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Canonical hours are ancient divisions of time, developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed prayers of the daily round. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Prayer is the act of attempting to communicate with a Deity or spirit A Book of Hours contains such a set of prayers. A book of hours is the most common type of surviving Medieval Illuminated manuscript.

In the West, canonical hours may also be called offices, since they refer to the official set of prayer of the Roman Catholic Church that is known variously as the Divine Office (from the Latin officium divinum meaning "divine service" or "divine duty"), and the Opus Dei (meaning in Latin, "Work of God"). Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. The current official version of the hours in the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church is called the Liturgy of the Hours (Latin: Liturgia horarum) in North America or Divine Office in the British Isles. The Latin Rite is one of the 23 Sui iuris Particular Churches within the Catholic Church. This article refers to the Liturgy of the Hours as a specific manifestation of public prayer in the Roman Catholic Church. In the Anglican tradition, they are often known as the Daily Office or Divine Office, to distinguish them from the other Offices of the Church.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, and among Eastern Catholics, the canonical hours may be referred to as the "Divine Services", and the Book of Hours is called the Horologion (Greek: ῾Ωρολόγιον). The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world This article refers to Eastern Churches in full communion with the Holy See See also [[Canonical hours#Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic usage]] [[Canonical hours]] The Horologion ( Greek: ῾Ωρολόγιον Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly There may be numerous small differences in practice according to jurisdiction; but the overall order is the same among eastern Christians who follow the Byzantine style of services (the usage among the Oriental Orthodox Churches will differ from the Byzantine in a number of ways). Oriental Orthodoxy is the communion of Eastern Christian Churches that recognize only three Ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the

The practice of daily prayers grew from the Jewish practice of reciting prayers at set times of the day: for example, in the Book of Acts, Peter and John visit the Temple for the afternoon prayers (Acts 3:1). The Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. Saint John the Evangelist (d ca 110 יוחנן " The LORD is merciful" Standard Hebrew Yoḥanan, Tiberian Hebrew Etymology The Hebrew name given in Scripture for the building is Beit HaMikdash or "The Holy House" and only the Temple in Jerusalem is referred to by this name Psalm 119:164 states: "Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws. Psalm 119 ( Greek numbering Psalm 118) is the longest Psalm as well as the longest chapter in the Bible. "

This practice is believed to have been passed down through the centuries from the Apostles, with different practices developing in different places. The Twelve Apostles (Greek apostolos, "someone sent out" e As monasticism spread, the practice of specified hours and liturgical formats began to develop and become standardized. Those living the monastic life are known by the generic terms Monks (men and Nuns (women Around the year 484, Saint Sabbas began the process of recording the liturgical practices around Jerusalem. Events By Place Europe December 28 — Alaric II succeeds Euric as king of the Visigoths. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the In 525, St. Benedict of Nursia wrote the first official western manual for praying the Hours. Events Dionysius Exiguus proposes a calendar based on the birth of Jesus Christ "Saint Benedict" redirects here This article is about the founder of Western monasticism for other saints named Benedict see Benedict. With the Cluniac reforms of the 11th century there was a new emphasis on liturgy and the canonical hours in the reformed Benedictine priories with the Abbey of Cluny at their head. The Abbey of Cluny (or Cluni, or Clugny, pronunciation klyˈni is an abbey in France. Benedictine refers to the Spirituality and Consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in The Abbey of Cluny (or Cluni, or Clugny, pronunciation klyˈni is an abbey in France. The Holy See did not issue an official Roman breviary until the 11th century, as part of the reforms that were designed to bring all the variant usages of Christian churches in the West into conformity. The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic A breviary (from Latin brevis, 'short' or 'concise' is a Liturgical book of the Latin liturgical rites of the Catholic Church The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings

Already well-established by the ninth century, these canonical offices consisted of eight daily prayer events and three (or four) nightly divisions (called "nocturns", "watches," or "vigils"). The 9th century is the period from 801 to 900 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. This article is about the Christian form of night prayers For the secular musical form see Nocturne. Vigils is a term for night prayer in ancient Christianity. See Vespers, Compline, Nocturns, Matins, and Lauds Building on the recitation of psalms and canticles from Scripture, the Church has added (and, at times, subtracted) hymns, hagiographical readings, and other prayers. Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included A canticle (from the Latin canticulum, a diminutive of canticum, song is a Hymn (strictly excluding the Psalms taken from the Bible A hymn is a type of Song, usually religious specifically written for the purpose of praise adoration or Prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities Hagiography ( is the study of Saints. A hagiography, from Greek (hağios (ἅγιος "holy" or "saint" and graphē (γραφή

The practice of observing canonical hours is maintained by many Churches, including the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, and the Anglican communion. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs The remainder of this article is divided into three sections: the Catholic usage, the Anglican usage, and the Orthodox usage.

Contents

Development of the offices

Judaism and the Early Church

As is noted above, the canonical hours stemmed from Jewish prayer. Prayer is the act of attempting to communicate with a Deity or spirit In the Old Testament, God commanded the Israelite priests to offer sacrifices of animals in the morning and evening (Exodus 29:38-39). In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. Eventually, these sacrifices soon moved from the Tabernacle to the Temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem. The Tabernacle is known in Hebrew as the Mishkan ( משכן "Residence" or "Dwelling Place" King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace" Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the During the Babylonian Exile, when the Temple was no longer in use, the first synagogues were established, and the services (at fixed hours of the day) of Torah readings, psalms, and hymns began to evolve. The Babylonian captivity, Babylonian exile, is the name typically given to the deportation and exile of the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to A synagogue (from Greek: grc συναγωγή transliterated synagogē, "assembly" he בית כנסת beit knesset, "house of term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included This "sacrifice of praise" began to be substituted for the sacrifices of animals.

After the people returned to Judea, the prayer services were incorporated into Temple worship as well. Judea or Judæa ( Hebrew: יהודה Standard Yəhuda Tiberian Yəhûḏāh, "praised As time passed, the Jews began to be scattered across the Greco-Roman world in what is known as the Diaspora. The Jewish diaspora ( Hebrew: Tefutzah, "scattered" or Galut גלות "exile" Yiddish: tfutses) the presence By the time of the Roman Empire, the Jews (and eventually early Christians) began to follow the Roman system of conducting the business day in scheduling their times for prayer. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial In Roman cities, the bell in the forum rang the beginning of the business day at about six o'clock in the morning (Prime, the "first hour"), noted the day's progress by striking again at about nine o'clock in the morning (Terce, the "third hour"), tolled for the lunch break at noon (Sext, the "sixth hour"), called the people back to work again at about three o'clock in the afternoon (None, the "ninth hour"), and rang the close of the business day at about six o'clock in the evening (the time for evening prayer). A bell is a simple Sound -making device The bell is a Percussion instrument and an Idiophone. The Forum was the public space in the middle of a Roman city It had a great social importance and was often the scene of diverse activities including political discussions Prime, or the First Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the traditional Divine Office (Canonical Hours said at the first hour of daylight (approximately 600 a Terce, or Third Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the Christian liturgies Sext, or Sixth Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies None, or the Ninth Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies

The first miracle of the apostles, the healing of the crippled man on the temple steps, occurred because Peter and John went to the Temple to pray (Acts 3:1). Peter is a popular male Given name. It comes from the Greek word πετρος (petros meaning "rock" Saint John the Apostle ( Greek Ιωάννης, see Names of John) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Also, one of the defining moments of the early Church, the decision to include Gentiles among the community of believers, arose from a vision Peter had while praying at noontime (Acts 10:9-49). The term Gentile (from Latin, gentilis, meaning of or belonging to a clan or tribe refers to non- Israelite tribes or nations in the Bible. Peter is a popular male Given name. It comes from the Greek word πετρος (petros meaning "rock"

