Horologion
TODD E. FRENCH
From the Greek meaning “Book of Hours” (Slavonic, Chasoslov), the Horologion is the primary book of divine services as designed for use by the reader and chanter. In distinction to the Euchologion, which is the priestly service book, the abbreviated versions of the Horologion often omit the words of the priest’s part. Taking its rise from the regular hours of monastic prayer and the specific interest the ascetics had in organizing the reading and singing of the entire collection of psalms, the liturgical hours organize the weekly recitation of the psalms by sections known as kathismata. The book of the Horologion contains the rite of the Vespers service moving through the Prayer at the Supper Table, Compline, Great Compline, Midnight Office, Matins (Orthros), the services of first, third, sixth, and ninth hours, as well as the text of various Canons and Akathists, hymns of the day (Apolytikia and Kontakia) and the service of Preparation for and Thanksgiving after Communion. Commonly published in its most popular form as the Great Horologion, the book may also contain the feast dates of the saints (a small Menaion), as well as giving short biographies of the more significant ones. Given its popularity as a primary source for individual prayer among Orthodox laity as well as in churches, it has also recently found translation into digital formats and is currently accessible through the Internet, a testament to its broader appreciation.
SEE ALSO: Akathistos; Apolytikion; Eucholo- gion; Kathisma; Kontakion; Liturgical Books
REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READINGS
Orthodox Eastern Church (1997) The Great Horologion, trans. Holy Transfiguration Monastery. Boston: Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Raya, J. and Jose De Vinck, B. (1969) Byzantine Daily Worship. Allendale, NJ: Alleluia Press.