Compline (pronounced /ˈkɒmplɪn/; also Complin, Night Prayer, Prayers at the End of the Day) is the final church service (or Office) of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Canonical hours are divisions of time developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed Prayers of the daily round The English word Compline is derived from the Latin completorium, as Compline is the completion of the working day. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. The word was first used in this sense about the beginning of the 6th century by St. Benedict in his Rule (Regula Benedicti; hereafter, RB), in Chapters 16, 17, 18, and 42, and he even uses the verb complere to signify Compline: "Omnes ergo in unum positi compleant" ("All having assembled in one place, let them say Compline"); "et exuentes a completorio" ("and, after going out from Compline. The 6th century is the period from 501 to 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. "Saint Benedict" redirects here This article is about the founder of Western monasticism for other saints named Benedict see Benedict. . . ") (RB, Chap. 42).

Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, and certain other Christian denominations with liturgical traditions prescribe Compline services. 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 Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther A liturgy is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group according to their particular traditions Compline tends to be a contemplative Office that emphasizes spiritual peace. In many monasteries it is the custom to begin the "Great Silence" after Compline, during which the whole community, including guests, observe silence throughout the night until the morning service the next day. This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism.

Contents 1 Historical development 2 Compline in the West 2.1 Prior to Vatican II 2.2 Current Usage 3 Compline in the East 3.1 Small Compline 3.2 Great Compline 4 Anglican Usage 5 Lutheran Usage 6 Notes 7 Bibliography 8 See also 9 External links

Historical development

This section incorporates information from the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1917. References to psalms follow the numbering system of the Septuagint, as said in the Latin of the Vulgate. Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included The Septuagint (ˈsɛptuədʒɪnt or simply " LXX " is the Koine Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, translated in stages between the Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. The Vulgate is an early Fifth Century version of the Bible in Latin, and largely the result of the labours of Jerome, who was commissioned by

The origin of Compline has given rise to considerable discussion among liturgists. In the past, general opinion (including Bäumer and Batiffol) ascribed the origin of this Hour to St. Benedict, in the beginning of the 6th century. "Saint Benedict" redirects here This article is about the founder of Western monasticism for other saints named Benedict see Benedict. The 6th century is the period from 501 to 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. But Jules Pargoire and, later still, A. Vandepitte oppose this opinion and seek a more ancient origin for this Hour.

A text in Callinicus (between 447 and 450), first introduced in Father Pargoire's argument, informs us that between Vespers and the Night Office there was celebrated in the East a canonical Hour called in this text prothypnia, because it preceded the first sleep, being nothing other than what the Greeks today call apodeipnon, on account of the meal it follows (see Compline in the East, below). Events By Place Eastern Roman Empire Battle of the Utus: Attila the Hun meets the Romans in an indecisive battle For the area code see Area code 450. Events By Place Eastern Roman Empire August 25 — Marcian is proclaimed Vespers is the evening Prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Eastern (Byzantine Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, liturgies of the Vigils is a term for night prayer in ancient Christianity. See Vespers, Compline, Nocturns, Matins, and Lauds Families of churches Eastern Christians have a shared tradition but they became divided ( Schism) during the early centuries of Christianity in disputes about The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world However, in the thirty-seventh question of his Great Asketikon (Long Rules), St. Basil the Great, also, speaks of an intermediate Hour between Vespers and the nightly Office. Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great (c 330 – January 1, 379) (Άγιος Βασίλειος ο Μέγας Latin This article is about the Christian form of night prayers For the secular musical form see Nocturne. Father Pargoire therefore disputes the assertion that St. Benedict was the originator of Compline, being rather disposed to trace its source to St. Basil.

In the article mentioned above, Father Vandepitte confirms these conclusions; nevertheless he states, in the clearest terms, that it was not in Cæsarea in 375, but in his retreat in Pontus (358-362), that Basil established Compline, which Hour did not exist prior to his time, that is, until shortly after the middle of the 4th century. Kayseri ( Ottoman Turkish:قیصریه Greek: Καισάρεια / Kaisareia: Latin: Caesarea Mazaca Zazaish Events By Place Roman Empire Valentinian I leaves Trier to repress the rebellious Quadi in Slovakia. Geography The Black Sea region loosely called Pontus by various scholars has a steep rocky coast with rivers that cascade through the gorges of the coastal ranges Events By Place Roman Empire An earthquake strikes Nicaea. The Franks capitulate to Julian in Belgium Events By Place Roman Empire Julian gathers an army of 60000 men a fleet of fifty warships and a thousand transport boats As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 4th century (per the Julian calendar and Anno Domini / Common era) was that Century Dom Plaine also traced the source of Compline back to the 4th century, finding mention of it in a passage in Eusebius and in another in St. Ambrose, and also in John Cassian. Saint Ambrose (c 338 &ndash 4 April 397) was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the fourth century Saint John Cassian (ca 360 – 435 ( Latin: Jo(hannes Eremita Cassianus, Joannus Cassianus, or Joannes Massiliensis) John the These passages have been critically examined, and Fathers Pargoire and Vandepitte have proved that before St. Basil's time the custom of reciting Compline was unknown.

