View source for Canonical hours

{{Short description|Christian concept of periods of prayer throughout the day}}
{{For|the specific implementation of the canonical hours in the public prayer of the Roman rite of the Catholic Church|Liturgy of the Hours}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}

[[File:Jean Pichore - Leaf from Book of Hours - Walters W45294V - Open Reverse.jpg|thumb|Opening verse from a Book of Hours ''Domine labia mea aperies et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam'' {{Circa|1520}}]]
In the practice of [[Christianity]], '''canonical hours''' mark the divisions of the day in terms of [[Fixed prayer times#Christianity|fixed times of prayer]] at regular intervals. A [[book of hours]], chiefly a [[breviary]], normally contains a version of, or selection from, such prayers.<ref>{{cite web |title=breviary |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breviary |publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]] |access-date=7 February 2022 |language=English |quote=: a book of the prayers, hymns, psalms, and readings for the canonical hours}}</ref><ref>John Harthan "The Book of Hours: With a Historical Survey and Commentary by John Harthan.: New York: Crowell, 1977.</ref>

In the [[Roman Rite]] of the Catholic Church, canonical hours are also called '''officium''', since it refers to the official prayer of the Church, which is known variously as the {{lang|la|officium divinum}} ("divine service", "divine office", or "divine duty"), and the {{lang|la|opus Dei}} ("work of God"). The current official version of the hours in the Roman Rite is called the [[Liturgy of the Hours]] ({{langx|la|liturgia horarum}}) or ''divine office''.

In [[Lutheranism]] and [[Anglicanism]], they are often known as the '''daily office''' or '''divine office''', to distinguish them from the other "offices" of the Church (e.g. the administration of the sacraments).<ref name="FELC2021">{{cite web |title=Evening Prayer in Advent |url=https://www.felcaustin.org/worship-music/evening-prayer |publisher=First English Lutheran Church |access-date=6 February 2022 |location=[[Austin, Texas|Austin]] |language=English |date=2021 |quote=Evening Prayer, or Vespers, is an ancient form of daily prayer and is part of the historic Liturgy of the Hours, or Divine Office.}}</ref> 

In the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] and [[Byzantine Rite|Byzantine Catholic Churches]], the canonical hours may be referred to as the '''[[Divine Service (Eastern Orthodoxy)|divine services]]''', and the ''book of hours'' is called the {{lang|el-Latn|[[horologion]]}} ({{langx|el|Ὡρολόγιον}}). Despite numerous small differences in practice according to local custom, the overall order is the same among Byzantine Rite monasteries, although parish and cathedral customs vary rather more so by locale.

The usage in [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox Churches]], the [[Assyrian Church of the East]], and their [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Catholic]] and [[Eastern Lutheranism|Eastern Lutheran]] counterparts vary based on the rite, for example the [[East Syriac Rite]] or the [[Byzantine Rite]].

==Development==
===Judaism and the early church===
The canonical hours stemmed from [[Jewish prayer]]. In the [[Old Testament]], God commanded the Israelite priests to offer sacrifices of animals in the morning and afternoon ({{bibleverse||Exodus|29:38–39}}). Eventually, these sacrifices moved from the [[Tabernacle]] to [[Solomon's Temple]] in [[Jerusalem]].

During the [[Babylonian captivity]], when the Temple was no longer in use, [[synagogue]]s carried on the practice, and the services (at fixed hours of the day) of [[Torah readings]], [[psalms]], and [[hymn]]s began to evolve. 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.

The miraculous healing of the crippled beggar described in Acts of the Apostles 3:1, took place as Peter and John went to the Temple for the three o'clock hour of prayer. The practice of daily prayers grew from the [[Judaism|Jewish]] practice of reciting prayers at set times of the day known as {{lang|he-Latn|[[zmanim]]}}: for example, in the ''[[Acts of the Apostles]]'', [[Saint Peter]] and [[John the Evangelist]] visit the [[Temple in Jerusalem]] for the afternoon prayers.<ref>{{bibleverse||Acts|3:1}}</ref>

[[Psalm 119]]:164 states: "Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws" (of this, [[Symeon of Thessalonica]] writes that "the times of prayer and the services are seven in number, like the number of gifts of the Spirit, since the holy prayers are from the Spirit").<ref>St. Symeon, p 18</ref> In Act 10:9, the decision to include [[Gentile]]s among the community of believers, arose from a vision Peter had while praying about noontime.

Early Christians prayed the Psalms ({{bibleverse||Acts|4:23–30}}), which have remained the principal part of the canonical hours. By AD 60, we find the [[Didache]] recommending that disciples pray the [[Lord's Prayer]] three times a day; this practice found its way into the canonical hours as well. 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 the third, sixth and ninth hours.

From the time of the early Church, the practice of [[fixed prayer times|seven fixed prayer times]], being attached to {{Bibleverse|Psalm|119:164|KJV}}, have been taught; in ''[[Apostolic Tradition]]'', [[Hippolytus of Rome|Hippolytus]] instructed Christians to pray seven times a day "on rising, at the lighting of the evening lamp, at bedtime, at midnight" and "the third, sixth and ninth hours of the day, being hours associated with Christ's Passion."<ref name="DanielouOrigen2016">{{cite book |last1=Daniélou |first1=Jean |title=Origen |date=2016 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-4982-9023-4 |page=29 |quote=Peterson quotes a passage from the ''Acts of Hipparchus and Philotheus'': "In Hipparchus's house there was a specially decorated room and a cross was painted on the east wall of it. There before the image of the cross, they used to pray seven times a day ... with their faces turned to the east." It is easy to see the importance of this passage when you compare it with what Origen says. The custom of turning towards the rising sun when praying had been replaced by the habit of turning towards the east wall. This we find in Origen. From the other passage we see that a cross had been painted on the wall to show which was the east. Hence the origin of the practice of hanging crucifixes on the walls of the private rooms in Christian houses. We know too that signs were put up in the Jewish synagogues to show the direction of Jerusalem, because the Jews turned that way when they said their prayers. The question of the proper way to face for prayer has always been of great importance in the East. It is worth remembering that Mohammedans pray with their faces turned towards Mecca and that one reason for the condemnation of Al Hallaj, the Mohammedan martyr, was that he refused to conform to this practice.}}</ref><ref name="Chadwick1993">{{cite book |author1=[[Henry Chadwick (theologian)|Henry Chadwick]] |title=The Early Church |date=1993 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-101-16042-8 |quote=Hippolytus in the ''Apostolic Tradition'' directed that Christians should pray seven times a day - on rising, at the lighting of the evening lamp, at bedtime, at midnight, and also, if at home, at the third, sixth and ninth hours of the day, being hours associated with Christ's Passion. Prayers at the third, sixth, and ninth hours are similarly mentioned by Tertullian, Cyprian, Clement of Alexandria and Origen, and must have been very widely practised. These prayers were commonly associated with private Bible reading in the family.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Weitzman |first1=M. P. |title=The Syriac Version of the Old Testament |date=7 July 2005 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-01746-6 |quote=Clement of Alexandria noted that "some fix hours for prayer, such as the third, sixth and ninth" (Stromata 7:7). Tertullian commends these hours, because of their importance (see below) in the New Testament and because their number recalls the Trinity (De Oratione 25). These hours indeed appear as designated for prayer from the earliest days of the church. Peter prayed at the sixth hour, i.e. at noon (Acts 10:9). The ninth hour is called the "hour of prayer" (Acts 3:1). This was the hour when Cornelius prayed even as a "God-fearer" attached to the Jewish community, i.e. before his conversion to Christianity. it was also the hour of Jesus' final prayer (Matt. 27:46, Mark 15:34, Luke 22:44-46).}}</ref><ref name="Lössl2010">{{cite book |last1=Lössl |first1=Josef |title=The Early Church: History and Memory |date=17 February 2010 |publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-0-567-16561-9 |page=135 |quote=Not only the content of early Christian prayer was rooted in Jewish tradition; its daily structure too initially followed a Jewish pattern, with prayer times in the early morning, at noon and in the evening. Later (in the course of the second century), this pattern combined with another one; namely prayer times in the evening, at midnight and in the morning. As a result seven 'hours of prayer' emerged, which later became the monastic 'hours' and are still treated as 'standard' prayer times in many churches today. They are roughly equivalent to midnight, 6 a.m., 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Prayer positions included prostration, kneeling and standing. ... Crosses made of wood or stone, or painted on walls or laid out as mosaics, were also in use, at first not directly as objections of veneration but in order to 'orientate' the direction of prayer (i.e. towards the east, Latin ''oriens'').}}</ref>

In the early church, during the night before every feast, a [[vigil]] was kept. The word "Vigils", at first applied to the Night Office, comes from a Latin source, namely the {{lang|la|Vigiliae}} or nocturnal watches or guards of the soldiers. The night from six o'clock in the evening to six o'clock in the morning was divided into four watches or vigils of three hours each, the first, the second, the third, and the fourth vigil.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10050a.htm Cabrol, Fernand. "Matins". The Catholic Encyclopedia] Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 6 October 2019{{PD-notice}}</ref> The Night Office is linked to {{Bibleverse|Psalm|119:62|KJV}}: "At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments."<ref name="Billett2014">{{cite book |last1=Billett |first1=Jesse D. |title=The Divine Office in Anglo-Saxon England, 597-c.1000 |date=2014 |publisher=Boydell & Brewer Ltd |isbn=978-1-907497-28-5 |language=en}}</ref>

