1 Tim 2: 1-4 provides a clear scriptual foundation for such prayer:
"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thankgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
So it presumably was a part of Christian worship from earliest times.
Tertullian responds to accusations that the Christians are traitors by writing at length on such prayers:
For we offer prayer for the safety of our princes to the eternal, the true, the living God, whose favour, beyond all others, they must themselves desire. They know from whom they have obtained their power; they know,
as they are men, from whom they have received life itself; they are convinced that He is God alone, on whose power alone they are entirely dependent, to whom they are second, after whom they occupy the highest places, before and above all the gods.
...
But we merely, you say, flatter the emperor, and feign these prayers of ours to escape persecution. Thank you for your mistake, for you give us the opportunity of proving our allegations. Do you, then, who think that we care nothing for the welfare of Cæsar, look into God’s revelations, examine our sacred books, which we do not keep in hiding, and which many accidents put into the hands of those who are not of us. Learn from them that a large benevolence is enjoined upon us, even so far as to supplicate God for our enemies, and to beseech blessings on our persecutors. ...
There is also another and a greater necessity for our offering prayer in behalf of the emperors, nay, for the complete stability of the empire, and for Roman interests in general. For we know that a mighty shock impending over the whole earth—in fact, the very end of all things threatening dreadful woes—is only retarded by the continued existence of the Roman empire. We have no desire, then, to be overtaken by these dire events; and in praying that their coming may be delayed, we are lending our aid to Rome’s duration...
[Tertullian, Apology, 29-32]
I do not think it is clear when these prayers entered the anaphora or Eucharistic Prayer. Justin Martyr, writing about a Baptism in his First Apology, describes intercessions occurring before the eucharistic prayer - like the "Prayer of the faithful" or "Universal Prayer" today:
On 5Jun, 2017, at 08:23, John Shinners <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: subscribe medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: unsubscribe medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/medieval-religionA friend and colleague asks me the questions below. I know that the later Carolingian kings had their names inserted in the Canon of the Mass (this from Pawel Figurski's work), but I'm stumped on the whether luminaries besides kings got this honor. So . . .
1. Did the medieval church service invoke the names of the pope, the local bishop, and the reigning king as it often does (or its equivalent) in services today?2. Is there a name for this request for prayers for these powerful living people?3. Where might I look to find some description of such a call for prayers in the medieval church?
Any enlightenment is welcome.
John
--
John Shinners
Professor, Schlesinger Chair in Humanistic Studies Emeritus
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
Phone: 574-284-4534
Fax: 284-4855
www.saintmarys.edu/~hust
"Learn everything. Later you will see that nothing is superfluous." -- Hugh of St. Victor (d. 1141)