At any rate, even if these texts do not express all that Dom Plaine says they do, at least they bear witness to the private custom of saying a prayer before retiring to rest. If this was not the canonical Hour of Compline, it was certainly a preliminary step towards it.

The same writers reject the opinion of Ladeuze and Dom Besse, both of whom believe that Compline had a place in the Rule of St. Pachomius, which would mean that it originated still earlier in the 4th century. Saint Pachomius (ca 292-348 also known as Abba Pachomius and Pakhom in Arabic الأنبا باخوميوس, is generally recognized as the founder of

It is not necessary to enter into this discussion, but it might be possible to conciliate these different sentiments by stating that, if it be an established fact that St. Basil instituted and organized the Hour of Compline for the East, as St. Benedict did for the West, there existed as early as the days of St. Cyprian and Clement of Alexandria the custom of reciting a prayer before sleep, in which practice we find the most remote origin of our Compline. Families of churches Eastern Christians have a shared tradition but they became divided ( Schism) during the early centuries of Christianity in disputes about "Saint Benedict" redirects here This article is about the founder of Western monasticism for other saints named Benedict see Benedict. The Latin Rite is one of the 23 Sui iuris Particular Churches within the Catholic Church. This page is about Cyprian bishop of Carthage For other Cyprians see Cyprian (disambiguation. 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

Compline in the West

Prior to Vatican II

But let the result of this discussion be what it may, it cannot be denied that St. Benedict invested the Hour of Compline with the liturgical character and arrangement which were preserved in the Benedictine Order, and almost completely adopted by the Roman Church, It is hardly to be believed, as Dom Plaine maintains, that the Hour of Compline, at least such as it existed in the Roman Breviary at his time, antedated the Benedictine Office. This article concerns Roman Catholic Order of Saint Benedict see also Benedictine Confederation and Benedictine. A breviary (from Latin brevis, 'short' or 'concise' is a Liturgical book of the Latin liturgical rites of the Catholic Church Benedictine refers to the Spirituality and Consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in In default of other proof, it may be noted that the Benedictine Office gives evidence of a less advanced liturgical condition, in that it consists of a few very simple elements.

Saint Benedict first gave the Office the basic structure by which it has come to be celebrated in the West: three psalms (4, 90, and 133) to be said without antiphons, the hymn, the lesson, the versicle Kyrie eleison, the benediction, and the dismissal (RB, Chaps. Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included This article is about the musical term See Antiphon (person the orator of ancient Greece 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 Kýrie is from the Greek word κύριε (kyrie the Vocative case of κύριος (kyrios meaning O Lord. A benediction ( Latin: bene, well + dicere, to speak is a short Invocation for divine help Blessing and guidance usually at the 17 and 18).

The Roman Office of Compline came to be richer and more complex. This article refers to the Liturgy of the Hours as a specific manifestation of public prayer in the Roman Catholic Church. To the simple Benedictine psalmody—modified, however, by the insertion of a fourth psalm, "In te Domine speravi" (Psalm 30)—it added the solemn introduction of a benediction with a reading (based perhaps on the spiritual reading which, in the Rule of St. Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included Benedict, precedes Compline; RB, Chap. 42), and the confession and absolution of faults.

But what endows the Roman Compline with a distinctive character and greater solemnity is, to say nothing of the ending, the addition of the beautiful response, In manus tuas, Domine ("Into Thy hands, O Lord . . . "), with the evangelical canticle, Nunc Dimittis, and its anthem, which is particularly characteristic. A canticle (from the Latin canticulum, a diminutive of canticum, song is a Hymn (strictly excluding the Psalms taken from the Bible 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 term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music (in Music theory and religious contexts or more generally a song (or composition of ^[1]

