None ("Ninth"), also known as Nones, the Ninth Hour, or the Midafternoon Prayer, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies. It consists mainly of psalms and is said around 3 pm (15:00), about the ninth hour after dawn. In the Roman Rite, None is one of " Little Hours". In the Oriental Orthodox Churches, such as the Coptic Orthodox Church, Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Indian Orthodox Church, it is one of the seven fixed prayer times to be recited by all Christians.

History

Origin

According to an

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

and Roman custom, the day was, like the night, divided into four parts, each consisting of three hours. Among the ancients the hour of None was regarded as the close of the day's business and the time for the baths and supper. This division of the day was in vogue also among the Jews, from whom the Church borrowed it. In addition to Morning and Evening Prayer to accompany the sacrifices, there was prayer at the Third, Sixth and Ninth Hours of the day.

Early Church

The Apostles continued to frequent the

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

at the customary hours of prayer ( Acts 3:1): "Now Peter and John went up into the temple at the ninth hour of prayer."Donovan, C.
Breviary / Divine Office / Liturgy of the Hours
EWTN, accessed 30 March 2024 At an early date, mystical reasons for the division of the day were sought. St. Cyprian sees in the hours of Terce, Sext and None, which come after a lapse of three hours, an allusion to the

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

. He adds that these hours already consecrated to prayer under the Old Dispensation have been sanctified in the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

by great mysteries: Terce by the descent of the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

on the Apostles; Sext by the prayers of St. Peter, the reception of the

Gentiles ''Gentile'' () is a word that today usually means someone who is not Jewish. Other Groups claiming affiliation with Israelites, groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, have historically used the term ''gentile'' to describe outsider ...

into the Church, or yet again by the crucifixion of

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

; None by the death of Christ. St. Basil merely recalls that it was at the ninth hour that the Apostles Peter and John were wont to go to the Temple to pray. St. John Cassian, who adopts the

Cyprian Cyprian (; ; to 14 September 258 AD''The Liturgy of the Hours according to the Roman Rite: Vol. IV.'' New York: Catholic Book Publishing Company, 1975. p. 1406.) was a bishop of Carthage and an early Christian writer of Berbers, Berber descent, ...

interpretation for Terce and Sext, sees in the Hour of None the descent of Christ into

hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

. But, as a rule, it is the death of Christ that is commemorated at the Hour of None. The most ancient testimony refers to this custom of

Terce Terce is a canonical hour of the Divine Office. It consists mainly of psalms and is held around 9 a.m. Its name comes from Latin and refers to the third hour of the day after dawn. Along with Prime, Sext, None, and Compline, Terce belongs ...

, Sext, and None, for instance

Tertullian Tertullian (; ; 155 – 220 AD) was a prolific Early Christianity, early Christian author from Roman Carthage, Carthage in the Africa (Roman province), Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive co ...

Clement of Alexandria Titus Flavius Clemens, also known as Clement of Alexandria (; – ), was a Christian theology, Christian theologian and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Among his pupils were Origen and Alexander of Jerusalem. A ...

, the Canons of Hippolytus, and even the '' Didache'' ("Teaching of the Apostles"). The ''Didache'' prescribed prayer thrice each day, without, however, fixing the hours. Clement of Alexandria and likewise Tertullian, as early as the end of the 2nd century, expressly mention the

Canonical Hours 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 sel ...

of Terce, Sext, and None, as specially set apart for prayer. Tertullian argues for constant prayer with no prescribed time, but adds: "As regards the time, there should be no lax observation of certain hours—I mean of those common hours which have long marked the divisions of the day, the third, the sixth, and the ninth, and which we may observe in Scripture to be more solemn than the rest." Clement and Tertullian in these passages refer only to private prayer at these hours. The Canons of Hippolytus also speak of Terce, Sext, and None as suitable hours for private prayer; however, on the two station days, Wednesday and Friday, when the faithful assembled in the church, and perhaps on Sundays, these hours were recited successively in public. In the 4th century there is evidence to show that the practice had become obligatory, at least for the

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

s. The eighteenth canon of the Council of Laodicea (between 343 and 381) orders that the same prayers be always said at None and

Vespers Vespers /ˈvɛspərz/ () is a Christian liturgy, liturgy of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Catholic (both Latin liturgical rites, Latin and Eastern Catholic liturgy, Eastern Catholic liturgical rites), Eastern Orthodox, Oriental O ...

