Transcript The Liturgy of the Hours History and Development

The Liturgy of the Hours
History and Development
A Few Thoughts and Perspectives
Prepared by Jill Maria Murdy
Created March 1999, Adapted, June 1999, October 2005
Based upon the works of Guiver, Taft, Bradshaw,White, Cheslyn-Jones and other sources
as well as the lecture notes of John Allyn Melloh and Mary Forman
History and Development
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Early Jewish and Christian Prayer
Cathedral Office
Desert Monasticism
Urban Monasticism
Medieval Developments and Beyond
The Influence of Vatican II
What Does It Have To Do With Us?
I. Early Jewish and
Christian Prayer
First to Third Centuries
Early Jewish and Christian Prayer
• Temple Sacrifices
– Morning
– Evening
– Ended with destruction
of temple 70 AD
Early Jewish and Christian Prayer
• Shema
– Synagogue or Home
– Beginning and End of Day
(2x)
– Deut. 6:4-9, 11:13-21;
Num. 15:37
– “Hear O Israel! The Lord is our God,
the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall
love the Lord, your God with all your
heart, and with all your soul, and
with all your strength”
Early Jewish and Christian Prayer
• Amidah, Tefillah or Shemonah Esreh
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Eighteen berakah
Three Blessings Paying Homage to God
Middle Twelve (thirteen) are Requests
Last Three Express Gratitude for God’s
Graciousness
Early Jewish and Christian Prayer
Scripture Themes
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Day and Night
Morning
Evening
Three Times a Day
Seven Times a Day
Persevere in Prayer
Light Lamps
The Didache 50-70 AD
• Our Father
• Doxology
• Pray Three Times a Day
Clement of Rome
• We should do in order everything the
Master commanded...at set times and hours
• First to add symbolic meanings to times of
day…..night and day as symbol of
resurrection
Clement of Alexandria d. 215
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True Christian Prays Always
3, 6, 9 Hours
Rising, Retiring, Night,
Before, During, After Meals
Orientation to the East--Christ Our Light
Night as Eschatological Prayer
“Vigilers”
Origen d. 254
• Demonstrates Primitive
Egyptian Pattern
• Prayer Facing East
• Pray Without Ceasing
(1 Thess 5:17)
• Speaks of Daniel Praying 3 X
(Dan 6. 10)
• Peter 6th Hour (Acts 10.9-11)
• Evening (Psalm 140)
Tertullian d. 220 or later
• North Africa
• Description becomes classic system of
daily prayer
• Beginning, End of Day--obligatory prayer
• 3,6,9, recommended
• Night Suggested
• Prepares Groundwork for Light Rite
• Morning and Evening…..Parallels Temple
• Psalms 110-118 145-150 responses
Cyprian d. 258
• Carthadge---North Africa
• Confirms Tertullian’s 3, 6, 9
• Adds Allegory to times
– morning-Christ’s Resurrection
– 6-9 Christ’s Crucifixion
– sunset-Coming Christ
• Viewed the 3,6,9 as more important than
morning and evening
Apostolic Tradition 215
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Hippolytus of Rome
Christological Hours
On Rising
3,6,9 hours
Agape
Retiring
Midnight
Cockcrow
Apostolic Tradition 215
Private Prayer
Common Assembly
On Rising
Morning Instruction
3,6,9 Hours
Evening Agape
Retiring
Midnight
Cockcrow
II. Cathedral Office
The People’s Office
Cathedral Office
• 312 AD Emperor
Constantine becomes
Christian
• Christian Worship
becomes part of daily
Roman life
Cathedral Office
“It is impossible to find anywhere, among all
the sects, two churches that agree exactly
in their prayer ritual…..
Socrates
Church History (439-450)
Cathedral Office
• Symbol and Ceremony
– light lucenarium
– incense Psalm 140
– processions
• Chant
– responsories
– antiphons
– hymns
(people knew by heart)
Cathedral Office
• Diverse Ministries
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bishop
presbyter
deacon
reader
psalmist
• Limited use of familiar psalms
• Praise and Intercession NO Liturgy Word
• (service of PRAISE, not LEARNING)
Eusebius of Caesarea 313
(263-339)
• “Throughout whole world in the churches of
God hymns, praises, and true divine
delights are arranged for God at morning
sunrise and in the evening.”
