The Paternoster (the “Our Father” or the “Lord’s Prayer”) is the central prayer of Christianity. The New Testament ascribes it to Jesus and presents him as teaching it to his followers as a basic form of prayer (I). It has been widely influential: in the liturgy, in catechesis, and in Christian devotion (II).
I. New Testament
In the New Testament, the Paternoster appears in a shorter (Luke 11:2–4) and a longer (Matt 6:9–13) version. It comprises an address, an asyndetic series…