. It is likely that reference is made to some

litanies Litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Jewish worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions. The word comes through Latin ''wikt:litania, litania'' from Ancient Greek wikt:λιτα ...

, in which prayer was offered for the catechumens, sinners, the faithful, and generally for all the wants of the Church. John Cassian states that the most common practice was to recite three psalms at each of the Hours of

, Sext, and None.

Since the 7th century

Practices varied from monastery to monastery. At first some tried to do the entire Psalter (150 Psalms) each day, but eventually that was abandoned for a weekly cycle built around certain hours of the day. In the Rule of St. Benedict the four Little Hours of the day ( Prime, Terce, Sext and None) were conceived on the same plan, the formulae alone varying. The Divine Office began with the Invitatory, like all the

; then follows a

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

, special to None; three psalms, which do not change (Psalm 125, 126, 127), except on Sundays and Mondays when they are replaced by three groups of eight verses from Psalm 118; then the capitulum, a versicle, the

Kyrie ', a transliteration of Greek , vocative case of ('' Kyrios''), is a common name of an important prayer of Christian liturgy, also called the ( ; ). In the Bible The prayer, , "Lord, have mercy" derives from a Biblical phrase. Greek , ...

, the Lord's Prayer, the , and the concluding prayers. Medieval writers attribute various

mystical Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight ...

characteristics to the Hour of None. Amalarius of Metz opines that the human spirit sinks at None alongside the setting sun, opening the soul to diabolical temptation. Other medievals claim ancient associations between the number nine and imperfection and mourning. One folk belief holds that Adam and Eve were driven from the

Garden of Eden In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden (; ; ) or Garden of God ( and ), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the biblical paradise described in Genesis 2–3 and Ezekiel 28 and 31.. The location of Eden is described in the Book of Ge ...

at the ninth hour. None was also the hour of

fasting Fasting is the act of refraining from eating, and sometimes drinking. However, from a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (before "breakfast"), or to the metabolic sta ...

. At first, the hour of fasting was prolonged to

, that is to say, food was taken only in the evening or at the end of the day. Mitigation of this rigorous practice was soon introduced. Tertullian's work ("On fasting, against the materialistic") rails at length against the ''Psychicos'' (i.e. the Orthodox Christians) who end their fast on station days at the Hour of None, while he, Tertullian, claims that he is faithful to the ancient custom. The practice of breaking the fast at None caused that hour to be selected for

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

and Communion, which were the signs of the close of the day. The distinction between the rigorous fast, which was prolonged to Vespers, and the mitigated fast, ending at None, is met with in a large number of ancient documents. In the

Roman Rite The Roman Rite () is the most common ritual family for performing the ecclesiastical services of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. The Roman Rite governs Rite (Christianity) ...

the office of None is likewise constructed after the model of the Little Hours of the day; it is composed of the same elements as in the Rule of St. Benedict, with this difference: that instead of the three psalms (125-127), the three groups of eight verses from Psalm 118 are always recited. There is nothing else characteristic of this office in this liturgy. The hymn, which was added later, is the one already in use in the

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

Office—'' Rerum Deus tenax vigor''. In the monastic rules prior to the 10th century certain variations are found. Thus in the Rule of Lerins, as in that of St. Caesarius, six psalms are recited at None, as at Terce and Sext, with antiphon, hymn and capitulum. St. Aurelian follows the same tradition in his Rule , but he imposes twelve psalms at each hour on the monks. St. Columbanus, St. Fructuosus, and St. Isidore adopt the system of three psalms. Like St. Benedict, most of these authors include hymns, the capitulum or short lesson, a versicle, and an . In the 9th and 10th centuries we find some additions made to the Office of None, in particular litanies, collects, etc.

Current practice

Roman Rite

With the reforms of the Second Vatican Council the traditional one-week Psalter cycle became a four-week cycle. Furthermore, it is only mandatory to pray one of the Little Hours (

, Sext, and None). In the liturgy of the hours of some religious orders Sext and None are combined to form a "midday hour". However, bishops, priests and others, "who have received from the Church the mandate to celebrate the liturgy of the hours" are still expected to recite the full sequence of hours, as closely as possible to the traditional time of day.

Antiochene Rites

West Syriac Rite

In the Maronite Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Syriac Catholic Church,

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) also known as the Indian Orthodox Church (IOC) or simply as the Malankara Church, is an Autocephaly, autocephalous Oriental Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox church headquartered in #Catholicate ...