The Hour of Compline, such as it appeared in the Roman Breviary prior to the Second Vatican Council, may be divided into several parts, viz. A breviary (from Latin brevis, 'short' or 'concise' is a Liturgical book of the Latin liturgical rites of the Catholic Church the beginning or introduction, the psalmody, with its usual accompaniment of anthems, the hymn, the capitulum, the response, the evangelical canticle, the prayer, and the benediction. Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music (in Music theory and religious contexts or more generally a song (or composition of 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 Chapter ( Latin capitulum) designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran 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 A benediction ( Latin: bene, well + dicere, to speak is a short Invocation for divine help Blessing and guidance usually at the

By way of liturgical variety, the service of initium noctis may also be studied in the Celtic Liturgy, such as it is read in the Antiphonary of Bangor, its plan being set forth by Warren and by Bishop (see Bibliography, below). The term " Celtic Rite " is generally but rather indefinitely applied to the various rites used in Great Britain, Ireland, perhaps in Brittany The Antiphonary of Bangor is an ancient Latin manuscript supposed to have been originally written at Bangor Abbey in modern day Northern Ireland.

Current Usage

In the current Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours, Compline is divided as follows: introduction, brief examination of conscience and penitential rite, a hymn, psalmody with accompanying antiphons, scriptural reading, the responsory, the Canticle of Simeon, concluding prayer, and benediction. This article refers to the Liturgy of the Hours as a specific manifestation of public prayer in the Roman Catholic 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 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 This article is about the musical term See Antiphon (person the orator of ancient Greece 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 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 A benediction ( Latin: bene, well + dicere, to speak is a short Invocation for divine help Blessing and guidance usually at the The final antiphon to the Blessed Virgin Mary (Salve Regina, etc. This article is about the musical term See Antiphon (person the orator of ancient Greece This ecumenical article is about general Christian views on and veneration of the Virgin Mary For the university see Salve Regina University. The " Salve Regina " is one of four Marian antiphons sung at different ) is an essential part of the Office.

Compline in the East

Compline (Greek: Apodeipnon; Slavonic: Povecheriye; literally, "after-supper" prayer) in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches takes two distinct forms: Small Compline and Great Compline. 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 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 The two versions are quite different in length.

At Compline (whether Small or Great), a Canon to the Theotokos in the Tone of the Week will normally be read (these Canons will be found in the Octoechos). A canon is a structured Hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services Theotokos (Θεοτόκος translit Theotókos) is a title of Mary the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, The Octoechos ( Greek:; Slavonic: Октонхъ Oktoikh, or Осмогласникъ Osmoglasnik)&mdashliterally the book Services to saints in the Menaion that, for one reason or another, cannot be celebrated on the day assigned to them, may be chanted on the nearest convenient day at Compline. 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 Canonical hours are divisions of time developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed Prayers of the daily round In such cases, the Canon for the Saint would be read together with the Canon to the Theotokos, followed by the Stichera to the saint from Vespers. Theotokos (Θεοτόκος translit Theotókos) is a title of Mary the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, A sticheron (plural stichera) is a particular kind of Hymn used in the Divine Liturgy, Acolouthia ( Daily office) or other services Vespers is the evening Prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Eastern (Byzantine Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, liturgies of the There are also particular days (such as certain Forefeasts, Afterfeasts, and days during the Pentecostarion) that have special Canons for Compline composed for them. An Afterfeast is a period of celebration attached to one of the Great Feasts celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches (roughly equivalent to The Pentecostarion ( Greek: Πεντηκοστάριον Pentekostárion; Slavonic: Цвѣтнаѧ Трїωдь Tsvyetnaya Triod'

The Office always ends with a mutual asking of forgiveness. In some traditions, most notably among the Russians, Evening Prayers (i. See also Eastern Orthodox Church Structure and organization The Slavic Orthodox Church is organized in a hierarchical structure e. , Prayers Before Sleep) will be read near the end of Compline. It is an ancient custom, practiced to this day on the Holy Mountain and in other monasteries, for everyone present at the end of Compline to venerate the Relics and Icons in the church, and receive the priest's blessing. Mount Athos (Όρος Άθως is a mountain on the Peninsula of the same name in Macedonia, of northern Greece, called in Greek Άγιον A relic is an object or a personal item of religious significance carefully preserved with an air of Veneration as a tangible memorial An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity.

Small Compline

Small Compline is served on most nights of the year (i. e. , those nights on which Great Compline is not served). On the eves of Sundays and feasts with All-Night Vigil, Compline may be either read privately or suppressed altogether. For the musical setting by Rachmaninoff, see All-Night Vigil (Rachmaninoff The All-night vigil is a service of the Eastern Orthodox Among the Greeks, who do not normally hold an All-Night Vigil on Saturday evenings, Compline is said as normal.

