On Prayer 10 · Sophia Scriptura

Latin text · CSEL 20:187

Quoniam tamen dominus prospector humanarum necessitatum seorsum post traditam orandi disciplinam, petite, inquit, et accipietis, et sunt, quae petantur pro circumstantia cuiusque, praemissa legitima et ordinaria oratione quasi fundamento, accedentium ius est desideriorum superstruendi extrinsecus petitiones, cum memoria tamen praeceptorum.

English · Claude translation

Yet since the Lord, who foresees human needs, said separately, after handing on the rule of prayer, “Ask, and you will receive,” and since there are things to be asked according to each person's circumstances, then, the lawful and ordinary prayer having been said first as a foundation, we have the right to build on it from outside petitions for our further desires, keeping in mind, however, the precepts.

About this passage

Source

CSEL 20:187 · August Reifferscheid and Georg Wissowa, eds., Quinti Septimi Florentis Tertulliani Opera, Pars 1, CSEL 20 (Prague: Tempsky; Vienna: Tempsky; Leipzig: Freytag, 1890), 180–200 · Latin text: August Reifferscheid and Georg Wissowa (CSEL 20), digitized by Open Greek and Latin, University of Leipzig (csel-dev), CC BY-SA 4.0

Text

As printed in CSEL 20. Manuscript variants and the editor's apparatus are not reproduced; no textual problem is noted in this passage.

Translation

Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 · Translated by Claude from the Latin text of CSEL 20; made independently of existing English translations.

Compare

Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 3 (1885) (an older public-domain English translation, whole volume at CCEL; checked against ours only after ours was made)

Scripture

Matt 7:7 · quotation, high confidence

Topics

Prayer

Notes

Translation notes

The quotation is Matt 7:7 (John 16:24). The digital text has a stray line number “10” in “necessitatum”, removed.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (broken word and stray line number in the digital text): neces- 10 sitatum → necessitatum.

Cite this passage

Tertullian, Or. 10 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/tertullian-oratione/10/).

Plain text

Tertullian, Or. 10 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/tertullian-oratione/10/).