As Christianity began to separate from Judaism, the practice of praying at fixed times continued. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut The early church was known to pray the Psalms (Acts 4:23-30), which has remained a part of the canonical hours and all Christian prayer since. By 60 AD, the Didache, the oldest known liturgical manual for Christians, recommended disciples to pray the Lord's Prayer three times a day; this practice found its way into the canonical hours as well. Year 60 was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. The Didache ( Koine Greek:, Didachē, meaning "Teaching" ˈdɪdəkiː in English ðiðaˈxi in Modern Greek) is the common name of a brief The Lord's Prayer, also known as the Our Father or Pater noster, is probably the best-known Prayer in Christianity. Pliny the Younger (63 - ca. Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo (61/63 - ca Year 63 was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. 113), who was not a Christian himself, mentions not only fixed times of prayer by believers, but also specific services—other than the Eucharist—assigned to those times: “they met on a stated day before it was light, and addressed a form of prayer to Christ, as to a divinity . . . after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble, to eat in common a harmless meal. . ”[1]

By the second and third centuries, such Church Fathers as Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Tertullian wrote of the practice of Morning and Evening Prayer, and of the prayers at terce, sext, and none. The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, or Fathers of the Church are the early and influential theologians and writers in the Christian Church Saint Clement of Alexandria (born Titus Flavius Clemens) (c150 - 211/216 was the first notable member of the Church of Alexandria, and one of its most Origen ( Greek: Ōrigénēs, or Origen Adamantius, ca 185–ca Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, Anglicised as Tertullian, (ca The prayers could be prayed individually or in groups. By the third century, the Desert Fathers (the earliest monks), began to live out St. Paul's command to "pray without ceasing" (I_Thessalonians 5:17) by having one group of monks pray one fixed-hour prayer while having another group pray the next prayer.

Middle Ages

As the format of unbroken fixed-hour prayer developed in the Christian monastic communities in the East and West, longer prayers soon grew, but the cycle of prayer became the norm in daily life in monasteries. This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. By the fourth century, the characteristics of the canonical hours more or less took their present shape. For secular (non-monastic) clergymen and lay people, the fixed-hour prayers were by necessity much shorter. In many churches and basilicas staffed by monks, the form of the fixed-hour prayers was a hybrid of secular and monastic practice.

In the East, the development of the Divine Services shifted from the area around Jerusalem to Constantinople. Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS In particular, St. Theodore the Studite (ca. Theodore the Studite', also called St Theodore of Stoudios or St Theodore of Studium (759 - 826 was a Byzantine monk and abbot of 758 - ca. Events By Place Asia Emperor Junnin succeeds Empress Kōken on the throne of Japan. 826) combined a number of influences from the Byzantine court ritual with monastic practices common in Asia Minor, and added thereto a number of hymns composed by himself and his brother Joseph (see Typicon for further details). Events By Place Asia Tang Wen Zong succeeds Tang Jing Zong as Emperor of China. Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black The Typikon, or Typicon ( Greek:, (typikon lit "following the order" Slavonic: ѹставъ, (ustav is a Liturgical

In the West, St. Benedict in his famous Rule modeled his guidelines for the prayers on the customs of the basilicas of Rome. "Saint Benedict" redirects here This article is about the founder of Western monasticism for other saints named Benedict see Benedict. The Latin word basilica (derived from Greek, Basiliké Stoà, Royal Stoa) was originally used to describe a Roman Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 It was he who expounded the concept in Christian prayer of the inseparability of the spiritual life from the physical life. St. Benedict was known to have said "Orare est laborare, laborare est orare" ("To pray is to work, to work is to pray"). Thus, the fixed-hour prayers came to be known as the "Divine Office" (office coming from the Latin word for work). The Benedictines began to call the prayers the Opus Dei or "Work of God. Benedictine refers to the Spirituality and Consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in "

As the Divine Office grew more important in the life of the Church, the rituals became more elaborate. Soon, praying the Office began to require various books, such as a Psalter for the psalms, a lectionary to find the assigned Scripture reading for the day, a Bible to proclaim the reading, a hymnal for singing, etc. A Psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms and which often contains other devotional material A Lectionary is a book or listing that contains a collection of Scripture readings appointed for Christian or Judaic worship on a given day or occasion Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin A hymn is a type of Song, usually religious specifically written for the purpose of praise adoration or Prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities As parishes grew in the Middle Ages away from cathedrals and basilicas, a more concise way of arranging the hours was needed. A parish is a Local church; it is an administrative unit typically found in episcopal or presbyterian churches This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral So, a sort of list developed called the Breviary, which gave the format of the daily office and the texts to be used. A breviary (from Latin brevis, 'short' or 'concise' is a Liturgical book of the Latin liturgical rites of the Catholic Church The spread of breviaries eventually reached Rome, where Pope Innocent III extended its use to the Roman Curia. Pope Innocent III ( February 22, 1161 &ndash June 16, 1216) born Lotario de' Conti di Segni, was Pope from January The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Roman Catholic Church, together with the Pope The Franciscans sought a one-volume breviary for its friars to use during travels, so the order adopted the Breviarium Curiae, but substituting the Gallican (French) Psalter for the Roman. The term Franciscan is commonly used to refer to members of Catholic A Friar is a member of one of the Mendicant orders. Friars and monks Friars differ from Monks in that they are called to a life of poverty in service 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 A breviary (from Latin brevis, 'short' or 'concise' is a Liturgical book of the Latin liturgical rites of the Catholic Church The Gallican Rite is a historical sub-grouping of the Roman Catholic Liturgy in Western Europe; it is not a single rite but actually a family of Rites The Franciscans gradually spread this breviary throughout Europe. Pope Nicholas III would then adopt the widely-used Franciscan breviary to be the breviary used in Rome. Pope Nicholas III ( Rome, 1210/1220 &ndash August 22, 1280) born Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, Pope from November 25, By the 14th century, the breviary contained the entire text of the canonical hours.

Roman Rite since the Council of Trent

Texts

Revision by Pope Pius V

The Council of Trent, in its final session on 4 December 1563 entrusted the reform of the Breviary to the Pope. The Council of Trent was the 19th Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. "December 4th" redirects here For the song by Jay-Z, see December 4th (song. [2] On 9 July 1568, Pope Pius V, the successor of the Pope who closed the Council of Trent, promulgated an edition, known as the Roman Breviary, with his Apostolic Constitution Quod a nobis, imposing it in the same way in which, two years later, he imposed his Roman Missal and using language very similar to that in the bull Quo primum with which he promulgated the Missal, regarding, for instance, the perpetual force of its provisions, the obligation to use the promulgated text in all places, and the total prohibition of adding or omitting anything, declaring in fact: "No one whosoever is permitted to alter this letter or heedlessly to venture to go contrary to this notice of Our permission, statute, ordinance, command, precept, grant, indult declaration, will decree and prohibition. Events 455 - Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Pope The Roman Missal ((Missale Romanum is the liturgical book that contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite Quo Primum ( from the first) is the name of an Apostolic constitution in the form of a Papal bull issued by Pope Pius V on 14 Should anyone, however, presume to commit such an act, he should know that he will incur the wrath of Almighty God and of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul. "[3]

