The Lukan Lord’s Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer is one of the most familiar scriptural texts in Christendom, recited regularly by believers around the world. Because the Matthean text of the prayer is used liturgically, Luke’s version is often neglected. Not only is it one-third shorter, but the Lukan text is also situated differently in the context of Jesus’ ministry. Both versions evidence a prominent tautology in the English translations of the fourth petition. This petition also has a notorious hapax legomenon first noted by Origen. The article first discusses these features of the Lord’s Prayer in Luke. It then elucidates the context of Luke’s version by noting that it is set within a larger pericope that repeatedly emphasizes the Holy Spirit. Because of this emphasis, the Lord’s Prayer in Luke should be interpreted using a pneumatological reading.