• Psalm 140 Evening
• Psalm 62 Morning
Egyptian Sources
• Athanasius of Alexandria (294-373)
– Cathedral Vigils, with monks and laity
– Readings, Responsorial Psalmody, Prayers
• John Cassian (on People’s Office)
– “those that live in the world observe with
utmost care…rising before light” morning
• Paphnutius (Desert)
– “used to go to M/E hear Scriptures, Gospel”
Egyptian Sources
• Canons of Hippolytus 336-340 Arabic
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Roles of ministers
Prayer, psalms, reading, prayers
Everyone should go to church
Pray at home when you can’t get there
Rise for cockcrow
Cappadocia
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Basil the Great
St. Macrina
St. Gregory of Nyssa
Peter of Sebaste
How would you like to be
the black sheep
in this family???
Cappadocia
• Death of St. Macrina [984B-986b)
• Lighting of Lamps
• Pagan Greeting of Light…Christianized
– Chaire phos agathon (hail good light)
– Chaire phos philon (hail friendly light)
• Death of St. Basil
Phos Hilaron
O joyous light of the holy glory of the immortal
Father, heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ!
As we come to the setting of the sun and behold
the evening light,
We praise you Father, Son and Holy Spirit, God!
It is fitting at all times that you be praised with
auspicious voices, O son of God, giver of life.
That is why the whole world glorifies you.
Cappadocian Worship
• Vespers
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Lucenarium
Psalm 140
Lessons and Homily
Intercessions and Petitions
• Vigils
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Is 26
Psalm 118
Antiphonal Psalms; prayers
Responsorial Psalms; Prayers
Antioch
• John Chrysostom (about 390)Baptismal
Catechesis
– Morning praise God for what has been done
– Evening examen “attain master’s pardon for
10,000 faults committed in day”
– Psalm 140 daily, Psalm 62 daily
– incense and lamp lighting was atonement
– intercessions
– pray daily…kneeling, with hands in air
Antioch
• The Apostolic Constitutions
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written Greek 380 by Syrian from Antioch area
Morning Psalm 62, gloria, prayers
Evening Psalm 140, 121 , Nunc Dimitus, prayers
Vigils Service gospel, 3 psalms
Pray standings
Reiterates 3,6,9 as prayer wherever you are
Cathedral Office-Revisited
• Anton Baumstarck (1872-1948) coined
“Cathedral”
• Common Prayer of people, celebrated in
local church, presided by Bishop
• Invariable structure (locally)
• Limited Psalmody
• Time of Day
• External Symbols
People’s VS Monastic Office
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morning/evening
small number psalms
no readings
ceremonies, processions
music and singing
hierarchical in nature
celebrating prayer of
Church
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seven Times -pray always
psalter-in order
systematic bible reading
minimum external
observance
• music restrained/absent
• abbot presides, not
ecclesiastical
• praying in tradition of
particular community
III. Desert Monasticism
From Lay Movement to Monasticism
Desert Monasticism
• Single-minded Christians who took a more
rigorous approach to their faith were
called devout ones or devoti, began living
together, but still worshipped locally
• Egyptian hermits, who escaped to the
desert
Desert Monasticism
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The Tradition of Scetis
John Cassian
Born about 360
Lived in Scetis Region
380-399
• Writing 20 years later
for Gallic community
John Cassian
Psalmody
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12 psalms group one for each hour of day
Seated: One stands and reads psalm
Standing: Silent prayer with arms extended
Prostration: Praying all the while
Standing: Silent prayer with arms extended
Collect by presider
12th psalm Alleluia
Gloria Patri
John Cassian
Lessons
• Two Readings from the Bible
• Weekdays
– OT Reading
– NT Reading
• Saturday, Sunday, and Paschaltide:
– Epistle or Acts
– Gospel
Taken from Robert Taft: LOH in East and West
John Cassian
• Monday-Friday: office done by solitary
monks in cells
• Saturday, Sunday: monks gathered for
offices, Eucharist, agape, and supplies
Pachomius d. 346
• First Cenobitic Foundations 320 Nile Valley
N. of Thebes
• morning: all gather for common synaxis
• evening: each house prays together
• all night vigils: private
Pachomius d. 346
• Seated: scripture read by monk at ambo
• Standing:
– signal, sign of cross
– Our Father with arms extended,
– signal, sign of cross
• Prostrated: penitential prayer in silence
• Standing: sign of cross , prayer in silence
signal to be seated
• Cycle probably repeated six times
Pachomius d. 346
• Sunday: Spiritual Conferences and
Eucharist
• Monks were expected to rise and recite 510 psalms in cells before morning synaxis
if they did not keep vigil
• Prayer at beginning and end of day
common to Cathedral and Monastic
traditions
• Desert strove to foster continuous prayer
Desert Monasticism
• “The point was not with whom one prayed,
nor where, not in what form, nor at what
fixed times, nor in how many common
synaxes, but that one’s very life be totally
prayer. “ Robert Taft
• Apophthegmata Patrum “If you will, you
shall become all flame”
Jerusalem
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Egeria
Nun Traveling on Pilgrimage 381-384
From Spain
Ends up in Jerusalem before Holy Week 384
Our source for much liturgical information,
especially LOH, Holy Week
• You Go Girl !!!