Further revision before the Second Vatican Council

Later Popes altered the Roman Breviary of Pope Pius V. Pope Clement VIII made changes that he made obligatory on 10 May 1602, 34 years after Pius V's revision. Not to be confused with Antipope Clement VIII. Pope Clement VIII ( February 24, 1536 &ndash March 3, 1605 Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Pope Urban VIII made further changes, including "a profound alteration in the character of some of the hymns. Pope Although some of them without doubt gained in literary style, nevertheless, to the regret of many, they also lost something of their old charm of simplicity and fervour. "[4] For the profound revision of the book by Pope Pius X see Reform of the Roman Breviary by Pope Pius X. The Reform of the Roman Breviary by Pope Pius X was promulgated by that Pope with the Apostolic Constitution "Divino Afflatu" of 1 November

Pope Pius XII also began reforming the Roman Breviary, allowing use of a new translation of the Psalms and establishing a special commission to study a general revision, with a view to which all the Catholic bishops were consulted in 1955. Pope Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) His successor, Pope John XXIII, made a further revision in 1960. Pope John (numberingBlessed Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Revision following the Second Vatican Council

Latin typical editions

Following the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church's Roman Rite simplified the observance of the canonical hours and sought to make them more accessible to the laity, hoping to restore their character as the prayer of the entire Church. The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, was the twentieth century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. The liturgical rite of the Church of Rome is called the Roman Rite.

The Council itself abolished the office of Prime, and envisioned a manner of distributing the psalms over a period of more than 1 week[5]. In the succeeding revision, the character of Matins was changed to an Office of Readings so that it could be used at any time of the day as an office of Scriptural and hagiographical readings. Furthermore, the period over which the entire Psalter is recited has been expanded from one week to four. The Latin hymns of the Roman Office were once again restored to their pre-Urban revision.

What was called the Roman Breviary is now published under the name "Liturgy of the Hours" (Liturgia Horarum in Latin) in four volumes, arranged according to the liturgical seasons of the Church year. This article refers to the Liturgy of the Hours as a specific manifestation of public prayer in the Roman Catholic Church.

The current liturgical books for the celebration of the Hours in Latin are those of the editio typica altera (second typical edition) promulgated in 1985. A liturgical book is a book published by the authority of a Church, that contains the text and directions for the Liturgy of its official Religious services


Official English Translations

Two English translations are in use.


The Divine Office (non-ICEL)

The Divine Office is translated by a commission set up by the Episcopal Conferences of England and Wales, Australia and Ireland. First published in 1974 by Collins, this edition is the official English edition for use the above countries, as well as many Asian and African dioceses. This title comes complete in three volumes

The psalms are taken from the 1963 Grail Psalms, while the Scriptural readings and canticles are taken from various versions of the Bible, including the Revised Standard Version, the Jerusalem Bible, the Knox Bible, the Today's English Version and the New English Bible. The Revised Standard Version (RSV is an English translation of the Bible published in the mid-20th century The Jerusalem Bible (JB or TJB is a Roman Catholic translation of the Bible which first was introduced to the English -speaking public in 1966 and The New English Bible (NEB was a fresh translation of the Bible into modern English directly from the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic

Collins also publishes shorter editions of The Divine Office:

Between 2005 and 2006, Collins republished The Divine Office and its various shorter editions with a new cover.


Liturgy of the Hours (ICEL)
The Liturgy of the Hours is translated by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL). This article refers to the Liturgy of the Hours as a specific manifestation of public prayer in the Roman Catholic Church. First published in 1975 by Catholic Book Publishing Company in the USA, this edition is the official English edition for use in the USA, Canada and several other English-speaking dioceses. This title comes complete in four volumes in an arrangement identical to the original Latin typical edition.

The psalm are taken mainly from the 1963 Grail Psalms, while the Scriptural readings and canticles are taken from the New American Bible. In 1970, the New American Bible ( NAB) was first published It is an English Bible translation that was produced by members of the

Shorter editions of the Liturgy of the Hours are also available from various publishers: Christian Prayer (Daughters of St Paul and Catholic Book Publishing Company) and Shorter Christian Prayer (Catholic Book Publishing Company only). In 2007, Liturgy Training Publications released the new Mundelein Psalter which provided the complete Morning, Evening and Night Prayers from ICEL's translation set to chant tones.


Both these editions are based on the Latin 1971 editio typica.

Current practice

Priests are required by canon law to pray the entire Liturgy of the Hours each day while deacons are required to pray the morning and evening hours. Canon law is internal ecclesiastical law governing the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Anglican Communion of churches The practice among religious communities varies according to their rules and constitutions. A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity The Second Vatican Council also exhorted the Christian laity to take up the practice, and as a result, many lay people have begun reciting portions of the Liturgy of the Hours. The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, was the twentieth century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church.

Current Roman Catholic usage focuses on three major hours and from two to four minor hours:

The major hours

The major hours consist of the Office of Readings, Morning (or Lauds) and Evening Prayer (or Vespers). ~The Little Hours are the fixed daytime hours of prayer in the Divine Office of Chrisitians both Western Christianity and the Eastern Orthodox Church Compline (ˈkɒmplɪn also Complin, Night Prayer, Prayers at the End of the Day) is the final church service (or Office) of the day in the Lauds is one of the two "major hours" in the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours. Vespers is the evening Prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Eastern (Byzantine Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, liturgies of the

The Office of Readings consists of:

The character of Morning Prayer is that of praise; of Evening Prayer, that of thanksgiving. A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity The term martyr ( Greek μάρτυς martys "witness" is most commonly used today to describe an individual who sacrifices their life (or personal freedom The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, was the twentieth century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament Both follow the same format:

The minor hours

The daytime hours follow a simpler format, like a very compact form of the Office of Readings:

Night prayer has the character of preparing the soul for its passage to eternal life:

In each office, the psalms and canticle are framed by antiphons, and each concludes with the traditional Catholic doxology. A hymn is a type of Song, usually religious specifically written for the purpose of praise adoration or Prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included A canticle (from the Latin canticulum, a diminutive of canticum, song is a Hymn (strictly excluding the Psalms taken from the Bible In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. A responsory or respond is a type of chant in western Christian Liturgies. The Gospel of Luke (Gk Κατά Λουκάν Ευαγγέλιον) is a synoptic Gospel, and is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels of the The Benedictus (also Song of Zechariah or Canticle of Zachary) given in Gospel of, is one of the three Canticles ref>Along with the The Magnificat (also known as the Song of Mary) is a Canticle frequently sung (or spoken liturgically in Christian church services The Lord's Prayer, also known as the Our Father or Pater noster, is probably the best-known Prayer in Christianity. A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities Deacon is a role in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind but which varies among theological and denominational traditions Vespers is the evening Prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Eastern (Byzantine Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, liturgies of the ~The Little Hours are the fixed daytime hours of prayer in the Divine Office of Chrisitians both Western Christianity and the Eastern Orthodox Church Examination of conscience is a review of one's past thoughts words and actions for the purpose of ascertaining their conformity with or difformity from the moral law The Nunc dimittis (also Song of Simeon or Canticle of Simeon) is a Canticle from a text in the second chapter of Luke (Luke 229–32 named The Gospel of Luke (Gk Κατά Λουκάν Ευαγγέλιον) is a synoptic Gospel, and is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels of the This article is about the musical term See Antiphon (person the orator of ancient Greece This article is about the musical term See Antiphon (person the orator of ancient Greece A doxology (from the Greek doxa, glory + Logos, word or speaking is a short Hymn of praise to God in various Christian