Christians attended two [[Christian liturgy|liturgies]] on the [[Lord's Day]], worshipping communally in both a morning service and evening service, with the purpose of reading the Scriptures and celebrating the [[Eucharist]].<ref name="Bradshaw2008">{{cite book |last1=Bradshaw |first1=Paul F. |title=Daily Prayer in the Early Church: A Study of the Origin and Early Development of the Divine Office |date=1 October 2008 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-60608-105-1 |page=42 |language=English}}</ref> Throughout the rest of the week, Christians assembled at the church every day for morning prayer (which became known as ''[[lauds]]'') and evening prayer (which became known as ''[[vespers]]''), while praying at the other fixed prayer times privately.<ref name="González2020">{{cite book |last1=González |first1=Justo L. |title=Teach Us to Pray: The Lord's Prayer in the Early Church and Today |date=30 June 2020 |publisher=[[Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-4674-5958-7 |language=English |quote=These words make it clear that Hippolytus is dealing both with prayers that are to take place at home or during the day's business and with the prayers and times of study that take place in the community of the church. The prayers upon rising, on the third hour either at home or away from it, and before going to bed at night are sometimes held in private and sometimes in the company of other believers in the same household. But Hippolytus refers to other gatherings which offer, besides prayer, an opportunity for instruction and inspiration. Thus, we see here the beginning of the practice of setting aside certain times for private prayer as well as others for communal prayer.}}</ref><ref name="Bercot2021">{{cite book |last1=Bercot |first1=David W. |title=Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More Than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers |date=28 December 2021 |publisher=Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. |isbn=978-1-61970-168-7 |language=English |quote=Morning and Evening Prayer were liturgical services held each day at the local church, during which psalms were sung and prayers were offered to God.}}</ref><ref name="Beckwith2005">{{cite book |last1=Beckwith |first1=Roger T.|author-link1=Roger T. Beckwith |title=Calendar, Chronology And Worship: Studies in Ancient Judaism And Early Christianity |date=2005 |publisher=[[Brill Academic Publishers]] |isbn=978-90-04-14603-7 |page=193 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="CURC2010">{{cite web |title=Why an Evening Worship Service? |url=http://www.christurc.org/blog/2010/12/08/why-an-evening-worship-service |publisher=Christ United Reformed Church |access-date=6 October 2020 |language=en |date=8 December 2010}}</ref> In the evening the faithful assembled in the place or church where the feast was to be celebrated and prepared themselves by prayers, readings, and sometimes also by hearing a [[sermon]]. [[Pliny the Younger]] (63 – {{circa|113}}) 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." (cf. [[Lovefeast]])<ref>Pliny the Younger, ''Epistulae'', Book X, [http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?pageno=117&fk_files=2025 Letter xcvii].</ref> This vigil was a regular institution of Christian life and was defended and highly recommended by St. Augustine and St. Jerome.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05647a.htm Holweck, Frederick. "Eve of a Feast". The Catholic Encyclopedia] Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 6 October 2019{{PD-notice}}</ref>

The Office of the Vigils was a single Office, recited without interruption at midnight. Probably in the fourth century, in order to break the monotony of this long night prayer the custom of dividing it into three parts or [[Nocturns]] was introduced. [[John Cassian]] in speaking of the solemn Vigils mentions three divisions of this Office.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11087b.htm Carrol, F. "Nocturns". The Catholic Encyclopedia] Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 6 October 2019{{PD-notice}}</ref>

Around the year 484, the Greek-Cappadocian monk [[Sabbas the Sanctified]] began the process of recording the [[liturgy|liturgical]] practices around [[Jerusalem]], while the cathedral and parish rites in the Patriarchate of Constantinople evolved in an entirely different manner.<ref>Taft, Mount Athos:, pp 180, 181, 182, 187, and 189</ref> The two major practices were synthesized, commencing in the [[8th century]], to yield an office of great complexity.<ref name="Byzantine_Synthesis">Taft, Mount Athos:, pp 180, 182, 184, 185, 187, and 191</ref>

In 525, [[Benedict of Nursia]] set out one of the earliest schemes for the recitation of the Psalter at the Office. The [[Cluniac Reforms]] of the [[11th century]] renewed an emphasis on liturgy and the canonical hours in the reformed priories of the [[Order of Saint Benedict]], with [[Cluny Abbey]] at their head.

===Middle Ages===
As the form of fixed-hour prayer developed in the [[Christian monastic]] communities in the East and West, the Offices grew both more elaborate and more complex, but the basic cycle of prayer still provided the structure for daily life in [[monastery|monasteries]]. By the fourth century, the elements of the canonical hours were more or less established. For secular (non-monastic) clergy and lay people, the fixed-hour prayers were by necessity much shorter, though in many churches, the form of the fixed-hour prayers became a hybrid of secular and monastic practice (sometimes referred to as 'cathedral' and 'monastic' models).

====Byzantine Rite====

In the [[Byzantine Empire]], the development of the Divine Services shifted from the area around Jerusalem to [[Constantinople]]. In particular, [[Theodore the Studite]] ({{circa|758}} – {{circa|826}}) combined a number of influences from the Byzantine court ritual with monastic practices common in [[Anatolia]],<ref name=Byzantine_Synthesis/> and added thereto a number of hymns composed by himself and his brother Joseph (see {{lang|el-Latn|[[typikon]]}} for further details).

====Western rites====
In the West, the [[Rule of Saint Benedict|Rule]] of Saint [[Benedict of Nursia]] (written in 516) was modeled on his guidelines for the prayers on the customs of the [[basilica]]s of [[Rome]]. It was he who expounded the concept in Christian prayer of the inseparability of the spiritual life from the physical life. St. Benedict set down the dictum {{lang|la|Ora et labora}} – "Pray and work". The Order of Saint Benedict began to call the prayers the {{lang|la|Opus Dei}} or "Work of God".

By the time of Saint Benedict, author of the Rule, the monastic Liturgy of the Hours was composed of seven daytime hours and one at night. He associated the practice with Psalm 118/119:164, "Seven times a day I praise you", and Psalm 118/119:62, "At midnight I rise to praise you".<ref>[http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/benedict.html Rule of Saint Benedict, chapter 16 (original Latin)]; [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/50040/50040-h/50040-h.html#chapter-16-nl-how-the-work-of-god-is-to-be-performed-during-the-day English translation by Leonard J. Doyle]</ref> The fixed-hour prayers came to be known as the "Divine Office" (office coming from {{lang|la|'officium'}}, lit., "duty").

Initially, the term "[[Matins]]" from Latin {{lang|la|matutinus}}, meaning "of or belonging to the morning",<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/invalidquery.jsp?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0059:entry=entry=|title=No document found|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref> was applied to the psalms recited at dawn. At first "[[Lauds]]" (i.e. praises) derived from the three last psalms in the office (148, 149, 150), in all of which the word {{lang|la|laudate}} is repeated frequently, and to such an extent that originally the word Lauds designated the end, that is to say, these three psalms with the conclusion. The Night Office and Lauds are grouped together as a single canonical hour to form a total of seven canonical hours.<ref name="Billett2014" />{{rp|32}}

By the fourth century the word "matins" became attached to the prayer originally offered at cockcrow.<ref>[http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/ANF-07/anf07-49.htm#P7253_2430086 Constitutions of the Holy Apostles] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060807084821/http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/ANF-07/anf07-49.htm#P7253_2430086 |date=7 August 2006 }}, VIII, iv, 34</ref> and, according to the sixth-century ''Rule of Saint Benedict'', could be calculated to be the eighth hour of the night (the hour that began at about 2 a.m.).<ref name="Doyle8">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ewtn.com/library/priests/benrule.htm#Chapter%208%20-%20Divine%20Office%20at%20Night|title=Rule of Saint Benedict, 8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e4lKAwAAQBAJ&q=oscillated|title=Commentary on the Rule of St. Benedict|first=Paul|last=Delatte|date=29 August 2000|publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers|isbn=9781579104603|via=Google Books}}</ref> Outside of monasteries few rose at night to pray. The canonical hour of the vigil was said in the morning, followed immediately by lauds, and the name of "matins" replaced that of "vigils". Gradually the title "Lauds" was applied to the early morning office.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09038a.htm Cabrol, Fernand. "Lauds". The Catholic Encyclopedia] Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 6 October 2019{{PD-notice}}</ref>

Already well-established by the [[9th century]] in the West, these canonical hours consisted of daily prayer [[liturgies]]:
* [[Matins]] (nighttime) with [[Lauds]] (early morning)<ref>{{cite web |title=About the Little Office |url=https://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/Canonical%20Hours%20Insert.html |publisher=Catholic Harbor of Faith and Morals |access-date=29 July 2025 |date=2025 |quote=This Office was instituted by the Church, guided by the Spirit of God, and is divided into seven canonical hours, according to the following order, set down in the Roman Breviary:--1st, Vespers; 2nd, Complin; 3rd, Matins with Lauds; 4th, Prime; 5th, Terce; 6th, Sext; and 7th, None.}}</ref>
* [[Prime (liturgy)|Prime]] (first hour of daylight)
* [[Terce]] (third hour)
* [[Sext]] (noon)
* [[None (liturgy)|None]] (ninth hour)
* [[Vespers]] (sunset evening)
* [[Compline]] (end of the day)

The three major hours were Matins, Lauds and Vespers; the [[Little Hours|minor hours]] were Terce, Sext, None and Compline.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sun.aei.polsl.pl/~ksim/docs/Rubricae.pdf |title=Code of Rubrics, 138 |access-date=20 May 2019 |archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803095316/http://sun.aei.polsl.pl/~ksim/docs/Rubricae.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://catholic-resources.org/LoH/index.html |title=Felix Just, "The Liturgy of the Hours" |publisher=Catholic-resources.org |access-date=20 May 2019}}</ref>
[[File:Delft, breviario di beatrice van assendelft, 1485, 01.jpg|thumb|Breviary of Beatrice van Assendelft, 1485]]
As the Divine Office grew more important in the life of the Church, the rituals became more elaborate. Praying the Office already required 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. As parishes grew in the Middle Ages away from [[cathedral]]s and basilicas, a more concise way of arranging the hours was needed. So, a sort of list developed called the [[breviary]], which gave the format of the daily office and the texts to be used.

The spread of breviaries eventually reached Rome, where [[Pope Innocent III]] extended their use to the [[Roman Curia]]. The [[Franciscans]] sought a one-volume breviary for their [[friar]]s to use during travels, so the order adopted the {{lang|la|Breviarium Curiae}}, but substituting the Gallican Psalter for the Roman. The Franciscans gradually spread this breviary throughout Europe. Eventually, [[Pope Nicholas III]] adopted the widely used Franciscan breviary to be the breviary used in Rome. By the 14th century, the breviary contained the entire text of the canonical hours.

In general, when modern secular books reference canonical hours in the [[Middle Ages]], these are the equivalent times:
* [[Vigil (liturgy)|Vigil]] (eighth hour of night: 2 a.m.) 
* [[Matins]] (a later portion of Vigil, from 3 a.m. to dawn)
* [[Lauds]] (dawn; approximately 5 a.m., but varies seasonally)
* [[Prime (liturgy)|Prime]] (early morning, the first hour of daylight, approximately 6 a.m.)
* [[Terce]] (third hour, 9 a.m.)
* [[Sext]] (sixth hour, noon)
* [[None (liturgy)|None]] (ninth hour, 3 p.m.)
* [[Vespers]] (sunset, approximately 6 p.m.)
* [[Compline]] (end of the day before retiring, approximately 7 p.m.)

