The Lord’s Prayer, a cornerstone of Christian tradition, holds within it a profound and often misunderstood concept of evil. The phrase “deliver us from evil” is commonly interpreted as a request for protection from an external force, a malevolent being or entity. However, a closer examination of the original Greek text reveals a more nuanced understanding of evil, one that is not a noun or a person, but rather an adjective or adverb – a phenomenological evil that pervades our existence.
This concept of evil is not something that can be eliminated or avoided, but rather it is an inherent aspect of our reality. It is the banality of evil, as Hannah Arendt so aptly described it, that allows it to persist and spread. The evil of banality is not something that is intentionally malicious, but rather it is the unthinking, unexamined performance of routine actions that can lead to harm and suffering.
The request to “deliver us from evil” is, therefore, not a plea for protection from an external force, but rather a recognition of the inherent evil that exists within ourselves and our world. It is a call to acknowledge and confront the evil that we may unknowingly perpetuate, and to strive to minimize our negative impact on others.
This understanding of evil is closely tied to the concept of conscience, which is the awareness of our own guilt and shame. Conscience is not something that can be abolished or ignored, but rather it is an essential aspect of our humanity. It is the conscience that allows us to recognize the evil that we may have committed, and to take responsibility for our actions.
The Lord’s Prayer, when understood in this light, is not a transactional request for favors or protection, but rather a profound recognition of the human condition. It is a call to acknowledge our own limitations and weaknesses, and to strive for a deeper understanding of ourselves and our place in the world.
In the words of Simone Weil, “It is only the impossible that is possible for God. He has given over the possible to the mechanics of matter and the autonomy of his creatures.” The request to “deliver us from evil” is, therefore, not something that we can achieve on our own, but rather it is a recognition of our own limitations and a call to seek guidance and redemption from a higher power.
Ultimately, the Lord’s Prayer is not just a religious text, but a profound philosophical and existential reflection on the human condition. It is a call to confront the evil that exists within ourselves and our world, and to strive for a deeper understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. By examining the concept of evil in the Lord’s Prayer, we can gain a deeper understanding of the human condition and the nature of existence itself.
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