Liturgical variation

In addition to the basic four-week cycle of praying nearly the entire set of Psalms with each of the canonical hours, the Church also provides an alternate collection of hymns, readings, psalms, canticles and antiphons, for use in marking specific dates on the Roman Calendar, which sets out the order of celebrations for the liturgical year. The Roman calendar changed its form several times in the time between the foundation of Rome and the fall of the Roman Empire. The liturgical year, also known as the Christian year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches which determines when These alternate selections are found in the 'Proper of Seasons' (selections for Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter), and the 'Proper of Saints' (selections for feast days of the Saints). Advent (from the Latin word la ''adventus'' meaning "coming" is a season of the Christian church, the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the Lent, in some Christian denominations, is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. The Calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a Liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more Saints A breviary is generally keyed to help the user navigate these overlays in the liturgy. A breviary (from Latin brevis, 'short' or 'concise' is a Liturgical book of the Latin liturgical rites of the Catholic Church

Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic usage

Historical development

Further information: Typicon

From the 4th century on, the history of the eastern Office is parallel with the development of monasticism. The Typikon, or Typicon ( Greek:, (typikon lit "following the order" Slavonic: ѹставъ, (ustav is a Liturgical As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 4th century (per the Julian calendar and Anno Domini / Common era) was that Century In his Lausaic History, Palladius of Galatia, Bishop of Helenopolis, records that the early Christian hermits not only prayed the Psalms, but also sang hymns and recited prayers (often in combinations of twelve). The Lausiac History is a seminal work archiving the Desert Fathers (early Christian Monks who lived in the Egyptian desert by Palladius of Galatia was Bishop of Helenopolis in Bithynia, and a devoted disciple of Saint John Chrysostom. A hermit (from the Greek ἔρημος erēmos, signifying " Desert " "uninhabited" hence "desert-dweller" adjective "eremitic" Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included [6] With the rise of Cenobitic monasticism (i. e. , living in a community under an Abbot, rather than as solitary hermits), the cycle of prayer became more fixed and complex, with different ritual practices in different places. This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. The word abbot, meaning Father, is a title given to the head of a Monastery in various traditions including Christianity.

Egeria, a pilgrim who visited the Holy Land about 381 - 384, recorded the following about the Canonical Hours:

But among all things it is a special feature that they arrange that suitable psalms and antiphons are said on every occasion, both those said by night, or in the morning, as well as those throughout the day, at the sixth hour, the ninth hour, or at lucernare, all being so appropriate and so reasonable as to bear on the matter in hand. In early Christian history, Egeria, also known as Aetheria, is the name of a Spanish or Gallic woman who made a Pilgrimage to The Holy Land ( Arabic: الأرض المقدسة al-Arḍ ul-Muqaddasah;Ancient Aramaic: ארעא קדישא Ar'a Qaddisha; Hebrew: ארץ_הקודש Events By Place Roman Empire A deputation from the Roman Senate delivers to Gratianus the robe of the Pontifex Maximus Events By Place Roman Empire The Forum of Theodosius I is built in Constantinople. (XXV, 5) [7]

The standardization of Byzantine Orthodox worship began with Saint Sabbas the Sanctified (439 - 532), who recorded the Office as it was practiced at his time in the area around Jerusalem, passing on what had been handed down to him by St. Sabbas Sabbas the Sanctified (439-531/532 was a Cappadocean-Greek Monk, Priest and Saint, lived mainly in Palestine Events By Place Western Roman Empire Licinia Eudoxia, wife of the Emperor Valentinian III, is granted the title of ''Augusta'' Events By Place Byzantine Empire January 11 — Nika riots in Constantinople: The cathedral is destroyed Euthymius the Great (377 - 473) and St. Events By Topic Roman Empire Battle of the Willows: Roman troops fight an inconclusive battle against the Goths. Events By Place Western Roman Empire Glycerius is named Emperor Theoktistos (c. 467). Events By Place Western Roman Empire April 12 — Anthemius becomes Emperor This area was at the time a major center of both pilgrimage and monasticism, and as a result the daily cycle of services became highly developed. St. Sophronios, Patriarch of Jerusalem (560 - 638) revised the Typicon, and the material was then expanded by St. John Damascene (c. For the Bulgarian enlightener see Sophronius of Vratsa. Sophronius (born 560 in Damascus - died March 11, 638 Events By Place Europe Ceawlin of Wessex becomes King of Wessex (traditional date Events By Place Asia The Muslims capture Jerusalem, Antioch, Caesarea Maritima and Akko Chrysorrhoas redirects here For the river see Barada. Saint John of Damascus ( Arabic: يوحنا الدمشقي 676 - 749). Events By Place Europe Æthelred invades Kent. Asia In Japan Emperor Temmu Events By Place Europe June — Aistulf succeeds his brother Ratchis as king of the Lombards. This ordering of services was later known as the Jerusalem or Sabbaite Typicon. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the The Typikon, or Typicon ( Greek:, (typikon lit "following the order" Slavonic: ѹставъ, (ustav is a Liturgical

Later, in the 8th century, the center of liturgical development moved to Constantinople, particularly to the Monastery of the Stoudios, where the services were further developed and sophisticated, in particular with regard to Great Lent and the Pentecostarion. The 8th century is the period from 701 to 800 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Great Lent, or the Great Fast, is the most important Fasting season in the Church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians The Pentecostarion ( Greek: Πεντηκοστάριον Pentekostárion; Slavonic: Цвѣтнаѧ Трїωдь Tsvyetnaya Triod' It is in this form that the Typicon is used today in most Slavic churches.

In the 19th century the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople made a number of revisions and modernizations to the Typicon and published it for use in churches under its jurisdiction. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar History Early history Christianity in Byzantium existed from the time of the Twelve Apostles, but it was in the year 330 that the Roman Emperor This revised Typicon, known as the The Ecclesiastical Typikon according to the Style of the Great Church of Christ - Τύπικον της εκκλησιάστικον κατα το ηυχος της του Χριστού Μεγάλης Εκκλήσιας/Tupikon Ekklisiastikon kata to ifos tis tou Christou Megalis Ekklisias (Konstantinos Protopsaltis, Constantinople, 1839), is in use in most Greek-speaking churches to this day.

The Divine Services used by Eastern Christians are highly developed and quite complex. The various cycles combine so that it is infrequent for the exact same combination to reoccur within one person's lifetime. In addition to this, new services are being composed all the time as new saints are being glorified in the Church. A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity Canonization is the act by which a particular Christian church declares a deceased person to be a Saint and is included in the canon or list of recognized saints While being inexorably rooted in Sacred Tradition, the cycle of prayer is a living and continuously evolving expression of the timeless worship of the Church. Sacred Tradition or Holy Tradition is a technical theological term used in some Christian traditions primarily in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox

Liturgical Books

The Horologion (Greek: Ωρολόγιον; Church Slavonic: Chasoslov, Часocлoвъ), or Book of Hours, provides the fixed portions of the Daily Cycle of services (Greek: akolouthies, ἀκολουθίες) as used by the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches. See also [[Canonical hours#Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic usage]] [[Canonical hours]] The Horologion ( Greek: ῾Ωρολόγιον Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Church Slavonic (also Church Slavic, Old Bulgarian) is the Liturgical language of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Macedonian Orthodox Acolouthia, (from the Greek: akoloutheo, "to follow" Slavonic: posledovanie) in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world This article refers to Eastern Churches in full communion with the Holy See