[[Church bell]]s are tolled at the fixed times of these canonical hours in some Christian traditions as a call to prayer.<ref>{{cite web |title=What is the relationship between bells and the church? When and where did the tradition begin? Should bells ring in every church? |url=https://www.suscopts.org/q%26a/index.php?qid=1484&catid=386 |publisher=Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States |access-date=8 August 2020 |date=2020 |archive-date=1 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201140729/https://www.suscopts.org/q%26a/index.php?qid=1484&catid=386 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Roman Rite==
{{Main|Liturgy of the Hours}}
[[File:Austria_-_Heiligenkreuz_Abbey_-_1585.jpg|thumb|[[Cistercians]] singing the Liturgy of the Hours at [[Heiligenkreuz Abbey]]]]

In the [[Latin Church]] of the Catholic Church, bishops, priests, deacons and the members of the [[consecrated life]] are obliged to recite the hours each day, keeping as far as possible to the true time of day, and using the text of the approved liturgical books that apply to them.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ewtn.com/library/curia/cdwgilh.htm |title=General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours, 29 |publisher=Ewtn.com |access-date=20 May 2019 |archive-date=5 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705220739/http://www.ewtn.com/library/curia/cdwgilh.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="CIC276">[https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__PY.HTM canon 276 §2 3<sup>2</sup>] of the [[1983 Code of Canon Law]]</ref> The laity are encouraged to recite the prayer of the hours.<ref>''The General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours'', No. 27</ref>

===Diurnal offices===
[[File:Bristol Cathedral choir stalls.jpg|thumb|Traditionally, monastic communities pray the Divine Office in the [[Choir (architecture)|choir]] of the church.]]

The '''diurnal offices''' or '''daytime offices''' ([[Ecclesiastical Latin]]: {{lang|la|horae diurnae}}) are the canonical hours during the day. Interpretation of their number and identity varies.

The [[monastic rule]] drawn up by [[Benedict of Nursia]] ({{circa|480}} – {{circa|547}}) distinguishes between the seven daytime canonical hours of [[lauds]] (dawn), [[prime (liturgy)|prime]] (sunrise), [[terce]] (mid-morning), [[sext]] (midday), [[none (liturgy)|none]] (mid-afternoon), [[Vespers]] (sunset), [[compline]] (retiring) and the nighttime canonical hour of [[vigil (liturgy)|vigil]]. It links the seven daytime offices with [[Psalm 119|Psalm 118/119]]:164 ("Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules"),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblestudytools.com/psalms/119-164-compare.html|title=What Does Psalms 119:164 Mean? "Seven times a day do I praise thee, Because of thy righteous ordinances."|website=biblestudytools.com}}</ref> and the one nighttime office with [[Psalm 119|Psalm 118/119]]:62 ("At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules").<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblestudytools.com/psalms/119-62-compare.html|title=What Does Psalms 119:62 Mean? "At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee Because of thy righteous ordinances."|website=biblestudytools.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/benedict.html|title=Rule of St. Benedict|website=www.thelatinlibrary.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ccel.org/ccel/benedict/rule.xviii.html|title=St. Benedict: Holy Rule of St. Benedict - Christian Classics Ethereal Library|website=www.ccel.org}}</ref>

In this reckoning, the one nocturnal office, together with Lauds and Vespers, are the three [[major hours]]; the other five are the minor or [[Little Hours|little hours]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://divinumofficium.com/www/horas/Help/Rubrics/Breviary%201960.html|title=Breviary Rubrics 1960}}</ref><ref name="BouscarenO'Connor1958">{{cite book|last1=Bouscaren|first1=Timothy Lincoln|last2=O'Connor|first2=James I.|title=The Canon Law Digest: 1958-1962|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PKE1AAAAIAAJ|access-date=5 December 2015|year=1958|publisher=Bruce|quote=Of these, Matins, Lauds and Vespers are called major Hours; Prime, Terce, Sext, None, and Compline, minor Hours.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catholic-resources.org/LoH/index.html|title=The Liturgy of the Hours|website=catholic-resources.org}}</ref>

According to Dwight E. Vogel,<ref>{{cite book|title=The Book of Offices and Services |edition=Fourth |year=2012|publisher=[[Order of Saint Luke]]|isbn=978-1478391029|page=81|editor=Dwight W. Vogel|quote=The Diurnal Offices: These brief diurnal or daytime offices punctuate the day with prayer. They are prayed in the setting in which we find ourselves, whether at work, as a community gathered for learning or fellowship, or on retreat. While the traditional times for these are at the third, sixth, and ninth hours (that is, at (9:00 am, noon, and 3:00 pm), the exact time for each is variable according to the context of the settings in which we pray them.}}</ref> Daniel James Lula<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anglicanbreviary.net/diurnal.html|title=The Anglican Breviary|last=Lula|first=Daniel James|year=2013|access-date=5 December 2015|quote=Reciting the "diurnal", or day office, of Terce, Sext and None may be one of the easiest ways for a modern individual to sanctify his or her work-day. The three day Hours, identical in structure, are each much simpler and shorter than any of the Major Hours or Compline. They can easily be recited at their appointed times—9 a.m., 12 noon, and 3 p.m.—aggregated during the lunch hour, or said alone as time permits.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055550/http://www.anglicanbreviary.net/diurnal.html|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Elizabeth Moore<ref>{{cite book|editor=Elizabeth Moore, OSL|title=A Lukan Book of Hours: Basic Forms of the Daily Office |date=18 September 2015 |publisher=[[Order of Saint Luke]]|isbn=9781508553014|page=1|quote=The seven "hours" (offices or services) provided by The Order of Saint Luke follow the pattern of the seven hours listed by Basil the Great in the fourth century. There are two principal hours (Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer), three diurnal or daytime hours (mid-morning, mid-day, and mid-afternoon), and two nocturnal or nighttime hours (compline and vigil).}}<!--|access-date=5 December 2015--></ref> the diurnal offices are [[Terce]], [[Sext]], and [[None (liturgy)|None]], which are distinguished from the major hours of [[Matins]], [[Lauds]] and [[Vespers]] and from the nighttime hours of [[Compline]] and [[Vigil (liturgy)|Vigil]].

=== Revisions===
The [[Council of Trent]], in its final session on 4 December 1563, entrusted the reform of the Breviary to the Pope.<ref>Council of Trent, ''Decree on Reformation'', [http://history.hanover.edu/texts/trent/trentall.html Chapter XXI]</ref> 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]] {{lang|la|Quod a nobis}}, imposing it in the same way in which, two years later, he imposed his [[Roman Missal]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/novusordo.html|title=IN DEFENSE OF THE PAULINE MASS|website=matt1618.freeyellow.com}}</ref> Later popes altered the Roman Breviary of Pope Pius V. [[Pope Pius XII]] 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 bishops were consulted in 1955. His successor, [[Pope John XXIII]], made a further revision in 1960.

===Second Vatican Council revisions===
Following the [[Second Vatican Council]], the Catholic Church's [[Roman Rite]] simplified the observance of the canonical hours and sought to make them more suited to the needs of today's apostolate and accessible to the laity, hoping to restore their character as the prayer of the entire Church.

The council abolished the office of Prime,<ref>''[https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html Sacrosanctum Concilium]'', Article 89(d)</ref> and envisioned a manner of distributing the psalms over a period of more than 1 week.<ref>{{lang|la|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.</ref> The Roman breviary is published under the title {{lang|la|Liturgia Horarum}}. A translation is published by Catholic Book Publishing Corp. under the title ''The Liturgy of the Hours'' in four volumes, arranged according to the seasons of the liturgical year.

The current [[liturgical book]]s for the celebration of the hours in Latin are those of the {{lang|la|editio typica altera}} (second typical edition) promulgated in 1985. The official title is {{lang|la|Officium Divinum, Liturgia Horarum iuxta Ritum Romanum, editio typica altera}}.

====Official English translations====
* ''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 [[HarperCollins]], this edition is the English edition approved for use the above countries, as well as many Asian and African dioceses.
* [[Catholic Truth Society]] published Prayer During the Day in 2009.
* The ''Liturgy of the Hours'' is translated by the [[International Commission on English in the Liturgy]] (ICEL). First published in 1975 by Catholic Book Publishing Company in the US, this edition is the English edition approved for use in the US, Canada and several other English-speaking dioceses.

===Current practice===
After the [[Second Vatican Council]], which decided that the hour of Prime should be suppressed,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html |title=Second Vatican Council, Constitution ''Sacrosanctum Concilium'', 89 d |publisher=The Holy See |date=4 December 1963 |access-date=20 May 2019}}</ref> as it was perceived as duplicating Lauds, [[Pope Paul VI]] decreed a new arrangement of the Liturgy of the Hours.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/la/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_p-vi_apc_19701101_laudis-canticum.html |title=Apostolic Constitution ''Laudis canticum'' |publisher=W2.vatican.va |date=20 November 1947 |access-date=20 May 2019}}</ref> It has, however, been revived in the Daily Office prayed by the [[Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham]] and the [[Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross]].<ref>{{cite web |author1=Ordinariates Established by Anglicanorum Coetibus |title=CTS Divine Worship Daily Office |url=https://issuu.com/catholictruthsociety/docs/divine_worship_-_the_daily_office_preview/6 |website=Isuu |date=11 April 2022 |publisher=Catholic Truth Society |access-date=2 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230224232120/https://image.isu.pub/220411121517-10aacdba2670962437cb7e59683454f1/jpg/page_6.jpg |archive-date=24 February 2023 |page=7 |language=English}}</ref>

The major hours consist of the Matins (or Office of Readings), Lauds and Vespers. The character of Lauds is that of praise, of Vespers, that of thanksgiving. The Office of Readings has the character of reflection on the day that is past and preparing the soul for its passage to eternal life. In each office, the psalms and canticle are framed by [[antiphons]].

== <span class="anchor" id="Eastern Orthodox usage"></span>Byzantine Rite usage ==

=== Historical development ===
{{further|Typicon#Historical development}}

Because the [[Byzantine Rite|Rite of Constantinople]] evolved as a synthesis of two distinct rites{{Mdash}}cathedral rite of Constantinople called the {{lang|el-Latn|"asmatiki akolouthia"}} ("sung services") and the monastic typicon of the [[Mar Saba|Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified]] near [[Jerusalem]]{{Mdash}}its offices are highly developed and quite complex.

=== Local variations ===
Two main strata exist in the rite, those places that have inherited the traditions of the Russian Church which had been given only the monastic {{lang|el-Latn|sabbaite typicon}} which is used to this day<ref>Тvпико́нъ сіесть уста́въ (The Typicon which is the Order), p 1</ref> in parishes and cathedrals as well as in monasteries, and everywhere else where some remnant of the cathedral rite remained in use; therefore, the rite as practiced in monasteries everywhere resembles the Russian recension, while non-Russian non-monastic customs differs significantly. For example, in the Russian tradition, the "[[all-night vigil]]" is served in every church on Saturday nights and the eves of feast days (although it may be abridged to be as short as two hours) while elsewhere, it is usual to have [[Matins]] on the morning of the feast; however, in the latter instance, [[Vespers]] and matins are rather less abridged but the [[Divine Liturgy]] commences at the end of matins and the hours are not read, as was the case in the extinct cathedral rite of Constantinople.

