Crossan, John Dominic. The Greatest Prayer Ever: Rediscovering the Revolutionary Message of the Lord’s Prayer. Harper One, 2010. ISBN: 97800618575670.
Meet the Author
According to Harper Collins, John Dominic Crossan “is generally regarded as the leading historical Jesus scholar in the world.” He has been a professor of religious studies at DePaul University since 1969 and currently serves that institution as professor emeritus. Over the last forty years Crossan has written twenty-five books on the historical Jesus, earliest Christianity, and the historical Paul. Some of his best-sellers include God and Empire: Jesus Against Rome, Then and Now; The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant; and Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography. He has also co-authored a series of books with Marcus Borg (for my review of Borg’s latest book click here). Crossan lectures around the world and has been interviewed on over 200 radio stations and numerous American television programs including ABC’s PrimeTime and Nightline; CBS’ Early Show and 48 Hours; NBC’s Dateline; and Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor. For more information, visit his website.
Book Basics
The Greatest Prayer Ever is a fresh look at the best known Christian prayer. Written for a popular audience but with scholarship suitable for the academy, the book explores the more familiar Matthean text in an effort to encourage readers to rediscover, or simply discover, the revolutionary message of the Lord’s Prayer. Beginning with the premise that the prayer is a revolutionary manifesto and a hymn of hope, Crossan provides literary and historical evidence to support his views.
Crossan indicates that the book seeks to weave together five connected themes (p.181-182):
- Translating the patriarchal name “father” as “householder” to restore the intended original meaning of the word for a 21st century audience
- As those made in the image of the Divine Householder, we are to collaborate with God as stewards who seek to maintain the world in justice and equality
- Jesus as Heir of God, the divine Householder of the World – with son-ship and maleness understood as cultural necessity to ensure full rights as heir
- Christians are called to collaborate with Christ as joint heirs with Christ
- The first four themes come together in the Greatest Prayer, which is “both a revolutionary manifesto and a hymn of hope, not just for Christianity, but for the world.”
So What?
“The Lord’s prayer is Christianity’s greatest prayer. It is also Christianity’s strangest prayer. It is prayed by all Christians, but it never mentions Christ. It is prayed in all churches, but it never mentions church. It is prayed on all Sundays, but it never mentions Sunday. It is called the “Lord’s Prayer,” but it never mentions “Lord” (p.1).”
How often do you pray the Lord’s Prayer? When is the last time you slowed down in your praying enough to really think about what each petition means? How have you formed your understanding of the Lord’s Prayer? If you have been a Christian for many years, how has your view of the Lord’s Prayer changed over time?
Note: For those interested in the traditional reformed perspective, I recommend R.C. Sproul’s recent book on this topic: The Prayer of the Lord. You can read my review here.