Into this fixed framework, numerous moveable parts of the service are inserted. These are taken from a variety of liturgical books:

Liturgical Cycles

Various cycles of the liturgical year influence the manner in which the materials from the liturgical books (above) are inserted into the daily services:

These materials are found for the most part in the Octoechos. Saint John the Baptist ( heb. Jochanan ben Sacharja, arab. يحيى Yaḥyā or يوحنا Yūḥanna, aram. The Christian cross is the best-known Religious symbol of Christianity. Theotokos (Θεοτόκος translit Theotókos) is a title of Mary the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, The Twelve Apostles (Greek apostolos, "someone sent out" e Saint Nicholas (Άγιος Νικόλαος, Agios Nikolaos, "victory of the people" is the common name for Nicholas of Myra, a Christian Saint For the British girl group see All Saints (band. All Saints' Day (also called All Hallows or Hallowmas) often The Requiem (from Latin requiem, accusative case of requies, rest or Requiem Mass (informally a funeral Mass also known formally (in Latin as the However, portions of them are found in the Horologion and Sluzhebnik (i. e. , prokeimena and dismissals), as well as the Lenten Triodion (particularly in the triodes). In the liturgical practice of the Orthodox Church, a Prokeimenon ( Greek Προκειμενον plural prokeimena; sometimes prokimenon / A canon is a structured Hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services

The Weekly Cycle also determines which Kathismata (selections from the Psalter) will be read at the Divine Services, though the season of the liturgical year also affects this. A Kathisma (Greek καθισμα Slavonic каѳисма kafisma) literally "seat" is a division of the Psalter, used by Eastern Orthodox A Psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms and which often contains other devotional material During most of the year, the entire Psalter is read through in the course of a week, but during Great Lent, the Psalter is read twice each week.

The Daily Cycle of Services

The Daily Cycle begins with Vespers at sunset[14] and proceeds throughout the night and day according to the following table:

Name of service in Greek Name of service in English Time of service Description/Purpose
Hesperinos (Ἑσπερινός) Vespers At sunset The beginning of the (liturgical) day. Vespers is the evening Prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Eastern (Byzantine Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, liturgies of the Vespers is the evening Prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Eastern (Byzantine Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, liturgies of the Meditating on Christ as the "Light. Christian meditation is Meditation in a Christian context The word meditation has come to have two different meanings (1 continued intent focused thought and "
Apodeipnon (Ἀπόδειπνον)
lit. "after-supper"		 Compline At bedtime Meditating on our final falling asleep, i. Compline (ˈkɒmplɪn also Complin, Night Prayer, Prayers at the End of the Day) is the final church service (or Office) of the day in the e. our death.
Mesonyktikon (Μεσονυκτικόν) Midnight Office At midnight Prayed in monasteries in the middle of the night. The Midnight Office ( Greek: Μεσονύκτικον, Mesonýtikon; Slavonic: Полуношница, Polúnoshnitsa;
Orthros (Ὂρθρος) Matins or Orthros At dawn Prayer in the watches before dawn. Matins (also known as Orthros or Oútrenya in Eastern Churches) is the early morning or night Prayer service in the Roman Catholic Praising God at the rising of the sun.
Prōtē Hōra (Πρῶτη Ὣρα) First Hour (Prime) At ~7 AM Meditating on the Creation, Banishment of Adam and Eve from Paradise, the appearance of Christ before Caiaphas. Prime, or the First Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the traditional Divine Office (Canonical Hours said at the first hour of daylight (approximately 600 a Adam (אָדָם ʼĀḏām, "dust man mankind" آدم; Ge'ez: አዳ and Eve (חַוָּה Ḥawwā, "living Paradise is a word of Persian origin ( Persian: پردیس Pardìs) that is generally identified with the Garden of Eden or with Heaven. Yosef Bar Kayafa ( Hebrew יוסף בַּר קַיָּפָא joˑsef bar qayːɔfɔʔ (which translates as Joseph son of Caiaphas) also known simply as
Tritē Hōra (Τρίτη Ὣρα) Third Hour (Terce) At ~9 AM Meditating on the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, which happened at this hour. Terce, or Third Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the Christian liturgies In mainstream Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is one of the three entities of the Holy Trinity which make up the single substance Pentecost (πεντηκοστή, pentekostē, "the fiftieth day" is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian Liturgical year, celebrated the
Hektē Hōra (Ἓκτη Ὣρα) Sixth Hour (Sext) At noon Meditating on Christ's crucifixion, which happened at this hour
Ennatē Hōra (Ἐννάτη Ὣρα) Ninth Hour (None) * At ~3 PM Meditating on the death of Christ, which happened at this hour. Sext, or Sixth Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies Crucifixion (from Latin crucifixio, noun of process crucifixio, from perfect passive participle crucifixus, fixed to a cross from None, or the Ninth Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies

* To this list could be added the Typica, a service which is read whenever the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated. The term Typica may be used among Orthodox Christians with two distinct meanings (a a description of the fact that within the Church there are a variety of liturgical practices The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. Though not strictly one of the Canonical Hours, the Typicon calls for it to be chanted either before or after the Ninth Hour (depending upon the liturgical season). [15]

During the Lesser Fasts (Nativity Fast, Apostles Fast, Dormition Fast) in addition to the services listed above, each of the Little Hours (First, Third, Sixth and Ninth Hours) has a special brief service appended to it called an Inter-Hour. Inter-Hours follow much the same format as the regular Hours, only they are slightly briefer. The Inter-Hours (Greek Mesoria) are brief services in the Daily Office of the Eastern Orthodox and Greek Catholic Churches

In cathedrals and monasteries it is more common to find someone present at the church praying these prayers at each of these hours. This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. In many, chiefly Slavic, churches, the Third and Sixth Hours are read prior to the Divine Liturgy; however, among the Greeks and Arabs, Liturgy is usually preceded by Orthros (Matins). The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. Matins (also known as Orthros or Oútrenya in Eastern Churches) is the early morning or night Prayer service in the Roman Catholic There is usually little or no pause between the end of one and the beginning of the next.

A sundial showing the four Tides and the five Canonical hours, based on the example on the Bewcastle Cross.
A sundial showing the four Tides and the five Canonical hours, based on the example on the Bewcastle Cross. A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. A tide is an obsolete or archaic term for time period or season such as Yuletide eventide shrovetide Eastertide noontide etc Canonical is an Adjective derived from canon. Canon comes from the Greek word kanon, "rule" (perhaps originally from The Bewcastle Cross is an Anglo-Saxon High cross located in Cumbria, England.

