"In a short note that appeared in Neuphilologische Mitteifungen 88 ( 19H7) 31-34 I maintained that the word paternoster, which has been applied over the centuries in many senses, came to serve in the Middle Ages as a synonym for lovemaking. In addition, I sought to elucidate why the name of the prayer- derived from its first two words in Latin-would have acquired such associations with sexual acts. My note elicited an even briefer but nonetheless very sharp rebuttal fromBengt Löfstedt in Neuphilologische Mitteilungen 89 (1988) 212-214. In the present essay I would like to examine Löfstedt's reasoning and to set forth new evidence to support my initial conclusions."