Prayers of the Early Church

Prayers of the Early Church, edited by J. Manning Potts, was first published in 1908. It contains a selection of prayers arranged chronologically and collected from many early books of prayers and devotional materials. The volume brings together voices from across the formative centuries of Christianity, preserving liturgical and personal prayers that reflect the theology, worship, and spiritual concerns of the early Church.

The chapters include New Testament prayers attributed to figures such as Simeon, Mary, Jesus, Stephen, Paul, and Peter, followed by other first-century prayers drawn from sources including Clement of Rome and the Clementine and Syrian Clementine liturgies. Second-century material features prayers associated with Polycarp, Ignatius, the Liturgy of St. James, Barnabas, Clement of Alexandria, and Irenaeus.

Later sections present third-, fourth-, and fifth-century prayers from a wide range of traditions, including the Old Gallican Sacramentary, the Liturgies of St. Mark and St. Cyril, Eastern Church services, and writings attributed to figures such as Ambrose, Basil, Chrysostom, and Augustine. The collection concludes with prayers from sources such as the Leonine and Gelasian Sacramentaries and the Liturgy of the Blessed Apostles, making the book a valuable reference for readers interested in early Christian worship, liturgy, and devotional history.