There are seven Canonical Hours in the Orthodox Church (excluding Midnight Office), in accordance with the psalmist, "Seven times a day will I praise Thee. . . " (Psalm 118:164 [ LXX ]). The Septuagint (ˈsɛptuədʒɪnt or simply " LXX " is the Koine Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, translated in stages between the

The Midnight Office is a particularly monastic practice, which arose as a response to Psalm 118:62, "At midnight I arose to give thanks unto Thee for the judgments of Thy righteousness. The Midnight Office ( Greek: Μεσονύκτικον, Mesonýtikon; Slavonic: Полуношница, Polúnoshnitsa; " Although not normally prayed by the laity (either privately in the home or publicly in parishes), the Midnight Office does comprise the first part of Paschal Vigil and is therefore read in parishes at that time. The Easter Vigil, also called the Paschal Vigil or the Great Vigil of Easter, is a service held in many Christian churches as the first official celebration

Aggregates

According to the Slavonic Typicon, the different Canonical Hours (including Midnight Office and Typica) may be grouped together into aggregates so that there are three major times of prayer a day: Evening, Morning and Midday. This is to conform with Psalm 54:19, "Evening, morning, and noonday will I tell of it and will declare it, and He will hear my voice. " While the aggregations will vary depending upon the liturgical season, the most common groupings are as follows:

On the eves before Great Feasts and Sundays in some traditions, Vespers, Matins, and the First Hour are served together in an aggregation called the All-Night Vigil. The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. The feast of the Resurrection of Jesus, called Pascha (Easter is the greatest of the feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Sunday is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. In the Jewish law it is the first day of the Hebrew calendar week For the musical setting by Rachmaninoff, see All-Night Vigil (Rachmaninoff The All-night vigil is a service of the Eastern Orthodox In other traditions it is more common for the Ninth Hour and Vespers to be served separately the evening before, and for Matins to be served in the morning before the Liturgy. Some Great Feasts prescribe a Vesperal Divine Liturgy to be served on the afternoon before; in these cases, Great Compline is substituted for Vespers during the All-night Vigil.

In addition to these public prayers, there are also private prayers which are said both by monastics and by laypersons. These include Morning and Evening Prayers (said privately in one's room), canons to be prayed in preparation for receiving the Eucharist, and also devotional akathist hymns and canons regarding specific subjects, and which may be addressed directly to God or to a saint, asking that saint to convey the petitions to God. A canon is a structured Hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those The Akathist Hymn (Ἀκάθιστος Ύμνος unseated hymn) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian Hymn dedicated to a Saint, holy Devotional canons and akathists may also be inserted at specific points in the prayers of the hours.

Oriental Orthodox Usage

Coptic Usage

The Coptic cycle of canonical hours is largely monastic, primarily composed of psalm readings. History of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria Apostolic foundation Egypt is identified in the Bible as the place of refuge that the The Coptic equivalent of the Byzantine Horologion is the Agpeya. The Coptic cycle of canonical hours is largely monastic primarily composed of psalm readings

Seven canonical hours exist, corresponding largely to the Byzantine order, with an additional "Prayer of the Veil" which is said by Bishops, Priests, and Monks (something like the Byzantine Midnight Office). The Midnight Office ( Greek: Μεσονύκτικον, Mesonýtikon; Slavonic: Полуношница, Polúnoshnitsa; The Coptic terms for 'Matins' and 'Vespers' are 'The Morning Raising of Incense' and 'The Evening Raising of Incense' respectively.

The hours are chronologically laid out, each containing a theme corresponding to events in the life of Jesus Christ:

Terce and Sext are prayed before each Divine Liturgy.
Vespers and Compline are both read before the Liturgy during Lent and the fast of Nineveh.

Every one of the Hours follows the same basic outline:

Syrian Usage

East Syrian

Further information: Catholic Encyclopedia, s. v. , East Syrian Rite

The East Syrian Rite (also known as the Chaldean, Assyrian, or Persian Rite) has historically been used in Syria, Mesopotamia, Persia, and Malabar. The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church is the Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Kerala, India. The nucleus of the Daily Office is of course the recitation of the Psalter. There are only three regular hours of service (Evening, Midnight, and Morning), with a rarely used Compline. When East Syrian monasteries existed (which is no longer the case) seven hours of prayer were the custom in them, and three hulali (sections) of the Psalter were recited at each service. This would accomplish the unique feat of the common recitation of the entire Psalter each day.

The present arrangement provides for seven hulali at each ferial night service, ten on Sundays, three on "Memorials", and the whole Psalter on Feasts of the Lord. At the evening service there is a selection of from four to seven psalms, varying with the day of the week, and also a Shuraya, or short psalm, with generally a portion of Psalm 118, varying with the day of the fortnight. Psalm 119 ( Greek numbering Psalm 118) is the longest Psalm as well as the longest chapter in the Bible. At the morning service the invariable psalms are 109, 90, 103:1-6, 112, 92, 148, 150, 116. On ferias and "Memorials" Psalm 146 is said after Psalm 148, and on ferias Psalm 1:1-18, comes at the end of the psalms.

The rest of the services consist of prayers, antiphons, litanies, and verses (giyura) inserted—like the Greek stichera, but more extensively—between verses of psalms. A sticheron (plural stichera) is a particular kind of Hymn used in the Divine Liturgy, Acolouthia ( Daily office) or other services On Sundays the Gloria in Excelsis and Benedicte are said instead of Psalm 146. " Gloria in excelsis Deo " ( Latin for "Glory to God in the highest" is the title and beginning of a hymn known also as the Greater Doxology Both morning and evening services end with several prayers, a blessing, (Khuthama, "Sealing" ), the kiss of peace, and the Creed.

The variables, besides the psalms, are those of the feast or day, which are very few, and those of the day of the fortnight. These fortnights consist of weeks called "Before" (Qdham) and "After" (Wathar), according to which of the two choirs begins the service. Hence the book of the Divine Office is called Qdham u wathar, or at full length Kthawa daqdham wadhwathar, the "Book of Before and After".

The East Syrian liturgical Calendar is unique. The year is divided into periods of about seven weeks each, called Shawu'i; these are Advent (called Subara, "Annunciation"), Epiphany, Lent, Easter, the Apostles, Summer, "Elias and the Cross", "Moses", and the "Dedication" (Qudash idta). "Moses" and the "Dedication" have only four weeks each. The Sundays are generally named after the Shawu'a in which they occur, "Fourth Sunday of Epiphany", "Second Sunday of the Annunciation ", etc. , though sometimes the name changes in the middle of a Shawu'a. Most of the "Memorials" (dukhrani), or saints' days, which have special lections, occur on the Fridays between Christmas and Lent, and are therefore movable feasts; but some, such as Christmas, Theophany, the Dormition, and about thirty smaller days without proper readings, are on fixed days. Theophany, from the Greek, theophaneia (meaning "appearance/showing of God" refers to the appearance of a Deity to a human or to a divine disclosure The Dormition of the Theotokos ( Greek: Koimesis) is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and

There are four shorter fasting periods besides the Great Lent; these are:

The Fast of the Ninevites commemorates the repentance of Nineveh at the preaching of Jonas, and is carefully kept. Great Lent, or the Great Fast, is the most important Fasting season in the Church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians Those of Mar Zaya and the Virgins are nearly obsolete. The Malabar Rite has largely adopted the Roman Calendar, and several Roman days have been added to that of the Chaldean Catholics. The Chaldean Easter coincides with that of the Eastern Orthodox Church, as the Julian Calendar is used to calculate Easter. The Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC and came into force in 45 BC (709 Ab urbe condita The years are numbered, not from the birth of Christ, but from the Seleucid era (year 1 = 311 B. The Seleucid era was a system of numbering Years in use by the Seleucid Empire and other countries among the ancient Hellenistic civilizations The era C. ).

West Syrian

Further information: West Syrian Rite, aticle in the Catholic Encyclopedia

The West Syrian Rite, used in Syria by the Syriac Orthodox (Jacobites) and Catholic Syrians is in its origin simply the old rite of Antioch in the Syriac language. The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language Encyclopedia published by The Encyclopedia Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية The Syriac Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Middle East with members spread throughout the world The Syriac Catholic Church, or Syrian Catholic Church is a Christian church in the Levant having Antioch on the Orontes (Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Δάφνῃ Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ Μεγάλη Antiochia ad Orontem also The translation must have been made very early, evidently before the division in the church over Chalcedon, before the influence of Constantinople over the Antiochian Rite had begun. The Council of Chalcedon was the fourth Ecumenical council. It was held from 8 October to 1 November 451 at Chalcedon (a city of "Patriarch of Constantinople" redirects here For the institutional church itself see Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. No doubt as soon as Christian communities arose in the rural areas of Syria the prayers which in the cities (Antioch, Jerusalem, etc. ) were said in Greek, were, as a matter of course, translated into Syriac for common use.