, Malankara Marthoma Syrian Church, and the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, the office of None is also known as and is prayed at 3 pm using the Shehimo breviary.

Byzantine Rite

In the

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

and Greek Catholic Churches the office of the Ninth Hour is normally read by a single Reader and has very little variation in it. Three fixed psalms are read at the Third Hour: Psalms 83, 84, and 85 ( LXX). The only variable portions for most of the year are the Troparia (either one or two) and Kontakion of the Day. The service ends with the ''Prayer of the Ninth Hour'' by Saint Basil the Great. During Great Lent a number of changes in the office take place. On Monday through Thursday, after the three fixed psalms, the Reader says a

kathisma A kathisma (Greek: κάθισμα; Slavonic: каѳисма, ''kai-isma''), literally, "seat", is a division of the Psalter, used in the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Rite Catholic churches. The word may also describe a hymn sung at Matins, a ...

from the Psalter. The Troparion of the Day is replaced by special Lenten hymns that are chanted with prostrations. Then a portion of the '' Ladder of Divine Ascent'' may be read. The Kontakion of the Day is replaced by special Lenten troparia. Near the end of the Hour, the Prayer of St. Ephraim is said, with prostrations. During

Holy Week Holy Week () commemorates the seven days leading up to Easter. It begins with the commemoration of Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, marks the betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednes ...

, on Great Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, the services are similar to those during Great Lent, except that there is no

, and instead of the normal Lenten hymns which replace the Kontakion, the Kontakion of the day (i.e., that day of Holy Week) is chanted. On Great Thursday and Saturday, the Little Hours are more like normal. On Great Friday, the Royal Hours are chanted. During the Lesser Lenten seasons (

Nativity Fast In Christianity, the Nativity Fast—or Fast of the Prophets in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church—is a period of abstinence and penance practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Churc ...

, Apostles' Fast and Dormition Fast) the Little Hours undergo changes similar to those during Great Lent, except the Lenten hymns are usually read instead of chanted, and there are no . In addition, on weekdays of the Lesser Fasts, an Inter-Hour (Greek: ) may be read immediately after each Hour (at least on the first day of the fast). The Inter-Hours may also be read during Great Lent if there is to be no reading from the '' Ladder of Divine Ascent'' at the Little Hours. The Inter-Hours follow the same general outline as the Little Hours, except they are shorter.

Armenian Rite

In the Armenian Liturgy, the Ninth Hour (, ) commemorates both the Son of God and the death and surrender of isrational spirit. In the Armenian Book of Hours and in many liturgical manuscripts, the Ninth Hour concludes with a service of hymns, psalms, readings, and prayers which would normally be recited during the (Divine Liturgy or Mass). In the Armenian Book of Hours and in many liturgical manuscripts, the ninth hour includes the service of prayers, hymns, and Bible readings which would normally take place at the (Divine Liturgy or Mass), without the prayers of the eucharistic canon (preparation, consecration, post-communion prayers) and many of the litanies. There is no separate heading for this service as there is for the other services in the Book of Hours. Still, this is a distinct service because the concluding “Our Father” which ends every Armenian liturgy, including all of the liturgies of the hours, also occurs at the end of the Ninth Hour proper in analogy to the First, Third, and Sixth hours, and before this additional service. This service may be called the Service ( ), the service of mealtime, which was taken at the end of the day at the conclusion of work, which would have been after the ninth hour. Since fasting before communion was the rule in the ancient church, the ninth hour suggested itself as the appropriate time to offer the . Thus, a service which contained the readings and much of the prayers from the was added after the Ninth Hour for those days when no would be celebrated. One can compare this service to the Typica service celebrated in churches belonging to the Slavic tradition within the Byzantine liturgical rite. Not all ancient manuscripts of the Armenian hours have this service, therefore it is unclear whether this service is a later importation from the Byzantine liturgy, with the words and sequence of the Armenian substituted for those of the Byzantine Divine Liturgy.

