Saint Benedict first gave the Office the basic structure by which it has come to be celebrated in the West: three psalms ( 4, 90, and 133) (Vulgate numbering) said without antiphons, the hymn, the lesson, the versicle Kyrie eleison, the benediction, and the dismissal (RB, Chaps. The original form of the Benedictine Office, lacking even an antiphon for the psalms, is much simpler than its Roman counterpart, resembling more closely the Minor Hours of the day. These debates apart, Benedict's arrangement probably invested the hour of compline with the liturgical character and arrangement which were preserved in the Benedictine Order, and largely adopted by the Roman Church. It is generally thought that the Benedictine form of compline is the earliest western order, although some scholars, such as Dom Plaine, have maintained that the hour of compline as found in the Roman Breviary at his time, antedated the Benedictine Office. Compline in the Roman Rite Responsory of the compline, In manus tuas, Domine Cyprian and Clement of Alexandria the custom of reciting a prayer before sleep, and that this might be taken as the original source of compline. Benedict did for the West, there existed as early as the days of St. Basil instituted and organized the hour of compline for the East, as St. The Catholic Encyclpedia argues that, if St. Pachomius, which would mean that it originated still earlier in the 4th century. The same writers reject the opinion of Paulin Ladeuze and Dom Besse who believe that compline had a place in the Rule of St. If this was not the canonical hour of compline, it was certainly a preliminary step towards it. These texts bear witness to the private custom of saying a prayer before retiring to rest. Dom Plaine also traced the source of compline back to the 4th century, finding mention of it in a passage in Eusebius and in another in St. Vandepitte states that it was not in Cæsarea in 375, but in his retreat in Pontus (358–362), that Basil established compline, which hour did not exist prior to his time, that is, until shortly after the middle of the 4th century. Vandepitte trace its source to Saint Basil. Benedict, in the beginning of the 6th century. In the past, general opinion ascribed the origin of this liturgical hour to St. The origin of compline has given rise to considerable discussion among liturgists. References to psalms follow the numbering system of the Septuagint, as said in the Latin of the Vulgate.įrom the time of the early Church, the practice of seven fixed prayer times have been taught in Apostolic Tradition, 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." Historical development This section incorporates information from the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1917. Compline comprises the final office in the Liturgy of the Hours. In most monasteries it is the custom to begin the "Great Silence" after compline, during which the whole community, including guests, observes silence throughout the night until after the Terce the next day. In Western Christianity, Compline tends to be a contemplative office that emphasizes spiritual peace. 42).Ĭompline liturgies are a part of Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, and certain other Christian liturgical traditions. Benedict in his Rule ( Regula Benedicti hereafter, RB), in Chapters 16 Archived January 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, 17 Archived January 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, 18 Archived January 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, and 42 Archived January 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, and he even uses the verb compleo to signify compline: "Omnes ergo in unum positi compleant" ("All having assembled in one place, let them say compline") "et exeuntes a completorio" ("and, after going out from compline")… (RB, Chap. The word was first used in this sense about the beginning of the 6th century by St. The English word is derived from the Latin completorium, as compline is the completion of the waking day. For other uses, see Compline (disambiguation).īook of hours open at compline ( Eisbergen Monastery in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany)Ĭompline ( / ˈ k ɒ m p l ɪ n/ KOM-plin), also known as Complin, Night Prayer, or the Prayers at the End of the Day, is the final prayer liturgy (or office) of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours, which are prayed at fixed prayer times.
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