Jerusalem-Egeria
• Clear sense of the
roles of laity,
monks, bishops
• Taste of the
ceremonial
aspects
IV. Urban Monasticism
East and West
Urban Monasticism
East and West
Urban Monasticism-East
• Palestine-John Cassian’s Institutes (417418)
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adds little hours 3 psalms, 3 prayers
adds matins
cathedral vespers
vigil 3,3 repeated throughout night
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cockcrow-night psalms as Egypt, Lauds(Ps 148-150)
sunrise Pss 50,62,89 with prayers
3,6,9
Evening vesperal psalmody, with cathedral
elements
Urban Monasticism-East
• Palestine and Antioch basically took
monastic offices and added Cathedral
elements to them.
• Cappadocia approaches from other
perspective; beginning with a Cathedral
office and adding one hour of continuous
psalms
– Basil
Urban Monasticism-West
• Ordo Monasterii North Africa 395
• Matins - Pss 62,5,89
• Terce-Sext-None
– 1 responsorial, 2 antiphon, reading, conclusion
• Lucernarium
– 1 responsorial, 4 antiphonal, 1 responsorial,
reading, conclusion
• Nocturns Number of psalms and readings
varied seasonally (length of night)
Urban Monasticism-West
• Cassian-Gaul 417-425
• adds Gloria Patri to each of the psalmsrather than groups of psalms
• does not end nocturnes with laudes
(ps 148-150)….uses them at Matins
Urban Monasticism-West
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Caesarius and Aurelian of Arles about 534
modified Cassian
add hymns, kyrie to each office, petitions
combines cathedral/little hours
adds Prime
feasts…monks celebrated cathedral hours
in public oratory
• full monastic cursis, plus Cathedral hours
Urban Monasticism-West
• St. Columban 543-615
• Difficult night schedule
– beginning, middle of night 12 psalms each
– matins 36 on weekdays 75on Saturdays
– CHORA-2 psalms with antiphon, 1 without
• six hours a day (3 psalms each)
• closest to Benedict’s “our holy Fathers
prayed psalter in a single day”
Urban Monasticism-West
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Isidore of Seville 560-633
3 psalms-prostrate after each psalm
responsorial
2 scriptures
lauds
Hymn
Prayer
Each psalm ends with Gloria Patri, prostrate
2/3 soloists chanted rest responded in
choir
Rule of Master
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Each hour had basically same structure
Antiphonal and Responsorial psalms
Epistle
Gospel reading/canticle
intercessions
psalms in order
inpositio: psalm, Gloria Patri, prostration,
silent prayer
Roman Office
(reconstruction)
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8th cent ordo romanii
Weekly distribution of psalms
1-107 continuous at vigils
108-150 at vespers
continuous scripture reading
minor hours had fixed psalms
12/24psalms at nocturns, 6 at matins, 6 at
vespers, 3 at little hours
Rule of Benedict 540
• Weekly distribution of psalms
• 150 Continuous Psalms
distributed throughout day
(except compline)
• continuous scripture
reading/after six psalms
• introduced hymnody
• 12 psalms at Sunday Vigils
Rule of Benedict 540
Liturgical Day
Rule of Benedict 540
• Much more humane
distribution of psalms
• Became the standard
Western monastic office
by 11th century
V. The Middle Ages in the West
Rising Monasticism/Clericalism
Declining “People’s Office”
The Middle Ages in the West
• Cathedral-City Churches
• 6th - 7th Century- Small Country Churches
– Required priests, deacon, minor orders
– mass book, lectionary, gospel, sanctoral,
antiphoner, psalter
– (would need at least three for divine office)
– (still no printing presses)
The Middle Ages in the West
Large books all would gather round
The Middle Ages in the West
• Charlemagne (742-814)
• Began “Romanizing” process in his empire
• People’s office transformed to monastic:
“The layman must not read the lesson in
church or sing alleluia, but just the psalm
and response.”