In accordance with Psalm 119:164, “Seven times in the day have I praised Thee for Thy judgments, O Righteous One,” the Syriac Orthodox Church observes seven services of prayer each day:

The Midnight prayer (Matins) consists of three qawme or "watches" (literarily "standings"). As in other traditional rites, the ecclesiastical day begins in the evening at sunset with Vespers (Ramsho). Today, even in monasteries, the services are grouped together: Vespers and Compline are said together; Matins and Prime are said together; and the Third, Sixth and Ninth Hours are said together; resulting in three times of prayer each day.

The Syriac Orthodox Book of Hours is called the Shhimo, "simple prayer. " The shhimo has offices for the canonical hours for each day of the week. Each canonical office begins and ends with a qawmo, a set of prayers that includes the Lord's Prayer. The Lord's Prayer, also known as the Our Father or Pater noster, is probably the best-known Prayer in Christianity. At the end of the office, the Nicene Creed is recited. The Nicene Creed (ˈnaɪsiːn is an ecumenical Christian statement of faith accepted in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Assyrian Church of The great part of the office consists of lengthy liturgical poems composed for the purpose, similar to the Byzantine odes. A canon is a structured Hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services

Armenian Usage

The Daily Services in the Armenian Church are made up of nine services. The daily cycle of prayer begins with the Night Service, according to the ancient belief that a new day begins at nightfall.

The Night Service (midnight) Dedicated to the praising of God the Father. In many religions the supreme Deity ( God) is given the title and attributions of Father. Themes of the service are: thanksgiving to God for the blessing of sleep and asking that the remainder of the night pass in peace and tranquility, and that the next day be spent in purity and righteousness.

The Morning Service (dawn) Dedicated to the praising of God the Son. God the Son is the second person of the Trinity in Christian Theology. Symbolizes the Resurrection of Christ and his appearance to the Myrrh-bearing Women. The term Myrrhbearers ( Greek: Μυροφόραι Myrophorae; Slavonic: Жены́-мѷроно́сицы mironosiţe refers to the women who came

The Sunrise Service (6:00 a. m. )[19] Dedicated to the praising of the Holy Spirit. In mainstream Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is one of the three entities of the Holy Trinity which make up the single substance Symbolizes the appearance to Christ to the disciples after the Resurrection.

The Third Hour (9:00 a. m. ) Dedicated to the Holy Spirit. Symbolizes Eve’s original tasting the forbidden fruit and eventual liberation from condemnation through Jesus Christ. The service has a profound penitential meaning.

The Sixth Hour (noon) Dedicated to God the Father. Symbolizes Christ’s Crucifixion. The prayers at the service ask for God’s help towards feeble human nature.

The Ninth Hour (3:00 p. m. ) Dedicated to God the Son. Symbolizes Christ’s death and liberation of humanity from the power of the Hell.

The Evening Service (before sunset) Dedicated to God the Son. Symbolizes Christ’s burial, asks God for a quiet night and a peaceful sleep.

The Peace Service (after sunset) Dedicated to the Holy Spirit. Symbolizes Christ’s descent into Hell and liberation of the righteous from torments.

The Rest Service (before retiring for sleep) Dedicated to God the Father. In early times it was the continuation of the Peace Service.

In ancient times all nine services were offered every day, especially in monasteries. At present the following services are conducted in churches daily for the majority of the year:

During Great Lent, all of the services are offered on weekdays (except Saturday and Sunday) according to the following schedule:

The book which contains the hymns which constitute the substance of the musical system of Armenian liturgical chant is the Sharagnots (see Armenian Octoechos), a collection of hymns known as Sharakan. Great Lent, or the Great Fast, is the most important Fasting season in the Church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians The Octoechos ( Greek:; Slavonic: Октонхъ Oktoikh, or Осмогласникъ Osmoglasnik)&mdashliterally the book Originally, these hymns were Psalms and biblical Canticles that were chanted during the services, similar to the Byzantine Canon. Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included A canticle (from the Latin canticulum, a diminutive of canticum, song is a Hymn (strictly excluding the Psalms taken from the Bible A canon is a structured Hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services In addition, the eight modes are applied to the psalms of the Night office, called ganonaklookh (Canon head).

Anglican usage

For more details on this topic, see Book of Common Prayer. The Book of Common Prayer is the common title of a number of prayer books of the Church of England and used throughout the Anglican Communion.

The Book of Common Prayer and its contemporary descendants constitute the basis of the liturgy for Anglicans and Anglican Use Roman Catholics, which is variously known as "Daily Prayer", "the Daily Office", or "the Divine Office". The Book of Common Prayer is the common title of a number of prayer books of the Church of England and used throughout the Anglican Communion. Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs Anglican Use has two meanings First it refers to former Anglican congregations who have joined the Roman Catholic Church while maintaining some of the features All Anglican prayer books contain offices for Morning Prayer (Mattins) and Evening Prayer (Evensong). Morning Prayer (also Mattins or Matins) in the various editions of the Book of Common Prayer and other Anglican liturgical texts Evening Prayer is a Liturgy in use in the Anglican Communion (and other churches in the Anglican tradition such as the Continuing Anglican Movement and In many, if not most Anglican formularies, these offices are supplemented by forms of the Little Hours, for example, Prayer at Midday or Prayer during the Day (based on Terce, Sext, None) and Compline. ~The Little Hours are the fixed daytime hours of prayer in the Divine Office of Chrisitians both Western Christianity and the Eastern Orthodox Church Terce, or Third Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the Christian liturgies Sext, or Sixth Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies None, or the Ninth Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies Compline (ˈkɒmplɪn also Complin, Night Prayer, Prayers at the End of the Day) is the final church service (or Office) of the day in the Some books, such as the proposed 1928 Church of England Prayer Book and A Melanesian English Prayer Book, contain an order for Prime. Prime, or the First Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the traditional Divine Office (Canonical Hours said at the first hour of daylight (approximately 600 a

In England, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other Anglican provinces, the prayer book or other service book contains four offices:

In addition, most prayer books include a section of prayers and devotions for family use (a notable exception is the Church of England's 1662 prayer book). Matins (also known as Orthros or Oútrenya in Eastern Churches) is the early morning or night Prayer service in the Roman Catholic Lauds is one of the two "major hours" in the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours. Terce, or Third Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the Christian liturgies Sext, or Sixth Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies None, or the Ninth Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies Vespers is the evening Prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Eastern (Byzantine Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, liturgies of the Compline (ˈkɒmplɪn also Complin, Night Prayer, Prayers at the End of the Day) is the final church service (or Office) of the day in the In the US, these offices are further supplemented by an "Order of Worship for the Evening," a prelude to or an abbreviated form of Evensong, also partly taken from a Jewish Lucernaria service. In the United Kingdom, the publication of Daily Prayer, the third volume of Common Worship was published in 2005. Common Worship is the name given to the series of services authorised by the General Synod of the Church of England and launched on the first Sunday of Advent Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It retains the services for Morning and Evening Prayer and Compline, and also includes a section entitled "Prayer during the Day. " The 1989 A New Zealand Prayer Book provides different outlines for Matins and Evensong on each day of the week, as well as "Midday Prayer," "Night Prayer," and "Family Prayer. "

The prayer offices have an important place in Anglican history. In the Protestant Episcopal Church in the U. S. A. , now commonly known as The Episcopal Church, Mattins and Evensong were the principal Sunday services. They are in all editions of the Book of Common Prayer as Morning and Evening Prayer. The services often included singing the antiphons, psalms, canticles, and responses. The clergy wore cassock, surplice, and stole, or sometimes a tippet or academic hood over the surplice. The Holy Eucharist was celebrated once per month, and the day was often known as Sacrament Sunday.