Also, as the rite evolved in sundry places, different customs arose; an essay on some of these has been written by Archbishop Basil Krivoshein and is posted on the web.<ref>[http://www.holy-trinity.org/liturgics/krivoshein-greekandrussian.html "Some differences between Greek and Russian divine services and their significance by Basil Krivoshein, Archbishop of Brussels and Belgium"], retrieved 1 January 2012</ref>

=== Liturgical books ===
The {{lang|el-Latn|[[Horologion]]|italic=no}} ({{lang|el|῾Ωρολόγιον}}; [[Church Slavonic language|Church Slavonic]]: {{lang|cu|Часocлoвъ}}, {{lang|cu-Latn|Chasoslov}}), or ''Book of Hours'', provides the [[Acolouthia|fixed portions]] of the Daily Cycle of services ({{lang|el-Latn|akolouthies}}, {{lang|el|ἀκολουθίες}}) as used by the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] and [[Eastern Catholic churches]].

Into this fixed framework, numerous moveable parts of the service are inserted. These are taken from a variety of liturgical books:
* '''[[Psalter]]''' (Greek: {{lang|el|Ψαλτήρ(ιον)}}, {{lang|el-Latn|"Psalter(ion)"}}; Slavonic: {{lang|cu|Ѱалтырь}} or {{lang|cu|Ѱалтирь}}, {{lang|cu-Latn|"Psaltyr"}}) A book containing the 150 [[Psalms]]<ref group="note">There is also a [[Psalm 151]] which is often included in the Psalter, though it is not actually chanted during the Divine Services.</ref> divided into 20 sections called [[Kathisma]]ta together with the nine Biblical [[canticle]]s which are chanted at Matins; although these canticles had been chanted in their entirety, having over time come to be supplemented by interspersed hymns (analogously to [[sticheron|stichera]]) to form the [[Canon (hymnography)|Canon]], the canticles themselves are now only regularly used in a few large monasteries.<ref group="note">excepting in the Russian tradition where they are used weekly on weekdays of Great Lent.</ref> The Psalter also contains the various "selected psalms", each composed of verses from a variety of psalms, sung at matins on feast days, as well as tables for determining which Kathismata are to be read at each service; in addition to the Psalms read at the daily offices, all the Psalms are read each week and, during Great Lent, twice a week.
* {{lang|el-Latn|'''[[Octoechos (liturgy)|Octoechos]]'''|italic=no}} (Greek: {{lang|el|Ὀκτώηχος}}; Slavonic: {{lang|cu|Октоихъ, Oktoikh}} or {{lang|cu|Осмогласникъ, Osmoglasnik}})—Literally, the Book of the "Eight Tones" or [[Musical mode|modes]]. This book contains a cycle of eight weeks, one for each of the eight [[Echos|echoi]] ([[Gregorian mode|church modes]] of the [[Octoechos|Byzantine musical system of eight modes]]), providing texts for each day of the week for Vespers, Matins, Compline, and (on Sundays) the Midnight Office. The origins of this book go back to compositions by [[John of Damascus|St. John Damascene]].
* {{lang|el-Latn|'''[[Menaion]]'''|italic=no}} (Greek: {{lang|el|Μηναίον}}; Slavonic: {{lang|cu|Минїѧ}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.orthlib.info/Menaia/Rjadovaja-Minea/01-September/Menaion-01_September.html |title=Минея, сентябрь ~ Menaion, September |work=Богослужебные тексты ~ Liturgical Texts |publisher= Библиотека святоотеческой литературы ~ Library of Patristic Literature |access-date=2020-05-28 }}</ref> {{lang|cu-Latn|Miniya}})—A twelve-volume set which provides liturgical texts for each day of the calendar year,<ref group="note">On non-leap years, the service for 29 Feb ([[John Cassian|St. John Cassian]]) is chanted at Compline on 28 Feb.</ref> printed as 12 volumes, one for each month of the year.<ref group="note" name="Year_Starts_in_September">The liturgical year begins in September, so the volumes are numbered from 1 for September to 12 for August.</ref> Another volume, the ''General'' {{lang|el-Latn|Menaion}} contains propers for each class of saints for use when the propers for a particular saint are not available. Additionally, locally venerated saints may have services in supplemental volumes, pamphlets, or manuscripts.
* {{lang|el-Latn|'''[[Menologion]]'''|italic=no}} A collection of the lives of the saints and commentaries on the meaning of feasts for each day of the calendar year, also printed as 12 volumes,<ref group=note name=Year_Starts_in_September/> appointed to be read at the meal in monasteries and, when there is an all-night vigil for a feast day, between Vespers and Matins.
* {{lang|el-Latn|'''[[Triodion]]'''|italic=no}} (Greek: {{lang|el|Τριῴδιον}}, {{lang|el-Latn|Triodion}}; Slavonic: {{lang|cu|Постнаѧ Трїѡдь}}, {{lang|cu-Latn|Postnaya Triod}}; Romanian: {{lang|ro|Triodul}}), also called the '''Lenten {{lang|el-Latn|Triodion|italic=no}}'''. The Lenten {{lang|el-Latn|Triodion|italic=no}} contains propers for:
** the [[Pre-Lenten Season]]
** the Forty Days of Great Lent itself
** [[Lazarus Saturday]] and [[Palm Sunday]]
** [[Holy Week]]
* {{lang|el-Latn|'''[[Pentecostarion]]'''|italic=no}} (Greek: {{lang|el|Πεντηκοστάριον}}, {{lang|el-Latn|Pentekostarion}}; Slavonic: {{lang|cu|Цвѣтнаѧ Трїѡдь}}, {{lang|cu-Latn|Tsvetnaya Triod}}, literally "Flowery Triodon"; Romanian: {{lang|ro|Penticostar}}) This volume contains the propers for the period from [[Easter|Pascha]] to the Sunday of All Saints. This period can be broken down into the following periods:
** [[Bright Week]] (Easter Week) Commencing with matins on [[Easter|Pascha (Easter Sunday)]] through the following Saturday
** Paschal Season—The period from [[Thomas Sunday]] until [[Feast of the Ascension|Ascension]]
** Ascension and its [[Afterfeast]]
** Pentecost and its Afterfeast
** [[All Saints Day|All Saints Sunday]] (the Sunday after Pentecost)
* {{lang|el-Latn|'''[[Synaxarion]]'''|italic=no}} (Greek: {{lang|el|Συναξάριον}}; Romanian: {{lang|ro|Sinaxar}})—The {{lang|el-Latn|[[Synaxarium|Synaxarion]]|italic=no}} contains for each day of the year brief lives of the saints and meanings of celebrated feasts, appointed to be read after the {{lang|el-Latn|Kontakion|italic=no}} and {{lang|el-Latn|Oikos|italic=no}} at Matins.
* {{lang|el-Latn|'''[[Irmologion]]'''|italic=no}} (Greek: {{lang|el|῾Ειρμολόγιον}}; Slavonic: {{lang|cu|Ирмологий}}, {{lang|cu-Latn|Irmologii}})—Contains the {{lang|el-Latn|[[Irmos|Irmoi]]|italic=no}} chanted at the [[Canon (hymnography)|Canon]] of Matins and other services.
* '''[[Euchologion|Priest's Service Book]]''' (Greek: {{lang|el|῾Ἱερατικόν}}, {{lang|el-Latn|Ieratikon}}; Slavonic: {{lang|cu|Слѹжебникъ}}, {{lang|cu-Latn|Sluzhebnik}})—Contain the portions of the services which are said by the priest and deacon and is given to a deacon and to a priest with his vestments at [[Holy orders|ordination]].<ref group="note">Originally, the deacon's book and the priest's books were distinct, but upon the invention of printing, it was found more practical to combine them.</ref>
* '''Bishop's Service Book''' (Greek: {{lang|el|Ἀρχιιερατικόν}} {{lang|el-Latn|Archieratikon}}, Slavonic: {{lang|cu|Чиновникъ}}, {{lang|cu-Latn|Chinovnik}}) the portions of the services which are said by the Bishop; for the Canonical Hours, this differs little from what is in the Priest's Service Book.
* '''[[Gospel Book]]''' (Greek: {{lang|el|Ευαγγέλιον}}, {{lang|el-Latn|Evangélion}}) Book containing the 4 Gospels laid out as read at the divine services.<ref group="note" name="Editing_Gospel_and_Apostle">In Greek editions the {{lang|el-Latn|Evangélion}} is laid out in order of the cycle of readings as they occur in the ecclesiastical year, with a section in the back providing the Gospel readings for Matins, [[Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church|Feasts]] and special occasions. In the Slavic usage, the {{lang|el-Latn|Evangélion}} contains the four gospels in canonical order ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]], [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]], [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]], [[Gospel of John|John]]) with annotations in the margin to indicate the beginning and ending of each reading (and an index in the back).<br />The {{lang|el-Latn|Apostól}} is likewise edited, the Slavonic {{lang|el-Latn|Apostól}} having 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 of the Apostles|Acts]] is placed first, followed by the Catholic Epistles, etc.).</ref>
* '''Apostle Book''' (Greek: {{lang|el|Απόστολος}}, {{lang|el-Latn|Apostolos}}; Slavonic: {{lang|cu|Апостолъ}}, {{lang|cu-Latn|Apostol}}) Contains the readings for the Divine Liturgy from the [[Acts of the Apostles]] and the [[Epistles]] together with the {{lang|el-Latn|[[Prokeimenon]]|italic=no}} and [[Alleluia]] verses that are chanted with the readings.<ref group=note name=Editing_Gospel_and_Apostle />
* '''[[Patristic writings]]''' Many writings from the Church fathers are prescribed to be read at matins and, during great lent, at the hours; in practice, this is only done in some monasteries and frequently therein the abbot prescribes readings other than those in the written rubrics. therefore it is not customary to enumerate all the volumes required for this.
* '''Collections''' (Greek: {{lang|el|Ανθολόγιον}}, {{lang|el-Latn|[[Anthologion]]}}; Slavonic: {{lang|cu|Сборникъ}}, {{lang|cu-Latn|Sbornik}}) There are numerous smaller anthologies available<ref group="note">For instance, the {{lang|el-Latn|Festal Menaion|italic=no}} contains only those portions of the {{lang|el-Latn|Menaion|italic=no}} that have to do with the [[Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church|Great Feasts]]; and the {{lang|el-Latn|General Menaion}}, et cetera.</ref> which were quite common before the invention of printing but still are in common use both because of the enormous volume of a full set of liturgical texts and because the full texts have not yet been translated into several languages currently in use.
* {{lang|el-Latn|'''[[Typicon]]'''|italic=no}} (Greek: {{lang|el|Τυπικόν}}, {{lang|el-Latn|Typikon}}; Slavonic: {{lang|cu|Тѵпико́нъ}}, {{lang|cu-Latn|Typikon}} or {{lang|cu|уста́въ}}, {{lang|cu-Latn|ustav}}) Contains all of the rules for the performance of the Divine Services, giving directions for every possible combination of the materials from the books mentioned above into the Daily Cycle of Services.

