνάμεων καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν καὶ πονηρῶν λογισμῶν, ζητοῦμεν ἐλθεῖν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐξελέσθαι ἡμᾶς. Καὶ κατὰ ἄλλον τρόπον· ἐπειδὴ ὁ προφήτης λέγει, Ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τὰ ἔθνη, τῷ παρελθόντι χρόνῳ ὡς μέλλοντι χρησάμενος, χάριν τούτου κράζομεν· Ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου, Κύριε· τουτέστιν, Ἐλθέτω ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὰ ἐλέη σου· Γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Λέγει γὰρ οὕτω· Κύριε, ὥσπερ ἐγένετο τὸ θέλημά σου ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ εἰσὶν ἄγγελοι ἅπαντες ἐν εἰρήνῃ, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς ὁ ὠθῶν καὶ ἀντωθούμενος, οὔτε τύπτων καὶ τυπτόμενος, ἀλλὰ πάντες ἐν εἰρήνῃ βαθείᾳ· οὕτω καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς ἀνθρώποις γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου·
English
Interpretation of the “Our Father.” “Our Father who art in the heavens.” You call God “Father,” O man? You speak rightly. For He is Father of all. But hasten to do works pleasing to your Father. If you do evil works, it is evident that you invoke the devil as father; for he is the overseer of evil things. Therefore hasten to flee from him, and to please your good Father and maker. “Hallowed be thy name.” And why? Is God not holy? Yes, He is holy; but you say this: “Let thy name be hallowed in me, so that men may see my good works and glorify my Father and maker.” “Let thy kingdom come.” Why? Is God not king, that His kingdom is to come? Yes, He is king of all, but just as a city surrounded by enemies seeks the coming of the king’s power to deliver it, so also we, surrounded by hostile powers and by our sins and evil thoughts, seek the coming of God’s kingdom to deliver us. And in another way: since the prophet says, “God reigned over the nations,” using the past tense as if it were future, for this reason we cry out: “Let thy kingdom come, Lord”; that is, “Let thy mercies come upon us.” “Let thy will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth.” For it says thus: “Lord, just as thy will was done in heaven, and all the angels are in peace, and there is among them none who pushes or is pushed, nor one who strikes or is struck, but all are in deep peace, so also let thy will be done among us men on earth.
khazarzar-john-chrysostom-interpretatio-orationis-pater-noster:2 · narrativehigh
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ἵνα πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐν ἑνὶ στόματι καὶ μιᾷ καρδίᾳ δοξάσωμεν τὸν ποιητὴν καὶ Σωτῆρα ἡμῶν. Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον. Ἐπιούσιον ἄρτον λαβεῖν αἰτοῦμεν. Ἄρτος δὲ ψυχῆς λόγος Θεοῦ, καθὼς ἔφη τις τῶν ἁγίων· Ἄνοιγε, τέκνον, σὸν στόμα λόγῳ Θεοῦ. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο συχνοτέρως μνημονεύειν Θεοῦ καλὸν ἢ ἀναπνεῖν· Καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν. Λέγει δὲ οὕτω. Καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ χρέη ἡμῶν, τουτέστι, τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν καὶ τὰ πταίσματα, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν πᾶσι τοῖς πταίουσι καὶ ἁμαρτάνουσιν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀδελφοῖς ἡμῶν, ἐλευθέροις τε καὶ δούλοις, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ὑποχειρίοις ἡμῶν. Ταῦτα λέγων, ἄνθρωπε, ἐὰν οὐ ποιῇς οὕτως, ἐννόησον ὅτι φοβερὸν τὸ ἐμπεσεῖν ἡμᾶς εἰς χεῖρας Θεοῦ ζῶντος· καὶ διορθωσάμενος ἐπίστρεψον πρὸς τὸν ποιητὴν καὶ Κύριον. Ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ. Ἐὰν ζητήσῃ ἡμᾶς ὁ Σατανᾶς σινιάσαι, ὡς τὸν σῖτον, ὥσπερ καὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐζήτησε, καὶ ὡς δέον ἀπέτυχεν, ἀλλ' ὡς τὸ πάλαι Ἰὼβ, μὴ δῷς αὐτῷ ἐξουσίαν καθ' ἡμῶν· ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ πονηρὸς ἄνθρωπος θελήσῃ πειρᾶσαι ἡμᾶς ἢ ἀδικῆσαι, μὴ δῷς ἡμᾶς εἰς τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ σκέπασον ἡμᾶς ἐν τῇ σκέπῃ τῶν πτερύγων σου. Ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία καὶ ἡ δύναμις. Κύριε, ἐπεὶ σή ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία, μὴ ἐάσῃς ἡμᾶς φοβηθῆναι ἑτέραν βασιλείαν, εἴτε δεσποτείαν ἄλλην, εἰ καὶ ἄξιοί ἐσμεν κολάσεως διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν. Σὺ ἡμᾶς, οἵῳ θέλεις τρόπῳ, τιμώρησον, καὶ μὴ παραδῷς ἡμᾶς εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων·
English
so that all nations, with one mouth and one heart, may glorify our Maker and Saviour. “Give us this day our daily bread.” We ask to receive daily bread. But the bread of the soul is the Word of God, as one of the saints said: “Open, child, your mouth to the Word of God.” And for this reason, it is good to remember God more often than to breathe. “And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.” He speaks thus: “And forgive us our debts,” that is, our sins and transgressions, “as we also forgive all who trespass and sin against us, our brothers, both free and slaves, and all who are under our authority.” Saying these things, O man, if you do not act accordingly, consider that it is terrible to fall into the hands of the living God; and having corrected yourself, turn back to your Maker and Lord. “But deliver us from the evil one.” If Satan should seek to sift us, like grain, just as he sought the apostles and failed as was fitting, but as in the case of Job of old, do not give him power over us. But even if an evil man should wish to tempt or wrong us, do not deliver us into his will, but shelter us under the shelter of your wings. For yours is the kingdom and the power. “Lord, since the kingdom is yours, do not let us fear another kingdom or any other dominion, even if we deserve punishment for our sins. You punish us in whatever manner you wish, and do not hand us over into the hands of men.
khazarzar-john-chrysostom-interpretatio-orationis-pater-noster:3 · narrativehigh
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ἀλλ' ἐμπεσώμεθα εἰς χεῖράς σου ὅτι ὡς ἡ μεγαλωσύνη σου, οὕτω καὶ τὸ ἔλεός σου, Πάτερ παντοκράτορ, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.
English
but let us fall into your hands, for as your greatness is, so also is your mercy, Father Almighty, unto the ages. Amen.
Citation. Tergwame, “Interpretatio orationis Pater noster”, khazarzar-john-chrysostom-interpretatio-orationis-pater-noster:1, machine-draft, 2026. https://naxiai.com/christian/works/khazarzar-john-chrysostom-interpretatio-orationis-pater-noster#s1
Colophon. Source: khazarzar · licence: Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer · model: deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor · provider: Relace · cost: $0.0019 · generated 2026-11-15.