The Middle Ages in the West
• Priests become celibate, caste apart from
laity
• laity reduced to silent onlookers
• office becomes long and complex DUTY of
clerics
• Charlemagne (802) “ring the bell”
• “have the books”
The Middle Ages in the West
• Because of number of books/roles involved
in Divine Office, no ONE person could
possess the whole liturgy
• 12 century-development of breviary
• Monastic, than Friars Minor
• Spread throughout the West
The Middle Ages in the West
• Breviary Implications
• Very few could afford
books
• If priest bought own
book, would hold at
seat, and no longer
needed all the other
ministers
Western Developments
• People’s office was taken away from them,
but they felt a need to continue prayer
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Rosary (originally 150 X psalm verse)
Jesus prayer (150 X)
Our Father (150 X)
Same verse multiple X (2076 = # psalm verses)
One line of each psalm
Western Developments
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Book of Hours
Marian Themes
Limited Psalms
Office of Dead
Penitential Psalms
Particular Themes
Office Reforms
• RB-Benedict of Aniane 817
• Roman-Cardinal Quinonez
(1485-1540)
– revamped office for private
recitation
– offices not 200 years old go to
breviary
• Council of Trent (1546 - 1563)
• Pius V New Roman Office
(1568)
Office Reforms
• Pius X 1911
– redistributed psalter
– pruned sanctoral cycle
Office Reforms-other traditions
• Ulrich Zwingli-Swiss-daily service to edify,
not penitential
• Martin Bucer-abolished monasticism
(Strasbourg)
• Luther-attempted to return hours to people
• Thomas Cramner-Book of Common Prayer
• Taizé 1963 Ecumenical musical
The Influence of Vatican II
Constitution on Sacred Liturgy
• Morning and Evening-hinges for daily office
• Matins, any 1 hour, and prime suppressed
• Four week cycle
• Better use scripture/fathers of the church
• Encourage laity to recite divine office
The Influence of Vatican II
General Instruction Liturgy of Hours
GILOH 1971
• Four week psalms
• Fitted to hours
• Hymns
• Minor hours reduced to midday prayer
• Biblical canticles increased
• Invitatory recommended first hour of day.
Liturgy of Hours Structure
• Opening Verse
– Lord open my lips AM
– God come to my assistance
(others)
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Glory Be
Hymn
Psalmody
OT/NT Canticle
Psalm of praise
Scripture
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Response
Gospel Canticle
Prayer
Lord’s Prayer
Concluding
Blessing
Benedictine Confederation 1971
Whatever form the Office of any monastery or
congregation may take, it must be the
center and the source of the spiritual life of
each community, for the building up of a
vital local church which stands before God
as a body and because of this leads the
individual members to a living dialogue
with God, in which there is a perfect
balance between inner recollection and
external action. . . .”
Of Time Made Holy 1978
As bearers of a great liturgical tradition,
communities of Benedictine women must
confidently assume their places as liturgical
centers, as public manifestations of the
praying Church, as prophetic interpreters of
a living faith. Concentration then must be on
the development of liturgical celebrations
that are vital, meaningful, and relevant rather
than on structures or regularity that can
easily become legalistic observance or
formalism.
Sacred Heart Monastery 1999
Sacred Heart Monastery 1999
Liturgy of Hours Elsewhere
May the Divine Assistance
remain also with you……….
And with our absent brothers and
sisters…………..
Amen!
Jill Maria Murdy
• http://www.jillmaria.com
• Jill Maria holds an MA in liturgy from Notre
Dame.
• She has nearly twenty years experience in
praying the Liturgy of the Hours as a former
Benedictine Nun.
Resources
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Robert Taft, Beyond East and West
Paul Bradshaw, Daily Prayer in the Early Church
http://www.liturgyhours.org/
http://www.universalis.com/-500/today.htm
GILOH
http://www.ewtn.com/library/curia/cdwgilh.htm
• http://www.yale.edu/adhoc/research_resources
/liturgy/hours.html
• http://fdlc.org/Publications/Sample/44860Liturg
yofHoursSample.pdf