Editing Intercession (section)

===In the early Church===
The early Christians continued to practice intercessory prayer on behalf of others after Jesus' death. [[Ignatius of Antioch]] was one man who exhorted Christians to continue to pray for others, and especially for those who became [[Docetism|Docetists]] or held other [[heresy|heretical]] beliefs.<ref>Shepherd, Jr. Massey Hamilton. "Smyrna in the Ignatian Letters: A Study in Church Order". ''The Journal of Religion'' 20.2 (1940): 151. Web.</ref> In his [[Letter to the Smyrnaeans|letter to the churches of Smyrna]], St. Ignatius exhorts the Christians there to pray for other people: "only you must pray to God for them, if by any means they may be brought to repentance, which, however, will be very difficult. Yet Jesus Christ, who is our true life, has the power of [effecting] this".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0109.htm|title=CHURCH FATHERS: Epistle to the Smyrnaeans (St. Ignatius)|website=www.newadvent.org}}</ref> Throughout all of Ignatius's letters, the word for prayers of intercession appears nineteen times, and Ignatius asks for prayer "for himself (eight times), for the Christian church in [[Syria]] (seven times), for persecutors, heretics, and all people generally (once each)".<ref>"Smyrna in the Ignatian Letters: A Study in Church Order". ''The Journal of Religion'' 20.2 (1940): 152.</ref>

St. Ignatius and the other church fathers, such as [[Paul the Apostle]], who were keen on intercessory prayer based this practice on Jesus' own teachings which required that one pray for others, especially one's enemies:

{{quote|But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.|{{bibleref2|Luke|6:27–28}}}}

According to Lionel Swain, of [[St. Edmund's College, Ware]], St. Paul believed intercession to be one of the most important aspects of faith and praying life, as praying for others is a recurring theme in his works.<ref>John Greehy, John Quinlan, Lionel Swain and S. Purcell. "Homiletic Notes", 17 ''The Furrow'' Vol. 19, No. 11, Supplement: The Bible, No. 6 (Autumn, 1968), pp. 14–19</ref> Prayer acts as a way for St. Paul to acknowledge God's power. Intercessory prayer also acts as a way for the Apostle to "share in&nbsp;... the Father's redemptive love".<ref name="Homiletic Notes 17">"Homiletic Notes" 17</ref> Paul believed that prayer transformed the person doing the praying, as much as the one being prayed for, which creates a stronger bond between him and God.<ref name="Homiletic Notes 17"/>

Prof. Dr Johannes van Oort, Professor Extraordinarius in the Department of Church History and Church Polity of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, adds that, in addition to praying for wisdom, the early church was very much involved with different [[charisma]]s, one of which being healing. Praying for other people's illnesses was another way that intercessory prayer was important in the early church, as healing was a sign of "the power of God's Kingdom".<ref>van Oort, Johannes. "The Holy Spirit and the Early Church: The Experience of the Spirit". ''Hervormde Teologiese Studies'' 68.1 (2012): 1–7.</ref> This gift of healing is specifically mentioned, among the other charismata, as a sign of being a true Christian by [[Irenaeus|Irenaeus of Lyons]] in his text, ''Against Heresies''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103232.htm|title=Church Fathers: Against Heresies, II.32 (St. Irenaeus)|website=www.newadvent.org}}</ref>

A very powerful intercessory prayer scripture in the Bible is Bible Verse '''''James 5:16: Pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.'''''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Powerful Intercessory Prayer Request |url=https://jesusanswers.com/intercessory-prayer-request.htm |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=jesusanswers.com |language=en-US}}</ref>