=Outline of the Service

= Introduction: “Blessed is our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our Father...”; “Blessed is the Holy Father, true God. Amen.” Psalm 51: “Have mercy on me...”; “Glory...Now and always...Amen.”; Hymn of the Ninth Hour: “The light of day suffered with you... (...)”; Exhortation: “At every hour this is my prayer...(...)”; Proclamation: “Again and again in peace...”; Prayer: “Blessing and Glory to the Father...Now and always...Amen.” During the Great Fast'':'' The Prayer of John Mandakouni “With a holy heart... (...)”; Proclamation: “That we may pass this hour...(...)” Otherwise continue here'':'' Prayer: “Lord of hosts...(...)” Psalm (Daniel 3:33-34): “Lord, do not forsake us...(...)”; Hymn of St. Nerses (Tone 3): “Accept, Lord, the request of the patriarch Abraham...(...)”; Proclamation: “Let us beseech our lifegiving savior, Christ,...(...)”; Prayer, “Having fallen down before you...(...)”; Prayer of Sarkawag Vardapet: “Remember, Lord your servants... (...)”; Prayer: “God, beneficent and full of mercy...(...)” Psalm 116 “I loved, because the Lord heard...(...)”; Psalm 117 “Bless the Lord all nations...(...)”; “Glory to the Father...Now and always...Amen.” On dominical feasts and the commemorations of martyrs'':'' Hymn (varies according to the tone of the day) Otherwise continue here'':'' Exhortation: “For the souls at rest...(...)”; Proclamation: “Again and again in peace...For the souls...(...)”; “Lord, have mercy” (thrice); Prayer: “Christ, Son of God,...(...)” (on fasting days, said thrice); “Blessed is our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our Father...” The Service Exhortation: “Our psalmody and our supplications...(...)”; “Amen.” “Blessed is the kingdom of the Father...Now and always...Amen.” Hymn of the Time of Entrance ( ; varies for the tone, commemoration, and liturgical season) Song of the Time of Entrance ( ; varies) Proclamation: “Again and again in peace...accept, vivify, and have mercy.”; “Blessing and glory to the Father...Now and ever...Amen.” Antiphon (varies) Hymn (varies) Holy God (varies) Proclamation: “Again and again...For the peace of the whole world...(...)”; Prayer: “For you are the merciful and philanthropic God...(...)” Psalm (varies) Reading from the Apostles (varies) Canticle (varies) Reading from the Prophets (varies) Chasou Alleluia (varies) Pre-Gospel sequence Gospel (varies) “Glory to you, Lord, our God.” Nicean Symbol: “We believe in one God...”; “As for those who say...(...)”; “As for us, let us glorify...(...) Proclamation: “Again and again...And again with faith...(...); Prayer: “Our Lord and savior...(...)”; “Peace be with all.”; “Let us bow down before God.”; Prayer: “By your peace...(...)”; “Blessed is our Lord Jesus Christ.”; “May the Lord God bless everyone. Amen.”; “Our Father...” “One is Holy. One is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.”; “Blessed is the Holy Father, true God. Amen.”; “Blessed is the Holy Son, true God. Amen.”; “Blessed is the Holy Spirit, true God. Amen.”; “Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit.” “Blessing and glory to the Father...Now and always...Amen.”; “Blessed be the name of the Lord now and forever.” (thrice); “Blessed is God. You are the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets...” “I shall bless the Lord at all times, at every hour his blessing upon my lips.” “Be blessed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Go in peace, and may the Lord be with you and with everyone. Amen.”

Alexandrian Rite

In the Coptic Orthodox Church, and

Coptic Catholic Church The Coptic Catholic Church (), also known as the Coptic Catholic Church of Alexandria, is an Eastern Catholic particular church in full communion with the Catholic Church. Along with the Ethiopian Catholic Church and Eritrean Catholic Church ...

, the Compline is prayed at 3 pm using the Agpeya breviary before retiring.

East Syriac Rite

The equivalent of None in the

East Syriac Rite The East Syriac Rite, or East Syrian Rite (also called the Edessan Rite, Assyrian Rite, Persian Rite, Chaldean Rite, Nestorian Rite, Babylonian Rite or Syro-Oriental Rite), is an Eastern Christian liturgical rite that employs the Liturgy of Ad ...

, employed by the Chaldean Catholic Church, Syro-Malabar Church,

Assyrian Church of the East The Assyrian Church of the East (ACOE), sometimes called the Church of the East and officially known as the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, is an Eastern Christianity, Eastern Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian denomin ...

and Ancient Church of the East is .

References

External links

Basil the Great's ''Prayer of the Ninth Hour''
Eastern Orthodox

Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions {{DEFAULTSORT:None Byzantine Rite Little Hours Armenian Apostolic Church