Q&A: The Greek Origin of the Amidah Prayer
The Greek Origin of the Amidah Prayer
Question
Hello and good morning,
In Aeschylus’s play “The Suppliants” (those who plead / seek refuge / seek protection), the daughters of Danaus pray in a wording and order similar to the Amidah prayer. Did the play influence our ancestors to such an extent that they saw fit to adopt the prayer from the play, and would there be anything improper about that?
P.S.: A similar prayer also appears in Aeschylus’s drama “Eumenides.”
Best regards, Benjamin
Answer
I’m not familiar with it, but I don’t see anything improper about it even if it’s true. Beyond that, I don’t know which way the influence would run (Aeschylus lived and worked roughly in the period of the Men of the Great Assembly, who instituted the Amidah). The question is also how great the similarity actually is.
Discussion on Answer
Nice. That’s exactly what I would pray for in their place.
Benjamin,
Does it seem plausible to you that Greek influences reached the Men of the Great Assembly? As far as I know, there weren’t such influences until Alexander’s conquests.
There’s also the zeitgeist.
As for the degree of similarity, it can be summarized like this:
The daughters of Danaus pray for the salvation of the land from external and internal war, for the prevention of disease, for the fruit of the land and the fruit of the womb of humans and animals, for good political leadership in the city, for the upholding of law and justice for citizen and stranger, for the orderly offering of sacrifices properly and according to the customs of the city, and for the sounding of song with a pure mouth over altar and sacrifice.
Aeschylus, Hiketides v.625 sq ; Eumenides 903sq., 938 sq.