===Liturgical cycles===<!-- a link from the article [[Liturgical year]] points here -->
Various cycles of the liturgical year influence the manner in which the materials from the liturgical books (above) are inserted into the daily services:

==== Weekly Cycle ====
Each day of the week has its own commemoration:
* ''Sunday''—[[Resurrection of Jesus|Resurrection of Christ]]
* ''Monday''—The Holy [[Angels]]
* ''Tuesday''—St. [[John the Baptist|John the Forerunner]]
* ''Wednesday''—The [[Christian cross|Cross]] and the {{lang|el-Latn|[[Theotokos]]|italic=no}}
* ''Thursday''—The Holy [[Apostles in the New Testament|Apostles]] and [[St. Nicholas]]
* ''Friday''—The Cross
* ''Saturday''—[[All Saints' Day|All Saints]]<ref group="note">Including, especially, the {{lang|el-Latn|Theotokos|italic=no}} and the [[Patron Saint]] of the local [[church (building)|church]] or [[monastery]].</ref> and the departed

Most of the texts come from the {{lang|el-Latn|Octoechos}}, which has a large collections of hymns for each weekday for each of the eight tones; during great lent and, to a lesser degree, the pre-lenten season, the {{lang|el-Latn|Lenten Triodion}} supplements this with hymns for each day of the week for each week of that season, as does the {{lang|el-Latn|Pentecostarion}} during the pascal season. Also, there are fixed texts for each day of the week are in the {{lang|el-Latn|Horologion}} and ''Priest's Service Book'' (e.g., [[dismissal (liturgy)|dismissals]]) and the [[Kathisma]]ta (selections from the ''Psalter'') are governed by the weekly cycle in conjunction with the season.

==== Fixed Cycle ====
Commemorations on the [[Fixed Cycle]] depend upon the day of the calendar year, and also, occasionally, specific days of the week that fall near specific calendar dates, e.g., the Sunday before the [[Exaltation of the Cross]]. The texts for this cycle are found in the {{lang|el-Latn|Menaion}}.

==== Paschal Cycle ====
The commemorations on the [[Paschal Cycle]] (Moveable Cycle) depend upon the date of [[Easter|Pascha (Easter)]]. The texts for this cycle are found in the {{lang|el-Latn|Lenten Triodion}}, the {{lang|el-Latn|Pentecostarion}}, the {{lang|el-Latn|Octoechos}} and also, because the daily Epistle and Gospel readings are determined by this cycle, the ''Gospel Book'' and ''Apostle Book''. The cycle of the {{lang|el-Latn|Octoechos}} continues through the following Great Lent, so the variable parts of the lenten services are determined by both the preceding year's and the current year's dates of Easter.

===== 8 Week Cycle of the Octoechos =====
The cycle of the [[Octoechos|eight Tones]] is found in the {{lang|el-Latn|[[Octoechos (liturgy)|Octoechos]]}} and is dependent on the date of Easter and commences with the [[Thomas Sunday#Eastern churches|Sunday after (eighth day of) Easter]], that week using the first [[echos|tone]], the next week using the second tone, and so, repeating through the week preceding the subsequent [[Palm Sunday]].<ref group="note">Each day of [[Bright Week]] (Easter Week) uses propers in a different tone, Sunday: Tone One, Monday: Tone Two, skipping the grave tone (Tone Seven)</ref>

===== 11 Week Cycle of the Matins Gospels =====
The portions of each of the Gospels from the narration of the Resurrection through the end are divided into eleven readings which are read on successive Sundays at matins; there are hymns sung at Matins that correspond with that day's [[Matins Gospel]].

=== Daily cycle of services ===
The Daily Cycle begins with [[Vespers]]<ref group="note">In accordance with Old Testament practice, the day is considered to begin in the evening (Genesis 1:5).</ref> and proceeds throughout the night and day according to the following table:

{|class="wikitable"
!Name of service in Greek
!Name of service in English
!Historical time of service
!Theme<ref>Sokolof, pp 36–38</ref>
|-
|({{langx|grc-x-koine|Ἑσπερινός|Esperinós}}) || [[Vespers#Byzantine Rite|Vespers]] || At sunset || Glorification of God, the Creator of the world and its Providence
|-
|({{langx|grc-x-koine|Ἀπόδειπνον|Apódeipnon}})||[[Compline#Compline in Byzantine usage|Compline]]|| At bedtime || Sleep as the image of death, illumined by Christ's [[Harrowing of Hell]] after His death
|-
|({{langx|grc-x-koine|Μεσονυκτικόν|Mesonyktikón}}) || [[Midnight office#Eastern Orthodox Christianity|Midnight Office]] || At midnight || Christ's midnight prayer in Gethsemane; a reminder to be ready for the Bridegroom coming at midnight and the [[Last Judgment]]
|-
||({{langx|grc-x-koine|Ὄρθρος|Órthros}}) || [[Matins#Eastern Christianity|Matins]] or {{lang|el-Latn|Orthros}} || Morning watches, ending at dawn || The Lord having given us not only daylight but spiritual light, Christ the Savior
|-
|({{langx|grc-x-koine|Πρῶτη Ὥρα|Prō̂tē Óra}}) || [[Prime (liturgy)#Eastern Christianity|First Hour]] (Prime)|| At ~6 am || Christ's being [[Pilate's court|brought before Pilate]]
|-
||({{langx|grc-x-koine|Τρίτη Ὥρα|Trítē Óra}}) || [[Terce#Eastern Christian Office|Third Hour]] (Terce)|| At ~9 am || Pilate's judgement of Christ and the descent of the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]] at [[Pentecost#New Testament|Pentecost]], which happened at this hour
|-
|({{langx|grc-x-koine|Ἕκτη Ὥρα|Èktē Óra}}) || [[Sext#Eastern Christian Office|Sixth Hour]] (Sext) || At noon || [[Christ's crucifixion]], which happened at this hour
|-
|({{langx|grc-x-koine|Ἐννάτη Ὥρα|Ennátē Óra}}) || [[None (liturgy)#Eastern Christian Office|Ninth Hour]] (None) || At ~3 pm || Christ's death, which happened at this hour
|-
|({{langx|grc-x-koine|τυπικά|Typicá}}) ''or'' Pro-Liturgy<ref name="Sokolof, p 93">Sokolof, p 93</ref>|| [[Typica]] || follows the sixth or ninth hour|| 
|}

The '''[[Typica]]''' is served whenever the [[Divine Liturgy]] is not celebrated at its usual time, i.e., when there is a vesperal Liturgy or no Liturgy at all. On days when the Liturgy may be celebrated at its usual hour, the Typica follows the sixth hour (or Matins, where the custom is to serve the Liturgy then) and the Epistle and Gospel readings for the day are read therein;<ref group="note">The Typica has a certain correspondence to the [[Missa Sicca]] of the Mediaeval West.</ref> otherwise, on [[aliturgical days]] or when the Liturgy is served at vespers, the Typica has a much shorter form and is served between the ninth hour and vespers.<ref name="Sokolof, p 93"/>

Also, there are [[Inter-Hours]] for the First, Third, Sixth and Ninth Hours. These are services of a similar structure to, but briefer than, the hours. their usage varies with local custom, but generally they are used only during the Nativity Fast, Apostles Fast, and Dormition Fast on days when the lenten alleluia replaces "God is the Lord" at matins, which may be done at the discretion of the [[ecclesiarch]] when the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated.

In addition to these public prayers, there are also private prayers prescribed for both monastics and laypersons; in some monasteries, however, these are read in church. These include Morning and Evening Prayers and prayers (and, in Russia, [[canon (hymnography)|canons]]) to be prayed in preparation for receiving the [[Eucharist]].

The full cycle of services are usually served only in monasteries, cathedrals, and other {{lang|el-Latn|[[Katholikon|katholika]]}}. In monasteries and parishes of the Russian tradition, the Third and Sixth Hours are read during the [[Liturgy of Preparation|Prothesis (Liturgy of Preparation)]]; otherwise, the Prothesis is served during Matins, the final portion of which is omitted, the [[Liturgy of the Catechumens]] commencing straightway after the {{lang|el-Latn|[[troparion]]}} following the [[Great Doxology]].

The [[Midnight Office]] is seldom served in parishes churches except at the [[Easter Vigil|Paschal Vigil]] as the essential office wherein the [[Epitaphios (liturgical)|burial shroud]] is removed from the tomb and carried to the altar.

===Aggregates===<!-- [[Aggregate (liturgy)]] redirects here -->
The sundry Canonical Hours are, in practice, grouped together into aggregates<ref>Sokolof, p 36</ref> so that there are three major times of prayer a day: Evening, Morning and Midday.<ref group="note">This is to conform with Psalm 55:17, "Evening, morning, and noonday will I tell of it and will declare it, and He will hear my voice."</ref> The most common groupings are as follows:

==== Ordinary days ====
* Evening – Ninth Hour, Vespers, Compline<ref group="note">In monasteries, when there is an evening meal, compline is often separated from vespers and read after the meal; in Greek ({{lang|el|απόδειπνον}}/{{lang|el-Latn|apodeipnon}}) and Slavonic ({{lang|cu|Повечерiе}}/{{lang|cu-Latn|Pov'echeriye}}), the name for Compline literally means, "After-supper".</ref>
* Morning Watches – Midnight Office,<ref group="note">Midnight Office is often omitted in parish churches.</ref> Matins, First Hour
* Morning – Third Hour, Sixth Hour, and the [[Divine Liturgy]] or [[Typica]]<ref group="note">Though the Liturgy (and Typica) are not, strictly speaking, a part of the daily cycle of services, their placement is fixed by the {{lang|el-Latn|Typicon|italic=no}} in relation to the daily cycle.</ref>

==== Weekdays during lent ====
* Evening – Great Compline
* Morning Watches – Midnight Office, Matins, First Hour
* Morning – Third Hour, Sixth Hour, Ninth Hour, [[Typica]], Vespers (sometimes with the [[Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts]] or, on the Annunciation, the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom)

==== When there is an all-night vigil ====
On the eves before [[Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church|Great Feasts]] and, in some traditions, on all Sundays, this grouping is used. However, the [[all-night vigil]] is usually abridged so as to not last literally "all-night" and may be as short as two hours; on the other hand, on Athos and in the very traditional monastic institutions, that service followed by the hours and Liturgy may last as long as 18 hours.
* Afternoon – Ninth Hour, Little Vespers,<ref group="note">This is an abbreviated, redundant Vespers, preserving only the opening Psalm, four 'Lord, I call' verses, 'O Gladsome Light', the Prokimenon, 'Vouchsafe, O Lord', an Aposticha, the Nunc Dimmitis and Trisagion prayers, the troparion and a short litany. On great feast days preceded by a strict fast (see note below), a Vesperal Liturgy is said instead.</ref> Compline (where it is not read at the commencement of the Vigil)
* Early night – Compline (where it is not the custom for it to follow small vespers), Great Vespers,<ref group="note">On great feast days preceded by a strict fast (Christmas, Epiphany, and Annunciation on a weekday), the Vigil commences with Great Compline rather than Vespers, with Vespers preceding Liturgy the previous day</ref> a reading, Matins, First Hour

==== When the royal hours are read ====
* Evening – Ninth Hour, Vespers, Compline
* Morning Watches – Midnight Office, Matins
* Morning – First, Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours and the Typica

==== On the eves of Christmas, Theophany, and Annunciation ====
When the feast is a weekday (or, in the Russian tradition, on any day for Christmas, Theophany), Vespers (with the Liturgy in most instances) is served earlier in the day and so Great Compline functions much as Great vespers does on the vigils of other feast days.
* Evening – Great Compline (in some traditions) and, if there be an All-Night Vigil, the reading, matins, first hour.
* Morning Watches – (unless there be an all-night vigil) midnight office, matins, first hour.

