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[German Version] (Sep 5, 1843, Staufeneck, near Saalach, Württemberg – Apr 23, 1896, Marria Laach), Benedictine from the archabbey of Beuron. His name is associated with a widely used prayer book, reprinted many times since its initial publicati…

[German Version] I. History The evening service of the Western churches in the the Liturgy of the Hours has been shaped by various traditions. Congregations gather for a liturgy of the Word in which certain Psalms are sung, Bible lessons are read, sermons are preached, and prayers are offered. Monastic communities include this service in their systematic recitation of the entire Psalter in course ( Psalterium currens). A tradition associated with house churches and cathedral churches adopted the practice of hailing the newly-lit lights of evening – among Christians an occasion to praise Christ, the true light (lucernarium). Taking this a step further, the evening service could also be treated as the beginning of the nightly vigil that introduces the next day. As an echo of this practice, the observance of major feasts still begins with the Vespers of the eve (“first Vespers,” along with the “second Vespers” of the feast day itself). As a special case, the Vigil of Easter begins with an acclamation of the light of Easter (the Exsultet). For the most part, the recitation of the Psalter in course of the monastic churches and basilicas imposed itself on Vespers, although Vespers still begins characteristically with Ps 110 (109), already interpreted christologically in the primitive church. This change displaced the ancient use of Ps 141 (140; cf. v. 2) and Ps 104 (103) at Vespers. The latter witnesses to the remembrance of God’s wor…

[German Version] I. History – II. Liturgical Practice – III. Catholicism – IV. Orthodox Church – V. Protestantism – VI. Music I. History Praying “at all times” reflects belief in a God who is always present as Lord of every time and all time. The Early Church continued the practice of Israel, but soon enriched the anamnestic remembrance of God's saving work at certain times (deliverance in the morning, preservation of the creation in the evening) with the remembrance of experiences of salvation in the life of th…

[German Version] I. Religious Studies – II. Israel – III. Christianity I. Religious Studies The term comes from the Lat. “altare,” which is derived from “adolere,” “burn” (thus already Sextus Pompeius Festus, De verborum significatione, v. 14: “altaria sunt in quibus igne adoletur”). In addition to “altare/altaria”, the common term “ara” (from “areo,” “burn”) has the same meaning. Accordingly, the Roman altar could be defined as “place of fire” or “sacrificial hearth.” In Greek, there are a number of alternating terms. Of these θυμέλη/ thymélē and θυσιαστήριον/ thysiastḗrion (from …

[German Version] I. Terminology and Scope The book of Psalms is a unique collection of 150 poetic texts compiled to make a work sui generis. Its Hebrew title תְּהִלִּים(סֵפֶר) /( sēper) tĕhillîm, “(Book of) Praises,” is already found at Qumran (earliest instance: 4QMa [= 4Q491] 174, 1st cent. bce). As in the New Testament occurrences from about a century later (Luke 20:42; Acts 1:20: βίβλος ψαλμῶν/ bíblos psalmṓ n), it appears to be used primarily in the technical sense of a scroll containing psalms (cf. the frgm. 4QPs), but it might also denote a form of the Psalter. In 11QPs…