The Pater Noster cord (also spelled Paternoster Cord and called Paternoster beads) is a set of prayer beads used in Christianity to recite the 150 Psalms, as well as the

Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...

. As such, Paternoster cords traditionally consist of 150 beads that are prayed once or 50 beads that are prayed thrice; one end of the Paternoster cord has a Christian cross and the other end has a tassel. In the medieval era, those persons who were illiterate simply recited the

(known as the ''Pater Noster'' in Ecclesiastical Latin) 150 times instead of the 150 Psalms, hence giving these Christian prayer beads the name of the Paternoster cord.

Development and use

In the 3rd century, the early Christian Desert Fathers carried pebbles in pouches to count their

praying Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified an ...

of the Psalms. The Pater Noster Cord originated in the 8th century in Ireland, as a way to count the recitation of the one hundred and fifty Psalms in the Bible, which are incorporated into the

fixed prayer times Fixed prayer times, praying at dedicated times during the day, are common practice in major world religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Judaism Jewish law requires Jews to pray thrice a day; the morning prayer is known as Shachari ...

of Christianity. Those who could not read or had difficulty memorizing the canonical hours prayed the

one hundred and fifty times. Ropes of 150 knots prayed once or ropes of 50 knots (to be counted thrice) were made, giving the Pater Noster Cord its current form. The use of the Paternoster Cords spread throughout Western Christendom. The Pater Noster cord has been carried by Christians who wear it off of their girdle or belt, or also hang it off of "the neck or wrist or arm". Others have worn the Pater Noster cord by attaching it to a brooch worn on the breast, or simply carrying it in their hand.

Assemblage

The making of Paternoster Cords in the Middle Ages was done by guilds who were distinguished based on the kind of materials they used to assemble them ("coral and shell, amber and jet, or bone and horn"). In the present day,

religious order A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practi ...

s such as the Solitaries of DeKoven (a community of Anglican hermits) make Pater Noster cords to support themselves.

References

{{reflist Christian prayer Prayer beads Psalms Lord's Prayer

Development and use

Assemblage

See also

References