== Alexandrian Rite ==
[[File:Agpeya Breviary.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[Agpeya]] is a [[breviary]] used in Oriental Orthodox Christianity to pray the canonical hours at [[fixed prayer times]] during the day.]]
{{more citations needed|section|date=October 2019}}
The [[Alexandrian Rite]] is observed by the [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria]] and the [[Coptic Catholic Church]]. The cycle of canonical hours is largely monastic, primarily composed of psalm readings. The Coptic equivalent of the Byzantine ''Horologion'' is the [[Agpeya]].

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 hours are chronologically laid out, each containing a theme corresponding to events in the life of Jesus Christ:
* '''"Midnight Praise"''' (said in the early morning before dawn) commemorates the Second Coming of Christ. It consists of three watches, corresponding to the three stages of Christ's [[Agony in the Garden|prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane]] ( {{bibleverse||Matthew|25:1–13}} ).
* '''Prime''' (dawn) is said upon waking in the morning or after the Midnight Praise the previous night. Associated with the Eternity of God, the Incarnation of Christ, and his Resurrection from the dead.
* '''Terce''' (9 a.m.) commemorates Christ's [[Pilate's court|trial before Pilate]], the descent of the Holy Spirit at [[Pentecost]].
* '''Sext''' (noon) commemorates the Passion of Christ.
:Terce and Sext are prayed before each Divine Liturgy.
* '''None''' (3 p.m.) commemorates the death of Christ on the Cross. This hour is also read during fasting days.
* '''Vespers''' (sunset) commemorates the taking down of Christ from the Cross.
* '''Compline''' (9 p.m. – before bedtime) commemorates the burial of Christ, the Final Judgment.
:Vespers and Compline are both read before the Liturgy during Lent and the [[Fast of Nineveh]].
* The '''Veil''' is reserved for bishops, priests and monks, as an examination of conscience.

Every one of the Hours follows the same basic outline:
* Introduction, which includes the Lord's Prayer
* Prayer of Thanksgiving
* Psalm 50 (LXX).
* Various Psalms
* An excerpt from the Holy Gospel
* Short Litanies
* Some prayers (Only during Prime and Compline)
* Lord Have Mercy is then chanted 41 times (representing the 39 lashes Christ received before the crucifixion, plus one for the spear in His side, plus one for the crown of thorns)
* Prayer of "Holy Holy Holy..." and Lord's Prayer
* Prayer of Absolution
* Prayer of Every Hour

==Syriac rites==
=== East Syriac Rite ===
{{Contains special characters|section=section}}
The [[East Syriac Rite]] (also known as the Chaldean, Assyrian, or Persian Rite) has historically been used in Syria, Mesopotamia, Persia, and [[Saint Thomas Christians|Malabar]]. The nucleus of the Daily Office is mainly of course the recitation of the Psalter. There are usually seven regular hours of service;
the following are the times of prayer:

* '''[[Ramsha]] (ܪܲܡܫܵܐ)''' or ''the Evening Liturgy'' (6 pm)
* '''Suba-a (ܣܘܼܒܵܥܵܐ)''' or ''the Supper Liturgy'' (9 pm)
* '''Lelya (ܠܸܠܝܵܐ)''' or ''the Night Liturgy'' (12 am)
* '''Qala d-Shahra ( ܩܵܠܵܐ ܕܫܲܗܪܵ )''' or ''the Vigil Liturgy'' (3 am), a rarely used
* '''Sapra (ܨܲܦܪܵܐ)''' or ''the Morning Liturgy'' (6 am) <ref>{{cite book
 | title =The Nestorians and Their Rituals
 | author =George Percy Badger
 | publisher =Joseph Masters
 | year =1852
 | isbn =
 | url =https://archive.org/details/nestoriansandth00nealgoog
 | page =[https://archive.org/details/nestoriansandth00nealgoog/page/n42 16]
 | location =Kurdistan}}</ref> 
* '''Quta'a (ܩܘܼܛܵܥܵܐ)''' or ''the Third Hour Liturgy'' (9 am)
* '''Eddana (ܥܸܕܵܢܵܐ)''' or ''the Noon Liturgy'' (12 pm)

When East Syriac 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 119|Psalm 118]], varying with the day of the fortnight. 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. On Sundays the [[Gloria in Excelsis]] and [[Benedicte (prayer)|Benedicte]] are said instead of Psalm 146. 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 Syriac 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.

There are four shorter fasting periods besides the [[Great Lent]]; these are:
* the ''Fast of Mar Zaya'' (three days after the second Sunday of the Nativity)
* the ''Fast of the Virgins'' (after the first Sunday of the Epiphany)
* the ''Fast of the Ninevites'' (seventy days before Easter)
* the ''Fast of Mart Mariam'' (Our Lady) (from the first to the fourteenth of August)

The Fast of the Ninevites commemorates the repentance of Nineveh at the preaching of Jonah, and is carefully kept. 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 years are numbered, not from the birth of Christ, but from the [[Seleucid era]] (year 1 = 311 B.C.).

=== West Syriac Rite ===
[[File:Shehimo Breviary.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Shehimo]] is a breviary used in [[Indian Orthodoxy]] and [[Syriac Orthodoxy]] to pray the canonical hours at [[fixed prayer times]] during the day while facing in the [[direction of prayer|eastward direction]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Shehimo: Book of Common Prayer |date=2016 |publisher=[[Malankara Orthodox Diocese of Southwest America|Diocese of South-West America of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church]] |page=5 |language=en |quote=The seven hours of prayer create a cycle that provides us with a foretaste of the eternal life we will spend in the presence of God worshipping Him. ... We pray standing upright while facing East as we collect our thoughts on God.}}</ref>]]
The [[West Syriac Rite]], used in [[India]] and [[Syria]] by the [[Indian Orthodox Church|Indian Orthodox]] and [[Syriac Orthodox Church|Syriac Orthodox]] (Jacobites), as well as [[Syriac Catholic Church|Syriac]] and [[Maronite Church|Maronite]] Catholics, is in its origin simply the old rite of [[Antioch]] in the Syriac language. The translation must have been made very early, evidently before the division in the church over [[Council of Chalcedon|Chalcedon]], before the influence of [[Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople|Constantinople]] over the Antiochian Rite had begun. 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,"<ref>Psalm 119:164</ref> the Syriac Orthodox Church observes seven services of prayer each day:
* '''Evening''' or ''Ramsho'' prayer (Vespers)
* '''Drawing of the Veil''' or ''Sootoro'', meaning "Protection", from Psalm 91, which is sung at this prayer, "He who sits under the protection of the Most High" (Compline)
* '''Midnight''' or ''Lilyo'' prayer (Matins)
* '''Morning''' or ''Saphro'' prayer (Prime, 6 a.m.)
* '''Third Hour''' or ''Tloth sho'in'' prayer (Terce, 9 a.m.)
* '''Sixth Hour''' or ''Sheth sho'in'' prayer (Sext, noon)
* '''Ninth Hour''' or ''Tsha' sho'in'' prayer (None, 3 p.m.)

The Midnight prayer (Matins) consists of three ''qawme'' or "watches" (literally "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 [[Shehimo]], "simple prayer". The ''Shehimo'' 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]]. At the end of the office, the [[Nicene Creed]] is recited. The great part of the office consists of lengthy liturgical poems composed for the purpose, similar to the Byzantine [[Canon (hymnography)|odes]].

In the Maronite eparchies of the United States, the breviary commonly used is called the ‘’Prayer of the Faithful’’. This is a three-volume set that is divided up by the liturgical year: Vol. I for the Sundays of the Church, Seasons of Announcement and Birth of Our Lord, Epiphany, and Three Weeks of Commemoration; Vol. II for Great Lent and Eastertide; Vol. III for Pentecost through Season of the Holy Cross. This edition is rather simplified, containing only the offices of Ramsho, Sootoro, and Safro.

== Armenian Rite ==
The Daily Services in the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]] and the [[Armenian Catholic 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]]. 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]]. Symbolizes the Resurrection of Christ and his appearance to the [[Myrrh-bearing Women]].

The '''Sunrise Service''' (6:00&nbsp;a.m.)<ref group="note">Originally, the Sunrise Service was joined to the Morning Service.</ref> Dedicated to the praising of the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]]. Symbolizes the appearance to Christ to the disciples after the Resurrection.

The '''Third Hour''' (9:00&nbsp;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&nbsp;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:
* In the morning: Night and Morning Services together
* In the evening: Evening Service

During [[Great Lent]], all of the services are offered on weekdays (except Saturday and Sunday) according to the following schedule:
* In the morning: Night, Morning and Sunrise Services
* In the afternoon: Third, Sixth, Ninth Hours
* In the evening:
** Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: Peace Service
** Wednesday, Friday: Rest Service
** Saturday, Sunday: Evening Service

The book which contains the hymns which constitute the substance of the musical system of [[Armenian chant|Armenian liturgical chant]] is the ''Sharagnots'' (see [[Octoechos (liturgy)#Armenian Usage|Armenian Octoechos]]), a collection of hymns known as ''Sharakan''. Originally, these hymns were [[Psalms]] and biblical [[Canticle]]s that were chanted during the services, similar to the Byzantine [[Canon (hymnography)|Canon]]. In addition, the eight modes are applied to the psalms of the Night office, called ''ganonaklookh'' (Canon head).