The nineteenth century Catholic Revival and the twentieth-century Liturgical movement prompted an increase in the popularity of the Eucharist as the principal service, and the use of full Catholic vestments. The Oxford Movement or Tractarianism was an affiliation of High Church Anglicans, most of whom were members of the University of Oxford, who sought The Liturgical Movement is a movement of scholarship and the reform of Worship within the Roman Catholic Church that has taken place over the last century and a half Sung Morning Prayer on Sunday in North American Anglican churches is a rarity, although in some parishes a short said service precedes the Eucharist. The liturgy of the Eucharist, Holy Communion, or Mass, is virtually indistinguishable from its Roman Catholic counterpart.

Some Anglican monastic communities have a Daily Office based on that of the Book of Common Prayer but with additional antiphons, canticles, etc. , for specific days of the week, specific Psalms, etc. See, for example, Order of the Holy Cross [1] and Order of St. This article deals with the Anglican Benedictine monastic community known as the Order of the Holy Cross Helena, editors, A Monastic Breviary (Wilton, Conn. : Morehouse-Barlow, 1976), which includes a version of the Midday Office, called Diurnum. In the Episcopal monastic tradition the second of four services in regular daily worship Matins Diurnum Vespers Compline The All Saints Sisters of the Poor [2], with convents in Catonsville, Md. , and elsewhere, also use an elaborated version of the Anglican Daily Office. The Society of St. Francis publishes Celebrating Common Prayer, which has become especially popular for use among Anglicans. The Society of Saint Francis is a Franciscan religious order within the Anglican Communion.

Some Anglo-Catholic groups use the Anglican Breviary, which is an adaptation of the Pre-Vatican II Roman Rite and Sarum Rite, along with supplemental material from cognate western sources, to provide such things as a common of Octaves, a common of Holy Women, and other additional material. The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism (or sometimes possibly incorrectly High Church &mdashsee below describe people The Anglican Breviary is a privately published Anglo-Catholic edition of the Divine Office translated into English The Sarum Rite was a variant of the Roman Rite widely used for the ordering of Christian public worship including the Mass or Eucharist It contains all eight historic offices in one volume, rather than the traditional four, but does not contain the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was bound along with many editions of the Breviarium Romanum. The Little Office of Our Lady, or Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or Hours of the Virgin is a liturgical devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Some other Anglo-Catholics use the Liturgy of the Hours as revised at the Second Vatican Council.

Muslim prayers

Muslims still use a modified definition of canonical hours when they pray five times a day. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Their prayer (salah) times are Salat al-Fajr (Laudes), Salat al-Zuhr (Sext), Salat al-Asr (Nones), Salat al-Maghrib (Vespers) and Salat al-Isha (Compline). Ṣalāt ( Arabic: صلاة‎, pl ṣalawāt, Qur'anic Arabic: صلوة ṣalawah) (also munz in Pashto and The Fajr (فجر prayer is the first of the five daily prayers ( Salat) recited by practising Muslims (Fajr means Dawn in the The dhuhr (ظهر prayer ("dh" representing Ẓāʼ, an Emphatic voiced dental fricative" it is often simplified to "z" is See also ASR The Asr (عصر prayer is the afternoon daily prayer recited by practising Muslims. Maghrib (مَغْرِب is the fourth daily Salat in Islam, offered at sunset The Isha (عشاء prayer is the night-time daily prayer recited by practising Muslims It is the fifth of the five daily prayers ( Salah)

Notes

  1. ^ Pliny the Younger, Epistulae, Book X, Letter xcvii.
  2. ^ Council of Trent, Decree on Reformation, Chapter XXI
  3. ^ In Defense of the Pauline Mass
  4. ^ Breviary in Catholic Encyclopedia. The article also spoke of "blemishes which disfigure this book. "
  5. ^ Sacrosanctum Concilium Art 91. So that it may really be possible in practice to observe the course of the hours proposed in Art. 89, the psalms are no longer to be distributed throughout one week, but through some longer period of time.
  6. ^ Lausaic History, Chap. 19, etc.
  7. ^ Tr. Louis Duchesme, Christian Worship (London, 1923).
  8. ^ There is also a Psalm 151 included in the Orthodox Psalter, though it is not actually chanted during the Divine Services. Psalm 151 is the name given to a short psalm that is found in most copies of the Septuagint but not in the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible
  9. ^ Originally, these canticles were chanted in their entirety every day, but they gradually came to be replaced by the Canon and are now normally only chanted on weekdays of Great Lent. A canon is a structured Hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services
  10. ^ During Great Lent, Kathismata are read at the Little Hours also.
  11. ^ On non-leap years, the service for Feb. 29 (St. John Cassian) may be chanted at Compline on Feb. Saint John Cassian (ca 360 – 435 ( Latin: Jo(hannes Eremita Cassianus, Joannus Cassianus, or Joannes Massiliensis) John the 28 or some other more convenient day.
  12. ^ The Slavonic Apostól will have all of the books of the New Testament (excluding the Gospels and Apocalypse) in their entirety, though not in the same order they are found in most English Bibles (Acts is placed first, etc. The Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. ).
  13. ^ Including, especially, the Theotokos and the Patron Saint of the local church or monastery.
  14. ^ In accordance with Old Testament practice, the day is considered to begin in the evening (Genesis 1:5).
  15. ^ The Typica has a certain correspondence to the Missa Sicca of the Mediaeval West. The Missa Sicca ( Latin: "dry Mass" was a common form of devotion used in the medieval Roman Catholic Church for funerals or marriages which were served
  16. ^ The evening meal is considered to be a continuation of the liturgical cycle of services. In some monasteries, the Refectory itself is a church, complete with Altar and Iconostasis. Trapeza redirects here for the prehistoric Greek settlement see Trapeza Crete. An altar is any structure upon which Sacrifices or other offerings are made for religious purposes or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis (the plural is iconostases) also called the Templon, is a wall of Icons and religious paintings In Greek (απόδειπνον/apodeipnon) and Slavonic (Povecherie), the name for Compline literally means, "After-supper prayer. "
  17. ^ Midnight Office is usually only chanted in monasteries.
  18. ^ Though the Liturgy (and Typica) are not, strictly speaking, a part of the daily cycle of services, their placement is fixed by the Typicon in relation to the daily cycle.
  19. ^ Originally, the Sunrise Service was joined to the Morning Service.

See also


External links

Roman Rite
Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic
Oriental Orthodox
Anglican
History of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria Apostolic foundation Egypt is identified in the Bible as the place of refuge that the

Dictionary

canonical hours

-noun

  1. (plural) The times of day at which canon law prescribes certain prayers to be said; matins with lauds, prime, tierce, sext, nones, vespers, and complin
  2. (plural only; not used in singular form) The prayers said at these times
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