The Lord's Prayer
in Middle English
The Lourdes Preyere
Oure fadir that art in heuenes,
halewid be thi name;
thi kyngdoom come to;
be thi wille don, in erthe as in heuene.
Yyue to vs this dai oure breed ouer othir substaunce,
and foryyue to vs oure dettis, as we foryyuen to oure dettouris;
and lede vs not in to temptacioun, but delyuere vs fro yuel.
Middle English represents the diverse set of English language dialects in use between approximately 1150 to 1470 AD. Notable examples in literature are the writings of Geoffrey Chaucer (c.1343 to 1400) and William Langland (c. 1332 to c. 1386). Middle English is superceeded by Early Modern English and the standardization of the English language.
Explore the Lord's Prayer through the writings of three famous biblical theologians (Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke and Albert Barnes).
The Lord's prayer opens with addressing God as "Father who art in Heaven". There are then seven petitions. The first requests are contected with the worship of God ("Hallowed be thy name") and His ways. The next four concern the needs of man - his physical ("Give us today our daily bread"), mental (with temptation) spiritual (against evil) and relational needs (forgiveness). The prayer then concludes with a doxology.
Alexis Carrel (1873-1944) French surgeon and biologist