==Protestantism==
=== Lutheran Rite ===
[[File:For All The Saints breviary.jpg|thumb|250px|[[For All the Saints: A Prayer Book for and by the Church|For All The Saints]] breviary, used in the Lutheran Churches, in four volumes]]
{{further|Matins in Lutheranism|Vespers in Lutheranism|The Brotherhood Prayer Book|For All the Saints: A Prayer Book for and by the Church}}
Like the [[Mass (liturgy)]] itself, the Daily Office within the Lutheran Church has had considerable variety, in both language and form. In the Reformation era, the Daily Office was largely consolidated into Matins, Vespers, and sometimes Compline, though there are notable exceptions. The ''Missale Germanicum'' of 1568, for example, simply translated the pre-Reformation breviary into German, retaining all of the canonical hours. The 1613 ''Cantica Sacra'' of the [[Magdeburg Cathedral]], on the other hand, provides for Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Compline to be sung in Latin every day of the year, including [[plainsong|plainsong melodies]] and text for Latin invitatories, responsories, and antiphons provided. As a result, a rural Lutheran parish church in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries might pray Saturday Vespers, Sunday Matins, and Sunday Vespers in the vernacular, while the nearby cathedral and city churches could be found praying the eight canonical hours in Latin with polyphony and Gregorian chant on a daily basis throughout the year.<ref name="Mayes2004">{{cite web |last1=Mayes |first1=Benjamin T. G. |title=Daily Prayer Books in the History of German and American Lutheranism |url=http://llpb.us/PDFs/Breviaries%20article.pdf |publisher=Lutheran Liturgical Prayer Brotherhood |access-date=25 July 2020 |language=en |date=5 September 2004 |archive-date=13 October 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041013213519/http://llpb.us/PDFs/Breviaries%20article.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The movement of [[Pietism]] emhpasized a personal holiness over formal liturgy in Lutheran Germany, including the Daily Office, as described in Paul Graff's ''Geschichte der Auflösung der alten gottesdienstlichen Formen in der evangelischen Kirche Deutschlands''. Nevertheless, a Latin choir hymnal was published in [[Nuremberg]] in 1724, and weekday observations of Matins and Vespers continued in many German Lutheran parishes.<ref name="Mayes2004" /> In Lutheran Scandinavia, the Daily Office has been celebrated from the time where the region became Evangelical Lutheran, with Evangelical Lutheran hymns being used in the recitation of the Daily Office.<ref name="Wainwright2006">{{cite book |last1=Wainwright |first1=Geoffrey |title=The Oxford History of Christian Worship |date=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-513886-3 |page=424 |language=en}}</ref>

A renewal in the Daily Office took place in the nineteenth century as a part of the [[Confessional Lutheranism|confessional revival among Lutherans]], particularly as a result of the work of such figures as [[Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe]]. Among English-speaking Lutherans in North America, this influence helped give rise to traditional forms of Matins and Vespers, based on sixteenth century Lutheran precedents, found in the ''Common Service of 1888'', which were then included in English-language Lutheran [[hymnal]]s in America prior to the 1970s. In 1969, the ''Worship Supplement'' of the [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]] reintroduced the offices of [[Prime (liturgy)|Prime]], [[Sext]], and [[Compline]], though only Compline was retained in subsequent hymnals.

In 1978, the [[Lutheran Book of Worship]] was published, containing newly revised forms of the Daily Office influenced by liturgical reforms in vogue following the [[Second Vatican Council]], with an order of Evening Prayer that includes a "Service of Light". Both the 2006 ''[[Lutheran Service Book]]'' of the [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]] and the 2006 ''[[Evangelical Lutheran Worship]]'' of the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]] provide forms of the modern Daily Office rites introduced in ''Lutheran Book of Worship'', though ''Lutheran Service Book'' also provides traditional forms of Matins and Vespers patterned on those found in the ''Common Service of 1888''.

Today, in addition to denominational hymnals, there are a variety of books and resources used by Lutherans around the world to pray the hours. In Germany, the [[Neuendettelsau|Diakonie Neuendettelsau]] religious institute uses a breviary unique to the order, and the [[Evangelisch-Lutherische Gebetsbruderschaft]] uses its ''Breviarium Lipsiensae: Tagzeitengebete''. Among English-speaking Lutherans in the United States, the twentieth century saw a proliferation in breviaries and prayer books alongside renewed interest in praying the canonical hours. Among the volumes presently in use is a translation of the ''Breviarum Lipsiensae: Tagzeitengebete'', entitled ''The Brotherhood Prayer Book'', which provides for eight canonical hours and includes a psalter, responsories, and antiphons set to Gregorian chant. It is largely used by clergy and laity within the [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]]. ''[[For All the Saints: A Prayer Book for and by the Church]]'' was published in 1995, and follows the daily lectionary of the 1978 ''[[Lutheran Book of Worship]]'', providing three scriptural readings and a non-Scriptural reading from a Christian theologian or source for each day of the year in a two year cycle. In 2008, the [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]] published ''The Treasury of Daily Prayer'', the only current denominational effort among Lutherans to reinvigorate the observation of the Daily Office. For each day, it provides a psalm (or a portion thereof), an Old Testament reading, a New Testament reading, a writing from a Christian theologian or writer, a hymn stanza, and a collect. In a further effort to encourage widespread use of the Daily Office, the ''Treasury of Daily Prayer'' has also been made available as a mobile app called "PrayNow".

=== Anglican usage ===
{{Main|Daily Office (Anglican)}}
[[File:Anglican Breviary.jpg|thumb|300px|The [[Anglican Rosary]] sitting atop [[Anglican Breviary|The Anglican Breviary]] and the ''Book of Common Prayer'']]

The daily offices have always had an important place in Anglican spirituality. Until comparatively recently Mattins and Evensong were the principal Sunday services in most Anglican churches, sung to settings by composers both ancient and modern. While Evensong with its musical repertory spanning five centuries continues to play an important role in Anglican worship, the [[eucharist]] has replaced Morning Prayer as the principal service on Sunday mornings in most Anglican parishes and cathedrals.

The ''[[Book of Common Prayer]]'', first published in 1549 and revised down the centuries, constitutes the basis of the liturgy for [[Anglicans]] and [[Anglican Use]] Roman Catholics. All Anglican prayer books provide offices for [[Morning Prayer (Anglican)|Morning Prayer]] (often called Mattins or Matins) and [[Evening Prayer (Anglican)|Evening Prayer]] (colloquially known as Evensong).<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://anglicanhistory.org/liturgy/clarke_evensong.html|title=Evensong Explained, with Notes on Matins and the Litany|last=Lowther Clarke|first=W. K.|publisher=SPCK|year=1922|location=London}}</ref>

The traditional structure of Matins and Evensong in most Anglican prayer books reflects the intention by the reforming Archbishop of Canterbury, [[Thomas Cranmer]], to return to the office's older roots as the daily prayer of parish churches. For this purpose, he followed some German Lutheran liturgies in eliminating the lesser hours and conflating the medieval offices of Matins and Lauds, while incorporating the canticles associated with each: the [[Benedictus (Song of Zechariah)|Benedictus]] and [[Te Deum]]. Similarly, Evening Prayer, also derived from German Lutheran liturgies, incorporated both the [[Magnificat]] from Vespers and the [[Nunc Dimittis]] from Compline. In Cranmer's adaptation of preceding Lutheran forms, each canticle was preceded by a reading from scripture. For the sake of simplicity, Cranmer also eliminated [[responsory|responsories]] and [[antiphon]]s, although these have been restored in many contemporary Anglican prayer books. Since his time, every edition of the ''Book of Common Prayer'' has included the complete psalter, usually arranged to be read over the course of a month. One distinctive contribution of Anglican worship is a broad repertory of [[Anglican Chant]] settings for the psalms and canticles.

Since the early 20th century, revised editions of the ''Book of Common Prayer'' or supplemental service books published by Anglican churches have often added offices for midday prayer and [[Compline]]. In England and other Anglican provinces, service books now include four offices:
* [[Morning Prayer (Anglican)|Morning Prayer]], corresponding to [[Matins]] and [[Lauds]].
* [[Prayer During the Day]], conflating the lesser hours of [[Terce]], [[Sext]], and [[None (liturgy)|None]].
* [[Evening Prayer (Anglican)|Evening Prayer]], corresponding to [[Vespers]].
* [[Compline|Night Prayer, or Compline]].

Some prayer books also include a selection of prayers and devotions specifically for family use. The 1979 ''Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church in the U.S.'' also provides an "Order of Worship for the Evening" as a prelude to Evensong with blessings for the lighting of candles and the singing of the ancient Greek lamp-lighting hymn, the [[Phos Hilaron]]. In the Church of England, the publication in 2005 of ''Daily Prayer'', the third volume of ''[[Common Worship]]'', adds "Prayer During the Day" to the services for Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Compline, and adds a selection of antiphons and responsories for the seasons of the [[Church Year]]. The 1989 ''New Zealand Prayer Book'' provides different outlines for Mattins and Evensong on each day of the week, as well as "Midday Prayer", "Night Prayer", and "Family Prayer". In 1995, the [[Episcopal Church (United States)]] published the ''Contemporary Office Book'' in one volume with the complete psalter and all readings from the two-year Daily Office lectionary.

Most Anglican monastic communities use a Daily Office based on the ''Book of Common Prayer'' or on ''Common Worship'' but with additional antiphons and devotions. The [[Order of the Holy Cross]] and [[Order of St. Helena]] published ''A Monastic Breviary'' (Wilton, Conn.: Morehouse-Barlow) in 1976. The Order of St. Helena published the ''St. Helena Breviary'' (New York: Church Publishing) in 2006 with a revised psalter eliminating male pronouns in reference to God. The [[All Saints Sisters of the Poor]] 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.

Some [[Anglo-Catholics]] use the Anglican Breviary, an adaptation of the Pre-Vatican II Roman Rite and the [[Sarum Rite]] in the style of Cranmer's original ''Book of Common Prayer'', along with supplemental material from other western sources, including a common of Octaves, a common of Holy Women, and other material. It provides for the eight historical offices in one volume, but does not include the [[Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary]], which was bound along with many editions of the ''Breviarium Romanum''. Other Anglo-Catholics use the Roman Catholic ''Liturgy of the Hours'' (US) or ''Divine Office'' (UK). Various Anglican adaptations of pre-Vatican II Roman office-books have appeared over the years, among the best known being Canon W. Douglas' translation of the 'Monastic Diurnal' into the idiom of the 'Book of Common Prayer'.

Historically, Anglican clergy have vested in [[cassock]], [[surplice]], and [[tippet]] for Morning and Evening Prayer, while bishops wear the [[rochet]] and [[chimere]]. In some monastic communities and Anglo-Catholic parishes, the officiant wears a surplice or an [[alb]] with stole and [[cope]] when Evensong is celebrated solemnly.

