New Books Network Daniel K. Falk and Rodney A. Werline, "Prayer in the Ancient World Vol.1" (Brill, 2027)
Dec 17, 2025
Daniel K. Falk, a prominent scholar in Classics and Jewish Studies at Penn State, dives into the fascinating world of ancient prayers, drawing from his extensive work on a multi-volume project. He touches on the broad definition of prayer and discusses unique examples, like graffiti prayers found in unexpected locations. Falk emphasizes accessibility for non-specialists and highlights the project's innovative digital features. Reflecting on the significance of prayer today, he explores its social roles and shares insights on future projects, including work on the Dead Sea Scrolls.
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A Broad Functional Definition Of Prayer
- Prayer is defined broadly as any human act intended to communicate with or solicit benefit from a superhuman agent.
- This inclusive definition allows nonverbal, third-person, and non-theistic practices to count as prayer.
Assemble Diverse Specialists For Comparison
- Build comparative prayer studies by assembling specialists across languages and regions.
- Use cross-disciplinary teams to avoid narrow, discipline-specific assumptions about prayer.
Graffiti Prayers Reveal Everyday Devotion
- Falk highlights graffiti prayers found in late antique Judaism and thousands of rock inscriptions in the Arabian desert.
- These informal inscriptions reveal ordinary people’s everyday devotional practices outside elite literary texts.