Prayer: Tertullian: Prayer as Spiritual Sacrifice

Tertullian (d. c. 220) wrote the earliest extant Christian treatise on prayer ("De Oratione"). He called prayer "the spiritual sacrifice which has abolished the former sacrifices. What good do we gain from a multitude of cattle for slaughter? The Lord requires prayer from the heart, not from the herd." Tertullian saw prayer as replacing the entire sacrificial system of the Old Testament.

Tertullian also gave practical instructions: pray facing east (toward the rising sun, symbolizing Christ), wash your hands before prayer as a sign of purity, and raise your hands moderately "because the Lord suffered with humble arms." He taught that even the posture of the body in prayer communicates theological truth.

Practical application: Experiment with different prayer postures this week: standing with hands raised (praise), kneeling (submission), prostrate (penitence), sitting with open palms (receptivity). Tertullian teaches that the body participates in prayer and that physical posture can guide and deepen the prayer of the heart.