The service is composed of three Psalms (50, 69, 142), the Small Doxology, the Nicene Creed, the Canon followed by Axion Estin,^[2] the Trisagion, Troparia for the day, Kyrie eleison (40 times), the Prayer of the Hours, the Supplicatory Prayer of Paul the Monk, and the Prayer to Jesus Christ of Antiochus the Monk. The Great Doxology is an ancient hymn of praise to the Trinity which is chanted or read daily in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches The Nicene Creed (ˈnaɪsiːn is an ecumenical Christian statement of faith accepted in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Assyrian Church of Axion estin ( Greek: Άξιον εστίν, Slavonic: Достóйно éсть Dostóino yesť) or It is Truly Meet, The Trisagion ('Thrice Holy' is a standard hymn of the Divine Liturgy in most of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches and Eastern A troparion ( Greek: τροπάριον plural troparia, τροπάρια Church Slavonic: тропа́рь tropar) in Byzantine Kýrie is from the Greek word κύριε (kyrie the Vocative case of κύριος (kyrios meaning O Lord. ^[3] Then the mutual forgiveness and final blessing by the Priest. After this, there is a Litany and the veneration of Icons and Relics. Ektenia (from ἐκτένεια ekténeia; literally "diligence" often called simply Litany, is a prayerful petition in the Eastern Orthodox

Great Compline

Great Compline is a penitential office which is served on the following occasions:

• Tuesday and Thursday nights of Cheesefare Week (the week before Great Lent)
• Monday through Thursday nights of Great Lent ^[4]
• Friday nights of Great Lent ^[5]
• Monday and Tuesday of Holy Week
• Monday through Friday during the lesser Lenten seasons: Nativity Fast, Apostles' Fast and Dormition Fast ^[6]
• The Eves of certain Great Feasts, as a part of the All-Night Vigil:
  • Nativity
  • Theophany
  • Annunciation

Unlike Small Compline, Great Compline has portions of the service which are chanted by the Choir ^[7] and during Lent the Prayer of St. Ephraim is said with prostrations. Maslenitsa (Ма́сленица also known as Butter Week, Pancake week, or Cheesefare Week, is a Russian religious and folk holiday Great Lent, or the Great Fast, is the most important Fasting season in the Church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians Holy Week ( Latin: Hebdomada Sancta or Maior Hebdomada, "Greater Week" in Christianity is the last week before Easter. The Nativity Fast, is a period abstinence and penance practiced by the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches, in preparation The Dormition of the Theotokos ( Greek: Koimesis) is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and The feast of the Resurrection of Jesus, called Pascha (Easter is the greatest of the feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church. 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 In Christianity the Annunciation ( grc Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου, Evangelismós tēs Theotókou in Greek) is the revelation The Prayer of Righteous Ephrem ( Greek:, Euchē tou Hosiou Ephraim) is a prayer attributed to Saint Ephrem the Syrian used with emphasis during the During the First Week of Great Lent, the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete is divided into four portions and read on Monday through Thursday nights. For the martyr of 766 of the same name see Andrew of Crete (martyr.

Due to the penitential nature of Great Compline, it is not uncommon for the priest to hear Confession during the service. The confession of one's Sins is a religious practice important to many faiths e

Great Compline is composed of three sections, each beginning with the call to prayer, "O come, let us worship. . . ":

First Part

Psalms^[8] 4, 6, and 12; Glory. . . , etc. ; Psalms 24, 30, 90; then the hymn "God is With Us" and troparia, the Creed, the hymn "O Most holy Lady Theotokos", the Trisagion and Troparia of the Day, Kyrie eleison (40 times), "More honorable than the cherubim. . . " and the Prayer of St. Basil the Great. Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great (c 330 – January 1, 379) (Άγιος Βασίλειος ο Μέγας Latin

Second Part

Psalms 50, 101, and the Prayer of Manasses; the Trisagion, and Troparia of Repentance,^[9] Kyrie eleison (40 times), "More honorable than the cherubim. The Prayer of Manasseh is a short work of 15 verses of the penitential prayer of the Judean king Manasseh. . . " and the Prayer of St. Mardarius.