The canons of the Church of England and some other Anglican provinces require clergy to read Morning and Evening Prayer daily, either in public worship or privately. According to Canon C.24, "Every priest having a cure of souls shall provide that, in the absence of reasonable hindrance, Morning and Evening Prayer daily and on appointed days the Litany shall be said in the church, or one of the churches, of which he is the minister."<ref>Canon C.24</ref> Canon C.26 stipulates that, "Every clerk (cleric) in Holy Orders is under obligation, not being let (prevented) by sickness or some other urgent cause, to say daily the Morning and Evening Prayer...."<ref>Canon C.26</ref> In other Anglican provinces, the Daily Office is not a canonical obligation but is strongly encouraged.

=== Methodist usage ===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Methodist canonical hours.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A Lukan Book of Hours (in purple) and The Book of Offices and Services (in red), both liturgical texts of [[Order of St. Luke|The Order of Saint Luke]], a Methodist religious order]] -->
F. W. Macdonald, the biographer of [[John Fletcher Hurst|The Rt. Rev. John Fletcher Hurst]], stated that Oxford Methodism "with its almost monastic rigors, its living by rule, its canonical hours of prayer, is a fair and noble phase of the many-sided life of the Church of England".<ref name="Hurst1902">{{cite book|last=Hurst|first=John Fletcher|title=The History of Methodism|year=1902|publisher=Eaton & Mains|pages=310–}}</ref>

The traditional 1784 Methodist Daily Office is contained in ''The Sunday Service of the Methodists'', which was written by [[John Wesley]] himself. It was consequently updated in the ''Book of Offices'', published in 1936 in Great Britain, and ''[[The United Methodist Book of Worship (1992)|The United Methodist Book of Worship]]'', published in 1992 in the United States.<ref name="Bradshaw2013">{{cite book|last=Bradshaw|first=Paul F.|title=New SCM Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship|date=April 2013|publisher=Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd|isbn=978-0-334-04932-6|page=82|quote=The Church in 1935 approved ''Divine Worship'' (versions of morning prayer, other services and numerous collects) and in 1936 authorized the ''Book of Offices'' and, bound in with it, the ''Order for Morning Prayer'': both still exhibited connections to the ''BCP'' and thus Wesley's orders, though the former showed a willingness to include newly composed prayers and those borrowed from other Free Church sources.}}<!--|access-date=2 May 2015--></ref> Some Methodist religious orders publish the Daily Office to be used for that community, for example, ''The Book of Offices and Services of The Order of Saint Luke'' contains [[Lauds|Morning]], [[Terce|Mid-Morning]], [[Sext|Noon]], [[None (liturgy)|Mid-Afternoon]], [[Vespers|Evening]], [[Compline]] and [[Vigil]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Book of Offices and Services|date=6 September 2012|publisher=[[Order of St. Luke]]}}</ref>

Certain Methodist parishes, such as Saint Paul's Free Methodist Church, offer a daily corporate praying of the canonical hours at church.<ref>{{cite web |title=Philosophy of St. Paul's |url=http://www.stpaulsfmc.org/guiding-philosophies.html |publisher=St. Paul's Free Methodist Church |access-date=7 February 2022 |location=[[Greenville, Illinois|Greenville]] |language=English |date=2006 |quote=We believe we best receive God's gifts through ongoing worship; we practice daily Morning prayer and Eucharist as well as Compline prayer.}}</ref>

=== Reformed usage ===
Some Reformed churches—notably the [[Presbyterian Church (USA)]] and the [[United Church of Christ]]—have published daily office books adapted from the ancient structure of morning and evening prayer in the Western church, usually revised for the purpose of [[inclusive language]].

''The New Century Psalter'', published in 1999 by The Pilgrim Press, includes an inclusive-language revision of the psalms adapted from the [[New Revised Standard Version]] of the Bible with refrains and complete orders for Morning and Evening Prayer. Simple family prayers for morning, evening and the close of day are also provided.

''Book of Common Worship Daily Prayer'', published in 1994 by [[Westminster John Knox Press]], includes the daily offices from [[The Book of Common Worship of 1993]], the liturgy of the [[Presbyterian Church USA]]. In addition to Morning and Evening Prayer there is a complete service for Compline. Its psalter—an inclusive-language revision of the psalter from the 1979 American [[Book of Common Prayer]]—also includes a collect for each psalm. Antiphons and litanies are provided for the seasons of the church year. A new ''Book of Common Worship Daily Prayer'' with expanded content was published in 2018. It adds a service for Mid-Day Prayer. Its new psalter is from [[Evangelical Lutheran Worship]].

Both books are intended for ecumenical use and can be used with any daily lectionary.

=== Anabaptism ===
In [[Anabaptism|Anabaptist Christianity]], Mennonites (especially [[Old Order Mennonites]] and [[Conservative Mennonites]]) and Amish have family prayer every morning and evening, which is done kneeling; the ''Christenpflicht'' prayer book is used for this purpose. Bible readings may be read after this, often after the evening prayer; to this end, the ''Tägliches Manna'' devotional is used by many Anabaptists.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wesner |first1=Erik |title=What Do The Amish Believe? 20 Faith Statements|url=https://amishamerica.com/what-do-the-amish-believe-20-faith-statements/ |publisher=Amish America |access-date=11 May 2024 |language=English |date=1 September 2015}}</ref>

== Liberal Catholic usage ==
The [[Liberal Catholic Church]], and many groups in the [[Liberal Catholic movement]], also use a simple version of the Western canonical hours, said with various scripture reading and collects. According to the ''Liturgy of the Liberal Catholic Church,'' the Scriptures used are generally limited to the readings of the day, and the complete psalter is not incorporated unless at the discretion of the priest presiding, if as a public service, or of the devotee in private use. Those hours consist of: Lauds, Prime, Sext, Vespers, and Compline. Its recitation is not obligatory on Liberal Catholic priests or faithful, according to current directs from the General Episcopal Synod. {{cn|date=July 2025}}

== See also ==
* [[Fixed prayer times#Christianity|Fixed prayer times]]
* [[Watches of the Night]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note|30em}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
* {{Citation
|year = 1907
|title  =Тvпико́нъ сіесть уста́въ (Title here transliterated into Russian; actually in Church Slavonic) (The Typicon which is the Order)
|publisher = Синодальная типография (The Synodal Printing House)
|publication-place = Москва (Moscow, Russian Empire)
|page = 1154
}}
* {{Citation
|year=1992
|publication-date=1997
|title=The Unabbreviated Horologion
|place=[[Jordanville, New York]]
|publisher=[[Holy Trinity Monastery (Jordanville, New York)|Holy Trinity Monastery]]
}}
* [http://www.orthlib.info/Chasoslov/Chasoslov.html On-line text (in Church Slavonic Часослов – Chasoslov, Horologion, Retrieved 31 December 2011]
* {{Citation
|author=Saint [[Symeon of Thessaloniki]]
|others=Translated by Harry L.N. Simmons
|year=c. 1420
|publication-date=1984
|title=Treatise on Prayer: An Explanation of the Services Conducted in the Orthodox Church
|pages=132–136
|place=[[Brookline, Massachusetts]]
|publisher=[[Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology]] Press
|isbn=0-917653-05-X
}}
* {{Citation
|last=Sokolof
|first=Archpriest Dimitrii
|year=1899
|publication-date=2001
|title=Manual of the Orthodox Church's Divine Services
|pages=132–136
|place=[[Jordanville, New York]]
|publisher=[[Holy Trinity Monastery (Jordanville, New York)|Holy Trinity Monastery]]
|isbn=0-88465-067-7
|url = http://www.ccel.org/ccel/sokolof/services.toc.html
}}
* {{Citation
|author=[[Archpriest]] [[Alexander Schmemann]]
|year=1963
|title=Introduction to Liturgical Theology (Lib. of Orthodox Theol.)
|publication-date=1987
|publisher=Faith Press Ltd
|page = 170
|isbn=978-0-7164-0293-0
}}
* {{Citation
|last=Ware
|first=Timothy
|year=1963
|publication-date=1987
|title=The Orthodox Church
|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]
|publication-place=[[London]], UK
|page=193
|isbn=978-0-14-013529-9
}}
* {{Citation
|author=[[Archimandrite]] Robert F. Taft, S.J.
|title = The Liturgy of the Hours in East and West: The Origins of the Divine Office and Its Meaning for Today
|publisher=The order of Saint Benedict, Inc.
|publication-place=[[Collegeville, Minnesosta]]
|year=1986
|pages=423
|isbn=978-0-8146-1405-1
|jstor=1291596
}}
* {{Citation
| author = [[Archimandrite]] Robert F. Taft, S.J.
| title = Mount Athos: A Late Chapter in the History of the Byzantine Rite
| journal = Dumbarton Oaks Papers
| volume = 42
| year = 1988
| pages = 179–194
| doi = 10.2307/1291596
| jstor = 1291596
}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat}}
*[http://medievalist.net/hourstxt/home.htm The Hypertext Book of Hours] – online edition of Medieval Daily Office
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070311033209/http://www.allmercifulsavior.com/Liturgy/SarumPsalter.html The Sarum Breviary] (The [[Sarum Rite|Sarum Usage]] is a subset of the Roman Rite.)
*[http://www.serfes.org/orthodox/cycleofservices.htm Cycle of Services in the Eastern Orthodox Church] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609194857/http://www.serfes.org/orthodox/cycleofservices.htm |date=9 June 2008 }} by Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes
*[http://sor.cua.edu/Liturgy/SimplePrayer/index.html Liturgy of the Hours according to the rite of the Syriac Orthodox Church]
*[https://www.liturgy.io/lutheran-house-hours Daily Office of the Lutheran Church]
* [https://evangelicallutheranbreviary.wordpress.com/ Evangelical Lutheran Breviary]
*[https://dailyoffice.app The Daily Office] – web app for the Daily Office as found in The Book of Common Prayer (1979) of The Episcopal Church
*{{cite web | url = https://divinumofficium.com/cgi-bin/horas/Cofficium.pl | title = Divine Office of the Roman Rite | language = la | archive-url = https://archive.today/20190803103257/https://divinumofficium.com/cgi-bin/horas/Cofficium.pl | archive-date = 3 August 2019 | url-status = live | access-date = 3 August 2019 }} (from pre Tridentine Monastic to the 1960 Newcalendar)
*The [https://thetrinitymission.org ''Audio Daily Office''] - a daily podcast of the Daily Office supplied by The Trinity Mission

{{Liturgical hours in the Catholic Church|state=collapsed}}
{{Byzantine Rite|state=collapsed}}
{{Lutheran Church}}
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[[Category:Canonical hours| ]]
[[Category:Time in religion]]
[[Category:Christian prayer]]
[[Category:Parts of a day]]