Third Part

Psalms 69, 142, and the Small Doxology;^[10] then the Canon followed by Axion Estin, the Trisagion, the hymn "O Lord of Hosts, be with us. Axion estin ( Greek: Άξιον εστίν, Slavonic: Достóйно éсть Dostóino yesť) or It is Truly Meet, The Trisagion ('Thrice Holy' is a standard hymn of the Divine Liturgy in most of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches and Eastern . . ", Kyrie eleison (40 times), the Prayer of the Hours, "More honorable than the cherubim. . . . ", the Prayer of St. Ephraim, Trisagion, the Supplicatory Prayer of Paul the Monk, and the Prayer to Jesus Christ of Antiochus the Monk. The Prayer of Righteous Ephrem ( Greek:, Euchē tou Hosiou Ephraim) is a prayer attributed to Saint Ephrem the Syrian used with emphasis during the ^[3] Then the mutual forgiveness. Instead of the normal final blessing by the Priest, all prostrate themseles while the priest reads a special prayer intercessory prayer. Then the Litany and the veneration of Icons and Relics.

Anglican Usage

In the Anglican tradition, Compline was originally merged with Vespers to form Evening Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer. Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs Vespers is the evening Prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Eastern (Byzantine Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, liturgies of the 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 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. ECUSA's Book of Offices of 1914, the Church of England's proposed Prayer Book of 1928, and the Anglican Church of Canada's Prayer Books of 1918 and 1959 restored a form of Compline to Anglican worship. The Episcopal Church is the official name of the Province of the Anglican Communion in the United States. Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican The Anglican Church of Canada is the sole Canadian representative of the Anglican Communion. Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Several contemporary liturgical texts, including the American 1979 Book of Common Prayer, the Anglican Church of Canada's Book of Alternative Services, and the Church of England's Common Worship, provide modern forms of the service. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) The Book of Alternative Services ( BAS) is the contemporary-language Liturgical book used alongside the Book of 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 The Common Worship service consists of the opening sentences, the confession of sins, the psalms and other Bible lessons, and prayers, including a benediction. There are authorised alternatives for the days of the week and the seasons of the Christian year. Like Mattins and Evensong, Compline can be led by a layperson. Morning Prayer (also Mattins or Matins) in the various editions of the Book of Common Prayer and other Anglican liturgical texts

Lutheran Usage

Among Lutherans, Compline has re-emerged as an alternative to Vespers. The Office of Compline is included in the various Lutheran books of worship and prayer books [along with Matins/Morning Prayer and Vespers/Evening Prayer]. Quite similar to Anglican use, Compline may be conducted by a layperson in Lutheran Churches.

Notes

Bibliography

• Bäumer, Histoire du Bréviaire, tr. Biron, I, 135, 147-149 et passim
• Batiffol, Histoire du bréviaire romain, 35
• Besse, Les Moines d'Orient antérieurs au concile de Chalcédoine (Paris, 1900), 333
• Bishop, "A Service Book of the Seventh Century" in The Church Quarterly Review (January, 1894), XXXVII, 347
• Butler, "The Text of St. Benedict's Rule", in Downside Review, XVII, 223
• Bresard, Luc. Monastic Spirituality. Three vols. (Stanbrook Abbey, Worcester: A. I. M. , 1996)
• Cabrol, Le Livre de la Prière antique, 224.
• Ladeuze, Etude sur le cénobitisme pakhomien pendant le IVe siècle et la première moitié du Ve (Louvain, 1898), 288
• Pargoire, "Prime et complies" in Rev. d'hist. et de littér. relig. (1898), III, 281-288, 456-467
• Pargoire and Pétridès in Dict. d'arch. et de liturgie, s. v. Apodeipnon, I, 2579-2589
• Plaine, "La Génèse historique des Heures" in Rev. Anglo-romaine, I, 593
• —Idem, "De officii seu cursus Romani origine" in Studien u. Mittheilungen (1899), X, 364-397
• Vandepitte, "Saint Basile et l'origine de complies" in Rev. Augustinienne (1903), II, 258-264
• Warren, The Antiphonary of Bangor: an Early Irish MS. (a complete facsimile in collotype, with a transcription, London, 1893)
• —Idem, Liturgy and Ritual of the Keltic Church (Oxford, 1881)

See also

• Divine Office
• Canonical hours

External links

Roman Rite

• Liturgy of the Hours (Roman Catholic)
• The text of Compline for today's date (Roman Catholic)

Eastern Orthodox

• Small Compline
• Great Compline

Protestant

• The Lutheran Service Book with Prayer Offices (LCMS)
• An Order for Compline from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer (ECUSA)
• An Office for Compline (United Methodist) (PDF)

Sung Compline

• The Compline Choir of Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, Seattle
• The Compline Choir of Saint David's Episcopal Church, Austin
• Pacific Academy of Ecclesiastical Music
• Minnesota Compline Choir

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913. Canonical hours are divisions of time developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed Prayers of the daily round The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language Encyclopedia published by The Encyclopedia , s. v. Complin

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